text
stringlengths 254
12.1k
| summary
stringlengths 13
238
|
|---|---|
albert <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prince albert of monaco will tie the knot to former south african olympic swimmer charlene wittstock next july , the palace announced thursday . the pair have set july 8 , 2011 , as the day for a civil wedding at the palace . the next day , they will take part in a religious ceremony , the palace said . the 52-year-old prince and ruler of monaco , the only son of princess grace and the late prince rainier , has never married . in a 2004 interview with cnn 's larry king , albert admitted it had taken him longer than most ' to find a wife . there have been some relationships where , had they gone on a little bit more , they would have headed that way , ' albert said . but i think it 's -- it 's so much your own timing and your own agenda and the person you want to be with . ' like his fiancee , albert is also an olympian , having competed in five olympic winter games -- from calgary in 1988 to salt lake city in 2002 -- in bobsledding . he is a member of the international olympic committee and president of monaco 's national olympic committee . albert has two sisters , princesses caroline and stephanie . the prince and wittstock have been photographed together many times in the past four years , leading to speculation they would eventually marry . albert has two children from previous relationships -- a 6-year-old son born to nicole coste , a flight attendant from togo , and an 18-year-old daughter born to american tamara rotolo , a former waitress . neither child is in line for the throne under monaco law , which says succession passes only to direct legitimate descendants . albert was formally invested as monaco 's ruler following the death of his father in 2005 . monaco , a sovereign principality , is one of the smallest countries in the world , measuring just under 2 square miles . it sits on the french riviera and is bordered on three sides by france . it has a population of about 33,000 people . | albert and his fiancee are both olympians |
albert <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prince albert of monaco will tie the knot to former south african olympic swimmer charlene wittstock next july , the palace announced thursday . the pair have set july 8 , 2011 , as the day for a civil wedding at the palace . the next day , they will take part in a religious ceremony , the palace said . the 52-year-old prince and ruler of monaco , the only son of princess grace and the late prince rainier , has never married . in a 2004 interview with cnn 's larry king , albert admitted it had taken him longer than most ' to find a wife . there have been some relationships where , had they gone on a little bit more , they would have headed that way , ' albert said . but i think it 's -- it 's so much your own timing and your own agenda and the person you want to be with . ' like his fiancee , albert is also an olympian , having competed in five olympic winter games -- from calgary in 1988 to salt lake city in 2002 -- in bobsledding . he is a member of the international olympic committee and president of monaco 's national olympic committee . albert has two sisters , princesses caroline and stephanie . the prince and wittstock have been photographed together many times in the past four years , leading to speculation they would eventually marry . albert has two children from previous relationships -- a 6-year-old son born to nicole coste , a flight attendant from togo , and an 18-year-old daughter born to american tamara rotolo , a former waitress . neither child is in line for the throne under monaco law , which says succession passes only to direct legitimate descendants . albert was formally invested as monaco 's ruler following the death of his father in 2005 . monaco , a sovereign principality , is one of the smallest countries in the world , measuring just under 2 square miles . it sits on the french riviera and is bordered on three sides by france . it has a population of about 33,000 people . | monaco 's prince albert has never married |
daily curriculum <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- march 6 , 2014 thousands of chinese legislators convene in beijing , but they 're not expected to vote on any major laws . we 'll explain why in this thursday edition of cnn student news . also covered today : an asteroid comes within the moon 's distance to earth , the college board overhauls the sat , and a california couple finds a pot of gold . on this page you will find today 's show transcript , the daily curriculum , and a place for you to leave feedback . transcript click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . daily curriculum click here for a printable version of the daily curriculum ( pdf ) . media literacy question of the day : how might media coverage affect someone who discovers treasure ? why might some want this coverage and some want to avoid it ? key concepts : identify or explain these subjects you heard about in today 's show : 1 . national people 's congress 2 . sat 3. aurum fast facts : how well were you listening to today 's program ? 1 . what kind of government does china have ? what is the purpose of the annual meeting of the national people 's congress ? why are international economists interested in this event ? 2 . how close did an asteroid recently pass by earth ? how large was the asteroid ? how many asteroids have scientists discovered this year ? what were the chances of this asteroid actually hitting earth ? 3 . how many gold coins were recently found by a california couple ? what is the estimated value of these coins ? what theory was presented with regard to why these coins were left behind ? what is the most likely reason why these coins were left ? discussion questions : 1 . what is your opinion of college entrance exams ? are you planning to take the sat ? why or why not ? do you think that changes are needed to the test ? what is your opinion about college board 's planned changes to the exam ? what possible pros and cons could these changes bring ? how might the timing of these changes affect some students ? 2 . what action would you take if you were to discover gold near your home ? what options do you think were available to a california couple who found a pot of gold ? why do you think they chose to remain anonymous ? can you think of any drawbacks of doing so ? explain . 3 . how would you describe louis corbett 's attitude ? how might his attendance of a boston celtics game affect him , the team , and the people who helped him get to boston ? what do you think louis will remember most about this experience ? how do you think his family will meet the challenges that lie ahead of it ? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists and educators who consider the common core state standards , national standards in different subject areas , and state standards when producing the show and curriculum . we hope you use our free daily materials along with the program , and we welcome your feedback on them . feedback we 're looking for your feedback about cnn student news . please use this page to leave us comments about today 's program , including what you think about our stories and our resources . also , feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom . the educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well . thank you for using cnn student news ! click here to submit your roll call request . | the daily curriculum offers the media literacy question of the day , key concepts , fast facts and discussion questions |
daily curriculum <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- march 6 , 2014 thousands of chinese legislators convene in beijing , but they 're not expected to vote on any major laws . we 'll explain why in this thursday edition of cnn student news . also covered today : an asteroid comes within the moon 's distance to earth , the college board overhauls the sat , and a california couple finds a pot of gold . on this page you will find today 's show transcript , the daily curriculum , and a place for you to leave feedback . transcript click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . daily curriculum click here for a printable version of the daily curriculum ( pdf ) . media literacy question of the day : how might media coverage affect someone who discovers treasure ? why might some want this coverage and some want to avoid it ? key concepts : identify or explain these subjects you heard about in today 's show : 1 . national people 's congress 2 . sat 3. aurum fast facts : how well were you listening to today 's program ? 1 . what kind of government does china have ? what is the purpose of the annual meeting of the national people 's congress ? why are international economists interested in this event ? 2 . how close did an asteroid recently pass by earth ? how large was the asteroid ? how many asteroids have scientists discovered this year ? what were the chances of this asteroid actually hitting earth ? 3 . how many gold coins were recently found by a california couple ? what is the estimated value of these coins ? what theory was presented with regard to why these coins were left behind ? what is the most likely reason why these coins were left ? discussion questions : 1 . what is your opinion of college entrance exams ? are you planning to take the sat ? why or why not ? do you think that changes are needed to the test ? what is your opinion about college board 's planned changes to the exam ? what possible pros and cons could these changes bring ? how might the timing of these changes affect some students ? 2 . what action would you take if you were to discover gold near your home ? what options do you think were available to a california couple who found a pot of gold ? why do you think they chose to remain anonymous ? can you think of any drawbacks of doing so ? explain . 3 . how would you describe louis corbett 's attitude ? how might his attendance of a boston celtics game affect him , the team , and the people who helped him get to boston ? what do you think louis will remember most about this experience ? how do you think his family will meet the challenges that lie ahead of it ? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists and educators who consider the common core state standards , national standards in different subject areas , and state standards when producing the show and curriculum . we hope you use our free daily materials along with the program , and we welcome your feedback on them . feedback we 're looking for your feedback about cnn student news . please use this page to leave us comments about today 's program , including what you think about our stories and our resources . also , feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom . the educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well . thank you for using cnn student news ! click here to submit your roll call request . | this page includes the show transcript and the daily curriculum |
erdogan <tsp> istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- sitting down with the protesters in gezi park , the message to the government from demonstrators , young and old , seems simple enough : do n't try to control us . incinerated cars , desecrated monuments and homemade banners now litter istanbul 's commercial hub , taksim square , after demonstrations at the weekend turned violent when police moved in to scatter protesters . they are trying to decide whether we drink alcohol , ' industrial design student ozgsa bertag-apunaman , 20 , says calmly : telling us how many children we should have and if a woman should have an abortion or not . ' he recalls how he was left breathless after being struck on the back with a tear gas canister fired by police . they 're aiming at us . a shell exploded on my backpack . luckily i had it on . ' the clashes were sparked following a peaceful demonstration against the government 's proposal to uproot gezi park and erect in its place a shopping mall styled like a 19th-century ottoman barracks . but for many turks now massing in the park and on taksim square , a new mall is more than just another eyesore ; it is a symbol of autocratic rule from a government that , in their view , is harking back to bygone days when this city -- once considered a gateway to asia -- was ruled by emperors . gozde , 19 , a university pupil studying genetics , joined the protests with her mother and is worried for the future of her country under the leadership of prime minister recep tayyip erdogan . everyone thinks he 's a dictator , ' she tells cnn . he is acting with his ego ... we 're not terrorists but that 's how he wants to show it . ' erdogan and his islamist-rooted party justice and development party further infuriated demonstrators by labelling them a few looters , ' adding that the protests in istanbul and turkey 's capital , ankara , are the work of opposition extremists trying to challenge the government . the prime minister has said that he could bring large crowds of his supporters onto the streets should he chose to do so . he has also attacked speculation about his position online , criticizing twitter for helping people spread lies ' and saying that social media is the worst menace to society . ' a more conciliatory tone from the government emerged tuesday , when deputy prime minister bulent arinc apologized for the police aggression against our citizens who were involved in the initial protests and acted with environmental concern , ' anadolu , turkey 's semi-official news agency , reported . metehan , 19 , a university student studying english literature , believes the government 's latest policy initiatives and the brutal ' measures taken by police are a true reflection of the state of turkish democracy . democracy is not just voting but protecting the voices of the minorities , ' he says . istanbul is a historical city and many cultures existed here and we want to protect this history . ' istanbul -- a metropolis of 12 million people -- is famed as a melting pot of cultures where christianity and islam heritage are fused into one city . while the protests rage on in taksim square , much of the city remains peaceful . in the tourist hub of sultanahmet , across the bosphorous , it 's business as usual . but according to ayean , 33 , a fashion designer , the beautiful ' mix that exists in istanbul , along with people 's way of life in the city , is under threat . he [ erdogan ] is starting to define people as alcoholics if they drink , ' she said in a reference to the recent enactment of stricter alcohol controls . it 's just against freedom whatever your background . ' modern-day turkey was founded in 1923 under secular laws which replaced traditional religious legal codes . under erdogan and his ruling akp party , turkey has lifted curbs on public expression of religion , including strict limits on women wearing islamic-style headscarves . rock star and environmentalist haluk levent , 44 , believes it 's about time that erdogan listened to the concerns of the country 's young people . it does not surprise me that the police have been so brutal . the government is turning turkey into a police state and this worries me . ' | prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and his party labeled the protestors as a few looters ' |
erdogan <tsp> istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- sitting down with the protesters in gezi park , the message to the government from demonstrators , young and old , seems simple enough : do n't try to control us . incinerated cars , desecrated monuments and homemade banners now litter istanbul 's commercial hub , taksim square , after demonstrations at the weekend turned violent when police moved in to scatter protesters . they are trying to decide whether we drink alcohol , ' industrial design student ozgsa bertag-apunaman , 20 , says calmly : telling us how many children we should have and if a woman should have an abortion or not . ' he recalls how he was left breathless after being struck on the back with a tear gas canister fired by police . they 're aiming at us . a shell exploded on my backpack . luckily i had it on . ' the clashes were sparked following a peaceful demonstration against the government 's proposal to uproot gezi park and erect in its place a shopping mall styled like a 19th-century ottoman barracks . but for many turks now massing in the park and on taksim square , a new mall is more than just another eyesore ; it is a symbol of autocratic rule from a government that , in their view , is harking back to bygone days when this city -- once considered a gateway to asia -- was ruled by emperors . gozde , 19 , a university pupil studying genetics , joined the protests with her mother and is worried for the future of her country under the leadership of prime minister recep tayyip erdogan . everyone thinks he 's a dictator , ' she tells cnn . he is acting with his ego ... we 're not terrorists but that 's how he wants to show it . ' erdogan and his islamist-rooted party justice and development party further infuriated demonstrators by labelling them a few looters , ' adding that the protests in istanbul and turkey 's capital , ankara , are the work of opposition extremists trying to challenge the government . the prime minister has said that he could bring large crowds of his supporters onto the streets should he chose to do so . he has also attacked speculation about his position online , criticizing twitter for helping people spread lies ' and saying that social media is the worst menace to society . ' a more conciliatory tone from the government emerged tuesday , when deputy prime minister bulent arinc apologized for the police aggression against our citizens who were involved in the initial protests and acted with environmental concern , ' anadolu , turkey 's semi-official news agency , reported . metehan , 19 , a university student studying english literature , believes the government 's latest policy initiatives and the brutal ' measures taken by police are a true reflection of the state of turkish democracy . democracy is not just voting but protecting the voices of the minorities , ' he says . istanbul is a historical city and many cultures existed here and we want to protect this history . ' istanbul -- a metropolis of 12 million people -- is famed as a melting pot of cultures where christianity and islam heritage are fused into one city . while the protests rage on in taksim square , much of the city remains peaceful . in the tourist hub of sultanahmet , across the bosphorous , it 's business as usual . but according to ayean , 33 , a fashion designer , the beautiful ' mix that exists in istanbul , along with people 's way of life in the city , is under threat . he [ erdogan ] is starting to define people as alcoholics if they drink , ' she said in a reference to the recent enactment of stricter alcohol controls . it 's just against freedom whatever your background . ' modern-day turkey was founded in 1923 under secular laws which replaced traditional religious legal codes . under erdogan and his ruling akp party , turkey has lifted curbs on public expression of religion , including strict limits on women wearing islamic-style headscarves . rock star and environmentalist haluk levent , 44 , believes it 's about time that erdogan listened to the concerns of the country 's young people . it does not surprise me that the police have been so brutal . the government is turning turkey into a police state and this worries me . ' | rock star and environmentalist haluk levent , 44 , says erdogan needs to start listening |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- conrad murray , who literally sang his innocence in a jail cell interview with cnn in april , has given his first interviews since spending two years in jail for the death of michael jackson . australia 's 60 minutes ' promoted a video interview with murray to air sunday , while london 's daily mail newspaper published a print interview . i did not kill michael jackson , ' murray told the mail . he was a drug addict . michael jackson accidentally killed michael jackson . ' the cardiologist said he found jackson to be in crisis at the end of his life , filled with panic and misery ' as he prepared for his comeback concerts in 2009 . by the end michael jackson was a broken man , ' he told the newspaper . i tried to protect him but instead i was brought down with him . ' his claims are similar to what he told cnn in two separate interviews earlier this year . why am i innocent ? because i did nothing wrong , and all i tried to do was to help a friend who i encountered in a devastated state . and i tried to do everything possible to help my friend , ' murray told cnn 's don lemon . conrad murray completes jail time for killing michael jackson murray told lemon he is a scapegoat who had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time . ' when murray called in to cnn 's anderson cooper 360 ' from his jail cell phone for a live interview on april 2 , he serenaded cooper with a sad nat king cole christmas song that he said tells my story . ' he is a little boy that santa claus forgot , and goodness knows , he did not want a lot . he wrote a note to santa for some crayons and a toy . it broke his little heart when he found santa had n't come . in the streets , he envied all the lucky boys , but goodness knows , he did n't want a lot . i 'm so sorry for that laddie who has n't got a daddy . he 's a little boy that santa claus forgot . ' that song tells my story , ' murray then said . that 's how i grew up . i had no toy . i had nothing . as i grew up , my heart has been whole and my heart says to help , and all i do is to give . i want to give . ' conrad murray from jail :'i was in the wrong place at the wrong time' sunday 's newspaper interview gets into too-much-information territory , with murray revealing intimate details of his nightly treatments of jackson . you want to know how close we were ? i held his penis every night to fit a catheter because he was incontinent at night , ' he said . a jury concluded after a two-month trial in 2011 that murray 's negligence led to jackson 's death from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol . murray told investigators he gave jackson nightly infusions of propofol to treat his intractable insomnia for two months , so he could rest for rehearsals . prosecutors argued that murray 's negligence included leaving jackson unmonitored and unattended while the powerful anesthetic was flowing into his vein through an iv drip . deputy district attorney david walgren , arguing for the maximum four years in jail , said murray was playing russian roulette with michael jackson 's life every single night , ' by using propofol to put him to sleep in a reckless , obscene manner . ' murray 's lawyers unsuccessfully argued that jackson self-administered the drug while murray was out of his bedroom . his appeal of the conviction is still pending in a california court . | i did not kill michael jackson , ' murray tells the mail . |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- conrad murray , who literally sang his innocence in a jail cell interview with cnn in april , has given his first interviews since spending two years in jail for the death of michael jackson . australia 's 60 minutes ' promoted a video interview with murray to air sunday , while london 's daily mail newspaper published a print interview . i did not kill michael jackson , ' murray told the mail . he was a drug addict . michael jackson accidentally killed michael jackson . ' the cardiologist said he found jackson to be in crisis at the end of his life , filled with panic and misery ' as he prepared for his comeback concerts in 2009 . by the end michael jackson was a broken man , ' he told the newspaper . i tried to protect him but instead i was brought down with him . ' his claims are similar to what he told cnn in two separate interviews earlier this year . why am i innocent ? because i did nothing wrong , and all i tried to do was to help a friend who i encountered in a devastated state . and i tried to do everything possible to help my friend , ' murray told cnn 's don lemon . conrad murray completes jail time for killing michael jackson murray told lemon he is a scapegoat who had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time . ' when murray called in to cnn 's anderson cooper 360 ' from his jail cell phone for a live interview on april 2 , he serenaded cooper with a sad nat king cole christmas song that he said tells my story . ' he is a little boy that santa claus forgot , and goodness knows , he did not want a lot . he wrote a note to santa for some crayons and a toy . it broke his little heart when he found santa had n't come . in the streets , he envied all the lucky boys , but goodness knows , he did n't want a lot . i 'm so sorry for that laddie who has n't got a daddy . he 's a little boy that santa claus forgot . ' that song tells my story , ' murray then said . that 's how i grew up . i had no toy . i had nothing . as i grew up , my heart has been whole and my heart says to help , and all i do is to give . i want to give . ' conrad murray from jail :'i was in the wrong place at the wrong time' sunday 's newspaper interview gets into too-much-information territory , with murray revealing intimate details of his nightly treatments of jackson . you want to know how close we were ? i held his penis every night to fit a catheter because he was incontinent at night , ' he said . a jury concluded after a two-month trial in 2011 that murray 's negligence led to jackson 's death from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol . murray told investigators he gave jackson nightly infusions of propofol to treat his intractable insomnia for two months , so he could rest for rehearsals . prosecutors argued that murray 's negligence included leaving jackson unmonitored and unattended while the powerful anesthetic was flowing into his vein through an iv drip . deputy district attorney david walgren , arguing for the maximum four years in jail , said murray was playing russian roulette with michael jackson 's life every single night , ' by using propofol to put him to sleep in a reckless , obscene manner . ' murray 's lawyers unsuccessfully argued that jackson self-administered the drug while murray was out of his bedroom . his appeal of the conviction is still pending in a california court . | murray shares several intimate details of his treatment of jackson with the newspaper |
vince vaughn <tsp> ( cnn ) hbo just whetted our appetite for a new season of true detective . ' the network released a teaser video for season 2 of the critically acclaimed show , and it looks intense . colin farrell , vince vaughn , rachel mcadams and taylor kitsch star in the new season , which premieres june 21 . here 's the plot synopsis , according to den of geek : ' a bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal , each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of california . colin farrell is ray velcoro , a compromised detective in the all-industrial city of vinci , la county . vince vaughn plays frank semyon , a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his life 's work , while his wife and closest ally ( kelly reilly ) , struggles with his choices and her own . rachel mcadams is ani bezzerides , a ventura county sheriff 's detective often at odds with the system she serves , while taylor kitsch plays paul woodrugh , a war veteran and motorcycle cop for the california highway patrol who discovers a crime scene which triggers an investigation involving three law enforcement groups , multiple criminal collusions , and billions of dollars . ' yes , please . the first season starred matthew mcconaughey and woody harrelson as a pair of louisiana state police detectives investigating the death of a young woman . the crime drama proved to be a runaway hit , and the season 1 finale crashed the hbo go site in march 2014 . | the series stars colin farrell and vince vaughn |
colin farrell <tsp> ( cnn ) hbo just whetted our appetite for a new season of true detective . ' the network released a teaser video for season 2 of the critically acclaimed show , and it looks intense . colin farrell , vince vaughn , rachel mcadams and taylor kitsch star in the new season , which premieres june 21 . here 's the plot synopsis , according to den of geek : ' a bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal , each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of california . colin farrell is ray velcoro , a compromised detective in the all-industrial city of vinci , la county . vince vaughn plays frank semyon , a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his life 's work , while his wife and closest ally ( kelly reilly ) , struggles with his choices and her own . rachel mcadams is ani bezzerides , a ventura county sheriff 's detective often at odds with the system she serves , while taylor kitsch plays paul woodrugh , a war veteran and motorcycle cop for the california highway patrol who discovers a crime scene which triggers an investigation involving three law enforcement groups , multiple criminal collusions , and billions of dollars . ' yes , please . the first season starred matthew mcconaughey and woody harrelson as a pair of louisiana state police detectives investigating the death of a young woman . the crime drama proved to be a runaway hit , and the season 1 finale crashed the hbo go site in march 2014 . | the series stars colin farrell and vince vaughn |
hbo <tsp> ( cnn ) hbo just whetted our appetite for a new season of true detective . ' the network released a teaser video for season 2 of the critically acclaimed show , and it looks intense . colin farrell , vince vaughn , rachel mcadams and taylor kitsch star in the new season , which premieres june 21 . here 's the plot synopsis , according to den of geek : ' a bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal , each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of california . colin farrell is ray velcoro , a compromised detective in the all-industrial city of vinci , la county . vince vaughn plays frank semyon , a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his life 's work , while his wife and closest ally ( kelly reilly ) , struggles with his choices and her own . rachel mcadams is ani bezzerides , a ventura county sheriff 's detective often at odds with the system she serves , while taylor kitsch plays paul woodrugh , a war veteran and motorcycle cop for the california highway patrol who discovers a crime scene which triggers an investigation involving three law enforcement groups , multiple criminal collusions , and billions of dollars . ' yes , please . the first season starred matthew mcconaughey and woody harrelson as a pair of louisiana state police detectives investigating the death of a young woman . the crime drama proved to be a runaway hit , and the season 1 finale crashed the hbo go site in march 2014 . | hbo released a teaser video for the new season , starting june 21 |
interior ministry <tsp> ( cnn ) despite clashes that killed at least 19 fans before kickoff , a soccer match in egypt continued to the very end , state media reported . the nation 's health ministry said 19 people died in the riots at a match in cairo on sunday . the violence occurred shortly before the match , but the game between zamalek and enppi teams continued , al-ahram newspaper said . it ended with a 1-1 draw . soccer fans posted social media images of what they said were bodies from the riots , some still wearing jerseys with their teams'names . screaming relatives and friends gathered at the morgue in central cairo , where they waited for the bodies . fans from rival clubs went to console the grieving as a show of solidarity . shortly after the incident , soccer fans traded accusations with the interior ministry , which blamed the violence on riots from ticketless fans who tried to push their way in . they climbed the fence . the security forces tried to disperse them , the fans fled to the main road and blocked traffic and stopped the bus carrying the zamalek soccer team , ' the ministry said in a statement . they set fire to a police vehicle . we got reports of fatalities because of a stampede . ' but zamalek fans painted a different picture . in a social media posting , they said they were tear gassed as they tried to go through a single , small gated entrance that was opened to allow them into the match . egypt 's general prosecutor is sending a team to investigate . meanwhile , the cabinet has suspended the nation 's premier league matches indefinitely . sunday 's attack is not the first violence at a game . three years ago , a riot at a match between al-masry and al-ahly teams left more than 70 people dead in port said city . horrified witnesses described how police officers stood by and watched as rival fans attacked one another with rocks , knives and swords . after that incident , egypt banned soccer fans from games . teams played in nearly empty stadiums . authorities later partially lifted the ban by allowing a limited number of fans to attend games , state media reported . cnn 's ian lee and dana ford contributed to this report . | soccer fans and egypt 's interior ministry differ on what started the violence |
facebook credits <tsp> ( mashable ) -- facebook plans to roll out a major redesign of user profiles at its f8 developer conference this week , mashable has learned . details about the redesign are sparse , but two sources familiar with facebook 's plans ( who have asked to remain anonymous ) have told us that the redesign is major ' and will make facebook profiles nexuses for consuming content . the profile changes will be part of a wider launch , one that will include launch of a music and media platform . here 's what we know so far about the profile redesign : -- the redesigned profiles will be more sticky , ' says one source . one of the goals of the new profiles is to get users to stay on them for longer . -- we already knew facebook is launching a media platform at f8 . however , we 've also learned that the platform -- which will include music and video from partner sites -- will display the media content a user is watching or listening to on their profiles . essentially , when you 're listening to lady gaga on spotify , your friends can see and access that on your facebook profile . this confirms a recent new york times report . -- the redesigned profiles are part of a larger push into social ecommerce . we do n't exactly know what that means , but we 've heard whispers that facebook intends to give facebook credits more prominence . we 've also heard that a facebook app store may emerge at f8 . -- facebook 's push into ecommerce may be related project spartan , an html5-based mobile platform rumored to be launching soon . facebook is being tight-lipped about the changes ; the company declined to comment on this story . however , more and more pieces of facebook 's big launch continue to leak out as the excitement builds for f8 ( feel free to send us screenshots if you have any ) the company is currently under lockdown , trying to fix the final bugs before thursday 's big launch . what do you think facebook will launch on thursday ? let us know in the comments . see the original article on mashable.com © 2011 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | we 've heard whispers that facebook intends to give facebook credits more prominence |
sagrada familia <tsp> ( tribune media services ) -- we do n't know where to look first . the massive pillars , looking like tree trunks , stone chameleons , tortoises and turtles , help support the columns . the sheer size of the place is amazing . some of the towers soar more than 500 feet . even jaded teens , like my 13-year-old niece , erica fieldman , ca n't help but be impressed . antoni gaudi 's sagrada familia is barcelona 's most famous site and spain 's most visited . welcome to antoni gaudi 's unfinished masterpiece , the sagrada familia , barcelona 's most famous site and spain 's most visited . more than 40 years after the eccentric and revered architect 's death -- he was struck by a tram -- work still continues on the huge church first begun in 1882 . some 2.5 million people visited last year . this is a great place to engage the kids in a scavenger hunt . ( find the fruit carved on top of the towers , the young stone musicians , the birds . ) there are two completed facades -- one represents the birth of jesus , the other the passion of christ . ( if you look closely , you 'll see gaudi 's face . ) it 's amazing that the project continued after anarchists burned gaudi 's studio , along with the plans for the church , during the spanish civil war . luckily , gaudi had made plaster models of the church ( we see them in the museum at the site ) and though they were also smashed , his supporters were able to painstakingly put them back together so the work could continue . gaudi , so obsessed at the end of his life with completing the church , slept on a bed in his workshop . he is buried in the church 's crypt . i want to go to the top ( you take an elevator , but walk down the stairs ) , but i think erica has had enough . sometimes , you have to know when to call it quits , even at incredible sites like this one . i tell myself erica will come back some day and remember how she could n't decide whether she was bored or fascinated . park guell garden complex , designed to be a housing development , was gaudi 's largest work in barcelona . it 's a garden city with fantastically shaped roofs , a house that looks as if it 's made out of candy , and the famous serpentine bench made out of broken mosaic . unfortunately , no one in barcelona gravitated toward the idea . the only three houses built were for gaudi , the developer and the developer 's lawyer . i 'd live there in a minute for the spectacular views of barcelona . we all love the giant mosaic dragon . cool , ' erica says . sometimes when trying to show kids new cities , you ca n't hope for more than that . barcelona , home to the 1992 summer olympics , is a city that appeals to kids ( especially teens ) and parents . in recent years , it 's become a favorite of american families who board cruise ships here in summer -- as we did last year . if you plan to do a lot of touring , get the barcelona card , which includes free public transportation , museum admissions , restaurant discounts and more . there are some 10,000 restaurants in barcelona and 35,000 shops . ( did you know more than 20 percent of all spending in spain takes place here ? and with such friendly locals , there 's no better place for the kids to practice their spanish . ( starting this spring , american airlines will fly nonstop from new york to barcelona . walk off your jet lag by taking in all the chic couples walking along the beach , the city 's famous art nouveau architecture , the art , ( picasso lived here as a teen ) , the ancient gothic quarter and the street entertainers along the mile-long las ramblas . ever see a human flower statue ? a bird market ? i never saw so many different kinds of gummies than at the famous boqueria food market , said to be the largest in europe . it 's been here for centuries . the kids will give a thumbs up to montjuic , one of barcelona 's largest recreation areas , which rises nearly 700 feet above the south side of the city . we 're holing up overnight at the hotel arts barcelona , a ritz carlton , a famous icon of the barcelona skyline and a short walk from the beach and many of the city sites . there 's nothing like a luxury hotel when you are jet lagged . the place is packed with families , even on the concierge level where parents and kids indulge in free breakfasts , snacks and drinks . another highlight is the secluded pool area next to the distinctive shadow of the frank gehry fish sculpture . but before we hit the pool -- or fall asleep -- a little culture is in order . my pick : museu picasso . it 's housed in three spectacular stone mansions in the historic quarter of the city and showcases works from the artist 's early years , his blue period and early works from barcelona . picasso moved here in 1895 at the age of 14 and donated some 2,500 art pieces to the museums in 1970 . ( show your young artists what he did as a kid ! ) that night , after we hit the pool , we head to bestial , which the hotel concierge told us is a hip ' gathering spot for locals . i did n't really see evidence of that , but , after all , we were there at 8:30 , early by barcelona standards . even erica agreed the food was great , especially the wood-fired pizza . donkey or bull , our amiable guide bernard liso asks the next morning . the bull , of course , is the national symbol of spain . the donkey is the symbol of the catalans . we learn that people in barcelona speak catalan as well as spanish and there 's a fierce matter of national pride . from its earliest days , barcelona has been linked to france , thus the emphasis here on catalan -- catalonia lies midway between france and spain . i 'm determined to have paella for lunch . we are in barcelona after all . paella , of course , is the famous spanish rice dish that 's usually topped with chicken , sausage and shellfish . we head to a small restaurant in the old historic quarter of the city , los caracoles . i 'm completely charmed by the mosaics and the open kitchen , the way the rooms of the restaurant wind up around an old staircase . erica unfortunately is n't . i just wo n't eat , ' says erica , after perusing the menu . there 's no pasta and she does n't want anything else . we dig into our paella . erica agrees to taste it , as long as i take the shells off the shrimp . not bad , she says , helping herself to more rice . i just sip my sangria and do n't say a word . a few months later , erica tells me she 's already decided where she wants to go abroad when she 's in college -- barcelona . e-mail to a friend ( for more taking the kids , visit www.takingthekids.com , where eileen ogintz welcomes your questions and comments . ) copyright 2009 eileen ogintz , distributed by tribune media services , inc . | some 2.5 million people visited antoni gaudi 's sagrada familia last year |
mosul dam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- kurdish forces backed by u.s. air cover made gains friday against isis fighters in iraq 's mosul province as nato leaders concluded a summit in wales , pledging to help defeat the radical islamic forces . the kurdish fighters , known as the peshmerga , retook several villages seized this summer in isis'lightning assault in iraq as well as high ground overlooking plains on the approach to mosul , cnn 's anna coren reported . it is a duty of everybody who loves democracy and freedom and human rights to struggle against the terrorists , ' said iraqi deputy prime minister rowsch shaways , a kurd . u.s. forces conducted four airstrikes friday around mosul dam and in irbil , destroying an observation post , several vehicles and three mortar positions , u.s. central command said . who is the isis ? in kirkuk province , isis fighters kidnapped nearly 50 men from the village of tal ali after beating them , according to kurdish security forces . isis ordered residents to fight the peshmerga before leaving , the kurdish officials said . in wales , president barack obama said nato allies were committed to fighting isis . it 's not going to happen overnight , but we 're steadily moving in the right direction , ' obama said . what can u.s. do against isis and could it work ? nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen said alliance members stand ready to assist iraq ' in its fight against isis , but neither he nor british prime minister david cameron suggested there are immediate plans to send combat troops . for britain 's part we do n't rule anything out . we 'll act on our national interest , ' cameron said in response to a reporter 's question about committing troops . i think in terms of the sort of decisions you 're talking about , we 're not at that stage yet , and i think it 's very important that what we do is part of a comprehensive plan . ' in addition to conducting some 131 airstrikes against isis targets in the last several weeks , the united states has sent military advisers to iraq to help with strategies to combat isis . canada -- a nato member -- said friday it also will send several dozen ' troops to iraq to help advise that country 's government on fighting isis , prime minister stephen harper 's office said . inside the mind of an isis fighter journalist zilemo aziz in irbil , iraq , contributed to this report . | u.s. conducts airstrikes near mosul dam and in irbil |
kurdish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- kurdish forces backed by u.s. air cover made gains friday against isis fighters in iraq 's mosul province as nato leaders concluded a summit in wales , pledging to help defeat the radical islamic forces . the kurdish fighters , known as the peshmerga , retook several villages seized this summer in isis'lightning assault in iraq as well as high ground overlooking plains on the approach to mosul , cnn 's anna coren reported . it is a duty of everybody who loves democracy and freedom and human rights to struggle against the terrorists , ' said iraqi deputy prime minister rowsch shaways , a kurd . u.s. forces conducted four airstrikes friday around mosul dam and in irbil , destroying an observation post , several vehicles and three mortar positions , u.s. central command said . who is the isis ? in kirkuk province , isis fighters kidnapped nearly 50 men from the village of tal ali after beating them , according to kurdish security forces . isis ordered residents to fight the peshmerga before leaving , the kurdish officials said . in wales , president barack obama said nato allies were committed to fighting isis . it 's not going to happen overnight , but we 're steadily moving in the right direction , ' obama said . what can u.s. do against isis and could it work ? nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen said alliance members stand ready to assist iraq ' in its fight against isis , but neither he nor british prime minister david cameron suggested there are immediate plans to send combat troops . for britain 's part we do n't rule anything out . we 'll act on our national interest , ' cameron said in response to a reporter 's question about committing troops . i think in terms of the sort of decisions you 're talking about , we 're not at that stage yet , and i think it 's very important that what we do is part of a comprehensive plan . ' in addition to conducting some 131 airstrikes against isis targets in the last several weeks , the united states has sent military advisers to iraq to help with strategies to combat isis . canada -- a nato member -- said friday it also will send several dozen ' troops to iraq to help advise that country 's government on fighting isis , prime minister stephen harper 's office said . inside the mind of an isis fighter journalist zilemo aziz in irbil , iraq , contributed to this report . | kurdish peshmerga forces battle isis in mosul province |
japanese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- japan may withdraw the last of its military mission in iraq by the end of the year , the ministry of foreign affairs said thursday . japan 's ground self-defense force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006 . japan 's air self-defense force has been airlifting materials and troops between kuwait and iraq since 2006 to support u.s.-led coalition forces . the political and security situations have improved , ' and the iraqi government suggested it wants countries to downsize their presence , defense minister yoshimasa hayashi told reporters , according to the kyodo news agency . foreign minister masahiko komura said japan will discuss an official schedule for ending the mission with the united states , the united nations and iraq . withdrawal would mark the end of japan 's military presence in iraq . the country 's ground self-defense force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006 . the japanese navy continues to take part in refueling missions in support of the u.s.-led coalition in and around afghanistan . except for a three-month hiatus , japan had been refueling coalition warships taking part in interdiction operations against terrorists in the indian ocean since 2001 . as an officially pacifist nation since losing world war ii , japan 's participation in these missions has been controversial . | japanese navy continues refueling missions in support of coalition in afghanistan |
japanese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- japan may withdraw the last of its military mission in iraq by the end of the year , the ministry of foreign affairs said thursday . japan 's ground self-defense force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006 . japan 's air self-defense force has been airlifting materials and troops between kuwait and iraq since 2006 to support u.s.-led coalition forces . the political and security situations have improved , ' and the iraqi government suggested it wants countries to downsize their presence , defense minister yoshimasa hayashi told reporters , according to the kyodo news agency . foreign minister masahiko komura said japan will discuss an official schedule for ending the mission with the united states , the united nations and iraq . withdrawal would mark the end of japan 's military presence in iraq . the country 's ground self-defense force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006 . the japanese navy continues to take part in refueling missions in support of the u.s.-led coalition in and around afghanistan . except for a three-month hiatus , japan had been refueling coalition warships taking part in interdiction operations against terrorists in the indian ocean since 2001 . as an officially pacifist nation since losing world war ii , japan 's participation in these missions has been controversial . | japanese ground force deployed in iraq in 2004 to aid reconstruction left in 2006 |
bush <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's campaign can now point to at least one thing it has in common with ronald reagan 's -- a musical act is asking it to stop using its music at campaign stops . the rock band silversun pickups this week served romney 's campaign with a cease-and-desist order after it says romney 's campaign used its song panic switch ' at an event earlier this month . seems as if the gop is once again whimsically ignoring our great nation 's laws to do whatever it wants to do , and shooting itself in the foot in the process , ' band representative ken weinstein said in a statement . ryan rages against the machine the band 's lead singer and guitarist brian aubert could n't resist making a political point : we were very close to just letting this go , because the irony was too good . while he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign , we doubt that'panic switch'really sends the message he intends . ' a romney spokeswoman , amanda henneberg , responded to the request , saying , the song was inadvertently played during event setup before gov . romney arrived at the location . ' as anyone who attends gov . romney 's events knows , this is not a song we would have played intentionally . that said , it was covered under the campaign 's regular blanket license , but we will not play it again , ' said henneberg . squabbles between artists and campaigns over artistic sensibilities , political compatibility , and rights issues have become as much a political tradition as campaign buttons . among the most famous of these is the clash between reagan and bruce springsteen . during the 1984 campaign , reagan told a new jersey crowd , america 's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts . it rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young americans admire : new jersey 's own bruce springsteen . ' but reagan apparently had n't heard the lyrics . born in the u.s.a. , ' the song he referred to , was n't a message of hope and pride but of how this country is going to pot , essentially , and do something about it , ' said lorraine ali , pop music editor at the los angeles times . springsteen was n't amused . springsteen later told rolling stone magazine , i think people have a need to feel good about the country they live in . but what 's happening , i think , is that that need -- which is a good thing -- is getting manipulated and exploited . you see in the reagan election ads on tv , you know ,'it 's morning in america ,'and you say ,'well , it 's not morning in pittsburgh .'' icp on fbi lawsuit springsteen so much wanted to convey the actual message of his song that he took to playing'born in the u.s.a.'on an acoustic guitar so it would n't sound so rousing anymore , ' said joe levy , editor of billboard magazine sen. john mccain 's presidential campaign also came under fire for using music from artists who did not support it . in 2008 , the band heart asked the campaign to stop playing its song barracuda ' in honor of vice-presidential candidate sarah palin 's nickname on her high school basketball team , sarah barracuda . ' the band even went on national television to express its outrage . sarah palin 's views and values in no way represent us as american women , ' ann and nancy wilson told entertainment weekly . we ask that our song'barracuda'no longer be used to promote her image . ' mccain also settled out of court with jackson browne for using his 1977 hit running on empty ' in a campaign ad without the artist 's permission . foo fighters , john mellencamp and boston asked mccain and other candidates to stop using their music . and tom petty did n't find michele bachmann his type of american girl . ' the rocker 's manager asked the bachmann campaign to stop using his 1977 hit american girl ' after it was played during the kickoff event for the minnesota representative 's presidential bid . petty also asked president george w. bush not to use his music during his campaign , the washington post reported . but those artists were alive to protect their music . ludwig von beethoven 's ninth symphony has been co-opted by everyone from dictators to revolutionaries . esteban buch 's book beethoven 's ninth : a political history ' chronicles the symphony 's use in clashing political contexts from hitler 's birthday , to the deadly protests in china 's tiananmen square , to the fall of the berlin wall . youtube most popular way teens get music | reagan , bush , mccain came under fire for using music of artists who disagreed with them |
romney <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's campaign can now point to at least one thing it has in common with ronald reagan 's -- a musical act is asking it to stop using its music at campaign stops . the rock band silversun pickups this week served romney 's campaign with a cease-and-desist order after it says romney 's campaign used its song panic switch ' at an event earlier this month . seems as if the gop is once again whimsically ignoring our great nation 's laws to do whatever it wants to do , and shooting itself in the foot in the process , ' band representative ken weinstein said in a statement . ryan rages against the machine the band 's lead singer and guitarist brian aubert could n't resist making a political point : we were very close to just letting this go , because the irony was too good . while he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign , we doubt that'panic switch'really sends the message he intends . ' a romney spokeswoman , amanda henneberg , responded to the request , saying , the song was inadvertently played during event setup before gov . romney arrived at the location . ' as anyone who attends gov . romney 's events knows , this is not a song we would have played intentionally . that said , it was covered under the campaign 's regular blanket license , but we will not play it again , ' said henneberg . squabbles between artists and campaigns over artistic sensibilities , political compatibility , and rights issues have become as much a political tradition as campaign buttons . among the most famous of these is the clash between reagan and bruce springsteen . during the 1984 campaign , reagan told a new jersey crowd , america 's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts . it rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young americans admire : new jersey 's own bruce springsteen . ' but reagan apparently had n't heard the lyrics . born in the u.s.a. , ' the song he referred to , was n't a message of hope and pride but of how this country is going to pot , essentially , and do something about it , ' said lorraine ali , pop music editor at the los angeles times . springsteen was n't amused . springsteen later told rolling stone magazine , i think people have a need to feel good about the country they live in . but what 's happening , i think , is that that need -- which is a good thing -- is getting manipulated and exploited . you see in the reagan election ads on tv , you know ,'it 's morning in america ,'and you say ,'well , it 's not morning in pittsburgh .'' icp on fbi lawsuit springsteen so much wanted to convey the actual message of his song that he took to playing'born in the u.s.a.'on an acoustic guitar so it would n't sound so rousing anymore , ' said joe levy , editor of billboard magazine sen. john mccain 's presidential campaign also came under fire for using music from artists who did not support it . in 2008 , the band heart asked the campaign to stop playing its song barracuda ' in honor of vice-presidential candidate sarah palin 's nickname on her high school basketball team , sarah barracuda . ' the band even went on national television to express its outrage . sarah palin 's views and values in no way represent us as american women , ' ann and nancy wilson told entertainment weekly . we ask that our song'barracuda'no longer be used to promote her image . ' mccain also settled out of court with jackson browne for using his 1977 hit running on empty ' in a campaign ad without the artist 's permission . foo fighters , john mellencamp and boston asked mccain and other candidates to stop using their music . and tom petty did n't find michele bachmann his type of american girl . ' the rocker 's manager asked the bachmann campaign to stop using his 1977 hit american girl ' after it was played during the kickoff event for the minnesota representative 's presidential bid . petty also asked president george w. bush not to use his music during his campaign , the washington post reported . but those artists were alive to protect their music . ludwig von beethoven 's ninth symphony has been co-opted by everyone from dictators to revolutionaries . esteban buch 's book beethoven 's ninth : a political history ' chronicles the symphony 's use in clashing political contexts from hitler 's birthday , to the deadly protests in china 's tiananmen square , to the fall of the berlin wall . youtube most popular way teens get music | rock band silversun pickups asks romney 's campaign to stop using its song at events |
romney <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's campaign can now point to at least one thing it has in common with ronald reagan 's -- a musical act is asking it to stop using its music at campaign stops . the rock band silversun pickups this week served romney 's campaign with a cease-and-desist order after it says romney 's campaign used its song panic switch ' at an event earlier this month . seems as if the gop is once again whimsically ignoring our great nation 's laws to do whatever it wants to do , and shooting itself in the foot in the process , ' band representative ken weinstein said in a statement . ryan rages against the machine the band 's lead singer and guitarist brian aubert could n't resist making a political point : we were very close to just letting this go , because the irony was too good . while he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign , we doubt that'panic switch'really sends the message he intends . ' a romney spokeswoman , amanda henneberg , responded to the request , saying , the song was inadvertently played during event setup before gov . romney arrived at the location . ' as anyone who attends gov . romney 's events knows , this is not a song we would have played intentionally . that said , it was covered under the campaign 's regular blanket license , but we will not play it again , ' said henneberg . squabbles between artists and campaigns over artistic sensibilities , political compatibility , and rights issues have become as much a political tradition as campaign buttons . among the most famous of these is the clash between reagan and bruce springsteen . during the 1984 campaign , reagan told a new jersey crowd , america 's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts . it rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young americans admire : new jersey 's own bruce springsteen . ' but reagan apparently had n't heard the lyrics . born in the u.s.a. , ' the song he referred to , was n't a message of hope and pride but of how this country is going to pot , essentially , and do something about it , ' said lorraine ali , pop music editor at the los angeles times . springsteen was n't amused . springsteen later told rolling stone magazine , i think people have a need to feel good about the country they live in . but what 's happening , i think , is that that need -- which is a good thing -- is getting manipulated and exploited . you see in the reagan election ads on tv , you know ,'it 's morning in america ,'and you say ,'well , it 's not morning in pittsburgh .'' icp on fbi lawsuit springsteen so much wanted to convey the actual message of his song that he took to playing'born in the u.s.a.'on an acoustic guitar so it would n't sound so rousing anymore , ' said joe levy , editor of billboard magazine sen. john mccain 's presidential campaign also came under fire for using music from artists who did not support it . in 2008 , the band heart asked the campaign to stop playing its song barracuda ' in honor of vice-presidential candidate sarah palin 's nickname on her high school basketball team , sarah barracuda . ' the band even went on national television to express its outrage . sarah palin 's views and values in no way represent us as american women , ' ann and nancy wilson told entertainment weekly . we ask that our song'barracuda'no longer be used to promote her image . ' mccain also settled out of court with jackson browne for using his 1977 hit running on empty ' in a campaign ad without the artist 's permission . foo fighters , john mellencamp and boston asked mccain and other candidates to stop using their music . and tom petty did n't find michele bachmann his type of american girl . ' the rocker 's manager asked the bachmann campaign to stop using his 1977 hit american girl ' after it was played during the kickoff event for the minnesota representative 's presidential bid . petty also asked president george w. bush not to use his music during his campaign , the washington post reported . but those artists were alive to protect their music . ludwig von beethoven 's ninth symphony has been co-opted by everyone from dictators to revolutionaries . esteban buch 's book beethoven 's ninth : a political history ' chronicles the symphony 's use in clashing political contexts from hitler 's birthday , to the deadly protests in china 's tiananmen square , to the fall of the berlin wall . youtube most popular way teens get music | band says its song , panic switch , ' describes romney 's campaign |
green-eye daiquiri <tsp> ( cnn ) -- celebrity chef kathy casey predicts two flavor trends in cocktails for 2010 will be fresh ginger and hibiscus . casey is known around the world for her expertise in mixing food and drinks . her company , kathy casey food studios®-liquid kitchen , has been consulting with a new nightclub at the fairmont abu dhabi about its food and beverage menu . while creating bubbly drinks in the middle east , casey substitutes sparkling date cider for apple cider . this mixologist , who knows how to stir up liquid fun , shares these two recipes from her latest book , sips & apps . ' green-eye daiquiri this special holiday variation of my green-eye daiquiri gets a flavor boost from quickly flamed fresh thyme , which releases the herbal aromatics and adds a little holiday theatrics ! the recipe makes one drink . the flaming agent ' is green chartreuse . with its extracts of 130 plants , it adds a sophisticated and unusual flavor . please use caution and good judgment when crafting any flaming drink . 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1/8 ounce green chartreuse 3/4 ounce simple syrup * ( see recipe ) 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 1 1/2 - 2 ounces white rum garnish : fresh thyme sprig bend the thyme sprigs and curl into the bottom of a heavy heat-proof double old-fashioned glass . drizzle or spritz ' the thyme with the green chartreuse . carefully using a long match or lighter , ignite the green chartreuse . let it flame just for a few seconds until thyme gets a tiny singe on it . be careful glass does not get too hot -- have something available to smother the fire if it gets too big . then quickly add the simple syrup to extinguish the flames . it is important to make it in this order as the simple syrup will put out the flames . then measure in the lime juice and rum . fill the glass with ice and stir well . garnish with a thyme sprig . * simple syrup : bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil . immediately remove from heat . cool . store refrigerated for up to two weeks . adapted from a recipe from sips & apps , © 2009 by kathy casey . chameleon club i created this cocktail for the fairmont abu dhabi 's new nightclub and bar , the chameleon . which opens new year 's eve . this drink evokes updating classic cocktails with exciting twists . this one incorporates two of my flavor trends for cocktails in 2010 -- fresh ginger and hibiscus . makes 1 drink 1 small slice fresh ginger 1 1/2 ounces gin ( i love this drink made with plymouth gin , but you can always substitute with vodka if you prefer ) 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice 3/4 oz homemade hibiscus syrup ( recipe follows ) 1 organic egg white ( or 3/4 oz pasteurized egg whites ) garnish : small piece of candied ginger on a pick place the ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker . ( do not add ice yet . ) using a muddler , press down on the ginger a few times , giving it some force but not too much muscle . you want to extract the essence of the ginger . measure in the gin , lemon juice and hibiscus syrup . add the egg white . fill cocktail shaker all the way to the top with ice . cap and shake very vigorously . you want to really foam up the egg white . strain into a large martini glass and garnish with candied ginger on a pick . hibiscus syrup 2 cups water 2 cups sugar 1 heaping cup dried hibiscus flowers in a small sauce pan , bring the water , sugar and dried flowers to a boil . let boil for one minute . then remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes . strain the hibiscus into a large container . press the flowers well with a spoon to release all the juice . discard the solids . let the syrup cool and then place in a clean bottle or pitcher , cover and refrigerated up to two weeks . © 2009 by kathy casey food studios®-liquid kitchen | mixologist adds thyme to her green-eye daiquiri |
italy <tsp> rome ( cnn ) -- italian president giorgio napolitano said wednesday that his country will adopt a series of austerity measures promised to the european union , as officials try to allay investor fears and head off a eurozone debt crisis . silvio berlusconi , the embattled italian premier who has offered his resignation , is expected to step down shortly after the measures are approved . after the italian parliament passes reforms meant to address the country 's long-term fiscal health and its broader effect on global markets , either an interim government will be formed or elections called , the president said . italian authorities say that if officials opt for elections , they would take place in january and likely result in a new government by february , at the earliest . the prime minister would typically remain in office until a transition takes place , though mounting market fears have raised questions about whether lawmakers might take swifter action . investor confidence plummeted wednesday when the yield on 10-year italian government bonds rose above 7 % , the level at which other european countries -- including greece , portugal and ireland -- have sought international bailouts . the bond yields -- which represent the level of risk of lending italy money -- surged to their highest levels since the euro was launched in 1999 . the move , analysts say , could suggest that italy may need more than a change in leadership to address investor concerns . but italian lawmakers , for their part , could approve the new austerity measures as early as saturday , officials say , compelling berlusconi to resign shortly thereafter . the heart of the measures , said finance minister giulio tremonti , would increase the pension age by two years to 67 in 2026 , sell state property , invest in infrastructure and liberalize portions of the italian economy , privatizing some state-owned businesses . the moves are meant to address the country 's soaring €1.9 trillion debt load , which is nearly six times that of greece . as attention focused on italy , the head of the international monetary fund painted a stark picture of the challenges facing the world 's economic stability . the global economy has entered a dangerous and uncertain phase , ' christine lagarde said in remarks prepared for delivery at the international finance forum in beijing . if we do not act , and act together , we could enter a downward spiral of uncertainty , financial instability and a collapse in global demand . ultimately , we could face a lost decade of low growth and high unemployment , ' she said . although she made no specific mention of italy in the prepared remarks , lagarde spoke as even more bad news came from rome . italy has been under pressure from investors and its trading partners to get its fiscal house in order . the nation has debts equal to about 120 % of its overall output and an economy that has been stagnant for years . u.s. stocks , meanwhile , sold off sharply after italy 's bond yield spiked , with the dow jones industrial average tumbling 3 % . european markets also sold off and the euro slumped nearly 2 % against the u.s. dollar . on tuesday , berlusconi won a parliamentary vote approving a new budget that includes austerity measures sought by international lenders , but lost his majority in parliament . berlusconi later said he would resign , and on wednesday his spokesman , paolo bonaiuti , said berlusconi would not run in the country 's next parliamentary elections . in recent weeks , international concern has focused increasingly on italy , the third-largest economy in the eurozone , as analysts have worried that the financial crisis centered in greece could spread . at a meeting wednesday of the european parliament in belgium , british deputy prime minister nick clegg described the pace at which the bad news has been accumulating . i can not remember a time when events in europe moved so swiftly . many hoped that , by now , we would no longer be lurching from one headline to the next . but the focus has shifted from athens to rome , and it is clear that much still needs to be done to ensure stability in the eurozone , ' he said . today i do not intend to provide further commentary on these specific events . for one thing , it would probably be out of date by the time i sat down , ' he added . europe is suffering from a crisis of competitiveness , ' clegg said , issuing a challenge to eu nations . the choice is stark : reform or wither . reform now or regret it forever . ' for now , analysts are keeping their focus largely on italy . although the country is solvent , it holds a huge debt pile , and investors fear it may not be able to sustain that level of borrowing . italy is the world 's eighth-largest economy . a meltdown would send shock waves through the global economy . analysts say the problem is a lack of investor confidence , rather than solvency , which is plaguing debt-laden eurozone neighbors like greece . this is a crisis of confidence , not of fundamentals , ' said mark mccormick , currency strategist at brown brothers harriman . italy 's debt level is sustainable , but it needs to implement policies that will support economic growth . ' though the timing of berlusconi 's resignation is unclear , news of his imminent departure signaled the end of an era in italian politics . the 75-year-old business tycoon has been a dominant force since forming his forza italia party in 1994 . he has weathered many crises , including sex scandals and corruption trials , in his three terms in office . but the loss of his parliamentary majority -- and with it his ability to command the government -- was a blow from which berlusconi could not recover . a senate budget commission is soon expected to vote on the measure . berlusconi told italian newspaper la stampa that his decision gives him freedom . i will not put myself up for elections , ' he told the newspaper . actually , i feel liberated . now it is time for alfano . he will be our premier candidate . he is extremely good , much better than one can expect , and his leadership has been accepted by all . ' berlusconi was referring to former justice minister angelino alfano , who has been known as his hand-picked successor . but others are expected to seek to replace berlusconi . names being floated include political figures such as gianni letta , berlusconi 's chief of staff , and mario monti , a former commissioner with the european union . president napolitano announced wednesday that he had nominated monti as senator for life , ' a title bestowed on those who have held distinguished roles , raising speculation about his candidacy . a yale-trained economist and professor at milan 's bocconi university , monti has also worked as an international adviser to the investment firm goldman sachs . dubbed super mario ' for his work in international finance , the former eu commissioner gained notoriety for his role in blocking a merger between u.s. firms honeywell international and general electric , thought to be a move that highlighted europe 's newfound regulatory clout . other business figures such as luca cordero di montezemolo , chairman of ferrari , and alessandro profumo , former ceo of italy 's largest bank , unicredit , are also considered candidates . cnn 's james partington , hada messia , josh levs , pete wilkinson , nick thompson , laura smith-spark and nina dos santos contributed to this report . | italy has a €1.9 trillion debt load |
italy <tsp> rome ( cnn ) -- italian president giorgio napolitano said wednesday that his country will adopt a series of austerity measures promised to the european union , as officials try to allay investor fears and head off a eurozone debt crisis . silvio berlusconi , the embattled italian premier who has offered his resignation , is expected to step down shortly after the measures are approved . after the italian parliament passes reforms meant to address the country 's long-term fiscal health and its broader effect on global markets , either an interim government will be formed or elections called , the president said . italian authorities say that if officials opt for elections , they would take place in january and likely result in a new government by february , at the earliest . the prime minister would typically remain in office until a transition takes place , though mounting market fears have raised questions about whether lawmakers might take swifter action . investor confidence plummeted wednesday when the yield on 10-year italian government bonds rose above 7 % , the level at which other european countries -- including greece , portugal and ireland -- have sought international bailouts . the bond yields -- which represent the level of risk of lending italy money -- surged to their highest levels since the euro was launched in 1999 . the move , analysts say , could suggest that italy may need more than a change in leadership to address investor concerns . but italian lawmakers , for their part , could approve the new austerity measures as early as saturday , officials say , compelling berlusconi to resign shortly thereafter . the heart of the measures , said finance minister giulio tremonti , would increase the pension age by two years to 67 in 2026 , sell state property , invest in infrastructure and liberalize portions of the italian economy , privatizing some state-owned businesses . the moves are meant to address the country 's soaring €1.9 trillion debt load , which is nearly six times that of greece . as attention focused on italy , the head of the international monetary fund painted a stark picture of the challenges facing the world 's economic stability . the global economy has entered a dangerous and uncertain phase , ' christine lagarde said in remarks prepared for delivery at the international finance forum in beijing . if we do not act , and act together , we could enter a downward spiral of uncertainty , financial instability and a collapse in global demand . ultimately , we could face a lost decade of low growth and high unemployment , ' she said . although she made no specific mention of italy in the prepared remarks , lagarde spoke as even more bad news came from rome . italy has been under pressure from investors and its trading partners to get its fiscal house in order . the nation has debts equal to about 120 % of its overall output and an economy that has been stagnant for years . u.s. stocks , meanwhile , sold off sharply after italy 's bond yield spiked , with the dow jones industrial average tumbling 3 % . european markets also sold off and the euro slumped nearly 2 % against the u.s. dollar . on tuesday , berlusconi won a parliamentary vote approving a new budget that includes austerity measures sought by international lenders , but lost his majority in parliament . berlusconi later said he would resign , and on wednesday his spokesman , paolo bonaiuti , said berlusconi would not run in the country 's next parliamentary elections . in recent weeks , international concern has focused increasingly on italy , the third-largest economy in the eurozone , as analysts have worried that the financial crisis centered in greece could spread . at a meeting wednesday of the european parliament in belgium , british deputy prime minister nick clegg described the pace at which the bad news has been accumulating . i can not remember a time when events in europe moved so swiftly . many hoped that , by now , we would no longer be lurching from one headline to the next . but the focus has shifted from athens to rome , and it is clear that much still needs to be done to ensure stability in the eurozone , ' he said . today i do not intend to provide further commentary on these specific events . for one thing , it would probably be out of date by the time i sat down , ' he added . europe is suffering from a crisis of competitiveness , ' clegg said , issuing a challenge to eu nations . the choice is stark : reform or wither . reform now or regret it forever . ' for now , analysts are keeping their focus largely on italy . although the country is solvent , it holds a huge debt pile , and investors fear it may not be able to sustain that level of borrowing . italy is the world 's eighth-largest economy . a meltdown would send shock waves through the global economy . analysts say the problem is a lack of investor confidence , rather than solvency , which is plaguing debt-laden eurozone neighbors like greece . this is a crisis of confidence , not of fundamentals , ' said mark mccormick , currency strategist at brown brothers harriman . italy 's debt level is sustainable , but it needs to implement policies that will support economic growth . ' though the timing of berlusconi 's resignation is unclear , news of his imminent departure signaled the end of an era in italian politics . the 75-year-old business tycoon has been a dominant force since forming his forza italia party in 1994 . he has weathered many crises , including sex scandals and corruption trials , in his three terms in office . but the loss of his parliamentary majority -- and with it his ability to command the government -- was a blow from which berlusconi could not recover . a senate budget commission is soon expected to vote on the measure . berlusconi told italian newspaper la stampa that his decision gives him freedom . i will not put myself up for elections , ' he told the newspaper . actually , i feel liberated . now it is time for alfano . he will be our premier candidate . he is extremely good , much better than one can expect , and his leadership has been accepted by all . ' berlusconi was referring to former justice minister angelino alfano , who has been known as his hand-picked successor . but others are expected to seek to replace berlusconi . names being floated include political figures such as gianni letta , berlusconi 's chief of staff , and mario monti , a former commissioner with the european union . president napolitano announced wednesday that he had nominated monti as senator for life , ' a title bestowed on those who have held distinguished roles , raising speculation about his candidacy . a yale-trained economist and professor at milan 's bocconi university , monti has also worked as an international adviser to the investment firm goldman sachs . dubbed super mario ' for his work in international finance , the former eu commissioner gained notoriety for his role in blocking a merger between u.s. firms honeywell international and general electric , thought to be a move that highlighted europe 's newfound regulatory clout . other business figures such as luca cordero di montezemolo , chairman of ferrari , and alessandro profumo , former ceo of italy 's largest bank , unicredit , are also considered candidates . cnn 's james partington , hada messia , josh levs , pete wilkinson , nick thompson , laura smith-spark and nina dos santos contributed to this report . | italy 's finance minister details austerity measures |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- manchester city moved to within four points of neighbors and english premier league leaders manchester united on saturday with a comfortable 2-0 win over fulham at the etihad stadium . city made light work of martin jol 's side with david silva scoring in each half . the spanish midfielder opened city 's account after only 95 seconds pouncing on a loose ball after fulham keeper mark schwarzer could only parry edin dzeko 's long-range effort . silva 's second came midway through the second half , this time meeting a pass from gael clichy before lifting the ball over schwarzer . alex ferguson 's side can restore their seven-point lead if they beat tottenham hotspur at white hart lane on sunday . liverpool hit five past norwich city at anfield to climb to seventh in the table . luiz suarez scored his 15th league goal of the season to put liverpool 2-0 up at halftime following jordan henderson 's 26th-minute opener . daniel sturridge scored his third goal in as many games in liverpool colors in the 59th minute with steven gerrard adding a fourth seven minutes later . norwich 's miserable day on merseyside was completed by a ryan bennett own-goal 15 minutes before the end . liverpool are now level with arsenal on 34 points , but the gunners have two games in hand -- one of which is against chelsea on sunday . swansea city extended their unbeaten league run to six games with a 3-1 against stoke city . two goals from jonathan de guzman and one from ben davies sealed victory for michael laudrup 's side before michael owen scored a consolation header in injury time . newcastle united 's dismal league form continued with a 2-1 defeat to reading at st james park . alan pardew 's side have collected just seven points from their last ten games and now sit two places above the relegation zone on 21 points . reading 's second consecutive win lifts them to 18th with 19 points . aston villa let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at west bromwich albion . the point lifts paul lambert 's men to 17th in the table . fellow strugglers wigan are now second-from-bottom after a 3-2 defeat at home to sunderland , while queen 's park rangers remain rooted to the foot of the table after a 1-1 draw at west ham united . | liverpool thrash norwich city 5-0 at anfield ; swansea city extend unbeaten league run to six |
mexican <tsp> mexico city , mexico ( cnn ) -- in response to a spate of attacks allegedly by a drug cartel , mexico more than tripled the number of federal police officers patrolling the state of michoacan , a government spokeswoman said . drug violence is up in michoacan state , shown by recent attacks on police in at least a half-dozen cities . the government on thursday dispatched 1,000 federal police officers to michoacan state in southwest mexico , increasing its presence to 1,300 total , public safety spokeswoman veronica penunuri told cnn . at least 18 federal agents and two soldiers have been killed since the weekend in michoacan , the home state of president felipe calderon . the sudden spike in violence followed the arrest saturday of arnoldo rueda medina , whom authorities described as a high-ranking member of the drug cartel known as la familia michoacana . cartel members first attacked the federal police station in morelia to try to gain freedom for rueda , authorities said . when that failed , drug gangs attacked federal police installations in at least a half-dozen michoacan cities , according to authorities . the michoacan cartel also is accused in the slaying of 12 federal police officers whose bodies were found tuesday on a remote highway . video from the scene showed three signs , known as narcomensajes , left by the killers . they all stated the same thing : so that you come for another . we will be waiting for you here . ' since calderon went after the drug cartels shortly after coming into office in 2006 , more than 10,000 people have died across mexico , about 1,000 of them police . the state of michoacan , on mexico 's southwest pacific coast , is not alone in the wave of violence sweeping the country . the border city of ciudad juarez set a record this weekend when its toll of drug-related deaths for the year topped 1,000 , a distinction the mexican city did not reach last year until september . | mexican government responding to a spate of deadly attacks in michoacan |
cairo <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- when azza hilal suleiman saw egyptian military pummel the veiled woman , she stepped in to help and got kicked and clubbed by security forces , a beating that was captured in a video that went viral around the world and also showed live gunfire and the violent removal of a muslim woman 's clothing . a veiled woman was injured and the army stripped her , ' she told cnn in an exclusive interview from her hospital bed in cairo , suffering from painful skull fractures and facial cuts . she could n't stand to see the repeated blows to the woman , who was dragged , kicked , partially stripped and then stomped . so i ran and tried to cover her body and pull her out , ' suleiman said . we tried to cover her and pull her away but they beat us . i did n't feel anything after this . ' suleiman was seen in a red coat in the same video that showed the veiled woman 's beating . security forces rushed toward suleiman and pushed her to the ground as she ran to the veiled woman 's side . i was just trying to help her up after they exposed her body , ' she said . suleiman is one of three people in the video interviewed by cnn , with one of them saying he was shot . a cnn crew also witnessed the security force beatings and shootings and saw other women stripped of some of their clothing . the beatings took place last saturday in cairo 's tahrir square , amid a five-day stretch of assaults by police and defiant protests by demonstrators demanding that egypt 's ruling military cede power to a civilian government . a health ministry spokesman said 16 people died , including 14 by gunshots , according to dr. hisham sheeha . the military has denied the use of live ammunition . photos of the unidentified veiled woman were plastered on the front pages of global and local newspapers and appeared on facebook . twitter hashtags # tahrirwoman and # bluebra emerged . the images stirred worldwide outrage because of the beating and because she was partially stripped in a muslim society where women cover themselves for modesty . the woman has not been identified . an activist and student , she chooses not to talk to reporters at present , two people who know her told cnn . she had been dressed in a traditional robe and headscarf , but as police clubbed her and dragged her down the street , those articles of clothing were pulled away , exposing her midriff and blue bra . the video showed one of the police officers aiming a foot at her upper abdomen and stamping squarely on it . the beatings and the use of live ammunition against protesters , particularly women , have outraged egyptians . more than a thousand people gathered in tahrir square for a million woman ' march tuesday . women and men holding placards showing pictures of the veiled woman 's beating marched through the surrounding streets to denounce the escalating violence by security forces . the ruling supreme council of the armed forces has since expressed great regret ' over the mistreatment of women protesters , but it has not apologized for the assaults , a fact that enrages demonstrators . but scaf reiterated its respect and appreciation for egyptian women and their right in protesting and their active positive participation in the political life . ' age 48 , divorced and unemployed , suleiman is the daughter of a deceased army general . she wanted to speak to cnn despite her agony . in an earlier visit to the hospital , she indicated how much she was suffering , saying , my head is going to explode . ' others came to suleiman 's aid , such as businessman ehab hanna , who was also beaten up and shot after he tried to help the woman with the veil . azza covered her naked body . then we tried to pull her up to take her to the field clinic . but i was shocked with a sting in my leg , thought it was a rock . i tried to walk but fell to the ground , so they started beating me and azza relentlessly , ' he told cnn . hanna said security forces left him alone when they thought he was dead . but when he moved , he was beaten . he said he and other injured people were on the ground for about 30 minutes because ambulances were n't allowed into the area . i only found out i was shot in the leg when i arrived to the hospital . they told me the bullet penetrated my knee and ended up in my calf . i saw the army officer firing his gun , but i thought it was blanks . i did not imagine they would fire live ammo at their people . ' journalist hassan shaheen mahmoud also is in the video . he told cnn that he is filing a complaint against military leaders because they dragged , stripped and beat ' women and journalists . he too said he tried to come to the aid of the veiled woman , who suffered serious cuts and bruises . i started to run , but she froze and fell to the ground when another protester bumped into her , ' mahmoud said . i tried to help her get up , but the soldiers were brutal even when i told them i was a journalist . they even continued to beat her after her body was exposed . ' i will not remain quiet , ' mahmoud vowed . one military official showed no sense of remorse . what was a woman like her doing in a conflict zone ? ' asked the military spokesman , maj. mohamed askar . she must have participated in the attacks on the military and the cabinet . ' askar questioned why the woman has not come forward to identify herself . our troops do not just attack people for no reason , ' he said . if she had nothing to hide then she would have presented herself . where is she ? ' the egyptian military said it is n't aware of suleiman 's case but will look into it . if she comes from a military family then she reserved the right to be transferred to a military hospital even if her father is deceased , ' said col. islam jaffar of the military 's morals department . as wafa ahmed , suleiman 's sister-in-law , listened to her wailing in pain , she thought of suleiman 's father and other family members , who have served egypt in the military and government . i 'm glad her father did n't see this day , ' ahmed said . | the violence occurred in cairo 's tahrir square saturday during a stretch of unrest |
grace <tsp> ( rolling stone ) -- against me ! singer laura jane grace says that coming out as transgender in a recent issue of rolling stone completely ended my relationship with my father . ' in a new interview with mtv news , grace is asked about her father 's response to the article and says , he tried calling , i tried calling him back , but then he would n't call me back . i wrote him a really long email , and i apologized and told him the way he was portrayed in the rolling stone article was a little harsh . i apologized for that , i apologized for not telling him in person before †” that i felt like a total coward for that . i explained about gender dysphoria ; i told him if he had any questions , there were books i could point him in the direction of reading . he wrote me back maybe a two or three sentence-long email that just said ,'there was something very lacking in your presentation . for now the door is open , but we 'll see .'and that 's it . ' grace also speaks openly about her progress in transitioning from male to female and undergoing hormone replacement therapy . i 'm one day from being one month into hrt . the mental effects have been immediately like night and day ; it made a world of difference in my life . i find that in a lot of situations in the past where i would have gotten frustrated or angry , i am a lot more calm and centered . i just feel at ease and like myself . physically , i feel impatient . ' mtv also interviewed grace 's against me ! bandmates , who discuss how her coming out has changed the day-to-day dynamic of the band . i think [ the band ] has been happier and everyone is getting along famously , ' says bassist andrew seward . it 's a very nice , positive , family vibe on the bus and at the shows . ' read the full story at rollingstone.com . copyright © 2011 rolling stone . | grace came out as a transgender in a recent issue of rolling stone |
grace <tsp> ( rolling stone ) -- against me ! singer laura jane grace says that coming out as transgender in a recent issue of rolling stone completely ended my relationship with my father . ' in a new interview with mtv news , grace is asked about her father 's response to the article and says , he tried calling , i tried calling him back , but then he would n't call me back . i wrote him a really long email , and i apologized and told him the way he was portrayed in the rolling stone article was a little harsh . i apologized for that , i apologized for not telling him in person before †” that i felt like a total coward for that . i explained about gender dysphoria ; i told him if he had any questions , there were books i could point him in the direction of reading . he wrote me back maybe a two or three sentence-long email that just said ,'there was something very lacking in your presentation . for now the door is open , but we 'll see .'and that 's it . ' grace also speaks openly about her progress in transitioning from male to female and undergoing hormone replacement therapy . i 'm one day from being one month into hrt . the mental effects have been immediately like night and day ; it made a world of difference in my life . i find that in a lot of situations in the past where i would have gotten frustrated or angry , i am a lot more calm and centered . i just feel at ease and like myself . physically , i feel impatient . ' mtv also interviewed grace 's against me ! bandmates , who discuss how her coming out has changed the day-to-day dynamic of the band . i think [ the band ] has been happier and everyone is getting along famously , ' says bassist andrew seward . it 's a very nice , positive , family vibe on the bus and at the shows . ' read the full story at rollingstone.com . copyright © 2011 rolling stone . | bassist andrew seward said the band has been happier since grace 's coming out |
grace <tsp> ( rolling stone ) -- against me ! singer laura jane grace says that coming out as transgender in a recent issue of rolling stone completely ended my relationship with my father . ' in a new interview with mtv news , grace is asked about her father 's response to the article and says , he tried calling , i tried calling him back , but then he would n't call me back . i wrote him a really long email , and i apologized and told him the way he was portrayed in the rolling stone article was a little harsh . i apologized for that , i apologized for not telling him in person before †” that i felt like a total coward for that . i explained about gender dysphoria ; i told him if he had any questions , there were books i could point him in the direction of reading . he wrote me back maybe a two or three sentence-long email that just said ,'there was something very lacking in your presentation . for now the door is open , but we 'll see .'and that 's it . ' grace also speaks openly about her progress in transitioning from male to female and undergoing hormone replacement therapy . i 'm one day from being one month into hrt . the mental effects have been immediately like night and day ; it made a world of difference in my life . i find that in a lot of situations in the past where i would have gotten frustrated or angry , i am a lot more calm and centered . i just feel at ease and like myself . physically , i feel impatient . ' mtv also interviewed grace 's against me ! bandmates , who discuss how her coming out has changed the day-to-day dynamic of the band . i think [ the band ] has been happier and everyone is getting along famously , ' says bassist andrew seward . it 's a very nice , positive , family vibe on the bus and at the shows . ' read the full story at rollingstone.com . copyright © 2011 rolling stone . | against me ! singer laura jane grace says coming ended her relationship with her father |
south carolina <tsp> rock hill , south carolina ( cnn ) a long walk for justice will end soon for nine african-american men who pioneered the jail , no bail ' strategy during the lunch counter protests of the civil rights movement . the men , dubbed the friendship nine after the rock hill , south carolina , college that eight of them attended , were looking to make a statement about the plight of the segregated south . and that 's just what they did . on wednesday , the attorney who represented the men almost 5½ decades ago is scheduled to return to court to have their names cleared . in a poetic twist , circuit court judge john c. hayes iii , who will preside over the hearing , is the nephew of the judge who originally sentenced these largely unsung civil rights heroes . the prosecutor who pushed for this momentous day , 16th circuit solicitor kevin brackett of rock hill , leans on a quote from the rev . martin luther king jr. when asked why he was motivated to take up the cause of the friendship nine : the arc of the moral universe is long , but it bends towards justice . ' lunch counter protests had become the cause celebre the year before , in 1960 , just two hours up the road in greensboro , north carolina . african-americans , many of them students , sought to break the barrier of segregated lunch counters by sitting in white-only ' sections . as the protests spread from greensboro to other parts of the south , protesters were arrested and charged . civil rights groups had to pay the mounting bails and fines that the protesters were incurring . the men of friendship college wondered whether paying fines and bail -- to the very people who were oppressing them , no less -- was the best course of action . rather than pay the $ 100 for their release , the men felt they could make a more profound statement by accepting the full punishment for trespassing : 30 days of hard labor . it showed that this was a moral crusade against injustice , ' rolundus rice of the martin luther king jr. center for nonviolent social change in atlanta said . most of the support came from working-class african-americans , so it was very expensive to bail out a lot of protesters . so , in a sense , what they did is turn the system on its head . so if you are going to incarcerate me , you are going to pay for it , ' rice said . on the evening of january 30 , 1961 , clarence graham , a student at friendship and civil rights organizer , sat down to write a letter to his parents . by the time you read this , i suppose you both will be upset and probably angry , but i hope not . i could n't tell you , but this morning i wanted to , but just did n't know how . ' he and his cohorts had been planning for months . they were ready on the morning of january 31 , 1961 , and just after 11 a.m. , they arrived at mccrory 's 5-10-25 cent variety store in downtown rock hill . local authorities had caught wind of their plans and awaited their arrival . the men stood outside , protesting for a spell before entering . the details of exactly what happened inside were disputed in court , but what is known is that 10 men walked in and -- in defiance of the era 's jim crow laws -- sat at the counter where people of their skin color were forbidden . they were taken to jail , where they sat until their quick trial on trespassing charges . try to understand that what i am doing is right , ' graham wrote to his parents before his arrest . it 's not like going to jail for a crime like stealing , killing , etc. , but we 're going for the betterment of all colored people . ' they spent the night thinking and praying , hoping that what they did next would shock the conscience of a nation . ernest finney , a young african-american civil rights attorney from the area , represented the group . records of the trial have long since been destroyed , so it 's not clear who said what in the courtroom , but the group was found guilty and offered a choice of paying a $ 100 fine or being sent to a labor camp for 30 days . nine of the men chose the labor camp . one chose the fine . jailers and the municipalities were receiving these funds to perpetuate the oppression , right ? ' rice asked . it was a practical reason behind the'jail , no bail'( movement ) . ' the men were shipped out to the york county prison farm to begin their sentences , but according to local news reports , many of the friendship nine were sent to solitary confinement . pictures from local newspapers document how the prison farm became a rallying point for protesters . it was a shot in the arm for the southern christian leadership conference , congress of racial equality and naacp , rice said , because the authorities were saying , ok , we have to have another strategy to confront this . ' the group served 28 days at the camp and was released early -- not for good behavior , but because local officials wanted to get them out before the national press arrived . on wednesday , the national press will shine a spotlight on the men , in a reminder of the country 's checkered history on civil rights . hayes is expected to right the wrong of his uncle by clearing the men 's names and vacating their sentences . author kimberly johnson , who wrote a children 's book about the men , no fear for freedom , ' was integral in getting the friendship nine 's case on the court docket . she met the still-living members of the friendship nine at a local restaurant in 2011 , and after listening to their story , found herself surprised that she had never heard of them . i was proud to be african-american because i looked at them and thought what a wonderful thing they had done to open the path for me as a children 's author , ' she told cnn . i know i would not be where i am today if folks before me had not forged the way , so i was very honored to be in their presence . ' after reading a speech from the rev . martin luther king jr. addressing how demonstrators arrested for nonviolent protests were n't disobedient in the broad sense of the word , but rather , just being disobedient to the immorality of what that law represented , ' she began thinking about what she could do to help vindicate the friendship nine , she said . she shared her thoughts with brackett and asked whether the men could get a pardon , a request brackett had field before . but he had his reservations . a pardon is an act of forgiveness , and what these guys needed was n't forgiveness because they did n't do anything wrong . what these guys needed was justice , and a pardon did n't really speak to the underlying problems with the fact of the conviction in the first place . ' having their convictions vacated would attack those underlying issues head-on , he felt , and while he 's proud to be able to play some small part in history ' by exonerating the men , do n't call him a hero . the real act of heroism was done by these men 54 years ago , ' he said . the men of the friendship nine , based on their activities and accomplishments both during and after their 1961 stand , are an impressive bunch . here 's a little about them from james felder , author of civil rights in south carolina : from peaceful protests to groundbreaking rulings ' : -- john gaines was the naacp president at friendship during the 1961 protests . he went on to get his law degree at howard university in washington , then joined the naacp legal defense fund . he is now retired and living in florence , south carolina . -- thomas gaither was a core field organizer who traveled to rock hill to help organize the protests . he is the only one who did not attend friendship . in the summer of 1961 , he helped organize the freedom riders in the south . after a stint in the army , he became a biology professor . he is now retired and lives in pennsylvania . -- clarence henry graham was core 's chief organizer . after school , he joined the air force , then went on to become a social worker for south carolina . he has now retired and lives in rock hill . -- w.t . dub ' massey graduated from friendship and went on to get his master 's degree from nearby winthrop university . he spent his career teaching in public schools . he 's now semiretired ( he still picks up a class or two as a substitute teacher ) . -- robert mccullough , the valedictorian of his high school before going to friendship , was known by many as brilliant ' and was a natural leader for the group . after college , he joined the air force . he earned degrees from winthrop university in business administration and political science before returning to friendship to teach . mccullough died in 2006 at age 64 . -- willie mccleod was involved in the protest movement before coming to friendship . after college , he volunteered for the army and came home to rock hill after his service and started a business . he lives in rock hill and occasionally speaks to community groups about the events of the 1960s . -- james wells graduated from friendship and went on to enlist in the air force . after his time in the military , he went back to school and earned a law degree from the university of illinois . he practiced law in columbia , south carolina , before retiring in rock hill . -- david williamson jr. moved to the north after school before returning to the carolinas , where he became a banker and property manager . he has retired from full-time work but still works as a substitute teacher at rock hill schools . -- mack workman moved to new york after school and worked with troubled children as part of the state office of children and family services . he retired in 2006 and still lives in new york . cnn 's victor blackwell and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report . | named for a south carolina college , the men opted for jail over paying fines to oppressors ' |
amitabh bachchan <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- a 14-year-old indian actress , taruni sachdev , was among the passengers who died in monday 's plane crash in nepal , officials said . jaikumar thakur , a doctor at the indian embassy in kathmandu , told cnn that sachdev was traveling with her mother , who also lost her life in the crash . the two were among 21 people on board a small plane that crashed after it was unable to land in a mountainous area of nepal , killing 15 . the plane was about a mile from the airport at jomsom , a popular tourist town in central nepal , when it went down , said purusottam shakya , deputy director of air traffic service operations in kathmandu . it was operated by agni air , a nepalese carrier . taruni shot to national fame for her role as a schoolgirl alongside india 's superstar amitabh bachchan and his son abhishek in paa ' ( father ) , a movie with disability as its theme . amitabh , who played abhishek 's son in the film , portrayed a child with a genetic condition that leads to premature ageing . just reading that tarini ( taruni ) sachdev the girl child artist in paa , has perished in nepal plane crash ... please god may this not be true , ' bachchan senior tweeted after the crash . abhishek bachchan also mourned the loss . shocked and very saddened to hear about the nepal plane crash . lost 1 of my cutest co-stars . little taruni sachdev from paa . speechless ..... , ' he said in a tweet . taruni also starred in dozens of tv commercials . | taruni shot to fame after starring alongside superstar amitabh bachchan |
taruni <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- a 14-year-old indian actress , taruni sachdev , was among the passengers who died in monday 's plane crash in nepal , officials said . jaikumar thakur , a doctor at the indian embassy in kathmandu , told cnn that sachdev was traveling with her mother , who also lost her life in the crash . the two were among 21 people on board a small plane that crashed after it was unable to land in a mountainous area of nepal , killing 15 . the plane was about a mile from the airport at jomsom , a popular tourist town in central nepal , when it went down , said purusottam shakya , deputy director of air traffic service operations in kathmandu . it was operated by agni air , a nepalese carrier . taruni shot to national fame for her role as a schoolgirl alongside india 's superstar amitabh bachchan and his son abhishek in paa ' ( father ) , a movie with disability as its theme . amitabh , who played abhishek 's son in the film , portrayed a child with a genetic condition that leads to premature ageing . just reading that tarini ( taruni ) sachdev the girl child artist in paa , has perished in nepal plane crash ... please god may this not be true , ' bachchan senior tweeted after the crash . abhishek bachchan also mourned the loss . shocked and very saddened to hear about the nepal plane crash . lost 1 of my cutest co-stars . little taruni sachdev from paa . speechless ..... , ' he said in a tweet . taruni also starred in dozens of tv commercials . | taruni 's mother also died in the crash |
taruni <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- a 14-year-old indian actress , taruni sachdev , was among the passengers who died in monday 's plane crash in nepal , officials said . jaikumar thakur , a doctor at the indian embassy in kathmandu , told cnn that sachdev was traveling with her mother , who also lost her life in the crash . the two were among 21 people on board a small plane that crashed after it was unable to land in a mountainous area of nepal , killing 15 . the plane was about a mile from the airport at jomsom , a popular tourist town in central nepal , when it went down , said purusottam shakya , deputy director of air traffic service operations in kathmandu . it was operated by agni air , a nepalese carrier . taruni shot to national fame for her role as a schoolgirl alongside india 's superstar amitabh bachchan and his son abhishek in paa ' ( father ) , a movie with disability as its theme . amitabh , who played abhishek 's son in the film , portrayed a child with a genetic condition that leads to premature ageing . just reading that tarini ( taruni ) sachdev the girl child artist in paa , has perished in nepal plane crash ... please god may this not be true , ' bachchan senior tweeted after the crash . abhishek bachchan also mourned the loss . shocked and very saddened to hear about the nepal plane crash . lost 1 of my cutest co-stars . little taruni sachdev from paa . speechless ..... , ' he said in a tweet . taruni also starred in dozens of tv commercials . | taruni shot to fame after starring alongside superstar amitabh bachchan |
northeast <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a heat wave continued to blanket the u.s. northeast with scorching temperatures on the first day of summer , as residents across the region sought to keep cool amid national heat advisories . severe heat and humidity stretched from vermont to north carolina on thursday with temperatures reaching the mid- to upper 90s , the national weather service said . the northeast will begin cooling slightly friday , the service said , but the heat is expected to continue with forecasts in the low 90s and high 80s across the mid-atlantic states . cool down with summer treats cities across the northeast designated cooling centers , turned on outdoor sprinklers and splash stations and issued advisories in an effort to help keep residents safe , emergency management officials in several cities said . [ more than 400 ] cooling centers will continue to remain open friday , ' said new york emergency management spokeswoman judith kane . the city advised residents to turn on their air conditioners or to go to air-conditioned locations such as museums , malls and movie theaters to stay out of the sun . in boston , 15 indoor public pools , outdoor wading pools and splash stations were available , said john guilfoil , spokesman for boston mayor thomas menino , in addition to air-conditioned community centers . we actually were n't going to come out , because it was so hot today , but they turned on the sprinklers and we 're going to have some fun , ' first-grade teacher james bernardini said in manhattan 's central park . more than 700 sprinklers were available in parks across new york city , said parks department spokeswoman vickie karp . it 's 90 degrees outside . imagine how it is in a classroom without a fan , without an ac , ' bernardini said . according to the national weather service , baltimore and washington reached high temperatures of 98 degrees on thursday . farther north , boston , new york and philadelphia reached , respectively , 95 , 93 and 97 degrees , the service said . the service advises residents to drink plenty of water , to stay out of the sun , to take frequent breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments and to check on relatives and neighbors during the heat wave . young children and the elderly are especially at risk for heat-related injuries , the service said . last year , it reported 206 heat-related deaths . in the past decade , heat has been the second-leading cause for weather-related fatalities , the service said . residents are advised to call 311 or to go to their city 's website online to find cooling centers and to get further information on how to keep cool as the heat continues . | baltimore and d.c. clock in at 98 degrees ; northeast will cool off slightly friday |
bosnian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wolfsburg striker edin dzeko expects to play for ac milan next season . the bosnian international , whose 26 goals last season inspired the wolves to the bundesliga title , has already informed his club he intends to move to the san siro outfit . i recently spoke to wolfsburg executives about it and they know that i would like a transfer next summer , ' dzeko told gazzetta dello sport . the story with ac milan is not over . ' dzeko was strongly linked with the rossoneri last summer but despite ac milan holding talks with the bundesliga side , wolfsburg refused to sell their top player . the 23-year-old , who also attracted interest from manchester united , insists his dream is to play with the serie a giants . manchester united have also shown an interest but i have been a fan of milan since i was a child , when i watched their games on tv . it 's for that reason that i really hope i can play next season there . ' dzeko is under contract with the german side until june 2013 . | the bosnian international has already informed his club he intends to move to italy |
cnn <tsp> stacey addison marked her 41st birthday this week in very different circumstances from previous years . the american veterinarian from oregon spent the day in a prison in the small southeast asian nation of east timor . she 's being held there in connection with a drug investigation in which she says she was unwittingly caught up . it 's been a nightmare , ' her mother , bernadette kero , told cnn on wednesday . we just want her to be able to come home . ' addison shares a cell with two other women and has received treatment for an abscess at the prison clinic , her mother said . never in a million years would i have thought that she 'd be spending her birthday today in a prison , ' kero said with tears in her eyes .'she had no involvement' the way that addison , who has been traveling solo since january 2013 , ended up in jail is a terrifying case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time , according to her and her mother . after working for 10 years as a vet and saving money , addison quit her job , sold her home and belongings and set out to travel the world , setting aside a small nest egg for when she would eventually come home , kero said . on september 5 , addison was sharing a cab from near the indonesian border to dili , the capital of east timor , when the journey turned into a traveler 's nightmare . on the way , another passenger asked to stop and pick up a package at a dhl office . my daughter was in the vehicle in the backseat , ' kero said . she was looking up in her lonely planet to find a hostel , he came back with a package . at that point , the police surrounded the car and arrested all three of them . ' the package was found to contain methamphetamine , addison said on her facebook page . police searched her and her belongings and gave her a urine test , which she said came back clean . at that initial point she was n't that worried ; she knew she had no involvement , ' kero said .'very scared about the future' but addison was held for four nights in a detention center before being conditionally released by a judge . the person who picked up the package , he told the police and he testified before the judge that he did n't know my daughter , ' kero said . he had never met her before ; he did n't know the driver . he had just paid to hire the driver . ' but the terms of addison 's release prevented her from leaving east timor while the investigation into the case continued . she found herself caught up in the young developing country 's justice system and was advised to hire a lawyer . i am under a lot of stress and very scared about the future , but i am trying to stay strong , ' she said in a facebook post on september 24 . her situation appeared to be looking up last week , when she had a court appearance to retrieve her passport . but rather than giving addison her papers and letting her go , the court detained her again and sent her to gleno prison outside dili , a u.s. state department official said . she had thought this was being resolved -- now this , ' said her mother , who has set up a facebook page titled pleasehelpstacey .'a violation of human rights' paul remedios , a senior lawyer representing addison , said the court had detained her again because there was a warrant for her arrest -- although the reason for the warrant remains unclear . he said her arrest , in which she was deprived of the rights to a defense and to be heard before a judge , had n't followed due process . we consider this to be a violation of human rights , ' remedios said , but he warned that under east timor 's criminal procedure law , an individual can be held in detention for up to a year while there is an ongoing investigation . the east timor justice ministry did n't respond to calls from cnn seeking comment on addison 's case thursday . the u.s. government is seeking a fair and expeditious resolution to this case in accordance with timorese law , ' the state department official said . hair cut short for her first five days in gleno prison , addison was held on her own , according to kero . her long blond hair was cut short to comply with prison protocol . but she 's since been moved to a unit with about 16 other women , at least one of whom has a child , kero said . she is being treated as well as can be expected and gets three meals a day , her mother said . the u.s. embassy is in close contact ' with addison and a consular official visited her in prison on tuesday , the state department official said . kero said embassy staff have been extremely supportive ' in the case -- they brought addison a birthday cake recently . she said she hopes a meeting friday between u.s. state department officials and the timorese ambassador might help move the case forward . the staff of sen. ron wyden of oregon have been working with the state department and her family to get this resolved as quickly as possible , ' said hank stern , a spokesman for the senator . oregon sen. jeff merkley 's office is also working with the family , he said . | it 's been a nightmare . we just want her to be able to come home , ' her mother tells cnn |
lewis hamilton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fernando alonso insists he is not thinking about the prospect of his red bull rivals mark webber and sebastian vettel combining to deprive him of a third formula one world title this weekend . the season comes to a climax at sunday 's abu dhabi grand prix with four drivers battling to take home motorsport 's biggest prize . ferrari 's alonso holds an eight-point lead over second-placed webber , with vettel in third 15 points off the top . mclaren driver lewis hamilton has an outside chance of claiming his second crown , being 24 points behind alonso with only 25 on offer to the winner . with red bull having already secured the constructors'championship , this has led to speculation that the 23-year-old vettel will be asked to allow his australian teammate to overtake him if the pair are leading the field at the yas marina circuit . latest f1 championship standings but two-time champion alonso -- whose team was fined $ 100,000 in september for telling felipe massa to allow the spaniard to win july 's german grand prix -- says he is focusing on his own race , needing a first or second-place finish to ensure another title . i do n't think i would lose even one second of my energy this weekend thinking of what is going to happen on sunday afternoon , ' the 29-year-old told f1 's official website when asked whether he would understand if vettel assisted webber . our only picture of the race at the moment is winning it or finishing second . that 's the target and i think that 's what we 're going to achieve this weekend . i think there 's not anything we can do other than try to finish second or first in the race , that is mathematically our position to win the championship , so it 's our goal , from friday to sunday , our preparation will be to reach that target . ' vettel would not be drawn on whether he is planning to support his colleague during sunday 's race , but he did admit he was keen to avoid a repeat of this year 's turkish grand prix where he and webber crashed while battling for position . if the situation occurs then i think we know that we 're driving for the team , ' the german said . we have had some occasions this year where we got close and it did n't look too good , so i think the main target is not to repeat that , and the rest we will see . there are lots of things happening , and more important things happening before we enter this possible stage , whatever the scenario . ' meanwhile , webber claimed he would take a lot of positive memories from the 2010 season , even if he does miss out on the world championship . i know that i 've been very fortunate even to have a chance to get to this point , ' the 34-year-old said . it 's been a very long season for all of us , and as the season 's gone on we 've achieved so many amazing things , and obviously , personally , for me , to have some very special weekends . ' hamilton must come home first and hope alonso is outside the top-10 to stand any chance of repeating his 2008 success . i have nothing to lose , ' the 25-year-old british driver said . the guys in front of me have everything to lose , so for me i am going to be flat-out as always . they have got generally faster cars than me but that does n't mean that we can not fight for a win . obviously i have to win this race . that 's what we plan to do . ' | lewis hamilton is also still in with an outside chance of taking the world crown |
vettel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fernando alonso insists he is not thinking about the prospect of his red bull rivals mark webber and sebastian vettel combining to deprive him of a third formula one world title this weekend . the season comes to a climax at sunday 's abu dhabi grand prix with four drivers battling to take home motorsport 's biggest prize . ferrari 's alonso holds an eight-point lead over second-placed webber , with vettel in third 15 points off the top . mclaren driver lewis hamilton has an outside chance of claiming his second crown , being 24 points behind alonso with only 25 on offer to the winner . with red bull having already secured the constructors'championship , this has led to speculation that the 23-year-old vettel will be asked to allow his australian teammate to overtake him if the pair are leading the field at the yas marina circuit . latest f1 championship standings but two-time champion alonso -- whose team was fined $ 100,000 in september for telling felipe massa to allow the spaniard to win july 's german grand prix -- says he is focusing on his own race , needing a first or second-place finish to ensure another title . i do n't think i would lose even one second of my energy this weekend thinking of what is going to happen on sunday afternoon , ' the 29-year-old told f1 's official website when asked whether he would understand if vettel assisted webber . our only picture of the race at the moment is winning it or finishing second . that 's the target and i think that 's what we 're going to achieve this weekend . i think there 's not anything we can do other than try to finish second or first in the race , that is mathematically our position to win the championship , so it 's our goal , from friday to sunday , our preparation will be to reach that target . ' vettel would not be drawn on whether he is planning to support his colleague during sunday 's race , but he did admit he was keen to avoid a repeat of this year 's turkish grand prix where he and webber crashed while battling for position . if the situation occurs then i think we know that we 're driving for the team , ' the german said . we have had some occasions this year where we got close and it did n't look too good , so i think the main target is not to repeat that , and the rest we will see . there are lots of things happening , and more important things happening before we enter this possible stage , whatever the scenario . ' meanwhile , webber claimed he would take a lot of positive memories from the 2010 season , even if he does miss out on the world championship . i know that i 've been very fortunate even to have a chance to get to this point , ' the 34-year-old said . it 's been a very long season for all of us , and as the season 's gone on we 've achieved so many amazing things , and obviously , personally , for me , to have some very special weekends . ' hamilton must come home first and hope alonso is outside the top-10 to stand any chance of repeating his 2008 success . i have nothing to lose , ' the 25-year-old british driver said . the guys in front of me have everything to lose , so for me i am going to be flat-out as always . they have got generally faster cars than me but that does n't mean that we can not fight for a win . obviously i have to win this race . that 's what we plan to do . ' | red bull drivers mark webber and sebastian vettel can still win the world championship |
vettel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fernando alonso insists he is not thinking about the prospect of his red bull rivals mark webber and sebastian vettel combining to deprive him of a third formula one world title this weekend . the season comes to a climax at sunday 's abu dhabi grand prix with four drivers battling to take home motorsport 's biggest prize . ferrari 's alonso holds an eight-point lead over second-placed webber , with vettel in third 15 points off the top . mclaren driver lewis hamilton has an outside chance of claiming his second crown , being 24 points behind alonso with only 25 on offer to the winner . with red bull having already secured the constructors'championship , this has led to speculation that the 23-year-old vettel will be asked to allow his australian teammate to overtake him if the pair are leading the field at the yas marina circuit . latest f1 championship standings but two-time champion alonso -- whose team was fined $ 100,000 in september for telling felipe massa to allow the spaniard to win july 's german grand prix -- says he is focusing on his own race , needing a first or second-place finish to ensure another title . i do n't think i would lose even one second of my energy this weekend thinking of what is going to happen on sunday afternoon , ' the 29-year-old told f1 's official website when asked whether he would understand if vettel assisted webber . our only picture of the race at the moment is winning it or finishing second . that 's the target and i think that 's what we 're going to achieve this weekend . i think there 's not anything we can do other than try to finish second or first in the race , that is mathematically our position to win the championship , so it 's our goal , from friday to sunday , our preparation will be to reach that target . ' vettel would not be drawn on whether he is planning to support his colleague during sunday 's race , but he did admit he was keen to avoid a repeat of this year 's turkish grand prix where he and webber crashed while battling for position . if the situation occurs then i think we know that we 're driving for the team , ' the german said . we have had some occasions this year where we got close and it did n't look too good , so i think the main target is not to repeat that , and the rest we will see . there are lots of things happening , and more important things happening before we enter this possible stage , whatever the scenario . ' meanwhile , webber claimed he would take a lot of positive memories from the 2010 season , even if he does miss out on the world championship . i know that i 've been very fortunate even to have a chance to get to this point , ' the 34-year-old said . it 's been a very long season for all of us , and as the season 's gone on we 've achieved so many amazing things , and obviously , personally , for me , to have some very special weekends . ' hamilton must come home first and hope alonso is outside the top-10 to stand any chance of repeating his 2008 success . i have nothing to lose , ' the 25-year-old british driver said . the guys in front of me have everything to lose , so for me i am going to be flat-out as always . they have got generally faster cars than me but that does n't mean that we can not fight for a win . obviously i have to win this race . that 's what we plan to do . ' | vettel would not comment on whether he would help second-placed webber in abu dhabi |
schip <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- house democrats on thursday failed to override president bush 's veto of a children 's health insurance bill that opponents said was too expensive . musician paul simon , left , joins house speaker nancy pelosi to oppose bush 's veto of the schip bill . by a vote of 273 to 156 , the measure fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override . forty-four republicans voted for the override . now is the time for congress to stop playing politics and to join the president in finding common ground , ' said a white house statement after the vote . bush was pleased , ' the statement said , that the misguided legislation ' was defeated . democrats , sensing earlier that they did n't have the votes , vowed to continue the fight , despite a defeat . the issue has ignited an intense two-week struggle on capitol hill after bush vetoed the proposed five-year expansion and $ 35 billion spending increase . bush proposes increasing the program by $ 5 billion . before the vote , house speaker nancy pelosi spoke of a middle-class family caring for a child with a birth defect , asking lawmakers : so when the president wants to have 4 or $ 5 billion for children in this initiative , is he the one , the decider , who wants to go to that family and say ,'your child is out'? ' we 're lobbying for all of the children , ' said the california democrat . watch democrats pull out all the stops » minority leader rep. john boehner explained his and other opponents'stance on the bill . what we 've been working towards is trying to find a way to say that we ought to insure poor children first , ' said the ohio republican . let 's not let this become another washington program that starts with one principle of mind and then becomes something for everyone . ' it was the fourth veto of bush 's term . see veto record » on its first go-round , the house passed it with 45 republican votes -- about two dozen votes short of the two-thirds majority . earlier , pelosi said bush is alone , ' in his stance on the bill , and he 's dragging some of his house members with him down this path . ' bush said wednesday that the congressional plan would encourage people to move from private medicine to the public . ' another member of the democratic house leadership , rahm emanuel of illinois , vowed thursday that they would not let up . there will be no compromise on 10 million children 's health care , ' emanuel told cnn . we wo n't go above it , but we ai n't going below it . the american people support this issue because kids do not need to suffer for what is basically a broken health care system , and this provides those children with that health care , ' emanuel said . the schip program covers about 6 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for medicaid , the federally funded program providing health care for the poor , but ca n't afford private health insurance . the bill the house and senate passed in september would extend eligibility for the program to about 4 million more , paying for the expansion with a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tax on cigarettes . a cnn/opinion research corp. poll released wednesday found strong support for democrats'efforts to override the veto . the poll found 61 percent of americans believe congress should overrule bush , while 35 percent believe the veto should be sustained . pollsters interviewed 1,212 people from friday through sunday . the survey has a sampling error of 3 percentage points . bush stood firm during a wednesday news conference . i made clear that , if putting poor children first requires more than the 20 percent increase in funding i proposed , we 'll work with congress to find the money we need , ' said the president . i 'm confident we can work out our differences and reauthorize schip . ' bush complained that administration officials were n't dialed in ' to the plans , and i do n't know why . but they just ran the bill , and i made it clear we were n't going to accept it . ' the bill passed the senate with the support of prominent republicans such as sens . orrin hatch of utah and charles grassley of iowa . house republican leaders have complained that democrats postponed the override attempt for two weeks to use the issue for political advantage . a coalition of labor and advocacy groups had been pounding republicans with a nearly $ 1 million television ad campaign on cable networks featuring children who have received benefits from the program . the house democratic campaign committee has paid for radio ads and automated calls to voters in gop-held districts it considers competitive in 2008 . democrats say they would need to peel off about 14 republicans in the house to be able to enact the bill over bush 's veto . republican staffers tell cnn that rep. bobby jindal , who is running for governor of louisiana , is expected to join democrats in supporting the override . jindal did not vote on the original bill . meanwhile , of the eight democrats who voted against the bill in september , only one has said he will reverse his vote and support an override . rep. mike mcintyre , who described his north carolina district as tobacco road , ' told cnn on monday that the debate is no longer about the tobacco tax , but really about whether we 're going to help our children . ' democratic rep. diane watson of california , who declined to vote on the original bill , has agreed to vote for the override , house democratic whip rep. jim clyburn said . niki tsongas , the widow of former sen. paul tsongas who won a special election tuesday to replace massachusetts democrat rep. marty meehan , will be sworn in thursday morning in time for the vote . e-mail to a friend cnn 's deirdre walsh and jessica yellin contributed to this report . | schip targets kids in gap between medicaid , private insurance |
schip <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- house democrats on thursday failed to override president bush 's veto of a children 's health insurance bill that opponents said was too expensive . musician paul simon , left , joins house speaker nancy pelosi to oppose bush 's veto of the schip bill . by a vote of 273 to 156 , the measure fell 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override . forty-four republicans voted for the override . now is the time for congress to stop playing politics and to join the president in finding common ground , ' said a white house statement after the vote . bush was pleased , ' the statement said , that the misguided legislation ' was defeated . democrats , sensing earlier that they did n't have the votes , vowed to continue the fight , despite a defeat . the issue has ignited an intense two-week struggle on capitol hill after bush vetoed the proposed five-year expansion and $ 35 billion spending increase . bush proposes increasing the program by $ 5 billion . before the vote , house speaker nancy pelosi spoke of a middle-class family caring for a child with a birth defect , asking lawmakers : so when the president wants to have 4 or $ 5 billion for children in this initiative , is he the one , the decider , who wants to go to that family and say ,'your child is out'? ' we 're lobbying for all of the children , ' said the california democrat . watch democrats pull out all the stops » minority leader rep. john boehner explained his and other opponents'stance on the bill . what we 've been working towards is trying to find a way to say that we ought to insure poor children first , ' said the ohio republican . let 's not let this become another washington program that starts with one principle of mind and then becomes something for everyone . ' it was the fourth veto of bush 's term . see veto record » on its first go-round , the house passed it with 45 republican votes -- about two dozen votes short of the two-thirds majority . earlier , pelosi said bush is alone , ' in his stance on the bill , and he 's dragging some of his house members with him down this path . ' bush said wednesday that the congressional plan would encourage people to move from private medicine to the public . ' another member of the democratic house leadership , rahm emanuel of illinois , vowed thursday that they would not let up . there will be no compromise on 10 million children 's health care , ' emanuel told cnn . we wo n't go above it , but we ai n't going below it . the american people support this issue because kids do not need to suffer for what is basically a broken health care system , and this provides those children with that health care , ' emanuel said . the schip program covers about 6 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for medicaid , the federally funded program providing health care for the poor , but ca n't afford private health insurance . the bill the house and senate passed in september would extend eligibility for the program to about 4 million more , paying for the expansion with a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tax on cigarettes . a cnn/opinion research corp. poll released wednesday found strong support for democrats'efforts to override the veto . the poll found 61 percent of americans believe congress should overrule bush , while 35 percent believe the veto should be sustained . pollsters interviewed 1,212 people from friday through sunday . the survey has a sampling error of 3 percentage points . bush stood firm during a wednesday news conference . i made clear that , if putting poor children first requires more than the 20 percent increase in funding i proposed , we 'll work with congress to find the money we need , ' said the president . i 'm confident we can work out our differences and reauthorize schip . ' bush complained that administration officials were n't dialed in ' to the plans , and i do n't know why . but they just ran the bill , and i made it clear we were n't going to accept it . ' the bill passed the senate with the support of prominent republicans such as sens . orrin hatch of utah and charles grassley of iowa . house republican leaders have complained that democrats postponed the override attempt for two weeks to use the issue for political advantage . a coalition of labor and advocacy groups had been pounding republicans with a nearly $ 1 million television ad campaign on cable networks featuring children who have received benefits from the program . the house democratic campaign committee has paid for radio ads and automated calls to voters in gop-held districts it considers competitive in 2008 . democrats say they would need to peel off about 14 republicans in the house to be able to enact the bill over bush 's veto . republican staffers tell cnn that rep. bobby jindal , who is running for governor of louisiana , is expected to join democrats in supporting the override . jindal did not vote on the original bill . meanwhile , of the eight democrats who voted against the bill in september , only one has said he will reverse his vote and support an override . rep. mike mcintyre , who described his north carolina district as tobacco road , ' told cnn on monday that the debate is no longer about the tobacco tax , but really about whether we 're going to help our children . ' democratic rep. diane watson of california , who declined to vote on the original bill , has agreed to vote for the override , house democratic whip rep. jim clyburn said . niki tsongas , the widow of former sen. paul tsongas who won a special election tuesday to replace massachusetts democrat rep. marty meehan , will be sworn in thursday morning in time for the vote . e-mail to a friend cnn 's deirdre walsh and jessica yellin contributed to this report . | supporters wanted $ 30 billion more than bush for five years of schip |
vancouver <tsp> ( cnn ) -- neda agha-soltan : the night before she was killed on the streets of tehran , the woman the world would come to know simply as neda had a dream . there was a war going on , ' she told her mother , hajar rostami , the next morning , and i was in the front . ' neda 's mother had joined her in the street protests that erupted after iran 's disputed june 12 presidential election . but on that fateful morning , she told her daughter she could n't go with her . as neda prepared to leave , the mother told cnn last november , she was filled with anxiety . i told her to be very careful , and she said she would . ' on june 20 , neda , 26 , headed to tehran 's nilofar square , where thousands of protesters gathered . tear gas was lobbed at the crowd . her eyes burning , neda headed to a medical clinic to get them washed . neda later walked toward her car , parked on a side street not far from the heated protests . a single bullet struck her chest , and neda was dead . on monday , long island university announced it was awarding a 2009 george polk award , one of journalism 's highest honors , to the unknown videographer who captured neda 's final moments -- her collapse on the street and her death . the new york times reports that this is the first time in the 61-year history of the prestigious awards that judges have given the honor to work done anonymously . this video footage was seen by millions and became an iconic image of the iranian resistance , ' john darnton , curator of the polk awards , told the newspaper . we do n't know who took it or who uploaded it , but we do know it has news value . this award celebrates the fact that , in today 's world , a brave bystander with a cellphone camera can use video-sharing and social networking sites to deliver news . ' the new york times : polk award winners include anonymous video uploader george polk awards in journalism : 2009 winners cnn : neda was'like an angel ,'mother says william ward warren : when president kennedy and first lady jacqueline kennedy arrived at dallas love field on november 22 , 1963 , there were as many as 100 photographers there , mostly shooting black and white film . on monday , the sixth floor museum at dealey plaza in dallas released never-before-seen , 8 mm amateur color film taken by warren . according to a release by museum curator gary mack , warren was 15 at the time of the assassination , and because students were given the day off for the president 's visit , he took his camera to love field to watch the arrival of air force one . my dad operated a furniture store adjacent to the airport , and so that morning on his way to work , he dropped me off at the airport to see [ president kennedy ] come in , ' warren said , according to the museum release . it was cool and yet the sun was shining bright , and there was lots of excitement . ' kennedy was killed less than an hour after warren captured the start of his visit to texas . the owner of a freight brokerage business , warren , now 61 , lives in north texas with his wife and children . cnn : watch the footage from the sixth floor museum cnn : film released of jfk arrival in dallas sixth floor museum at dealey plaza dafna michaelson : the former director of volunteer services at a denver , colorado , hospital -- and a single mother of two children -- left her job and spent all 52 weeks of 2009 traveling to all 50 states and washington . she funded her 50 in 52 journey ' by draining her 401k -- the entire $ 31,000 -- and then asking others for donations . her goal was to collect the stories of ordinary americans who were making a difference in their local communities and to share those stories on her web site . she ultimately interviewed more than 500 people , blogged regularly and posted 370 videos . in january , she launched the journey institute , telling cnn on monday , one main thing i heard while traveling was , if they did n't have someone to push them or mentor them or train them , they would n't have been able to put their idea into action . ' so after her journey , michaelson decided to help people get their ideas off the couch and put them into action . her plan is to bring people from every state facing similar challenges to denver and give them training on how to solve those problems . michaelson said , no matter where i went , i met people who were the same as the pioneers who built this country . they not only had to build their barns and plant their fields , they had to help their neighbors do the same . the people i met had the same values as those pioneers . ' 50 in 52 journey web site the denver post : woman travels nation , documents people making life better kim jong il : tuesday is the dear leader 's ' birthday , but where , do you ask , was he born in 1942 ? his official biography declares it was at the foothills of mount baekdu , north korea 's sacred mountain , amid bright lights and double rainbows . but historians are pretty sure he was born at a guerrilla base under soviet protection in the soviet union . the discrepancy should not surprise . when time magazine 's frances romero wrote about the supreme leader of the democratic people 's republic of korea , the profile began , an easy way of summing up kim 's life in one sentence would be to throw in the words reportedly , allegedly and the occasional is said to . ' his father , kim il sung , founded north korea , and his son ran the country more or less for 20 years as his father aged , taking power officially in 1997 , a few years after his father 's death . here 's a guy who is very concerned about his physical stature , among other things , ' said dr. jerrold post , a former cia psychologist who heads the political psychology program at george washington university . he 's 5-foot-2 and wears 4-inch lifts in his shoes . ' post , in his book leaders and their followers in a dangerous world , ' writes that kim also loved to drink a certain hennessy cognac that sold for $ 630 a bottle in korea . hennessy , the maker of paradis cognac , confirmed that kim was the biggest buyer of the cognac , and between 1988 and 1998 , maintained an estimated annual account of $ 650,000 to $ 800,000 . post wrote the ruler annually spent 770 times the income of the average north korean citizen ( $ 1,038 ) on cognac alone ! ' post told cnn that kim jong il once kidnapped the most prominent south korean movie star and kept her under house arrest with her husband for eight years . and he has a collection of some 20,000 videotapes , including the complete james bond movie collection . in august 2008 , kim had a stroke and was out of view for some time , and now seems to have recovered . post said he believes that some of his toughness on north korean nuclear policy now may be the indication of a power struggle at the end of his rule . cnn : north korea marks kim jong il 's birthday cnn : mystery has surrounded kim jong il time : two-minute bio : kim jong il bode miller : nbc winter games anchor bob costas said this weekend that the word redemption ' may be the most overused cliché in all of olympics coverage , but it pretty much describes bode miller 's downhill race monday . sports illustrated and the u.s . ski team web site report that miller , winner of 32 world cup races , won two silver medals in salt lake city , utah , but none during any of his five races at the turin olympics in in italy in 2006 . then in may 2007 , miller announced he was leaving the u.s . ski team to race independently , only to rejoin the team in 2009 . monday in vancouver , british columbia , miller won a bronze medal in the men 's olympic downhill , finishing behind aksel lund svindal of norway , who took silver , and gold medal winner didier defago of switzerland . miller missed the gold by nine one-hundredths of a second , but he now holds the u.s. record for most medals in alpine skiing . according to his official biography , miller was born in new hampshire in 1977 , was home-schooled until fourth grade and started skiing at 3 . u.s . ski team : bode miller bio si : bode miller career highlights cnn : winter olympics coverage what makes a person intriguing ? there are people who enter the news cycle every day because their actions or decisions are new , important or different . others are in the news because they are the ones those decisions affect . and there are a number of people who are so famous or controversial that anything they say or do becomes news . some of these people do what we expect of them : they run for office , pass legislation , start a business , get hired or fired , commit a crime , make an arrest , get in accidents , hit a home run , overthrow a government , fight wars , sue an opponent , put out fires , prepare for hurricanes and cavort with people other than their spouses . they do make news , but the action is usually more important than who is involved in the story . but every day , there are a number of people who become fascinating to us -- by virtue of their character , how they reached their decision , how they behaved under pressure or because of the remarkable circumstances surrounding the event they are involved in . they arouse our curiosity . we hear about them and want to know more . what they have done or said stimulates conversations across the country . at times , there is even a mystery about them . what they have done may be unique , heroic , cowardly or ghastly , but they capture our imaginations . we want to know what makes them tick , why they believe what they do , and why they did what they did . they intrigue us . | u.s. skier earns bronze in vancouver after failing to reach podium in 2006 |
cosby <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it might be summer , but bill cosby has sweaters on his mind . the comedian , best known for playing dr. cliff huxtable in nbc 's groundbreaking hit , the cosby show , ' is asking fans to vote for their favorite eclectic sweater among those he wore . as of wednesday , an argyle sweater with track runners across the front leads the poll on billcosby.com . sweaters compete in categories including the crew , the sweat , ' and the fleecy , ' each one vying to be the champion stitch . ' voting begins again on july 12 . after voting , fans will automatically be entered into a drawing to receive an autographed book by the 75-year-old comedian . cosby sweaters have become a cultural phenomenon since cosby first began wearing them in the 1980s . social media sites , ugly sweater parties , fashion designers and even pop indie artists have celebrated iconic cosby-sweater look . several fans said on twitter of the tournament , easily the best thing i 've seen online today . ' cosby sweaters have been the source of controversy , too . in march , kiley kmiec , co-founder of the website cosbysweaters.com , received a cease and desist from cosby 's legal representatives , who alleged the site was a violation of his intellectual property , gawker reported . the site did n't have anything to do with cosby 's sweaters , it was just a funny name , said kmiec , who complied and changed the name of the website to nextimpulsesports.com . representatives for cosby did not respond to requests for comment . dutch designer koos van den akker , forever linked by his 1980s designs to the cosby sweater phenomenon , told fashionista.com that he created the sweaters by simply throwing fabrics together . it is all pieces of fabric put together , collaged , totally free-form on a shape that is basically a huge t-shirt , and it was always different , ' he said . but he liked it , and it gave him a certain style . ' if you ca n't get enough of the argyles , cashmere and cardigans , a separate tumblr , the cosby sweater project , features illustrations that break down all of cosby 's wacky designs . creator kelly tucker was drawn to the brightly colored patterns of the sweaters featured on the show . tucker is also ahead of the game in the voting polls . i have been voting since the beginning , though , it 's been really hard for me to choose just one . ' | comedian bill cosby asks fans to vote for their favorite cosby sweaters on his website |
the champion stitch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it might be summer , but bill cosby has sweaters on his mind . the comedian , best known for playing dr. cliff huxtable in nbc 's groundbreaking hit , the cosby show , ' is asking fans to vote for their favorite eclectic sweater among those he wore . as of wednesday , an argyle sweater with track runners across the front leads the poll on billcosby.com . sweaters compete in categories including the crew , the sweat , ' and the fleecy , ' each one vying to be the champion stitch . ' voting begins again on july 12 . after voting , fans will automatically be entered into a drawing to receive an autographed book by the 75-year-old comedian . cosby sweaters have become a cultural phenomenon since cosby first began wearing them in the 1980s . social media sites , ugly sweater parties , fashion designers and even pop indie artists have celebrated iconic cosby-sweater look . several fans said on twitter of the tournament , easily the best thing i 've seen online today . ' cosby sweaters have been the source of controversy , too . in march , kiley kmiec , co-founder of the website cosbysweaters.com , received a cease and desist from cosby 's legal representatives , who alleged the site was a violation of his intellectual property , gawker reported . the site did n't have anything to do with cosby 's sweaters , it was just a funny name , said kmiec , who complied and changed the name of the website to nextimpulsesports.com . representatives for cosby did not respond to requests for comment . dutch designer koos van den akker , forever linked by his 1980s designs to the cosby sweater phenomenon , told fashionista.com that he created the sweaters by simply throwing fabrics together . it is all pieces of fabric put together , collaged , totally free-form on a shape that is basically a huge t-shirt , and it was always different , ' he said . but he liked it , and it gave him a certain style . ' if you ca n't get enough of the argyles , cashmere and cardigans , a separate tumblr , the cosby sweater project , features illustrations that break down all of cosby 's wacky designs . creator kelly tucker was drawn to the brightly colored patterns of the sweaters featured on the show . tucker is also ahead of the game in the voting polls . i have been voting since the beginning , though , it 's been really hard for me to choose just one . ' | sweaters vying to be the champion stitch ' |
jordan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the midst of uncertainty , mizune , 14 , one of thousands of refugees who fled syria since the civil war began , is sure of one thing : we can help and improve our nation with education . ' these are not just words ; she turns them into action . despite her young age , she is determined to make it known in the camp that a brighter future begins in the classroom . mizune , whose father asked not to use her last name , arrived in za'atari , jordan , along with her family when the massive refugee influx began . she has spent her time promoting education in the camp , where half of the population is made up of children . much of her time in za'atari has been spent going from tent to tent , from mosque to mosque , talking to children and parents about why getting back in the classroom is important . it 's very important to me and important to society that i raise awareness . i want to emphasize the importance of education , ' she said . for her effort , she has been called the malala of za'atari , ' in reference to pakistani education activist malala yousafzai . on october 9 , 2012 , a gunman shot malala when she was going home from school . she survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education . in fact , malala and mizune are friends , having spent many hours together in the za'atari camp when malala visted there in february .. mizune shares the same passion for education . we would go to tents and talk to people about their most pressing problems that prevent them from going to school . we would try to find solutions and talk about the rights of children to education , ' she said . mizune 's work started when unicef began building schools in za'atari . mizune saw this and decided to help . children are the most important people in society , ' she said . parents influence their kids , so the most important thing was educating the parents . people listened , and some had different points of view , but we were able to convince a big number to come to school . ' at this point , about 70 % of the children in the camp attend school . according to michele servadei from unicef , the children 's parents have been the biggest challenge when it comes to education . in many cases , parents think that they 're going to go back ( to syria ) soon , ' he said , and it 's not worth sending the children to be educated . ' the ongoing syrian civil war , which started its third year in march , began when protests against president bashar al-assad 's regime erupted in daraa . demonstrations and unrest spread to nearly every city in syria . the government responded with military action . thousands have died , and millions have fled the country . as of february , there are an estimated 2.6 million syrian refugees are spread across iraq , jordan , lebanon , turkey and egypt . back in za'atari , challenges are infinite , ranging from water supply and mobile home distribution to keeping warm during the winter . za'atari has become the second largest refugee camp in the world . if it were a city , it would the fifth-largest in jordan . as many as 150,000 people live in the camp . however , that number changes every day as hundreds come or go . days go by , and an end to the syrian crisis does not seem near , but mizune , who dreams of someday becoming a journalist , is already thinking of better days for her country 's future . a kid will face many challenges in their lives , ' she said , and it 's important to take advantage of education despite the circumstances , because life will go on . ' | if za'atari were a city , it would be the fifth largest in jordan |
ebola <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama said wednesday his administration will respond to new ebola cases in a much more aggressive way , ' taking charge of the issue after a second texas health care worker was diagnosed with the disease . obama scrapped plans to attend democratic fund-raisers in new jersey and connecticut on wednesday afternoon so that he could huddle with cabinet members and officials who are leading the administration 's ebola response . the meeting came amid questions about how two health care workers could have contracted ebola in a country said to have strict protocols in place -- and with one of those ebola victims having flown on a commercial jet monday . afterward , the president sought to tamp down fears of of an outbreak of the disease within the united states -- saying that he shook hands with , hugged and kissed nurses who 'd treated an american doctor who contracted ebola in africa , and felt safe . obama acknowledged that even foolproof plans do n't work when local health care providers do n't know how to carry them out -- and said his administration will make sure certain local hospitals that may not have that experience are walked through that process as carefully as possible . ' the centers for disease control and prevention will have swat teams ' ready to send to hospitals where future cases are discovered , he said . obama has spoken with the heads of japan , germany , italy , france and england to prod them to pump more resources into combating the ebola outbreak in liberia , sierra leone and guinea . doing so , he said , is an investment in our own public health . it 's not simply charity . ' the heightened attention came as republicans pummeled the president . rep. tom marino of pennsylvania said the situation is beginning to spiral out of control , ' and said cdc director dr. tom frieden should resign . the reports my colleagues and i have received are utterly unacceptable and the information provided to the public has been cryptic and in some cases misleading , ' marino said . this has provided a false sense of security to many of our citizens . ' sen. john thune of south dakota and house transportation and infrastructure committee chairman bill shuster of pennsylvania said the united states should ban people who live in or have visited west africa from entering the country . house speaker john boehner said the united states should consider a travel ban along with any other appropriate actions as doubts about the security of our air travel systems grow . ' the administration must be able to assure americans that we will stop the spread here at home , ' boehner , an ohio republican , said in a statement . we will continue to press the administration for better information about what steps will be taken to protect the american people , including our troops , from this deadly virus , ' he said . and we will work with the administration on appropriate policy options that will help stop the spread of this horrific disease both here in the united states and around the globe . ' state-level officials who 'd insisted they had the situation under control changed their plans , as well . texas gov . rick perry -- lambasted by democrats in his state for leaving on a trade mission to europe this week -- decided to scrap the last three days of his trip and return to his state thursday to lead the state 's ebola response in person . perry said wednesday that he speaks daily with dr. brett giroir , who heads an infectious disease task force that perry formed earlier this month , and dr. david lakey , commissioner of the texas department of state health services . those two are helming the state 's efforts . this is the first time that our nation has had to deal with a threat such as this . everyone working on this challenge -- from the medical professionals at the bedside to the public health officials addressing containment of the infection -- is working to end the threat posed by this disease , ' perry said in a statement . these individuals are keeping the health and safety of texans and the needs of the patients as their most critical tasks , ' he said . every relevant agency at the local , state and national levels is working to support these individuals . ' | he seeks to reassure americans that an ebola outbreak in the united states is unlikely |
mayer <tsp> ( mashable ) -- how is new ceo marissa mayer going to revitalize yahoo ? by making it more like google , the company she just left . according to allthingsd 's kara swisher , mayer has instituted a few changes already at yahoo 's sunnyvale , ca , headquarters . among them : establishing a weekly all-hands meeting on friday afternoons , and making all the food in its urls cafe , which previously priced egg white muffin sandwiches at $ 3.65 and teriyaki chicken paninis at $ 5.31 , free . of course , it 's easy to say that all of this has been borrowed directly from google , but these kinds of offerings have become standard at many silicon valley offices †” the fact that yahoo has , until now , lacked them has likely been a sore point for some of its engineers . both facebook and twitter , for instance , serve up free snacks and daily catered meals to employees . they 're small changes , yes , but they 're likely to improve the morale of a company whose public image and internal image has deteriorated over the last seven years . in addition to the new meeting and food policy , swisher reports that mayer is also planning major changes ' to workspaces to make [ them ] more collaborative and cool , ' and improving the swag offered in its stores . she 's also pushing to improve yahoo 's core products , including e-mail , flickr and search . several of swisher 's sources said that big splash tech or product deals ... perhaps via an acquisition ' may be announced in the days ahead . ' yahoo could not be reached for comment . © 2011 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | mayer has made major changes to workspaces |
mayer <tsp> ( mashable ) -- how is new ceo marissa mayer going to revitalize yahoo ? by making it more like google , the company she just left . according to allthingsd 's kara swisher , mayer has instituted a few changes already at yahoo 's sunnyvale , ca , headquarters . among them : establishing a weekly all-hands meeting on friday afternoons , and making all the food in its urls cafe , which previously priced egg white muffin sandwiches at $ 3.65 and teriyaki chicken paninis at $ 5.31 , free . of course , it 's easy to say that all of this has been borrowed directly from google , but these kinds of offerings have become standard at many silicon valley offices †” the fact that yahoo has , until now , lacked them has likely been a sore point for some of its engineers . both facebook and twitter , for instance , serve up free snacks and daily catered meals to employees . they 're small changes , yes , but they 're likely to improve the morale of a company whose public image and internal image has deteriorated over the last seven years . in addition to the new meeting and food policy , swisher reports that mayer is also planning major changes ' to workspaces to make [ them ] more collaborative and cool , ' and improving the swag offered in its stores . she 's also pushing to improve yahoo 's core products , including e-mail , flickr and search . several of swisher 's sources said that big splash tech or product deals ... perhaps via an acquisition ' may be announced in the days ahead . ' yahoo could not be reached for comment . © 2011 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | new yahoo ceo marissa mayer has started weekly all-hands meetings on fridays |
darren clarke <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was wet , cold and windy , and he had n't been in contention to win golf 's oldest tournament for 10 years , but darren clarke finally made the breakthrough at the british open on sunday . two decades after he first entered the season 's third major event , the 42-year-old made history as he triumphed by three shots from americans phil mickelson and dustin johnson in its 140th staging at royal st. george 's in england . clarke , whose previous best finish was runner-up in 1997 , lifted the coveted claret jug at his 21st attempt -- breaking the record of the tournament 's previous longest wait , the 15-try streak that zimbabwean nick price snapped in 1994 . he is the oldest british open winner since roberto de vicenzo 's 1967 victory aged 44 , and the oldest of any major champion since 43-year-old ben crenshaw won the 1995 masters . ugly and unforgiving : why britain offers golf 's toughest test ' it 's been a long and bumpy road , i have had some good things happen to me and some bad things , but i 've had so much support from an awful lot of people , ' clarke said at the prize-giving ceremony . i 'd like to thank my parents and my fiancee alison , and there 's someone up there watching as well . to everybody , thank you very much . ' clarke became the third player from northern ireland to win a major title in the past 13 months , following rory mcilroy 's u.s. open triumph last month and graeme mcdowell 's success at the same tournament last year . he is the first from his country to win the british open since fred daly in 1947 . see highlights of the 2011 british open on golf.com clarke 's agent chubby chandler now has three current major champions in his stable , with south african charl schwartzel winning the masters in april before mcilroy 's eight-shot triumph at congressional . clarke has twice won world golf championship events , in 2003 and 2003 , while he has finished second on the european tour 's money list three times . he famously helped europe win the ryder cup against the u.s. in 2006 -- his fifth appearance in the prestigious teams event -- a month after his wife heather died from cancer . clarke dedicated his victory to his sons tyrone and conor , who were back in northern ireland where the family has returned after years living in london . it 's for the kids . they played royal portrush ( golf course ) this morning and were watching on tv , ' he said . clarke , who last finished in the top-10 when he placed third at royal lytham & st. anne 's in 2001 , could afford to bogey the final two holes as he carded a level-par 70 . it was his worst score in four rounds at the links course , which has been buffeted by the weather this week , as he took home the $ 1.45 million first prize to the cheers of the crowd in sandwich . having started the final day one shot ahead of 27-year-old johnson , clarke faced a strong challenge from fellow 40-something mickelson . the left-hander , seeking to add the british open to his three masters and one u.s. pga championship crown , carded three birdies and an eagle to grab a share of the lead . but clarke restored his advantage as he also picked up two shots at the par-five seventh and then rattled off nine successive pars despite the difficult conditions , while his main rivals faltered . mickelson 's challenge fell apart at the 11th hole , where he missed a routine short par putt . more bogeys followed at 13 , 15 and 16 as he finished with a 68 to be two-under 278 for the tournament . johnson , seeking his first major title , drove out of bounds at the 14th and his double-bogey there handed clarke a four-shot buffer . he also dropped a shot at 18 to fall back level with mickelson . first-round leader thomas bjorn , whose father died in may , finished fourth on 279 after the 40-year-old dane closed with 71 . he was followed by three americans -- rickie fowler ( 72 ) , anthony kim ( 70 ) and chad campbell ( 69 ) -- who were tied for fifth on 280 . france 's raphael jacquelin was eighth on 281 , while spain 's sergio garcia , englishman simon dyson and u.s. ryder cup captain davis love tied for ninth on 282 . five-time champion tom watson tied for 22nd after a closing with 72 , while mcilroy was equal 25th after a 73 . england 's tom lewis was the top amateur , with the 20-year-old tied for 30th as he fell away after sharing the early lead with bjorn following his opening 65 . defending champion louis oosthuizen of south africa was tied for 54th on 293 after ending with a 77 . | northern ireland 's darren clarke wins golf 's british open for the first time in 21 attempts |
grand ole opry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as one of country music 's greatest , it 's fitting that george jones'legacy will be honored with a funeral at nashville 's grand ole opry . the iconic venue will host the service for the late country legend at 10 a.m. ct thursday , and it will be open to the public . george would have wanted his fans and friends everywhere to be able to come and pay their respects along with his family , ' publicist kirt webster said . jones , whose vocals gave life to some of country 's most memorable songs , died at 81 on friday in nashville . he had been hospitalized since april 18 with a fever and irregular blood pressure . rip george jones , and thank you for the music fans and friends , both famous and nonfamous , have been honoring jones'memory with tweets and remarks on the impact he had on country music . thanks to george 's friends , fans , and loved ones for the outpouring of love at this terrible time , ' jones'wife , nancy , said in a statement . i love you all . ' george jones : stars react to legend 's death before thursday 's funeral , a private visitation will take place wednesday evening for family , friends and other performers . cnn 's douglas hyde contributed to this report . | the service will take place at nashville 's grand ole opry |
andrea cardosa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a california educator who authorities say is the person accused in a youtube video of sexual abuse by a former student was charged monday with 16 felony counts of child sex abuse , the riverside county district attorney 's office said . andrea michelle cardosa was charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child and 11 counts of lewd acts on a child , the da 's office said . cardosa was arrested monday evening by sheriff 's deputies and is expected to be arraigned thursday . she faces possible life in prison if convicted of the aggravated sexual assault charges . cardosa 's lawyer , randy collins , said in a written statement that in the face of very public claims of abuse , ' it would be his task to see that justice prevails in the midst of the media wildfire . ' he added , fortunately , our justice system requires more than a youtube video to determine the facts of a case . as we proceed , i am certain that evidence will shed new light on all charges filed by the d.a . 's office against my client . ' collins said cardosa was grateful for the outpouring of support from her family , friends , colleagues , and students during this difficult time . ' earlier , he said cardosa 's legal team planned to challenge the filing against the statute of limitations and challenge the bail motion to reduce the amount from $ 5 million . but john hall , a spokesman for the district attorney 's office , said there is no statute of limitations on the most serious charge -- aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14 . two women have come forward in connection with the case . the first woman , now 28 , posted a youtube video in which she accused the educator of abusing her at age 12 . the second alleged victim , now 18 , has filed a complaint accusing the val verde unified school district in perris , california , of negligence . david ring , lawyer for the older woman , said , she is very gratified that the da has brought charges against this perpetrator . she hopes justice is done in the criminal case and that cardosa admits to what she 's done , which she already admitted to in the phone call -- that she ruined her childhood . ' cardosa resigned january 17 from her most recent job as an administrator at alhambra high school in southern california after the first accusation was uploaded on youtube , according to the school district . the video features the alleged victim on camera and what is said to be the teacher 's voice on a phone conversation . in the video , the teacher can be heard acknowledging the abuse claim . the first alleged victim said the abuse took place off and on ' for her between the ages of 12 and 18 . she said she did n't come forward as a teenager because the teacher had brainwashed her . she told me that my family did n't love me . she told me that nobody cared about me and that she was the only one that loved me and the only one that was there for me , ' she said . she made me believe that she was my only friend , and that i could trust her . ' the alleged victim said she did n't want a physical relationship , but she said the teacher threatened her multiple times . she said that she would kill herself if i ever left . and i believed that , ' the alleged victim said . cnn first learned of monday 's charges on twitter . cnn 's stephanie elam and artemis moshtaghian contributed to this story . | andrea cardosa is expected in court on thursday , could face life in prison if convicted |
screen actors guild foundation <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if you 're a big alec baldwin fan , you might consider cashing in your 401 ( k ) to bid on an evening with the actor . baldwin is on the auction block from now until april 24 in a fundraiser for the screen actors guild foundation , a charity that helps actors . the top bidder gets four prime seats to baldwin 's broadway show orphans ' and dinner with the star after the performance . baldwin picks up the dinner tab ! travel expenses and accommodations in new york are not included . i proudly support the mission of the screen actors guild foundation and i 'm grateful to be able to give back to my fellow performers , ' said baldwin , a sag foundation ambassador . i 'm also looking forward to having a great evening and lively dinner conversation with my four guests . ' bidding through charitybuzz.com , which ends april 24 , on monday evening was at $ 4,500 for the package valued at $ 25,000 . the sag foundation provides vital assistance and educational programming to the professionals of sag-aftra while serving the public at large through its signature children 's literacy programs , ' its website said . | it benefits the screen actors guild foundation , a charity that helps actors . |
colina <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities identified and charged a man monday in connection with the discovery of human remains in a duffel bag in cambridge , massachusetts , over the weekend . carlos colina , 32 , was arraigned on charges of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and improper disposal of a body , the middlesex district attorney 's office said in a statement . this was a gruesome discovery , ' said district attorney marian ryan . detectives are continuing to analyze evidence and awaiting information from the office of the chief medical examiner so that we may determine if additional charges are warranted . ' police were notified saturday morning about a suspicious item along a walkway in cambridge . officers arrived at the scene , opened a duffel bag and found human remains . after that discovery , police say , a surveillance video led them to an apartment building , where more body parts were discovered in a common area . that location is near the cambridge police department headquarters . the remains at both locations belonged to the same victim , identified monday as jonathan camilien , 26 . camilien and colina knew each other , according to authorities . the next scheduled hearing in the case is set for april 14 . cnn 's andreas preuss contributed to this report . | carlos colina , 32 , is arraigned on charges of assault and battery , improper disposal of a body |
colina <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities identified and charged a man monday in connection with the discovery of human remains in a duffel bag in cambridge , massachusetts , over the weekend . carlos colina , 32 , was arraigned on charges of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and improper disposal of a body , the middlesex district attorney 's office said in a statement . this was a gruesome discovery , ' said district attorney marian ryan . detectives are continuing to analyze evidence and awaiting information from the office of the chief medical examiner so that we may determine if additional charges are warranted . ' police were notified saturday morning about a suspicious item along a walkway in cambridge . officers arrived at the scene , opened a duffel bag and found human remains . after that discovery , police say , a surveillance video led them to an apartment building , where more body parts were discovered in a common area . that location is near the cambridge police department headquarters . the remains at both locations belonged to the same victim , identified monday as jonathan camilien , 26 . camilien and colina knew each other , according to authorities . the next scheduled hearing in the case is set for april 14 . cnn 's andreas preuss contributed to this report . | the victim in the case is identified as jonathan camilien , 26 ; authorities say he knew colina |
jonathan camilien <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities identified and charged a man monday in connection with the discovery of human remains in a duffel bag in cambridge , massachusetts , over the weekend . carlos colina , 32 , was arraigned on charges of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and improper disposal of a body , the middlesex district attorney 's office said in a statement . this was a gruesome discovery , ' said district attorney marian ryan . detectives are continuing to analyze evidence and awaiting information from the office of the chief medical examiner so that we may determine if additional charges are warranted . ' police were notified saturday morning about a suspicious item along a walkway in cambridge . officers arrived at the scene , opened a duffel bag and found human remains . after that discovery , police say , a surveillance video led them to an apartment building , where more body parts were discovered in a common area . that location is near the cambridge police department headquarters . the remains at both locations belonged to the same victim , identified monday as jonathan camilien , 26 . camilien and colina knew each other , according to authorities . the next scheduled hearing in the case is set for april 14 . cnn 's andreas preuss contributed to this report . | the victim in the case is identified as jonathan camilien , 26 ; authorities say he knew colina |
ted cruz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- just one week ago republicans were united , railing against the man-made evil known as obamacare . they hated it so much , they said , they would tie the funding of the government to the defunding of the dread program . sure , they had tried more than 40 times to get rid of the plan before , but they had never done this : attach the plan to kill it to a must-pass piece of legislation . it was an idea born of necessity , some now tell me . republicans in the house had been hit over the head in their districts by ads run by conservative political action committees ( paging sen. ted cruz , who appeared in some ) . the rap against them : they had not worked hard enough to slay the evil dragon . the charge , having been plastered all over tv , was leveled against them at town hall meetings over the summer . they came back to washington very angry at cruz and company . and in survival mode . so the plan to defund obamacare -- and tie it to a measure to fund the government -- was hatched . never mind that house speaker john boehner was already on the record saying he did n't want to do that . he had no choice but to capitulate : if he did n't adopt the strategy , he would face a revolt . who wants that when you 're just back from summer vacation ? so defunding obamacare became the new war cry . it passed the house , went to the senate , where cruz then promptly told reporters it would die . at that moment , cruz morphed from the pied piper of house republicans into the man on the most wanted sign . he had left them out on a limb . he 's a demagogue , ' one senior house republican told me , then going on to detail how cruz was shooting his own team from behind ' and other choice descriptions . so cruz had no choice but to mount his own faux-filibuster , which went nowhere . the senate passed a clean bill to fund the government , and the rest is history . but a funny thing happened on the way to the national stage : the president decided not to cave , and republicans treated this as if it were shocking that he would not gut his single biggest legislative achievement . but something else happened , too . the health care exchanges -- the heart of obamacare -- came online , and it was a mess . the white house that had been lauded for its technical acumen suddenly looked like a bunch of luddites . the system crashed , bobbed and frustrated . the white house refused to release reliable numbers so the public 's level of participation could be gauged . it landed with one big thud , which would have been a big problem for the administration , except for this : nobody was talking about it , because the country was preoccupied with the shutdown . so republicans had accomplished the seemingly impossible : they trampled their own message on obamacare . they finally had a great hook . but what were they doing instead ? scrambling to find ways to re-fund parts of the government to curb public outrage . great strategy . oh , and by the way , we could wind up paying all of those furloughed workers . sure , this is n't their fault . but look at it this way : a government drowning in red ink is paying people not to work . another great moment . all of which brings us up to date in this dysfunctional story . so obamacare had a crashing start , the government is shut down , and the deadline to raise the debt ceiling is a week away . and the debt ceiling , as you know by now , is the bigger problem : no social security checks , no medicare , high interest rates , and on and on . everyone -- save for some debt ceiling deniers -- believes it ca n't happen . so what to do ? if you look closely here , you will see that something very profound has changed : republicans seem to have pressed the delete key on talk of defunding obamacare . they ca n't get it done . their poll numbers are tanking . they 're panicking . and some cooler heads i have spoken with are privately making the same point : was n't it always unfair to promise people something the republicans knew they could never deliver ( defunding obamacare ) ? so boehner , no fool , carefully turned the page on all of this , moving to the terra firma he always wanted to be on in the first place : deficit reduction . tie a package of spending cuts to raising the debt ceiling , he says . that 's what has always been done . we are being reasonable about this . no , says the president . you 're not being reasonable . you tried to kill my health reform bill , so no negotiation until you fund the government and raise the debt ceiling without anything attached . in the end , they will probably find a short-term way to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling and continue to argue over spending and taxes . but the house gop scheme , abetted by cruz and outside conservatives , will become a case for the civics classes . a study of the newly perverse politics of our time , and how a government was brought to its knees over a fight only a few wanted to wage -- that everyone secretly knew could never be won . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger . | she says they secretly knew it was hopeless but felt forced into it by ted cruz , others |
gene seymour <tsp> editor 's note : gene seymour has written about movies , music and culture for the new york times , newsday , entertainment weekly and the washington post . he lives in brooklyn , new york . gene seymour says we want to relive michael jackson 's youth , not the sad and bizarre aspects of his later life . ( cnn ) -- seconds after the news first hit the airwaves , your own shock merged with everyone else 's in the immediate vicinity . and you could feel it rolling through the rest of the planet like a runaway diesel . as with most things you neither expected nor wanted to hear , you thought that there had to be more to it than what was being said . especially because it was michael jackson , who seemed too dominant , too other-worldly and , more than anything , too complex to be brought down by anything as simple as cardiac arrest . and also because most of what we 'd been hearing about jackson 's personal life over the last decade and a half had been bizarre , sordid and sad . it was to those aspects -- the deepening isolation , the child molestation trials , the financial woes , the wacko jacko ' moments like that 2002 interlude on the balcony with the baby -- that the talking heads on tv devoted tentative attention within minutes of the official announcement . the commentariat presumed it had a responsibility to poke those embers for clues of something beyond the single , dreadful fact of jackson 's death . even if we did n't care for this conversation , we had been conditioned by the most recent events to wonder , deep down , if there was something stranger or more unpleasant attached to his passing . but acceptance came easier -- and sooner -- than any of us expected last night . and when it did , we wanted the talking heads to go away and leave us with our memories ... and nothing but the good ones , thank you very much . we wanted the loop of performances and hit singles . retrieve for us , please , the electricity of the 10-year-old wunderkind who literally leapt into our consciousness in that shattering year of 1968 with i want you back ' and abc . ' let us see that transfiguring moment 15 years later at the motown anniversary tv special when jackson seized dominion over the pop firmament with his shattering , moon-walking recital of billie jean . ' we wanted the videos -- beat it , ' bad , ' thriller , ' black and white ' and all that incredible , unearthly dancing . that was all we needed to see and hear . save the armchair psychoanalysis for later . maybe , much later . no one would have understood or indulged such yearnings as quickly or as intuitively as michael jackson . as surely as he was the king of pop , jackson was also a high priest of wish fulfillment . his performances as both precocious child and child-like adult made growing up or growing old the only unimaginable things in the known world . this peter pan mystique even became part of the jackson brand to the point of naming his combination of retreat and theme park the neverland ranch . the promise of eternal youth was embedded in pop music way before jackson and his four brothers emerged from the grit of gary , indiana , to jump-start motown 's winning streak . but it 's when that promise expands to shatter boundaries and expand possibilities beyond top-40 parameters that pop music becomes pop phenomena . and michael jackson , in the early 1980s , was a pop phenomenon powerful enough to pool together previously polarized audiences -- heavy metal , disco , funk -- and get them all on the same bandwagon . only twice before -- with elvis presley and the beatles -- had the cultural landscape been changed as decisively by a pop star . it has n't happened since -- and may never happen again . certainly , thriller , ' the best-selling lp of all time , wo n't be surpassed because lps have been superseded twice over by discs and downloads . jackson 's off-stage public diffidence gave the impression that his transformations of both self and society were all happening by off-hand magic . but his wispy speaking voice belied a steely resolve to control his image , his artistry and his product . the energy he devoted to keep what he considered negativity ' at bay was meant to nurture his audience 's dreams of release -- and to maintain his primacy in the pop marketplace . even the eccentricities , at the peak of his influence , seemed calculated to promote , if not perpetuate , his product . but time ( by far , jackson 's worst and most formidable enemy ) could n't stop even his most devoted admirers from wondering what drove him to change his appearance so drastically over the years . or why he wanted to both save the world and hide from it with the same ferocious intensity . if he 'd been able to stop the clock at 1985 or even 1987 ( the year of bad ' ) , life would have been so much easier . the magic faded . setbacks and embarrassments were occasionally offset by a tour or show that transported us back to the better , happier times when we were willing to overlook real life for our most elemental dreams of release . we seek those dreams even more urgently now that we know , for certain , that we 'll never again see him on stage -- the one place where he was happiest and most assured . but perhaps the hardest dream to give up -- and the reason so many people in so many countries were almost physically leveled by yesterday 's news -- is of finding common ground and sharing common awe in a song or a dance or a single act of outreaching , transcendent audacity . however divided ( or worse ) we may have felt about michael jackson at the end , we cherish how he brought out the best in us at the beginning . whatever the days ahead , that will be more than enough for now , forever . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gene seymour . | gene seymour : we want to relive the promise of jackson 's eternal youth |
mobile world congress <tsp> ( cnn ) -- these days , almost all new cellphones look alike : they 're sleek black rectangles with glowing color screens . they 're handsome , slender , well-dressed and a little predictable . if they were human , they 'd be infomercial hosts . we often take them for granted . but as anyone over the age of 15 remembers , it was n't always this way . in hindsight , mobile phones used to be downright ugly . as mobile world congress -- the planet 's largest mobile-tech show -- prepares to kick off in barcelona , spain , we thought we 'd offer this gallery to remind us all how far we have come . twenty-five years ago , early adopters like gordon gekko and zack morris were lugging around phones the size of footballs . even a decade or so ago , most phones had dull gray screens , clamshell designs or tiny keypads that made you hit a button over and over to text one letter of the alphabet . so , the next time you complain about your iphone , evo or galaxy s iii , remember : you could still be trying to communicate on one of these balky relics . what was your first cellphone ? does it conjure up any old stories ? do you still have it ? let us know in the comments . | in honor of mobile world congress , here 's a gallery of ugly , outdated cellphones |
paris <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a task force of european union finance ministers was meeting in brussels friday to discuss proposed tougher measures intended to prevent another regional crisis on the scale of greece 's economic meltdown . the meeting comes as germany 's parliament voted in favor of a near-trillion dollar eurozone rescue package after german chancellor angela merkel warned that the future of the common currency was in danger . if the euro fails , then europe too will fail . but if we manage to avert the danger , the euro and europe will emerge stronger than before , ' merkel told lawmakers earlier this week to justify the €750 billion rescue package . both houses of the german parliament approved the package on friday although its passage through the lower house was backed by just 319 out of 622 lawmakers with 195 abstaining and 73 voting against a measure seen by some as a bailout for other countries at germany 's expense . on thursday french president nicolas sarkozy denied reports of a rift between paris and berlin after germany 's unilateral ban imposed earlier this week on the naked short selling of eurozone sovereign debt instruments . q & a : what is'naked short-selling'? following talks with merkel and new british prime minister david cameron in paris , sarkozy said the eurozone 's two biggest economies were doing everything possible to work in harmony . i told angela merkel ... that we can not have disagreements between germany and france about subjects of this importance , ' sarkozy said . we do everything so that we do n't have disagreements together . that 's why we talk together . ' fears over europe 's economic stability have triggered markets selloffs in recent days . new york 's dow jones industrial average ( indu ) fell 376 points on thursday in its biggest one-day point loss since february 10 , 2009 . thursday 's point loss was equivalent to 3.6 % , the biggest one-day percentage loss since march 5 of 2009 . new york markets were mostly flat on friday with the dow marginally down . asian markets followed wall street 's lead earlier friday with tokyo 's nikkei down almost 250 points , or 2.45 percent , at 9,785 . european stocks , already down heavily for the week , sank lower in afternoon trading with london 's ftse 100 falling below 5,000 points , before recovering a little , down 0.6 percent at 5,041 . friday 's meeting in brussels has been called by eu president herman van rompuy with the goal of delivering economic governance ' reform across the 27-state economic and political bloc by october . the recent crises and the risk for the stability of the euro area have underlined the interdependence among eu economies and exposed the vulnerability of member states , in particular inside the euro area , ' the european commission said in a memo on thursday . fiscal discipline , competitiveness gaps and private sector imbalances are also a matter for the eu as a whole . this is why there is a need for economic policy coordination across the eu . ' | nicolas sarkozy denies reports of rift between paris , berlin |
gadhafi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man who dominated libya for more than four decades died not far from his birthplace . moammar gadhafi was born in the central libyan desert south of sirte in spring 1942 . the only surviving son of traditional bedouin parents , his early schooling centered on religious subjects taught by a local tribal teacher . tribal social values , together with the religious principles learned at this time , strongly influenced him for the rest of his life . around age 10 , he enrolled in elementary school in sirte , where he completed six grades in four years . he then enrolled in secondary school in sebha , where , for the first time , he had access to arab newspapers and radio broadcasts , notably the voice of the arabs ' news program from cairo . shortly after he seized power in 1969 , a junior american diplomat serving as an interpreter for the u.s. ambassador in tripoli noted that gadhafi spoke excellent arabic , like a voice of the arabs radio announcer . a political activist from the start , gadhafi was expelled from school in sebha because he was distributing pamphlets and organizing public protests critical of the ruling monarchy . he completed his secondary schooling in misurata , and graduated from the royal military academy in 1965 . convinced that only armed might could force a change in government , he viewed military service not as a career , but as an instrument for socioeconomic and political change . in the course of his time at the academy , he created the free unionist officers movement and selected its 12-member central committee , drawing on contacts made in sebha and misurata . the free unionist officers movement overthrew the monarchy in a bloodless coup d'ã©tat on the night of september 1 , 1969 . thereafter , the ruling revolutionary command council depicted itself as a collegial body , but gadhafi was always first among equals , directing events and dictating policy . the language of gadhafi and the other council members was the language of arab nationalism , guided by the precepts of the koran and sharia , the traditional code of islamic law , and strengthened by the conviction that only the revolutionary command council spoke for the libyan people . over time , the gadhafi regime created a unique form of direct democracy consisting of a nationwide system of congresses and committees designed to give the impression the libyan people were running the government . in fact , gadhafi , the remaining revolutionary command council members , the free unionist officers and revolutionary committees appointed by gadhafi tightly controlled the political system from the start , making all important decisions . the functions and activities of the direct democracy system were regulated by law ; however , the activities of the parallel sector directed by gadhafi and his cohorts was not in any way regulated by legal statutes . gadhafi was a revolutionary , and initially , his regime pursued a complex , aggressive and often violent foreign policy . beginning in the early 1980s , a series of setbacks caused him to rethink failed initiatives , and after 1999 , libya sought to return to the international community . the libyan agreement to pay $ 2.7 billion to the families of the victims of the lockerbie bombing and its renunciation of weapons of mass destruction marked important steps in the reconciliation process . by 2006 , the united states had achieved full commercial and diplomatic relations with libya for the first time in 25 years . by any measure , gadhafi 's legacy is a negative one . politically , he systematically destroyed civil society and banned political parties , leaving the libyan people with no experience in democratic government . socially , his authoritarian regime violated the most basic human rights , including freedom of speech , assembly and the press . economically , he failed to diversify the economy , leaving the country almost totally dependent on income from oil and gas revenues . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author . | author says gadhafi created shadow democracy but held on to all real power |
gadhafi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man who dominated libya for more than four decades died not far from his birthplace . moammar gadhafi was born in the central libyan desert south of sirte in spring 1942 . the only surviving son of traditional bedouin parents , his early schooling centered on religious subjects taught by a local tribal teacher . tribal social values , together with the religious principles learned at this time , strongly influenced him for the rest of his life . around age 10 , he enrolled in elementary school in sirte , where he completed six grades in four years . he then enrolled in secondary school in sebha , where , for the first time , he had access to arab newspapers and radio broadcasts , notably the voice of the arabs ' news program from cairo . shortly after he seized power in 1969 , a junior american diplomat serving as an interpreter for the u.s. ambassador in tripoli noted that gadhafi spoke excellent arabic , like a voice of the arabs radio announcer . a political activist from the start , gadhafi was expelled from school in sebha because he was distributing pamphlets and organizing public protests critical of the ruling monarchy . he completed his secondary schooling in misurata , and graduated from the royal military academy in 1965 . convinced that only armed might could force a change in government , he viewed military service not as a career , but as an instrument for socioeconomic and political change . in the course of his time at the academy , he created the free unionist officers movement and selected its 12-member central committee , drawing on contacts made in sebha and misurata . the free unionist officers movement overthrew the monarchy in a bloodless coup d'ã©tat on the night of september 1 , 1969 . thereafter , the ruling revolutionary command council depicted itself as a collegial body , but gadhafi was always first among equals , directing events and dictating policy . the language of gadhafi and the other council members was the language of arab nationalism , guided by the precepts of the koran and sharia , the traditional code of islamic law , and strengthened by the conviction that only the revolutionary command council spoke for the libyan people . over time , the gadhafi regime created a unique form of direct democracy consisting of a nationwide system of congresses and committees designed to give the impression the libyan people were running the government . in fact , gadhafi , the remaining revolutionary command council members , the free unionist officers and revolutionary committees appointed by gadhafi tightly controlled the political system from the start , making all important decisions . the functions and activities of the direct democracy system were regulated by law ; however , the activities of the parallel sector directed by gadhafi and his cohorts was not in any way regulated by legal statutes . gadhafi was a revolutionary , and initially , his regime pursued a complex , aggressive and often violent foreign policy . beginning in the early 1980s , a series of setbacks caused him to rethink failed initiatives , and after 1999 , libya sought to return to the international community . the libyan agreement to pay $ 2.7 billion to the families of the victims of the lockerbie bombing and its renunciation of weapons of mass destruction marked important steps in the reconciliation process . by 2006 , the united states had achieved full commercial and diplomatic relations with libya for the first time in 25 years . by any measure , gadhafi 's legacy is a negative one . politically , he systematically destroyed civil society and banned political parties , leaving the libyan people with no experience in democratic government . socially , his authoritarian regime violated the most basic human rights , including freedom of speech , assembly and the press . economically , he failed to diversify the economy , leaving the country almost totally dependent on income from oil and gas revenues . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author . | gadhafi , schooled in tribal values , was an activist from an early age |
gadhafi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man who dominated libya for more than four decades died not far from his birthplace . moammar gadhafi was born in the central libyan desert south of sirte in spring 1942 . the only surviving son of traditional bedouin parents , his early schooling centered on religious subjects taught by a local tribal teacher . tribal social values , together with the religious principles learned at this time , strongly influenced him for the rest of his life . around age 10 , he enrolled in elementary school in sirte , where he completed six grades in four years . he then enrolled in secondary school in sebha , where , for the first time , he had access to arab newspapers and radio broadcasts , notably the voice of the arabs ' news program from cairo . shortly after he seized power in 1969 , a junior american diplomat serving as an interpreter for the u.s. ambassador in tripoli noted that gadhafi spoke excellent arabic , like a voice of the arabs radio announcer . a political activist from the start , gadhafi was expelled from school in sebha because he was distributing pamphlets and organizing public protests critical of the ruling monarchy . he completed his secondary schooling in misurata , and graduated from the royal military academy in 1965 . convinced that only armed might could force a change in government , he viewed military service not as a career , but as an instrument for socioeconomic and political change . in the course of his time at the academy , he created the free unionist officers movement and selected its 12-member central committee , drawing on contacts made in sebha and misurata . the free unionist officers movement overthrew the monarchy in a bloodless coup d'ã©tat on the night of september 1 , 1969 . thereafter , the ruling revolutionary command council depicted itself as a collegial body , but gadhafi was always first among equals , directing events and dictating policy . the language of gadhafi and the other council members was the language of arab nationalism , guided by the precepts of the koran and sharia , the traditional code of islamic law , and strengthened by the conviction that only the revolutionary command council spoke for the libyan people . over time , the gadhafi regime created a unique form of direct democracy consisting of a nationwide system of congresses and committees designed to give the impression the libyan people were running the government . in fact , gadhafi , the remaining revolutionary command council members , the free unionist officers and revolutionary committees appointed by gadhafi tightly controlled the political system from the start , making all important decisions . the functions and activities of the direct democracy system were regulated by law ; however , the activities of the parallel sector directed by gadhafi and his cohorts was not in any way regulated by legal statutes . gadhafi was a revolutionary , and initially , his regime pursued a complex , aggressive and often violent foreign policy . beginning in the early 1980s , a series of setbacks caused him to rethink failed initiatives , and after 1999 , libya sought to return to the international community . the libyan agreement to pay $ 2.7 billion to the families of the victims of the lockerbie bombing and its renunciation of weapons of mass destruction marked important steps in the reconciliation process . by 2006 , the united states had achieved full commercial and diplomatic relations with libya for the first time in 25 years . by any measure , gadhafi 's legacy is a negative one . politically , he systematically destroyed civil society and banned political parties , leaving the libyan people with no experience in democratic government . socially , his authoritarian regime violated the most basic human rights , including freedom of speech , assembly and the press . economically , he failed to diversify the economy , leaving the country almost totally dependent on income from oil and gas revenues . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author . | gadhafi was first among equals in the group that overthrew the libyan monarchy |
gadhafi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man who dominated libya for more than four decades died not far from his birthplace . moammar gadhafi was born in the central libyan desert south of sirte in spring 1942 . the only surviving son of traditional bedouin parents , his early schooling centered on religious subjects taught by a local tribal teacher . tribal social values , together with the religious principles learned at this time , strongly influenced him for the rest of his life . around age 10 , he enrolled in elementary school in sirte , where he completed six grades in four years . he then enrolled in secondary school in sebha , where , for the first time , he had access to arab newspapers and radio broadcasts , notably the voice of the arabs ' news program from cairo . shortly after he seized power in 1969 , a junior american diplomat serving as an interpreter for the u.s. ambassador in tripoli noted that gadhafi spoke excellent arabic , like a voice of the arabs radio announcer . a political activist from the start , gadhafi was expelled from school in sebha because he was distributing pamphlets and organizing public protests critical of the ruling monarchy . he completed his secondary schooling in misurata , and graduated from the royal military academy in 1965 . convinced that only armed might could force a change in government , he viewed military service not as a career , but as an instrument for socioeconomic and political change . in the course of his time at the academy , he created the free unionist officers movement and selected its 12-member central committee , drawing on contacts made in sebha and misurata . the free unionist officers movement overthrew the monarchy in a bloodless coup d'ã©tat on the night of september 1 , 1969 . thereafter , the ruling revolutionary command council depicted itself as a collegial body , but gadhafi was always first among equals , directing events and dictating policy . the language of gadhafi and the other council members was the language of arab nationalism , guided by the precepts of the koran and sharia , the traditional code of islamic law , and strengthened by the conviction that only the revolutionary command council spoke for the libyan people . over time , the gadhafi regime created a unique form of direct democracy consisting of a nationwide system of congresses and committees designed to give the impression the libyan people were running the government . in fact , gadhafi , the remaining revolutionary command council members , the free unionist officers and revolutionary committees appointed by gadhafi tightly controlled the political system from the start , making all important decisions . the functions and activities of the direct democracy system were regulated by law ; however , the activities of the parallel sector directed by gadhafi and his cohorts was not in any way regulated by legal statutes . gadhafi was a revolutionary , and initially , his regime pursued a complex , aggressive and often violent foreign policy . beginning in the early 1980s , a series of setbacks caused him to rethink failed initiatives , and after 1999 , libya sought to return to the international community . the libyan agreement to pay $ 2.7 billion to the families of the victims of the lockerbie bombing and its renunciation of weapons of mass destruction marked important steps in the reconciliation process . by 2006 , the united states had achieved full commercial and diplomatic relations with libya for the first time in 25 years . by any measure , gadhafi 's legacy is a negative one . politically , he systematically destroyed civil society and banned political parties , leaving the libyan people with no experience in democratic government . socially , his authoritarian regime violated the most basic human rights , including freedom of speech , assembly and the press . economically , he failed to diversify the economy , leaving the country almost totally dependent on income from oil and gas revenues . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author . | he says gadhafi destroyed civil society , violated rights , crippled the economy |
united states <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- terrorists increasingly favor using women as suicide bombers to thwart security and draw attention to their causes , a new fbi-department of homeland security assessment concludes . female suicide bombers can use devices to make them appear pregnant , a security assessment says . the assessment said the agencies have no specific , credible intelligence indicating that terrorist organizations intend to utilize female suicide bombers against targets in the homeland . ' but it points out that women have been reported as attackers in the russian breakaway republic of chechnya and in india , iraq , pakistan , the palestinian territories , sri lanka and turkey . the notice was distributed monday to law enforcement officials throughout the united states , and cnn obtained a copy of it . officials want to make sure security officers are alert to the possibility of female bombers and to familiarize themselves with behavior patterns that such attackers have used in the past . even as military and security forces are paying more attention to the use of female operatives , terrorists are adapting their suicide attack tactics to compensate for enhanced security measures , ' the advisory said . watch how u.s. authorities profile terror suspects » the assessment highlighted the february 1 bombings in baghdad in which two women , who appeared to have down syndrome , attacked two pet markets . the attacks forced fbi and dhs officials to rethink a belief that those responsible for such incidents had the mental discipline to accomplish the operation . ' the two agencies also echo what experts have said before -- that female suicide bombers may have an advantage over their male counterparts in accessing targets . ' for example , the assessment points out women can hide explosives in prosthetic devices that mimic the look of pregnancy . e-mail to a friend | no imminent threat of such an attack seen in united states |
pearl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one hot summer morning in monrovia , liberia , i came across a group of young men who had been snatched from their classrooms by paramilitary groups and turned into child soldiers . they had been drugged and forced to rape , torture and kill people . at the end of our talk , they said : we just want to go back to school . ' the oldest was 16 . educating these youths meant more than imparting knowledge . information alone would n't satisfy the thirst of these war victims-turned perpetrators . their faith in education was immense . they thought it would bring meaning to their lives . they wanted to understand what humans are made of , they wanted ethics and wisdom and skills to master acceptance or apply compassion . in short , they wanted their dignity back . and besides crucial economic , peace and health factors , this is what education is all about . education is the most efficient weapon with which to address the world 's most pressing problems . and as a new analysis released by unesco 's education for all global monitoring report team demonstrates , education 's transformative power knows no boundaries . investing in education , especially for girls , result in substantial benefits for their health and productivity . it also increases democratic participation and empowers women , according to the unesco report , education transforms lives . ' the research reveals that if all women had a primary education , child marriages and child mortality could fall by a sixth and maternal deaths by two-thirds . with a visceral instinct to protect their children from harm , mothers work miracles every day to provide their children with education . one day in uganda , a woman who was dying from aids because of an unfaithful husband , told her eldest daughter that she had made her choice . rather than buy medicine to save her own life ( this was before anti-retroviral drugs were widely available and affordable ) , she would spend her money to send her daughter to school . she asked her child to become a doctor and help save her people from this devastating disease . julian atim , whom i met after her mother had passed away , indeed became a doctor . she created the first alliance of ugandan health workers to fight hiv in a country where professionals tend to leave in droves and practice abroad for economic reasons . julian went on to study at harvard university before returning to the war-torn rural area of northern uganda , where for the longest time she was one of two doctors serving a population of 300,000 . she did n't only study medicine ; at 35 , she 's also an expert in advocacy and human rights . there are countless mothers like julian 's out there , and they are everywhere -- mothers for whom education does n't merely prepare one for life , education is life . yet 57 million children are out of school . this means we are yet to make free and compulsory education a priority . the world leaders who are about to meet at the u.n. general assembly should do everything in their power to meet this goal now and look at this effort as the safest investment into our common future . beyond all the conflicts tearing the world apart , it is the human aspiration to learn and grow that might hold us together . education is our guiding hope . you ca n't change your life if you do n't know how . education saves lives , averts hunger , promotes tolerance and gives purpose . people overcome impossible odds thanks to education . for example , if all women had secondary school , they would know how to feed their children . they would know the hygiene rules that they should follow . and they would have a stronger voice in the home to ensure proper care . this change would save more than 12 million children from being stunted -- a sign of early childhood malnutrition . learning gives us the means to lead meaningful lives and a proper education will awaken the desire to benefit others . the difference between a primary and secondary education can improve tolerance towards people of another race by 50 % , according to the unesco report . arguing that we should all get better educated to become better people does n't mean that the need for basic education is n't dire . recently , on chime for change , i published an astonishing story brought to me by journalist veronique mistiaen and her colleague , photographer fjona hill , about the practice of trokosi in rural ghana . the trokosi practice calls for virgin girls to be sent to the shrines of fetish gods to pay for crimes committed by one of their relatives . they become living sacrifices , protecting their families from the gods'wrath . some stay at the shrines for a few years ; others for life . the young girls become slaves to the priest . they live with a rope tied around their neck , fighting hunger and working from dawn to dusk . the ghanaian government outlawed the practice in 1998 and over the years about 3,000 of the trokosi slaves have been liberated , but many more have been brought to more remote shrines . a young woman named millicent thenkey tried to defend herself but learned the hard way that the law was n't enough to protect her . she had been allowed to go to school while preparing to take her final initiation at kilkor shrine in ketu south district . there , she learned that the practice was a violation of human rights . she reported her initiation to the police and took her parents to court -- something no one had dared to do before . but her parents refused to attend the hearing and the police did n't force them , so the case was thrown out of court and millicent became a slave . as she pursued her investigation , interviewing priests and families , mistiaen met a priest who told her : we just heard that trokosi was against the law and that women were human beings and needed to be treated as equal . we had n't ever heard before that women needed to be treated as equal . ' this is how deep the need to educate is . but there is a school now in the area , and the priest admits that education will succeed in eradicating slavery even where the law has failed . the new generations are learning new things , reading about the world . i do n't think they will be interested in sitting behind the shrine wearing this hat of mine , ' he said . aristotle thought that an uneducated man was as good as dead . julian 's mother chose her daughter 's education over her own life . torgbi abiaeu , the priest in ghana , reluctantly admitted the defeat of tradition by education . in all these cases , the conclusion remains the same . it is education that makes life worth living and the best i can wish to anyone is to never stop learning . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mariane pearl . | mariane pearl : education is the most efficient weapon to combat world 's pressing problems |
pearl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one hot summer morning in monrovia , liberia , i came across a group of young men who had been snatched from their classrooms by paramilitary groups and turned into child soldiers . they had been drugged and forced to rape , torture and kill people . at the end of our talk , they said : we just want to go back to school . ' the oldest was 16 . educating these youths meant more than imparting knowledge . information alone would n't satisfy the thirst of these war victims-turned perpetrators . their faith in education was immense . they thought it would bring meaning to their lives . they wanted to understand what humans are made of , they wanted ethics and wisdom and skills to master acceptance or apply compassion . in short , they wanted their dignity back . and besides crucial economic , peace and health factors , this is what education is all about . education is the most efficient weapon with which to address the world 's most pressing problems . and as a new analysis released by unesco 's education for all global monitoring report team demonstrates , education 's transformative power knows no boundaries . investing in education , especially for girls , result in substantial benefits for their health and productivity . it also increases democratic participation and empowers women , according to the unesco report , education transforms lives . ' the research reveals that if all women had a primary education , child marriages and child mortality could fall by a sixth and maternal deaths by two-thirds . with a visceral instinct to protect their children from harm , mothers work miracles every day to provide their children with education . one day in uganda , a woman who was dying from aids because of an unfaithful husband , told her eldest daughter that she had made her choice . rather than buy medicine to save her own life ( this was before anti-retroviral drugs were widely available and affordable ) , she would spend her money to send her daughter to school . she asked her child to become a doctor and help save her people from this devastating disease . julian atim , whom i met after her mother had passed away , indeed became a doctor . she created the first alliance of ugandan health workers to fight hiv in a country where professionals tend to leave in droves and practice abroad for economic reasons . julian went on to study at harvard university before returning to the war-torn rural area of northern uganda , where for the longest time she was one of two doctors serving a population of 300,000 . she did n't only study medicine ; at 35 , she 's also an expert in advocacy and human rights . there are countless mothers like julian 's out there , and they are everywhere -- mothers for whom education does n't merely prepare one for life , education is life . yet 57 million children are out of school . this means we are yet to make free and compulsory education a priority . the world leaders who are about to meet at the u.n. general assembly should do everything in their power to meet this goal now and look at this effort as the safest investment into our common future . beyond all the conflicts tearing the world apart , it is the human aspiration to learn and grow that might hold us together . education is our guiding hope . you ca n't change your life if you do n't know how . education saves lives , averts hunger , promotes tolerance and gives purpose . people overcome impossible odds thanks to education . for example , if all women had secondary school , they would know how to feed their children . they would know the hygiene rules that they should follow . and they would have a stronger voice in the home to ensure proper care . this change would save more than 12 million children from being stunted -- a sign of early childhood malnutrition . learning gives us the means to lead meaningful lives and a proper education will awaken the desire to benefit others . the difference between a primary and secondary education can improve tolerance towards people of another race by 50 % , according to the unesco report . arguing that we should all get better educated to become better people does n't mean that the need for basic education is n't dire . recently , on chime for change , i published an astonishing story brought to me by journalist veronique mistiaen and her colleague , photographer fjona hill , about the practice of trokosi in rural ghana . the trokosi practice calls for virgin girls to be sent to the shrines of fetish gods to pay for crimes committed by one of their relatives . they become living sacrifices , protecting their families from the gods'wrath . some stay at the shrines for a few years ; others for life . the young girls become slaves to the priest . they live with a rope tied around their neck , fighting hunger and working from dawn to dusk . the ghanaian government outlawed the practice in 1998 and over the years about 3,000 of the trokosi slaves have been liberated , but many more have been brought to more remote shrines . a young woman named millicent thenkey tried to defend herself but learned the hard way that the law was n't enough to protect her . she had been allowed to go to school while preparing to take her final initiation at kilkor shrine in ketu south district . there , she learned that the practice was a violation of human rights . she reported her initiation to the police and took her parents to court -- something no one had dared to do before . but her parents refused to attend the hearing and the police did n't force them , so the case was thrown out of court and millicent became a slave . as she pursued her investigation , interviewing priests and families , mistiaen met a priest who told her : we just heard that trokosi was against the law and that women were human beings and needed to be treated as equal . we had n't ever heard before that women needed to be treated as equal . ' this is how deep the need to educate is . but there is a school now in the area , and the priest admits that education will succeed in eradicating slavery even where the law has failed . the new generations are learning new things , reading about the world . i do n't think they will be interested in sitting behind the shrine wearing this hat of mine , ' he said . aristotle thought that an uneducated man was as good as dead . julian 's mother chose her daughter 's education over her own life . torgbi abiaeu , the priest in ghana , reluctantly admitted the defeat of tradition by education . in all these cases , the conclusion remains the same . it is education that makes life worth living and the best i can wish to anyone is to never stop learning . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mariane pearl . | pearl : it is education that makes life worth living ; we should all never stop learning |
persian gulf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an undersea cable carrying internet traffic was cut off the persian gulf emirate of dubai , officials said friday , the third loss of a line carrying internet and telephone traffic in three days . dubai has been hit hard by an internet outage apparently caused by a cut undersea cable . ships have been dispatched to repair two undersea cables damaged on wednesday off egypt . flag telecom , which owns one of the cables , said repairs were expected to be completed by february 12 . france telecom , part owner of the other cable , said it was uncertain when repairs on it would be repaired . stephan beckert , an analyst with telegeography , a research company that consults on global internet issues , said the cables off egypt were likely damaged by ships'anchors . the loss of the two mediterranean cables -- flag telecom 's flag europe-asia cable and seamewe-4 , a cable owned by a consortium of more than a dozen telecommunications companies -- has snarled internet and phone traffic from egypt to india . officials said friday it was unclear what caused the damage to flag 's falcon cable about 50 kilometers off dubai . a repair ship was en route , flag said . eric schoonover , a senior analyst with telegeography , said the falcon cable is designed on a ring system , ' taking it on a circuit around the persian gulf and enabling traffic to be more easily routed around damage . schoonover said the two cables damaged wednesday collectively account for as much as three-quarters of the international communications between europe and the middle east , so their loss had a much bigger effect . without the use of the flag europe-asia cable and seamewe-4 , some carriers were forced to reroute their european traffic around the globe , which could cause delays , beckert said . other carriers could use seamewe-3 , an older cable that remained the only direct connection from europe to the middle east and asia . because this cable is older , it has a smaller capacity than the two damaged cables , beckert said . still , beckert stressed that although the problem created a big pain ' for many of carriers , it did not compare to the several months of disruption in east asia in 2006 after an earthquake damaged seven undersea cables near taiwan . telegeography research director alan mauldin said new cables planned to link europe with egypt should provide enough backup to prevent most similar problems in the future . schoonover said a similar internet problem could not happen in the united states . we have all the content here , ' he said . it 's not going to be felt other than we wo n't get the bbc . ' telegeography officials also said most traffic between the u.s. , canada and mexico is carried over land , and there is a plentiful supply of undersea cables carrying traffic under the atlantic and pacific oceans . meanwhile , internet service was slow friday in dubai and egypt , where online service was intermittent , but there was less demand because many businesses in those countries are n't open on fridays . service providers in egypt said they hoped to have improved capacity by sunday . web surfers in india were experiencing a marked improvement in service , though graphic- or video-heavy sites were still taking longer to load . most of the major internet service providers in india , like reliance and vsnl , were starting to use backup lines friday , allowing service to slowly come back , said rajesh chharia , president of the internet services providers association of india . the indian isps were still alerting customers to slowdowns over the next few days with service quality delays of 50 percent to 60 percent , he said . the internet slowdowns had no effect on trading at the country 's two main stock exchanges , the sensex and the nse , because they are n't dependent on the downed cables , chharia said . individual web users were still feeling the effects . madhu vohra , who lives in the city of noida on the outskirts of delhi , said she uses internet phone service skype to call her son in the united states , but she has n't been able to reach him since the slowdown . we keep trying for a long time and the message comes up ,'this page ca n't display ,'so finally we just turn the computer off and give up , ' vohra said . internet cafes typically full of teenaged gamers are nearly empty with speeds still frustratingly slow . i felt like beating the ... modem , throwing it away , because we compete on the internet and it feels really bad , ' said aman khurana , 13 . state-owned dubai telecom provider du and kuwait 's ministry of communications estimated thursday that the problems might take two weeks to fix . e-mail to a friend cnn 's elham nakhlawi , mustafa al arab , caroline faraj , tess eastment , aneesh raman and brad lendon contributed to this report . | cable reported cut friday off dubai in persian gulf |
queen 's club <tsp> ( cnn ) -- roger federer will resume his rivalry with australia 's lleyton hewitt when the two tennis superstars play in the final of the gerry weber open in halle on sunday . federer , who has an incredible 76-1 record on grass since 2003 , reached his third atp tour final of the year with a 7-6 6-3 win over german philipp petzschner . earlier on saturday , hewitt beat another home hope as he battled past benjamin becker 6-7 7-6 6-2 . nadal and murray crash out at queen 's club hewitt , who won wimbledon in 2002 and held the world number one spot , will be meeting federer for the 25th time , but he has lost the last 16 matches . he 's obviously the best grass-court player around , ' hewitt told the official atp tour web site . it 's a good test for me to go out there . i 'm going to have to obviously play extremely well and execute what i want to do out there and try and put him under some kind of pressure . ' federer will be seeking his sixth title in halle , his traditional warm-up event ahead of a tilt at his seventh wimbledon crown . meanwhile , mardy fish will contest an all-american final against sam querrey in the other big grass warm-up tournament at queen 's club in london . fish , who beat defending champion andy murray in the third round , saw off spaniard feliciano lopez 6-3 6-4 . lopez could not reproduce the form which saw him beat compatriot rafael nadal , the world number one and french open champion in the quarters . querrey edged germany 's rainer schuettler 6-7 7-5 6-3 in the first semifinal . | sam querrey and mardy fish reach all-american final at queen 's club |
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- roger federer will resume his rivalry with australia 's lleyton hewitt when the two tennis superstars play in the final of the gerry weber open in halle on sunday . federer , who has an incredible 76-1 record on grass since 2003 , reached his third atp tour final of the year with a 7-6 6-3 win over german philipp petzschner . earlier on saturday , hewitt beat another home hope as he battled past benjamin becker 6-7 7-6 6-2 . nadal and murray crash out at queen 's club hewitt , who won wimbledon in 2002 and held the world number one spot , will be meeting federer for the 25th time , but he has lost the last 16 matches . he 's obviously the best grass-court player around , ' hewitt told the official atp tour web site . it 's a good test for me to go out there . i 'm going to have to obviously play extremely well and execute what i want to do out there and try and put him under some kind of pressure . ' federer will be seeking his sixth title in halle , his traditional warm-up event ahead of a tilt at his seventh wimbledon crown . meanwhile , mardy fish will contest an all-american final against sam querrey in the other big grass warm-up tournament at queen 's club in london . fish , who beat defending champion andy murray in the third round , saw off spaniard feliciano lopez 6-3 6-4 . lopez could not reproduce the form which saw him beat compatriot rafael nadal , the world number one and french open champion in the quarters . querrey edged germany 's rainer schuettler 6-7 7-5 6-3 in the first semifinal . | federer will be seeking his sixth title in the german grass court event |
cabinet <tsp> ( cnn ) -- amid public outrage over government corruption , unemployment and a lack of basic services , iraq 's parliament approved the appointments of eight new ministers to the cabinet on sunday -- but key security posts remain empty . the lawmakers greenlighted candidates tapped by iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki for ministries that include electricity , trade and municipalities . the first female minister was approved for the cabinet to oversee women 's affairs . candidates for the ministries of defense , interior and national security have not been named , though parliamentary speaker osama al-nujaifi told his colleagues that al-maliki promised to submit nominees for those posts in the coming days . meanwhile , hundreds of angry demonstrators took to the streets of ramadi -- about 100 kilometers west of baghdad -- on sunday , protesting against the government 's inability to provide basic services . similar demonstrations have been held across iraq in recent weeks , inspired by uprisings in tunisia , egypt and other countries in the region . in december , after nearly a year fraught with political infighting , the parliament voted to approve al-maliki 's new government , despite the vacancies . the long-awaited legislative action came more than nine months after a hotly disputed national election that threatened to inflame the country 's deep sectarian tensions . the government composition is inclusive of iraq 's major ethnic and sectarian groups , brought together by a fragile u.s.-backed power sharing deal agreed on in november . but it is clear that sectarianism remains , as the posts were divided along ethnic and sectarian lines . the prime minister has three deputies -- a shiite , a kurd , and a sunni arab , representing the three largest entities in iraq . saleh al-mutlaq , who has been one of al-maliki 's critics , is the sunni deputy . he had been barred from politics because of alleged ties to the baathist party , the outlawed political movement of late iraqi leader saddam hussein . parliament lifted that ban in december . on sunday , the parliament failed to hold a vote on three vice presidents under the power-sharing deal after some lawmakers had reservations on a shiite candidate . at the end of 2011 , the united states is set to withdraw all of its troops from iraq as part of a bilateral agreement with the baghdad government . it is too soon to predict whether that will happen or whether the united states and iraq will negotiate an agreement to keep some u.s. soldiers there after next year . | security posts in cabinet remain unfilled |
taliban <tsp> ( cnn ) -- from playing bat and ball in quiet corners of refugee camps to cricket 's most glamorous tournament ; afghanistan 's national team , like the country , has come a long way . the team 's rise to the biggest stage of them all , the 2015 world cup , has been nothing short of remarkable -- and equally heartwarming . the scenes of jubilation on the pitch as afghanistan recently brushed aside a disappointing kenya team could n't have been farther from the reality of life for many afghans after decades of conflict and turmoil in their country . the first afghans learned the game in pakistani refugee camps , having fled the soviet invasion of 1979 . read more : afghan cricket 's battle for acceptance sport was banned completely under the strict islamic fundamentalist rule of the taliban , between 1996 and 2001 , with pitches and arenas more likely to host an execution than a training session or a match . but as the taliban lost its grip , sport blossomed , with cricket among those leading the way . cut strips appeared across the country and children would use roads as wickets , discarded pieces of wood as bats and wickets . and the rest , as they say , is history . afghan cricket has gone from strength to strength . just 12 years ago , the team did n't even officially exist . then a few afghan expats set up a team in pakistan and applied for accreditation to global cricket 's organizing body , the international cricket council ( icc ) . in 2001 , afghanistan became an icc associate member , which meant cricket was recognized as an established sport in the country . it was a start , but little more than that . in 2008 , the team played its first matches in division five of the icc 's global league -- against japan and the tiny island of jersey , a self-governing british crown dependency off the coast of northern france . that 's as low as world cricket goes . but by winning the league , the players gave themselves a chance of qualifying for the 2011 world cup . ultimately that proved to be a step too far , too soon , as they came up short . but it was n't all bad news . the team did enough in the qualifiers to be granted the status of an international one-day team . they went on to qualify for the world twenty20 tournament , a shortened form of the game , in 2010 and again in 2012 . despite some respectable performances , they did little to surprise the bookies and fell during the initial knock-out stage . but now , what appeared to be nothing more than a dream just a few short years ago has finally become reality . afghanistan triumphed over kenya by seven wickets at the recent world cricket league championship in sharjah , uae to win the right to play at the 2015 world cup . they will be part of a group that includes co-hosts australia and new zealand , as well as bangladesh , england and sri lanka . i ca n't express my feelings . it is a very big day in my life . i 'm sure there will be huge celebrations back home , ' the team 's talismanic captain , mohammad nabi , told the icc website . i did n't expect to play in a world cup when i started playing cricket . but now i can cherish this moment and look forward to playing against the best sides in some of the best playing facilities . ' the melbourne cricket ground ( mcg ) is a far cry from the refugee camps many afghans can relate to . | cricket and sport was banned during taliban rule in afghanistan ( 1996-2001 ) |
japanese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- of all the bizarre art niches out there , goldfish aquarium art ' must rank fairly high . yet the artist hidetomo kimura has built an entire career as an art aquarist , ' and his weird and wonderful live installations are now on display again at an exhibition , edo -- the coolness of goldfish ' ( link in japanese ) , at the nihonbashi mitsui hall , in tokyo . first held in 2011 to mark the centenary of the nihonbashi bridge , where the hall is located , the unusual exhibit proved so popular it has been held each year since . insider guide : what to do in tokyo this year , kimura 's exhibition uses 5,000 goldfish displayed in 17 installations made of 70 aquariums . the tanks are embellished with light displays and futuristic designs but also retain traditional symbols of japanese culture such as kimonos , folding screens and lanterns . the exhibition turns into a music lounge in the evenings ( called night aquarium ) and on the weekends . art aquarium ( link in japanese ) , nihonbashi mitsui hall , nihonbashi nihonbashi , chuoku , tokyo ; +81 3 3270 2550 july 13-september 23 , 2013 , 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. ; admission â¥1,000 ( $ 10 ) | futuristic show retains traditional japanese symbols |
hidetomo kimura <tsp> ( cnn ) -- of all the bizarre art niches out there , goldfish aquarium art ' must rank fairly high . yet the artist hidetomo kimura has built an entire career as an art aquarist , ' and his weird and wonderful live installations are now on display again at an exhibition , edo -- the coolness of goldfish ' ( link in japanese ) , at the nihonbashi mitsui hall , in tokyo . first held in 2011 to mark the centenary of the nihonbashi bridge , where the hall is located , the unusual exhibit proved so popular it has been held each year since . insider guide : what to do in tokyo this year , kimura 's exhibition uses 5,000 goldfish displayed in 17 installations made of 70 aquariums . the tanks are embellished with light displays and futuristic designs but also retain traditional symbols of japanese culture such as kimonos , folding screens and lanterns . the exhibition turns into a music lounge in the evenings ( called night aquarium ) and on the weekends . art aquarium ( link in japanese ) , nihonbashi mitsui hall , nihonbashi nihonbashi , chuoku , tokyo ; +81 3 3270 2550 july 13-september 23 , 2013 , 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. ; admission â¥1,000 ( $ 10 ) | art aquarist hidetomo kimura 's installations now on display in tokyo |
india <tsp> bangalore , india ( cnn ) -- as one of india 's richest self-made women , kiran mazumdar-shaw has an impressive resume . her business biocon , worth $ 800million , is one of india 's leading drug companies and employs more than 6,000 people at its vast campus in bangalore . mazumdar-shaw was named among forbes magazine 's 100 most powerful women ' in the world in 2012 , in the financial times' the top 50 women in world business ' in 2011 and time magazine 's 100 most influential people in the world ' in 2010 . but it was a very different story in 1978 when mazumdar-shaw started biocon at the age of 25 with the equivalent of less than $ 200 in today 's money . she founded the company in a garage and -- as a woman and one of the first pioneers of biotechnology in india -- found it difficult to obtain both staff and funding . i had a lot of foolish courage because when i started up the company i found i had huge credibility challenges to overcome , ' said mazumdar-shaw . i was a 25-year-old woman with no business experience , i was trying to pioneer a sector called biotechnology which nobody had heard of . i therefore had huge challenges from getting financial backing to even getting people to work in the organization . ' mazumdar-shaw originally qualified as india 's first master brewer , but became an entrepreneur after failing to find a job in brewing . i was finding it very difficult to get a job as a brew master , ' she said . it was a chance encounter with a biotech entrepreneur from ireland that got me started as an entrepreneur in india , because i partnered this irish company in setting up india 's first biotech company . ' she added : it has taken me over 30 years to get from a garage to the huge campus that we have today . and it 's been a long journey -- it 's been a very exciting journey . ' having built up a leading company from scratch , many would expect mazumdar-shaw to have her mind fixed solely on the business . but she also has a social mission to expand access to healthcare in india . also on leading women : a brighter picture for women in art ' india is a country where 80 % of healthcare ( spend ) is out of pocket ; where 80 % of healthcare infrastructure is in the private sector ; where most people do n't have access to quality healthcare , ' she said . in 2009 , she founded a low-cost cancer hospital with the aim of making usually expensive cancer treatment accessible to more people . i felt there was a crying need for a comprehensive cancer center which also addresses affordability , ' said mazumdar-shaw . her goal to make healthcare more accessible for all indians has driven her to search for a cheaper model of drug development . we simply can not afford to develop drugs that cost $ 1-3 billion to develop , because these drugs will not actually reach people who really need ( them ) the most , ' she said . you will only be confining it to a very few people in the world who can afford it . we 've got to change this model . i believe that we have enough technology in the world to bring down this cost of innovation . ' also on leading women : why women will impact global economy as much as china one achievement of which mazumdar-shaw is particularly proud is helping to reverse india 's brain drain of scientists . she employs almost 5,000 scientists , of whom just under 40 % are women and many have returned to india from abroad . one of my objectives when i started biocon was to make sure that i create a company for women scientists to pursue a vocation , ' said mazumdar-shaw . and i wanted to make sure that we created a research environment for scientists , because at that time we were facing a very strong brain drain of scientists and engineers from india , there just were n't enough companies to employee such people . ' the challenges ahead for mazumdar-shaw include getting biocon to the billion dollar mark , and continuing to innovate . there 's a huge journey ahead for me . there are many , many more milestones ahead , ' she said . i want to be remembered as someone who put india on the scientific map of the world in terms of large innovation . i want to be remembered for making a difference to global healthcare . and i want to be remembered as someone who did make a difference to social economic development in india . ' a side effect is that people might also remember how wealthy she is . i hate the title of being called the richest woman in india , but it 's the recognition that this was the value that i had created as a woman entrepreneur and that makes me very , very proud . ' | kiran mazumdar-shaw pioneered biotech in india in a garage at the age of 25 |
india <tsp> bangalore , india ( cnn ) -- as one of india 's richest self-made women , kiran mazumdar-shaw has an impressive resume . her business biocon , worth $ 800million , is one of india 's leading drug companies and employs more than 6,000 people at its vast campus in bangalore . mazumdar-shaw was named among forbes magazine 's 100 most powerful women ' in the world in 2012 , in the financial times' the top 50 women in world business ' in 2011 and time magazine 's 100 most influential people in the world ' in 2010 . but it was a very different story in 1978 when mazumdar-shaw started biocon at the age of 25 with the equivalent of less than $ 200 in today 's money . she founded the company in a garage and -- as a woman and one of the first pioneers of biotechnology in india -- found it difficult to obtain both staff and funding . i had a lot of foolish courage because when i started up the company i found i had huge credibility challenges to overcome , ' said mazumdar-shaw . i was a 25-year-old woman with no business experience , i was trying to pioneer a sector called biotechnology which nobody had heard of . i therefore had huge challenges from getting financial backing to even getting people to work in the organization . ' mazumdar-shaw originally qualified as india 's first master brewer , but became an entrepreneur after failing to find a job in brewing . i was finding it very difficult to get a job as a brew master , ' she said . it was a chance encounter with a biotech entrepreneur from ireland that got me started as an entrepreneur in india , because i partnered this irish company in setting up india 's first biotech company . ' she added : it has taken me over 30 years to get from a garage to the huge campus that we have today . and it 's been a long journey -- it 's been a very exciting journey . ' having built up a leading company from scratch , many would expect mazumdar-shaw to have her mind fixed solely on the business . but she also has a social mission to expand access to healthcare in india . also on leading women : a brighter picture for women in art ' india is a country where 80 % of healthcare ( spend ) is out of pocket ; where 80 % of healthcare infrastructure is in the private sector ; where most people do n't have access to quality healthcare , ' she said . in 2009 , she founded a low-cost cancer hospital with the aim of making usually expensive cancer treatment accessible to more people . i felt there was a crying need for a comprehensive cancer center which also addresses affordability , ' said mazumdar-shaw . her goal to make healthcare more accessible for all indians has driven her to search for a cheaper model of drug development . we simply can not afford to develop drugs that cost $ 1-3 billion to develop , because these drugs will not actually reach people who really need ( them ) the most , ' she said . you will only be confining it to a very few people in the world who can afford it . we 've got to change this model . i believe that we have enough technology in the world to bring down this cost of innovation . ' also on leading women : why women will impact global economy as much as china one achievement of which mazumdar-shaw is particularly proud is helping to reverse india 's brain drain of scientists . she employs almost 5,000 scientists , of whom just under 40 % are women and many have returned to india from abroad . one of my objectives when i started biocon was to make sure that i create a company for women scientists to pursue a vocation , ' said mazumdar-shaw . and i wanted to make sure that we created a research environment for scientists , because at that time we were facing a very strong brain drain of scientists and engineers from india , there just were n't enough companies to employee such people . ' the challenges ahead for mazumdar-shaw include getting biocon to the billion dollar mark , and continuing to innovate . there 's a huge journey ahead for me . there are many , many more milestones ahead , ' she said . i want to be remembered as someone who put india on the scientific map of the world in terms of large innovation . i want to be remembered for making a difference to global healthcare . and i want to be remembered as someone who did make a difference to social economic development in india . ' a side effect is that people might also remember how wealthy she is . i hate the title of being called the richest woman in india , but it 's the recognition that this was the value that i had created as a woman entrepreneur and that makes me very , very proud . ' | she also aims to widen access to affordable healthcare in india |
al qaeda in the arabian peninsula <tsp> a series of al qaeda-based threats to attack american and western targets in europe , as well as threats to launch attacks inside the united states , has caused significant concern inside the u.s. intelligence community , cnn has learned . officials are trying to determine the extent to which the threats may be linked and determine what it may mean about the strength of al qaeda in several countries . while the threat stream ' has evolved during the past six months , according to a senior u.s. official , none of the threats has been corroborated . the official said the threats appear to detail a lot of activity where intelligence suggests there are operational cells , ' but so far , we do not see operational cells of al qaeda inside the united states , ' the official said , although he emphasized it could not be ruled out . u.s. officials as well as analysts have long said they believe al qaeda is focused on attacking outside the united states because of the difficulty in penetrating u.s. homeland security . but these latest threat streams suggest domestic u.s. targets also continue to be looked at by al qaeda . worry no . 1 : al qaeda in the arabian peninsula one of the biggest concerns right now remains efforts by yemen-based al qaeda in the arabian peninsula to attack inside yemen , in europe and inside the united states . the u.s. embassy , which was closed several weeks ago , is now expected to remain closed for several more days because of a credible threat stream , ' a second senior u.s. official told cnn . while it 's believed aqap is mainly focused on targeting inside of yemen , officials say an attempt to attack inside the united states or to recruit others to carry out such an attack can not be ruled out . worry no . 2 : core group in pakistan separately , still another official confirms to cnn that the core al qaeda group in pakistan is also seeking to place operatives in places to attack u.s. targets overseas and domestically . u.s. officials confirm an operative who uses the code name abdullah al-shami , who is living in pakistan , may now be heading that group 's efforts to plan external attacks . the new york times first published al-shami 's name in february and noted that u.s. intelligence believes he was born in the united states but moved to the middle east as a child . the new york times reported that as an american-born citizen , al-shami could be a target for attack by a u.s. drone . u.s. officials refused to comment , but a private sector analyst who has followed the matter in detail told cnn that killing al-shami had been discussed in the past . if al-shami indeed is activity pursuing attacks against the u.s. , it would indicate that the core al qaeda group in pakistan might be resurgent in its capabilities . worry no . 3 : spillover effects from syria the third threat stream continues to come from syria . u.s. officials tell cnn they believe 70 or more americans have traveled to syria to fight , and many may have returned home along with other fighters with western passports . over the past several months , the u.s. has sought to closely track all americans traveling to syria . earlier this month , the treasury department imposed sanctions on an alleged al qaeda operative , abd al-rahman muhammad zafir al-dubaysi al-juhni . treasury said that in 2013 , he was part of a group of senior al-qaeda members in syria formed to conduct external operations against western targets . it 's also believed al-juhni was in pakistan at some point , putting him in a position to have interacted with al-shami . | al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , based in yemen , is of particular concern |
united states <tsp> a series of al qaeda-based threats to attack american and western targets in europe , as well as threats to launch attacks inside the united states , has caused significant concern inside the u.s. intelligence community , cnn has learned . officials are trying to determine the extent to which the threats may be linked and determine what it may mean about the strength of al qaeda in several countries . while the threat stream ' has evolved during the past six months , according to a senior u.s. official , none of the threats has been corroborated . the official said the threats appear to detail a lot of activity where intelligence suggests there are operational cells , ' but so far , we do not see operational cells of al qaeda inside the united states , ' the official said , although he emphasized it could not be ruled out . u.s. officials as well as analysts have long said they believe al qaeda is focused on attacking outside the united states because of the difficulty in penetrating u.s. homeland security . but these latest threat streams suggest domestic u.s. targets also continue to be looked at by al qaeda . worry no . 1 : al qaeda in the arabian peninsula one of the biggest concerns right now remains efforts by yemen-based al qaeda in the arabian peninsula to attack inside yemen , in europe and inside the united states . the u.s. embassy , which was closed several weeks ago , is now expected to remain closed for several more days because of a credible threat stream , ' a second senior u.s. official told cnn . while it 's believed aqap is mainly focused on targeting inside of yemen , officials say an attempt to attack inside the united states or to recruit others to carry out such an attack can not be ruled out . worry no . 2 : core group in pakistan separately , still another official confirms to cnn that the core al qaeda group in pakistan is also seeking to place operatives in places to attack u.s. targets overseas and domestically . u.s. officials confirm an operative who uses the code name abdullah al-shami , who is living in pakistan , may now be heading that group 's efforts to plan external attacks . the new york times first published al-shami 's name in february and noted that u.s. intelligence believes he was born in the united states but moved to the middle east as a child . the new york times reported that as an american-born citizen , al-shami could be a target for attack by a u.s. drone . u.s. officials refused to comment , but a private sector analyst who has followed the matter in detail told cnn that killing al-shami had been discussed in the past . if al-shami indeed is activity pursuing attacks against the u.s. , it would indicate that the core al qaeda group in pakistan might be resurgent in its capabilities . worry no . 3 : spillover effects from syria the third threat stream continues to come from syria . u.s. officials tell cnn they believe 70 or more americans have traveled to syria to fight , and many may have returned home along with other fighters with western passports . over the past several months , the u.s. has sought to closely track all americans traveling to syria . earlier this month , the treasury department imposed sanctions on an alleged al qaeda operative , abd al-rahman muhammad zafir al-dubaysi al-juhni . treasury said that in 2013 , he was part of a group of senior al-qaeda members in syria formed to conduct external operations against western targets . it 's also believed al-juhni was in pakistan at some point , putting him in a position to have interacted with al-shami . | official to cnn : so far , we do not see operational cells of al qaeda inside the united states ' |
united states <tsp> a series of al qaeda-based threats to attack american and western targets in europe , as well as threats to launch attacks inside the united states , has caused significant concern inside the u.s. intelligence community , cnn has learned . officials are trying to determine the extent to which the threats may be linked and determine what it may mean about the strength of al qaeda in several countries . while the threat stream ' has evolved during the past six months , according to a senior u.s. official , none of the threats has been corroborated . the official said the threats appear to detail a lot of activity where intelligence suggests there are operational cells , ' but so far , we do not see operational cells of al qaeda inside the united states , ' the official said , although he emphasized it could not be ruled out . u.s. officials as well as analysts have long said they believe al qaeda is focused on attacking outside the united states because of the difficulty in penetrating u.s. homeland security . but these latest threat streams suggest domestic u.s. targets also continue to be looked at by al qaeda . worry no . 1 : al qaeda in the arabian peninsula one of the biggest concerns right now remains efforts by yemen-based al qaeda in the arabian peninsula to attack inside yemen , in europe and inside the united states . the u.s. embassy , which was closed several weeks ago , is now expected to remain closed for several more days because of a credible threat stream , ' a second senior u.s. official told cnn . while it 's believed aqap is mainly focused on targeting inside of yemen , officials say an attempt to attack inside the united states or to recruit others to carry out such an attack can not be ruled out . worry no . 2 : core group in pakistan separately , still another official confirms to cnn that the core al qaeda group in pakistan is also seeking to place operatives in places to attack u.s. targets overseas and domestically . u.s. officials confirm an operative who uses the code name abdullah al-shami , who is living in pakistan , may now be heading that group 's efforts to plan external attacks . the new york times first published al-shami 's name in february and noted that u.s. intelligence believes he was born in the united states but moved to the middle east as a child . the new york times reported that as an american-born citizen , al-shami could be a target for attack by a u.s. drone . u.s. officials refused to comment , but a private sector analyst who has followed the matter in detail told cnn that killing al-shami had been discussed in the past . if al-shami indeed is activity pursuing attacks against the u.s. , it would indicate that the core al qaeda group in pakistan might be resurgent in its capabilities . worry no . 3 : spillover effects from syria the third threat stream continues to come from syria . u.s. officials tell cnn they believe 70 or more americans have traveled to syria to fight , and many may have returned home along with other fighters with western passports . over the past several months , the u.s. has sought to closely track all americans traveling to syria . earlier this month , the treasury department imposed sanctions on an alleged al qaeda operative , abd al-rahman muhammad zafir al-dubaysi al-juhni . treasury said that in 2013 , he was part of a group of senior al-qaeda members in syria formed to conduct external operations against western targets . it 's also believed al-juhni was in pakistan at some point , putting him in a position to have interacted with al-shami . | the threats target europe as well as the united states |
cdc <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- federal and state health officials said monday that salmonella linked last week in minnesota to king nut peanut butter was caused by the same strain of bacteria responsible for an ongoing outbreak of 410 salmonella cases in 43 states . salmonella bacteria are transmitted to humans by eating contaminated foods . the infection may have contributed to three deaths , the centers for disease control and prevention said monday . preliminary analysis of an epidemiologic study conducted by cdc and public health officials in multiple states comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has suggested peanut butter as a likely source , ' the disease agency said in a written statement . to date , no association has been found with common brand names of peanut butter sold in grocery stores . ' a spokesman for the food and drug administration said monday that the agency has been collaborating with the cdc , the u.s. department of agriculture and public health officials in many states to investigate the outbreak of infections due to salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium . this new information from minnesota will not change what we are currently doing as part of the investigation , ' said fda spokesman michael herndon . what you need to know about food poisoning » the minnesota bacteria were linked last week to institutionally distributed peanut butter , sold under the king nut brand name . in one of the minnesota patients , a 70-year-old female nursing home resident , the infection proved fatal , said doug schultz , a minnesota public health department spokesman . we do not know to what extent the salmonella contributed to the death , ' said schultz , who added that the patient had other underlying illnesses . virginia health officials confirm that two of the three deaths linked to the salmonella outbreak were from their state . although she could not provide a lot of information due to privacy laws , michelle peregoy , a spokesperson for the virginia department of health tells cnn that one person who died was over age 65 and from the southwest part of the state , the other person who died was a younger adult between the ages of 25-64 . as with the minnesota patient , both virgina patients had underlying illnesses , which means they had weakended immune systems . very young people , older people and those with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable to severe side effects , including death . late last week , king nut companies , based in ohio , recalled king nut peanut butter . president and ceo martin kanan said the product is manufactured by a lynchburg , virginia-based company , peanut corporation of america . king nut took this action as soon as it was informed that salmonella had been found in an open five-pound tub of king nut peanut butter , ' the company said saturday in a posting on its web site . king nut , which distributes peanut butter through food service accounts , does not sell directly to consumers . kanan said king nut has asked customers to stop distributing peanut butter with lot codes beginning with 8 ' and has canceled orders with the manufacturer . the first cases nationwide were reported september 3 , but most occurred between october 1 and december 31 , the cdc said last week . about 18 percent of cases were hospitalized as a result of their illness , and patients have ranged from 2 months to 98 years of age . california has reported the highest case count with 55 , followed by ohio with 53 , massachusetts with 39 , minnesota with 30 and michigan with 20 . the other 37 states are each reporting from one to 19 cases . the seven states that have reported no cases connected to the outbreak are montana , new mexico , louisiana , mississippi , south carolina , florida and alaska . strains of salmonella linked to outbreaks in the past have been traced to contaminated eggs , meat , poultry , vegetables , pet food and peanut butter . contaminated tomatoes were blamed for an outbreak in the fall of 2006 caused by salmonella typhimurium , which sickened at least 183 people in 21 states . most people suffered from diarrhea and fever for about a week . no one is known to have died in that outbreak . salmonella infections can be treated with antibiotics , though some strains are resistant to these drugs , according to the cdc . most people infected develop diarrhea , fever and abdominal cramps within a few days of infection and the illness can last up to a week . most recover without treatment , but some may suffer dehydration and , in severe cases , require hospitalization . children , senior citizens , people with chronic illnesses and those with weak immune systems tend to be at highest risk for complications , according to the national institutes of health . cnn 's louise schiavone and miriam falco contributed to this story . | cdc : salmonella outbreak sickens at least 410 people in 43 states |
dempsey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a testy exchange erupted on thursday between sen. john mccain and joint chiefs chairman gen. martin dempsey during the latter 's testimony about september 's deadly attack on the u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi , libya . gen. dempsey , i was just going over your written statement and i have to admit it 's one of the more bizarre statements that i have ever seen in my years in this committee , ' mccain said , referring to the senate armed services committee . thursday 's testimony is the latest in a string of accounts to congressional committees about the attacks , which occurred september 11 and resulted in the deaths of four americans , including u.s . ambassador to libya chris stevens . when you 're talking about the benghazi issue , you say ,'we positioned our forces in a way that was informed by and consistent with available threat estimates ,'' mccain continued . then you go on to say ,'our military was appropriately responsive ,'even though seven hours passed and two americans died at the end of that . then you go on and say ,'we did what our posture and capabilities allowed .'' mccain said a base in crete was just 90 minutes away . we could have placed forces there , ' he said . we could have had aircraft and other capabilities a short distance away at souda bay , crete . so , for you to testify before this committee that they were consistent with available threat estimates is simply false ; that our military was appropriately responsive . ' i stand by my testimony , your dispute of it notwithstanding , ' dempsey replied . mccain countered , well , perhaps you can give me some facts that would substantiate it . ' dempsey then said that a contingent was not sent because the state department did n't request one . so it 's the state department 's fault , ' mccain challenged . i 'm not blaming the state department , ' dempsey responded . i 'm sure they had their own assessment . ' dempsey said he stood by the conclusion of an independent review board , which concluded the interagency response was timely and appropriate , but there simply was not enough time , given the speed of the attacks , for armed u.s. military assets to have made a difference . ' the board has made 29 recommendations , all of which have been accepted by the state department . later in his testimony , dempsey told sen. angus king , i-maine , that the bases in the mediterranean have aircraft , which was n't the right tool for the particular threat we faced . ' dempsey noted that , at the time , he was also concerned with other potential flashpoints -- sanaa , yemen ; khartoum , sudan ; islamabad and peshawar , pakistan ; kabul , afghanistan ; and baghdad , iraq . we had some pretty significant intel threat streams against those places as well , ' he said . but mccain said he had seen the threat estimates and none of them rose to the level of the threat in benghazi ... that they could not withstand a sustained attack . ' in response to a question from sen. kelly ayotte , r-new hampshire , defense secretary leon panetta said he was aware of a cable sent in august by ambassador stevens that said security in benghazi was not adequate . unfortunately , there was no specific intelligence or indications of an imminent attack on that -- u.s. facilities in benghazi , ' panetta said . and frankly without an adequate warning , there was not enough time given the speed of the attack for armed military assets to respond . ' he also noted that the national counterterrorism center had identified some 281 threats to u.s. diplomats , diplomatic facilities , embassies , ambassadors and consulates during the six months before the attack in benghazi . and to deal with that , i mean , that 's not our responsibility , ' he said . that 's the state department 's responsibility . ' panetta said that u.s. officials learned in the months after the incident that there were actually two short-duration attacks that occurred some six hours apart , ' the first on the consulate and the second on an annex two miles away . the bottom line is this : that we were not dealing with a prolonged or continuous assault , which could have been brought to an end by a u.s. military response , very simply , although we had forces deployed to the region , ' he said . dempsey said he could not have gotten troops on the ground within 13 to 15 hours . panetta was firm throughout his testimony that there were no undue delays ' in decision making and there was no denial of support from washington or from the military combatant commanders when the attack happened . quite the contrary : the safe evacuation of all u.s. government personnel from benghazi 12 hours after the initial attack ' and transfer to the ramstein air base in germany was the result of exceptional u.s. government coordination . ' he said the u.s. military response helped save lives . obama 's talk with panetta in the months since the attacks , washington has been a center of debate about how much the state department had known about threats in the region and whether , after the attacks , the administration tried to mislead the public about its nature . an independent review released in december lambasted the state department , saying systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies ' led to inadequate security at the benghazi post . in his remarks , panetta said the initial reports of the attack were given almost immediately ' to the u.s. embassy in the libyan capital of tripoli . within 17 minutes , panetta said , an unarmed , unmanned surveillance aircraft was dispatched to give u.s. officials a better idea of what was happening . it arrived at the site about 70 minutes after the attack , he said . soon , panetta and dempsey met with president barack obama , the secretary told lawmakers . obama ordered that the defense department respond to the attack with all available dod assets ' and try to protect u.s. personnel , panetta said . ayotte and sen. lindsey graham , r-south carolina asked how many times obama spoke with panetta and dempsey after learning about the attack . once , in a half-hour conversation with the president , the men said ; obama did not personally get back in touch with them to ask how the mission to help personnel in benghazi was going . do you think it 's a typical response of the president of the united states to make one phone call , do what you can and never call you back again and ask you ,'how is it going , by the way ?'' graham asked . panetta replied , the president is well-informed about what is going on , make no mistake about it . ' was any airplane launched in the world before the attack was concluded ? ' graham asked . if you 're talking about a strike aircraft , no , senator , ' dempsey said . did anybody leave any base anywhere to go to the aid of the people under attack in benghazi , libya , before the attack ended ? ' graham asked . no , ' panetta responded . because the attack ended . ' orders without action but orders to prepare had been given , the defense secretary testified . panetta said a marine security team platoon stationed in spain was ordered to prepare for deployment while another platoon prepped to head to the embassy in tripoli . a special operations force , then training in central europe , was told to prepare to deploy to a staging base in southern europe , and another special ops force , based in the united states , was told to prepare to move there , too . some have asked why other types of armed aircraft were not dispatched to benghazi , ' he said . armed drones , ac-130 gunships or fixed-wing fighters with the associated tanking , armaments , targeting and support capabilities were not near libya , and it would have taken at least nine hours to deploy , he said . this was , pure and simple , in the absence , as i said -- of any kind of advance warning -- a problem of distance and time , ' panetta said . the quickest response option available was a tripoli-based security team , he said . within hours , panetta said , that six-person team , including two u.s. military personnel , chartered a plane and flew to benghazi . within 15 minutes of arriving at the annex facility , they came under attack by mortar and rocket-propelled grenades , he said . members of the team and others at the annex facility provided emergency medical assistance and supported the evacuation of all personnel . all remaining u.s. government employees were evacuated from benghazi , panetta said . beefing up security there will always be tension ' between how much security is adequate and how much would create a bunker-like mentality ' at global posts , panetta said . the answer is not to assign the military to run a fire house ' next to every u.s. diplomatic location . panetta noted that congress , too , plays a role in the security of the nation 's diplomatic missions , and that the department of defense faces the prospect of sequestration -- which would result in billions of dollars of cutbacks to the defense budget -- on march 1 . if congress fails to act , sequestration is triggered , ' he said . panetta also said there must be some reliance on host countries to help with security . the attack in benghazi raises concerns ' about whether that 's always possible . libya 's government has been on shaky ground since libyan leader moammar gadhafi was ousted in 2011 . the defense secretary 's testimony comes a few weeks after clinton told lawmakers that the state department was moving fast to beef up security at u.s. posts worldwide . during her testimony , clinton teared up as she recounted meeting the arrival of the caskets containing the bodies of stevens and former navy seal commandos tyrone woods and glen doherty , both of whom had been working as diplomatic security officers . sean smith , the fourth american killed , was an information management officer . panetta said an fbi team that includes cia and dod members has made very good progress ' in identifying the attackers . | aircraft was n't the right tool , ' dempsey says |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a testy exchange erupted on thursday between sen. john mccain and joint chiefs chairman gen. martin dempsey during the latter 's testimony about september 's deadly attack on the u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi , libya . gen. dempsey , i was just going over your written statement and i have to admit it 's one of the more bizarre statements that i have ever seen in my years in this committee , ' mccain said , referring to the senate armed services committee . thursday 's testimony is the latest in a string of accounts to congressional committees about the attacks , which occurred september 11 and resulted in the deaths of four americans , including u.s . ambassador to libya chris stevens . when you 're talking about the benghazi issue , you say ,'we positioned our forces in a way that was informed by and consistent with available threat estimates ,'' mccain continued . then you go on to say ,'our military was appropriately responsive ,'even though seven hours passed and two americans died at the end of that . then you go on and say ,'we did what our posture and capabilities allowed .'' mccain said a base in crete was just 90 minutes away . we could have placed forces there , ' he said . we could have had aircraft and other capabilities a short distance away at souda bay , crete . so , for you to testify before this committee that they were consistent with available threat estimates is simply false ; that our military was appropriately responsive . ' i stand by my testimony , your dispute of it notwithstanding , ' dempsey replied . mccain countered , well , perhaps you can give me some facts that would substantiate it . ' dempsey then said that a contingent was not sent because the state department did n't request one . so it 's the state department 's fault , ' mccain challenged . i 'm not blaming the state department , ' dempsey responded . i 'm sure they had their own assessment . ' dempsey said he stood by the conclusion of an independent review board , which concluded the interagency response was timely and appropriate , but there simply was not enough time , given the speed of the attacks , for armed u.s. military assets to have made a difference . ' the board has made 29 recommendations , all of which have been accepted by the state department . later in his testimony , dempsey told sen. angus king , i-maine , that the bases in the mediterranean have aircraft , which was n't the right tool for the particular threat we faced . ' dempsey noted that , at the time , he was also concerned with other potential flashpoints -- sanaa , yemen ; khartoum , sudan ; islamabad and peshawar , pakistan ; kabul , afghanistan ; and baghdad , iraq . we had some pretty significant intel threat streams against those places as well , ' he said . but mccain said he had seen the threat estimates and none of them rose to the level of the threat in benghazi ... that they could not withstand a sustained attack . ' in response to a question from sen. kelly ayotte , r-new hampshire , defense secretary leon panetta said he was aware of a cable sent in august by ambassador stevens that said security in benghazi was not adequate . unfortunately , there was no specific intelligence or indications of an imminent attack on that -- u.s. facilities in benghazi , ' panetta said . and frankly without an adequate warning , there was not enough time given the speed of the attack for armed military assets to respond . ' he also noted that the national counterterrorism center had identified some 281 threats to u.s. diplomats , diplomatic facilities , embassies , ambassadors and consulates during the six months before the attack in benghazi . and to deal with that , i mean , that 's not our responsibility , ' he said . that 's the state department 's responsibility . ' panetta said that u.s. officials learned in the months after the incident that there were actually two short-duration attacks that occurred some six hours apart , ' the first on the consulate and the second on an annex two miles away . the bottom line is this : that we were not dealing with a prolonged or continuous assault , which could have been brought to an end by a u.s. military response , very simply , although we had forces deployed to the region , ' he said . dempsey said he could not have gotten troops on the ground within 13 to 15 hours . panetta was firm throughout his testimony that there were no undue delays ' in decision making and there was no denial of support from washington or from the military combatant commanders when the attack happened . quite the contrary : the safe evacuation of all u.s. government personnel from benghazi 12 hours after the initial attack ' and transfer to the ramstein air base in germany was the result of exceptional u.s. government coordination . ' he said the u.s. military response helped save lives . obama 's talk with panetta in the months since the attacks , washington has been a center of debate about how much the state department had known about threats in the region and whether , after the attacks , the administration tried to mislead the public about its nature . an independent review released in december lambasted the state department , saying systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies ' led to inadequate security at the benghazi post . in his remarks , panetta said the initial reports of the attack were given almost immediately ' to the u.s. embassy in the libyan capital of tripoli . within 17 minutes , panetta said , an unarmed , unmanned surveillance aircraft was dispatched to give u.s. officials a better idea of what was happening . it arrived at the site about 70 minutes after the attack , he said . soon , panetta and dempsey met with president barack obama , the secretary told lawmakers . obama ordered that the defense department respond to the attack with all available dod assets ' and try to protect u.s. personnel , panetta said . ayotte and sen. lindsey graham , r-south carolina asked how many times obama spoke with panetta and dempsey after learning about the attack . once , in a half-hour conversation with the president , the men said ; obama did not personally get back in touch with them to ask how the mission to help personnel in benghazi was going . do you think it 's a typical response of the president of the united states to make one phone call , do what you can and never call you back again and ask you ,'how is it going , by the way ?'' graham asked . panetta replied , the president is well-informed about what is going on , make no mistake about it . ' was any airplane launched in the world before the attack was concluded ? ' graham asked . if you 're talking about a strike aircraft , no , senator , ' dempsey said . did anybody leave any base anywhere to go to the aid of the people under attack in benghazi , libya , before the attack ended ? ' graham asked . no , ' panetta responded . because the attack ended . ' orders without action but orders to prepare had been given , the defense secretary testified . panetta said a marine security team platoon stationed in spain was ordered to prepare for deployment while another platoon prepped to head to the embassy in tripoli . a special operations force , then training in central europe , was told to prepare to deploy to a staging base in southern europe , and another special ops force , based in the united states , was told to prepare to move there , too . some have asked why other types of armed aircraft were not dispatched to benghazi , ' he said . armed drones , ac-130 gunships or fixed-wing fighters with the associated tanking , armaments , targeting and support capabilities were not near libya , and it would have taken at least nine hours to deploy , he said . this was , pure and simple , in the absence , as i said -- of any kind of advance warning -- a problem of distance and time , ' panetta said . the quickest response option available was a tripoli-based security team , he said . within hours , panetta said , that six-person team , including two u.s. military personnel , chartered a plane and flew to benghazi . within 15 minutes of arriving at the annex facility , they came under attack by mortar and rocket-propelled grenades , he said . members of the team and others at the annex facility provided emergency medical assistance and supported the evacuation of all personnel . all remaining u.s. government employees were evacuated from benghazi , panetta said . beefing up security there will always be tension ' between how much security is adequate and how much would create a bunker-like mentality ' at global posts , panetta said . the answer is not to assign the military to run a fire house ' next to every u.s. diplomatic location . panetta noted that congress , too , plays a role in the security of the nation 's diplomatic missions , and that the department of defense faces the prospect of sequestration -- which would result in billions of dollars of cutbacks to the defense budget -- on march 1 . if congress fails to act , sequestration is triggered , ' he said . panetta also said there must be some reliance on host countries to help with security . the attack in benghazi raises concerns ' about whether that 's always possible . libya 's government has been on shaky ground since libyan leader moammar gadhafi was ousted in 2011 . the defense secretary 's testimony comes a few weeks after clinton told lawmakers that the state department was moving fast to beef up security at u.s. posts worldwide . during her testimony , clinton teared up as she recounted meeting the arrival of the caskets containing the bodies of stevens and former navy seal commandos tyrone woods and glen doherty , both of whom had been working as diplomatic security officers . sean smith , the fourth american killed , was an information management officer . panetta said an fbi team that includes cia and dod members has made very good progress ' in identifying the attackers . | joint chiefs chairman and sen. mccain square off in testy exchange |
iaea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- negotiations aimed at curbing iran 's nuclear ambitions may have stalled in switzerland this weekend , but the head of the u.n. nuclear watchdog agency is optimistic about a new agreement struck with tehran . the international atomic energy agency signed a cooperation deal with iran on monday . it will give the iaea greater access to long-unseen nuclear sites , including a heavy-water reactor in arak , the very site that may have tripped up the geneva talks . yukiya amano , the director general of the international atomic energy agency , said the agreement signified a new willingness by tehran to cooperate with the iaea . the atmosphere is very different , the meeting was very constructive , ' he said in an interview with cnn 's christiane amanpour . this is an important step , but this is a first step , and much more needs to be done . ' he said the deal would take a step by step approach to solving problems , bearing in mind the complications in dealing with the iranian nuclear issue . amano said iran and the iaea have agreed to focus on six practical measures that would be implemented in a three-month time line . the joint statement says iran and iaea agree to resolve all present and past issues , ' amano said . issues that are not included in the first step will be addressed in the subsequent steps . ' the iaea 's talks with iran are separate from the big power diplomacy , he said , referring to the recent nuclear talks between world powers and iran in switzerland , which disintegrated on sunday . hopes for a deal had soared after top diplomats rushed to geneva , but then faded amid divisions among the p5+1 countries . representatives from iran and those six countries are scheduled to meet again in geneva on november 20 , in another attempt to resolve the decade long dispute . geneva talks and iaea talks are independent , different and separate , ' amano said . we are focusing on verification and technical issues . ' state department : we made significant progress in geneva ' the iaea chief has reason to be optimistic , given that this is his first agreement with iran in years , said joseph cirincione , president of ploughshares fund , a public grant-making foundation focused on nuclear weapons policy and conflict resolution . this is for real , these guys are not playing a con game , ' cirincione said . these iranians are a much more pragmatic group . they want to make a deal , they want to end iran 's isolation . they want to end sanctions . they are willing to make serious concessions . ' on tuesday , the u.s. state department also sounded upbeat , saying significant progress was made in geneva . the p5+1 is united , ' said jen psaki , state department spokesperson . there is still a gap between what language might be appropriate ; that the iranians are prepared to accept . ' iran has always insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes . western powers and israel accuse it of harboring ambitions for a nuclear weapon . iran 's refusal to stop enriching uranium has led to crippling sanctions that have stunted its economy , slashed its crude oil exports and triggered widespread inflation at home . u.s. senators from both parties have pushed for tougher sanctions to increase pressure on iran even as the geneva talks showed early signs of promise last week . but the white house warns lawmakers that tightening sanctions on iran could derail the diplomatic push to curb tehran 's nuclear program . secretary of state john kerry will push diplomacy as he heads to capitol hill on wednesday to meet with members of the senate banking committee . some of the restrictions originated in that banking committee . the state department said kerry would make it clear that putting new sanctions in place would be a mistake . we are still determining if there is a diplomatic path forward , ' psaki said . what we are asking for right now is a pause , a temporary pause , in sanctions . we are not taking away sanctions . we are not rolling them back . this is about ensuring our legislative strategy and our negotiating strategy are running hand in hand . ' the momentum for this deal is almost irresistible , ' said cirincione . it may not happen november 20 . it may take a few more weeks , but it is crystal clear , the majority of p5+1 believe a deal is in our best interest . ' cnn 's christiane amanpour contributed to this story | iaea chief : this is an important step , but this is a first step ' |
vi ripken <tsp> aberdeen , maryland ( cnn ) -- the man who abducted the mother of baltimore orioles legend cal ripken jr. from her maryland home restrained her and appeared to have used her credit cards , a law enforcement official said wednesday . but officials in aberdeen , maryland , say they are still looking for motives in the case and have n't found evidence of ransom demands for violet ripken , the mother of one of baseball 's most celebrated players . ripken , 74 , was safe and resting with relatives wednesday after a nearly daylong ordeal , authorities said . police in aberdeen said a man with a gun showed up at her home between 7 and 8 a.m. tuesday , then forced her into her vehicle and drove off . she was found about 6:15 a.m. wednesday in the back seat of her vehicle near her home with her hands bound , but she was otherwise unharmed , police said . michael jackson 's mom found safe , family drama unfolds investigators are looking for a motive . aberdeen police said that they have no knowledge of a ransom being demanded or paid , and that cal ripken apparently was n't contacted . at this time i can say we know of no ransom demand , ' aberdeen police chief henry trabert told reporters . he also said police do n't know of any relationship between the suspect and the ripken family . trabert said violet ripken was understandably upset after the ordeal . the official said the suspect put sunglasses on the woman and they drove around all day and made stops for gas . the official said the suspect made no mention of cal ripken , an indication that he might not have known she is the mother of a famous former baseball player . the official was not aware of any attempt to ask anyone for a ransom , but said the suspect did take mrs. ripken 's credit cards and it appears he has used them at several places . police believe the suspect drove the woman 's silver 1998 lincoln towncar throughout central maryland but they are n't sure of precise locations and counties . police are looking for a white male with a light , thin build in his late 30s to early 40s last seen wearing a light-colored shirt , glasses and camo pants . ' police consider the man armed and dangerous . rich wolf , a spokesman for the fbi in baltimore , said the fbi is helping local police investigate the case . the ripken family released a statement expressing gratitude for violet ripkin 's safe return . this has been a very trying time for our family , but we are grateful and relieved that mom is back with us , safe and healthy , ' the statement said . cal ripken jr. achieved stardom as a shortstop with the baltimore orioles and is a member of baseball 's hall of fame . he holds the major league baseball record for playing in the most consecutive games -- 2,632 from 1982 to 1998 . he made 19 straight all-star appearances and won two most valuable player awards , racking up 3,184 hits and 431 home runs . his father , cal ripken sr. , was a manager , coach and scout who worked in the orioles organization for 36 years . he died in 1999 . ripken does n't stop after retiring cnn 's carol cratty contributed to this report | new : police say vi ripken was found in the back seat of her car , hands bound |
irbil <tsp> prime minister nuri al-maliki gave up the fight thursday to keep his post , clearing the way for a new leader that many hope can hold iraq together as the country battles brutal extremist fighters . in a televised address , al-maliki withdrew his candidacy for a third term and endorsed the prime minister-designate , bringing to an end a political battle that just days ago saw him vow to hold onto power as he ordered tanks into the streets . i announce to you today that i am withdrawing my candidacy in deference to my brother , haider al-abadi , in the highest interest of the country , ' he said . the news -- first flashed on state television -- follows mounting pressure , at home and abroad , for al-maliki to step aside and make way for someone to bridge the sectarian divide that many accuse him of fomenting . the move comes at a critical time in iraq as sunni fighters with the so-called islamic state , formerly known as the islamic state of iraq and syria , force hundreds of thousands from their homes as they seize large swaths of land . al-maliki 's announcement came the same day that u.s. president barack obama declared the isis siege that trapped thousands in the sinjar mountains over , but warned the crisis is far from solved . while humanitarian airdrops and u.s. airstrikes saved those stranded from starving and provided safe passage off out of the mountains , the yazidis arrived by the thousands at camps in and outside iraq . al-maliki will continue to serve as the country 's caretaker prime minister -- as well as its top military commander -- until al-abadi forms a new government . al-maliki 's acquiescence was a turnaround for the man , who in recent days called the appointment of al-abadi unconstitutional and said he would not step down . he had gone so far as to file a lawsuit in federal court to stop the formation of a new government and ordered tanks and soldiers loyal to him into the streets of baghdad , raising concerns of a possible coup . but with world leaders , diplomats , members of his own political party and the country 's most revered shiite cleric pressuring him to step down , al-maliki gave up the fight . calling it in an honorable decision ' by al-maliki , u.s. secretary of state john kerry urged al-abadi to move quickly to form the government , saying it is essential to pulling the country 's various ethnic and religious groups together to fight a common enemy in isis . who 's haider al-abadi , the man who will lead iraq ? while iraq works to seat a new government , obama said in a televised address on thursday that the united states will continue to conduct airstrikes to protect u.s. personnel and facilities . the united states carried out airstrikes thursday against three isis targets northeast of the kurdish regional capital of irbil , according to the u.s. central command . the targets were u.s.-manufactured mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles , more commonly known as mraps , and other armored vehicles being driven by isis fighters . the vehicles are believed to have been seized by isis after it routed iraqi troops in northern iraq . also , there were reports that isis fighters were advancing south and west of kirkuk , about 240 kilometers ( 149 miles ) north of baghdad . at the same time , obama urged iraq 's shiite-dominated government to seize the enormous opportunity of forming a new inclusive government ' under al-abadi . he still has a challenging task in putting a government together , but we are modestly hopeful that the iraqi government situation is moving in the right direction , ' he said . the new battleground in iraq appeared to be spreading to the south and west of kirkuk , where isis fighters occupied four towns to the south and west of kirkuk , according to hisham al-hashimi , a researcher at the journalistic freedom observatory . according to his sources in the field , there was fighting ongoing between isis and kurdish fighters , known as peshmerga , in the town of tuz khurmatu . the town is home to a number of turkmen , an ethnic minority in iraq . the united nations estimates that more than 400,000 people have been driven from their homes since june , when isis swept across the border from syria into iraq . of those displaced , more than 200,000 have poured into northern dohuk province in recent weeks , where refugee camp populations have swelled since isis began its assault against yazidis , christians , kurds and shiites . thousands of other refugees sought protection inside the northern kurdish region of iraq . to be blunt , we do n't have housing for all of them . we do n't have shelter , ' a spokesman for the u.n. human rights commissioner , edward colt , said at a camp near the peshkhabour bridge where iraqis are entering the area . thousands of tents are being erected as we speak . ' yazidi refugees were also fleeing across the iraqi border into syria . as of thursday , there were about 15,000 yazidi refugees from iraq who arrived at the newroz camp in syria , the u.n. refugee agency said . thousands more are arriving , the agency said . the yazidis fled last week in the sinjar mountains as isis overran the city of sinjar . a senior commander said isis fighters abducted more than 100 yazidi women and children from the community . the isis commander , who has knowledge of the events that unfolded , said the fighters killed a large number of men when they took over the town more than a week ago . at that time , they took yazidi women and children , and i can confirm those women and children have entered mosul , ' the commander said by telephone . ... the islamic state is taking this opportunity to call them to islam . ' while cnn can not independently confirm the claim , it follows reports by survivors who describe isis fighters grabbing families and separating the men from the women and children . | u.s. carries out airstrikes against isis targets northeast of irbil |
uk <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- the winners of this year 's british wildlife photography awards have been announced . the competition , which was established in 2009 , has produced another batch of stunning entries capturing the diversity and beauty of wildlife in the uk . an image of a jellyfish taken by richard shucksmith in the waters off sula sgeir -- an uninhabited island 41 miles north of the isle of lewis , scotland -- was declared the overall winner . greg armfield , photography and film manager at wwf -- one of the competition 's several sponsors -- called it a truly beautiful shot , ' which perfectly captures its iridescent and magical qualities . ' shucksmith picked up â£5,000 ( $ 7,800 ) for the shot with category winners being awarded â£1,000 ( $ 1,555 ) . the young british wildlife photographers prizes went to 16-year-old oliver wilks for his fox yawning ' image , while walter lovell ( aged eight ) captured an amazing image of a frog and its spawn . seventy of this year 's best images will go on show at wildlifexpo in london this october before heading off on a countrywide tour . next year 's competition opens at the beginning of february 2012 . submissions are welcome from all nationalities , but photos must be shot in the uk . | competition open to photographers worldwide but photos must be taken in uk |
naomi klein <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- naomi klein 's 2000 book no logo ' galvanized a generation to resist the lure of brands and corporatization . bono , rock star and new style activist direct action such as protests and guerilla tactics such as culture jamming and graffiti were encouraged . back then the movement had teeth and energy , but very quickly it has not just deflated but sharply turned into a world of hyper consumption , according to klein . welcome to the pro-logo generation that is more likely to buy a wristband and ticket to live earth than hit the streets in protest . speaking this week at the cheltenham literature festival in the uk , to promote her new book the shock doctrine , ' klein attacked the bono-ization ' of the protest movement , referring to u2 frontman bono who is also an active anti-poverty campaigner . the bono-ization of protest particularly in the uk has reduced discussion to a much safer terrain . ' referring to the make poverty history campaign at gleneagles in 2005 she said , it was the stadium rock model of protest -- there 's celebrities and there 's spectators waving their bracelets . it 's less dangerous and less powerful ( than grass roots street demonstrations . ) ' speaking to cnn.com , klein said the new style of anti-poverty campaigning , where celebrities talk directly with government and business leaders on behalf of a continent ( such as africa ) is another form of noblesse oblige ' where the rich and powerful club together to'give something back .' they are saying we do n't even need government anymore , it 's the replacement of nation states with corporate rule -- this billionaires club , including bill clinton that gets together to give a little something back . ' what 's complicated about the space that bono and geldof ( bob geldof , founder of live aid ) are occupying is that it 's inside and outside at the same time -- there 's no difference . what 's significant about the seattle movement ( the wto protests in 1999 and 2000 ) is that it 's less the tactics but the fact that it identifies that there are real power differences , winners and losers in this economic model . ' klein believes when celebrities such as bono engage in talks with world leaders at forums such as davos they are legitimizing the structures in place , and the inequalities that arise from these structures , rather than promoting any radical change ; the story of globalization is the story of inequality . what 's been lost in the bono-ization is ability to change these power structures . there are still the winners and losers , people who are locked in to the power structures and those locked out . ' protests such as the seattle anti-globalization protests , were really demanding a structural change . ' but now but according to klein , the rise in blogging and on-line protests has taken the heat out of direct action . it 's safer to mouth off in a blog than put your body on the line . the internet is an amazing organizing tool but it also acts as a release , with the ability to rant and get instant catharsis . it 's taken that sense of urgency away . ' bono 's red initiative is emblematic of this new pro-logo age . he announced a new branded product range at the world economic forum in davos switzerland last year called product red . american express , converse , armani and gap were initial partners , joined later by apple and motorola . the corporations sell red branded products , with a percentage of profits going to bono approved causes . in this pro-logo world there is an irony of consuming to end poverty . perhaps an even bigger irony : through initiatives like the red card , consumer culture and branding is buying a stake in anti-globalization and alleviating poverty movement . klein says , what they 've tapped into is a market niche . there 's nothing that 's inherently wrong with these initiatives except when they make radical claims that it 's going to end poverty . there 's a long history of radical consumption -- what 's pretty unbelievable about this ( the red label ) is that they say it 's revolutionary and it 's going to replace other forms of politics . ' instead klein advocates for a more confrontational and engaged form of activism , we have had mass social movements that are messy -- and that leads to some kind of negotiation and some kind of representation . what i see from the bono camp is that they dismiss street protest as bunch as gripers whereas they ( bono ) are being constructive because they engaging with power ( but ) if you look at the history of the labor movement its people outside trying to enforce change . ' cnn spoke to a london-based activist susie ( who did not wish to give her real name ) from the climate camp who said charity concerts are pathetic , just pathetic and a way to recorporate the issue . it changes nothing . it 's enjoyable but ( from a political point of view ) it 's a waste of time . it diverts attention away from taking action and protest . nobody ever changes anything from attending a concert . ' klein agrees saying , i think people go to concerts because it 's fun but i do n't get a sense from anyone i talk to that it 's effective politically . ' long time human rights activist , peter tatchell says despite the huge numbers marching in the anti-iraq war marches three years ago , there is a sense of political powerlessness plus there 's been a shift to the right . ' he sees the bono-ization effect in the way the protest movement has been incorporated -- the corporate agenda around consumerism and spending has just become another form of protest . ' yet he does see the value in having people working with power to effect change : the classic model of social change is that you need people on the inside talking to people in power and people on the outside shaking up the establishment -- a combination of the two getting results . the good cop , bad cop routine seems to have worked in the past . ' e-mail to a friend | author naomi klein criticizes the bono-ization of activism |
holy grail <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with each day , the hunt for malaysia airlines flight 370 becomes one of the most baffling mysteries of the modern era , but history offers many great quests in which mankind searched for something or someone lost . these are epic searches , based on legend or fact , ending successfully , tragically , or sometimes not at all : the holy grail there are many great biblical searches : noah 's ark . the ark of the covenant . the garden of eden . but there 's nothing like the holy grail . indeed , it 's a metaphor for any monumental search . it 's not clear what the grail exactly was , but it 's said to be the shallow cup from jesus christ 's last supper and from his crucifixion , where the vessel took blood flowing from his side . some believe joseph of arimathea brought the grail to britain , where it lies hidden . not even legendary king arthur and his knights could find it , though their crusade inspired lore and romance . the titanic rms titanic was a british luxury passenger ship that sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from southampton , england , to new york city . the ocean liner was touted as unsinkable ' -- until it met an iceberg in the north atlantic around midnight on april 14-15 , 1912 . about 1,500 of the more than 2,200 people aboard the titanic died . for decades , the ship was considered forever lost at the bottom of the ocean -- until 1985 , when scientists found the wreckage on the seabed . its story inspired director james cameron to make the hollywood tragic love tale titanic ' in 1997 . air france 447 a long search for a commercial airliner like malaysia airlines flight 370 is n't unprecedented . in 2009 , air france flight 447 plunged into the south atlantic ocean during a storm , killing all 228 people aboard . the precise location of the wreckage remained a mystery for almost two years . then the plane and its dead were found in a mountain range deep on the ocean floor . miniature submersible vehicles retrieved the flight 447 's voice and flight data recorders . that allowed investigators to blame the crash on a series of errors by the pilots and a failure to react effectively to technical problems . nine aviation mysteries highlight long history of plane disappearances jimmy hoffa the disappearance of teamsters leader james riddle hoffa remains a subject of relentless speculation and macabre jokes . he vanished on july 30 , 1975 , after he stood outside the machus red fox restaurant in michigan and made a phone call . he was never heard from again . his name makes news anytime fbi agents and police are seen holding shovels . lore holds that hoffa was killed and buried . but where ? amelia earhart the swashbuckling aviatrix and pioneering woman embarked on the first around-the-world flight at the equator in june 1937 . after completing about two-thirds of the flight , she and navigator frederick noonan disappeared after their plane took off from lae , new guinea . they were heading to the pacific ocean outpost of howland island -- a distance equaling a transcontinental u.s. flight . a search never found any trace of her , noonan or their plane . some believe they ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea -- similar to one theory of what happened to the malaysia airlines plane . atlantis in the fourth century b.c. , the philosopher plato spoke of an ancient utopia that existed 9,000 years before , a place called atlantis . made of concentric islands rich with gold , silver and exotic life , atlantis descended into depravity , plato said , until earthquakes and tsunamis ultimately destroyed it . over time , thinkers and writers began trying to place atlantis in real countries and lands , even america . at a minimum , atlantis lives on in the imagination , thanks to one of western civilization 's greatest philosophers . seven cities of gold it 's one thing to imagine of a paradise like atlantis . it 's quite another to actually voyage into a strange new world in search of one . that 's what the spanish explorers did in the 1500s , driven by a tall tale told by natives of how the new world held seven cities of gold . in their lust for wealth , the spaniards traveled through modern florida , texas and mexico in search of cibola . when they arrived in kansas , they finally quit . they never found the seven lost cities of gold . tomb of cleopatra and mark antony cleopatra , the great queen of egypt , died in 30 b.c . and was buried with her lover , mark antony . the couple 's great passion has been captured in theater and film , thanks to shakespeare on stage and elizabeth taylor in film . but for some adventurers , that 's not enough . in 2009 , flamboyant archeologist zahi hawass of egypt and his colleagues began a new search for cleopatra 's tomb -- in hopes of removing some of the great mystery that hangs thick around this famous queen , ' hawass wrote in national geographic . many have searched for the tomb of alexander the great , but no one had searched for that missing piece of ancient egypt 's story -- the tomb of cleopatra , who took her own life rather than surrender her homeland to the romans , ' hawass wrote . it occurred to me that we had before us an opportunity to recover the last page in the book of ancient egyptian civilization , an opportunity we could not pass by . ' so far , he 's had no luck . then again , no one has found the tomb of alexander the great , either . bermuda triangle many ships , planes and people have disappeared in the bermuda triangle , a section of the atlantic ocean in a triangle ' marked by the points of bermuda , miami and san juan , puerto rico . speculation runs wild on what caused the boats and aircraft to vanish . sound familiar ? the disappearance of flight 370 has nothing on the bermuda triangle . some even blame the triangle disasters on supernatural forces , including influences from lost atlantis or another time-space dimension . the u.s. government devotes a web page to the bermuda triangle and rebuts fringe theories . u.s. officials cite hurricanes , sudden storms , the powerful gulf stream and shallow caribbean waters as reasonable explanations for the lost vessels . the u.s. navy and u.s. coast guard contend that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea . their experience suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science fiction , ' the u.s. national oceanic and atmospheric administration says on its website . the ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans , and when foul weather or poor navigation is involved , it can be a very deadly place . this is true all over the world . ' by the way , no official mapping exists for triangle 's boundaries , noaa says . life out there call them aliens . call them extraterrestrials . call them what you want . but let 's face it : do n't we all wonder what 's out there , especially when we launch spacecraft to another planet ? sure , astronomers study the heavens and find new planets , but what we 're privately searching for is whether we are alone . among the organizations advancing this pursuit is the carl sagan center for the study of life in the universe , named after the late american astronomer who championed exploration of the cosmos . the significance of a finding that there are other beings who share this universe with us would be absolutely phenomenal , it would be an epochal event in human history , ' sagan once declared . | the holy grail , never found , is a metaphor for all monumental quests |
carl pistorius <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- as olympic icon oscar pistorius faces a murder trial for shooting his girlfriend , his older brother is also charged in the death of a woman . carl pistorius is accused in the 2010 death of a female motorcyclist , pistorius family attorney kenny oldwage said . culpable homicide refers to unlawful negligent killing , ' south african police say . prosecutors say carl pistorius was driving recklessly in vanderbijlpark , south africa , when he crashed with the motorcyclist in the daytime . oldwage disputes allegations that his client was driving recklessly and said the motorcyclist rode into carl pistorius'vehicle . carl deeply regrets the accident . blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol , confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with carl 's car , ' a statement from the pistorius family said . the motorcyclist died in a hospital a couple of days after the accident , oldwage said . carl pistorius was initially scheduled to go on trial thursday -- during the middle of his brother 's four-day bail hearing . the trial has been rescheduled for the end of march . his case could be over before his brother 's murder trial is scheduled to start in june . carl pistorius was a fixture at his younger brother 's bail hearing last week , handing oscar tissues as the 26-year-old sobbed uncontrollably in court . oscar pistorius , the double-amputee sprinter known as the blade runner , ' is charged with premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend , model reeva steenkamp . prosecutors say the olympian killed her after a heated argument in the early morning hours of valentine 's day . pistorius says he thought steenkamp , 29 , was an intruder . after a four-day , emotionally wrenching bail hearing , the track star was granted bail friday . as part of his conditions for release , oscar pistorius can not return to his home , where the shooting happened ; must surrender his passport ; and ca n't go near an airport . it 's unknown whether oscar pistorius will be in court to support his brother during his trial . cnn 's karen smith and josh levs contributed to this report . | carl pistorius'trial was rescheduled so he could support his brother |
carl pistorius <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- as olympic icon oscar pistorius faces a murder trial for shooting his girlfriend , his older brother is also charged in the death of a woman . carl pistorius is accused in the 2010 death of a female motorcyclist , pistorius family attorney kenny oldwage said . culpable homicide refers to unlawful negligent killing , ' south african police say . prosecutors say carl pistorius was driving recklessly in vanderbijlpark , south africa , when he crashed with the motorcyclist in the daytime . oldwage disputes allegations that his client was driving recklessly and said the motorcyclist rode into carl pistorius'vehicle . carl deeply regrets the accident . blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol , confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with carl 's car , ' a statement from the pistorius family said . the motorcyclist died in a hospital a couple of days after the accident , oldwage said . carl pistorius was initially scheduled to go on trial thursday -- during the middle of his brother 's four-day bail hearing . the trial has been rescheduled for the end of march . his case could be over before his brother 's murder trial is scheduled to start in june . carl pistorius was a fixture at his younger brother 's bail hearing last week , handing oscar tissues as the 26-year-old sobbed uncontrollably in court . oscar pistorius , the double-amputee sprinter known as the blade runner , ' is charged with premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend , model reeva steenkamp . prosecutors say the olympian killed her after a heated argument in the early morning hours of valentine 's day . pistorius says he thought steenkamp , 29 , was an intruder . after a four-day , emotionally wrenching bail hearing , the track star was granted bail friday . as part of his conditions for release , oscar pistorius can not return to his home , where the shooting happened ; must surrender his passport ; and ca n't go near an airport . it 's unknown whether oscar pistorius will be in court to support his brother during his trial . cnn 's karen smith and josh levs contributed to this report . | prosecutors blame carl pistorius for the death of a motorcyclist in 2010 |
carl pistorius <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- as olympic icon oscar pistorius faces a murder trial for shooting his girlfriend , his older brother is also charged in the death of a woman . carl pistorius is accused in the 2010 death of a female motorcyclist , pistorius family attorney kenny oldwage said . culpable homicide refers to unlawful negligent killing , ' south african police say . prosecutors say carl pistorius was driving recklessly in vanderbijlpark , south africa , when he crashed with the motorcyclist in the daytime . oldwage disputes allegations that his client was driving recklessly and said the motorcyclist rode into carl pistorius'vehicle . carl deeply regrets the accident . blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol , confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with carl 's car , ' a statement from the pistorius family said . the motorcyclist died in a hospital a couple of days after the accident , oldwage said . carl pistorius was initially scheduled to go on trial thursday -- during the middle of his brother 's four-day bail hearing . the trial has been rescheduled for the end of march . his case could be over before his brother 's murder trial is scheduled to start in june . carl pistorius was a fixture at his younger brother 's bail hearing last week , handing oscar tissues as the 26-year-old sobbed uncontrollably in court . oscar pistorius , the double-amputee sprinter known as the blade runner , ' is charged with premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend , model reeva steenkamp . prosecutors say the olympian killed her after a heated argument in the early morning hours of valentine 's day . pistorius says he thought steenkamp , 29 , was an intruder . after a four-day , emotionally wrenching bail hearing , the track star was granted bail friday . as part of his conditions for release , oscar pistorius can not return to his home , where the shooting happened ; must surrender his passport ; and ca n't go near an airport . it 's unknown whether oscar pistorius will be in court to support his brother during his trial . cnn 's karen smith and josh levs contributed to this report . | a pistorius family attorney confirms that carl pistorius is charged with culpable homicide |
carl pistorius <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- as olympic icon oscar pistorius faces a murder trial for shooting his girlfriend , his older brother is also charged in the death of a woman . carl pistorius is accused in the 2010 death of a female motorcyclist , pistorius family attorney kenny oldwage said . culpable homicide refers to unlawful negligent killing , ' south african police say . prosecutors say carl pistorius was driving recklessly in vanderbijlpark , south africa , when he crashed with the motorcyclist in the daytime . oldwage disputes allegations that his client was driving recklessly and said the motorcyclist rode into carl pistorius'vehicle . carl deeply regrets the accident . blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol , confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with carl 's car , ' a statement from the pistorius family said . the motorcyclist died in a hospital a couple of days after the accident , oldwage said . carl pistorius was initially scheduled to go on trial thursday -- during the middle of his brother 's four-day bail hearing . the trial has been rescheduled for the end of march . his case could be over before his brother 's murder trial is scheduled to start in june . carl pistorius was a fixture at his younger brother 's bail hearing last week , handing oscar tissues as the 26-year-old sobbed uncontrollably in court . oscar pistorius , the double-amputee sprinter known as the blade runner , ' is charged with premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend , model reeva steenkamp . prosecutors say the olympian killed her after a heated argument in the early morning hours of valentine 's day . pistorius says he thought steenkamp , 29 , was an intruder . after a four-day , emotionally wrenching bail hearing , the track star was granted bail friday . as part of his conditions for release , oscar pistorius can not return to his home , where the shooting happened ; must surrender his passport ; and ca n't go near an airport . it 's unknown whether oscar pistorius will be in court to support his brother during his trial . cnn 's karen smith and josh levs contributed to this report . | his attorney says the motorcyclist crashed into carl pistorius'vehicle |
brown <tsp> editor 's note : campbell brown anchors cnn 's campbell brown : no bias , no bull ' at 8 p.m . et mondays through fridays . she delivered this commentary during the cutting through the bull ' segment of wednesday night 's broadcast . cnn 's campbell brown says the huffington post has audio of an executive talking about the awards . ' ( cnn ) -- and timing is everything when it comes to cashing in during the bailout . the soon-to-be-combined morgan stanley and citigroup 's smith barney will be doling out bonuses to its financial advisers , even as both firms take $ 60 billion of your bailout dollars . and it gets better . the bonuses , which could total $ 3 billion , will be based on the companies'2008 numbers , which , while bad , will almost certainly be better than this year . how do we all know this ? someone gave the huffington post web site audio from a conference call where , by the way , a morgan stanley executive told them not to use the b ' word . conference audio : there will be a retention award . please do not call it a bonus . it is not a bonus . it is an award . and it recognizes the importance of keeping our team in place as we go through this integration . ' sounds like a bonus to us . the dictionary describes a bonus as a sum of money granted to an employee on top of their regular pay , usually in appreciation for work done , length of service , or accumulated favors . semantics aside , the companies have good reason to want to hide the truth . but in the middle of a bailout , we have good reason to call this bonus -- bogus . jim wiggins , spokesman for morgan stanley , would not confirm the authenticity of the tape , but he did defend their practice of so-called retention programs . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of campbell brown . | brown : banks reportedly giving retention awards ' to employees |
brown <tsp> editor 's note : campbell brown anchors cnn 's campbell brown : no bias , no bull ' at 8 p.m . et mondays through fridays . she delivered this commentary during the cutting through the bull ' segment of wednesday night 's broadcast . cnn 's campbell brown says the huffington post has audio of an executive talking about the awards . ' ( cnn ) -- and timing is everything when it comes to cashing in during the bailout . the soon-to-be-combined morgan stanley and citigroup 's smith barney will be doling out bonuses to its financial advisers , even as both firms take $ 60 billion of your bailout dollars . and it gets better . the bonuses , which could total $ 3 billion , will be based on the companies'2008 numbers , which , while bad , will almost certainly be better than this year . how do we all know this ? someone gave the huffington post web site audio from a conference call where , by the way , a morgan stanley executive told them not to use the b ' word . conference audio : there will be a retention award . please do not call it a bonus . it is not a bonus . it is an award . and it recognizes the importance of keeping our team in place as we go through this integration . ' sounds like a bonus to us . the dictionary describes a bonus as a sum of money granted to an employee on top of their regular pay , usually in appreciation for work done , length of service , or accumulated favors . semantics aside , the companies have good reason to want to hide the truth . but in the middle of a bailout , we have good reason to call this bonus -- bogus . jim wiggins , spokesman for morgan stanley , would not confirm the authenticity of the tape , but he did defend their practice of so-called retention programs . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of campbell brown . | brown says that 's wrong , to the tune of up to $ 3 billion in bonuses |
yohan cabaye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- luis suarez may have been the villain of liverpool 's 2011-12 season , but the uruguay striker is doing his best to make amends in another difficult start to this english premier league campaign . the fallout from suarez 's eight-match suspension for racially abusing manchester united 's patrice evra ultimately led to liverpool legend kenny dalglish losing his job as manager in may . his successor brendan rogers is under increasing pressure after the club 's worst start to a season in more than a century , but suarez 's inspirational performance in sunday 's 1-1 draw with 10-man newcastle helped prevent a fourth defeat in 10 epl games . his second-half equalizer -- a superb display of control for his 10th goal this season after chesting down a long pass and rounding the keeper -- lifted the 18-time english champions up to 12th in the table . the confrontational suarez is never far from the headlines , having been accused by several opposition managers of diving and going to ground too easily . such was his combative presence on sunday that he lured visiting defender fabricio coloccini -- a fellow south american from neighboring argentina -- into a rash challenge that earned a red card . while liverpool could n't capitalize on that advantage , rodgers was grateful for another virtuoso show from suarez -- who also scored in last weekend 's merseyside derby draw with everton , when he had a late winner wrongly ruled out for offside . i thought he was unplayable . coloccini getting sent off was frustration , ' said rodgers , whose team trailed to yohan cabaye 's strike just before halftime . i do n't think he could get near him today , and he 's a good defender , coloccini . suarez is so bright , so clever , he 's a world-class striker . on that form today he really frustrates and provokes defenders . he has a hunger for the game , he has a hunger for goals . ' it was , however , liverpool 's fifth draw this season and followed a humiliating 3-1 midweek league cup defeat at home to rodgers'former club swansea -- when suarez also scored . once we can turn those draws into wins by converting the chances ... but that 's about players , the type of players you need . if we can get that over the next couple of ( transfer ) windows it bodes really well for us , ' said rodgers , who was criticized for his lack of top signings in august while allowing england striker andy carroll to leave for west ham . the result left newcastle in 10th place , and came at a cost of injuries to midfielder cabaye , defender james perch and top scorer demba ba . meanwhile , queens park rangers moved off the bottom after a 1-1 draw at home to reading in sunday 's other epl game . french striker djibril cisse scored a second-half equalizer that will lift some of the pressure on his manager mark hughes , though both teams remained in the bottom three . in italy 's serie a , napoli failed to capitalize on juventus'first defeat in 50 matches , being held 1-1 at home by torino on sunday despite a sixth-minute goal from uruguay striker edinson cavani . substitute gianluca sansone leveled in time added on to leave napoli -- beaten by atalanta in midweek -- in third place , five points behind leaders juve . fiorentina moved up to fourth after a 4-1 win at home to cagliari , while lazio went in the other direction after a 4-0 defeat by seventh-placed catania . in germany , bayer leverkusen moved up to fourth place after beating fortuna dusseldorf 3-2 despite having midfielder simon rolfes sent off just over a minute after he came on . leverkusen went 3-1 ahead straight after the substitute 's 65th-minute dismissal and held on against a team that is battling to avoid an immediate return to the second division . werder bremen beat mainz 2-1 in sunday 's other bundesliga fixture , with two goals from aaron hunt lifting his team to seventh place and above the visitors on goal difference . in spain 's la liga , levante moved up to fifth after a 0-0 draw with seventh-placed sevilla on sunday . real betis can reclaim that position with a draw at getafe on monday . valladolid claimed eighth spot with a 1-0 win at bottom club osasuna while espanyol won 1-0 in a clash with fellow strugglers real sociedad . deportivo la coruna joined sociedad and celta vigo on 10 points from 10 games after beating mallorca 1-0 , while athletic bilbao moved above that group to 14th with a 2-1 win at grenada thanks to two goals from aritz aduriz . | striker cancels out yohan cabaye 's opener ; also involved as fabricio coloccini sees red |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- every four years , hundreds of reporters , photojournalists , producers and other journalists take to the campaign trail to document every move of the men and women who want to become president . cnn is no different . starting in 2011 and continuing into 2012 , we unleashed our team of embeds -- reporters and producers who are embedded ' with presidential candidates for months at a time and send back the breaking and mundane news from the campaign trail . our team of embeds -- including peter hamby , rachel streifeld , shannon travis and shawna shepherd -- report for both cnn tv and cnn digital throughout the 2012 campaign . on tuesday june 5 at noon et on cnn.com/roundtable , they will join host wolf blitzer -- a veteran of several campaigns himself -- for an exclusive live video chat about life on the campaign . here are a few of their stories -- in their own words -- from covering the presidential election of 2012 : -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- shawna shepherd there are very few jobs where your office is a bus , a plane , a press riser in the back of a campaign event , and your competitors are also colleagues . campaigns are grueling for candidates , their staff and the journalists who cover them but for all of the advances in technology , nothing replaces seeing a candidate up close day after day interacting with people . one moment came during a town hall where reporters asked mitt romney to explain himself on the rope line after the event : during a town hall in cleveland earlier , romney took a question from a woman who , during the course of her remarks , accused president obama of treason . romney ultimately ignored that comment . on the rope line after the event , i asked him why he did n't acknowledge that part of her question . he said he does n't correct all the answers that get asked of me ' and added , obviously i do n't agree that he should be tried . ' the obama campaign promptly responded to the story i filed about the exchange , which i captured on my iphone , by criticizing romney for not standing up to hateful and over-the-line rhetoric . ' -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- shannon travis something you might 've heard : journalists are a bunch of backstabbing , hyper-competitive , coffee-swilling egotists . i can report that the coffee thing is not true . many of us prefer diet coke . life on the campaign trail also fleshes out another truth : though political reporters do compete to break and cover news , we often stick together -- like a team of rivals ' -- when one or all of us feel set upon . consider what happened at a february event in tucson , arizona : reporters , including myself , were covering rick santorum . after his speech , we tried to do what we typically do : film and report on the candidate 's interaction with supporters . as we approached , security men roped off a few of us from getting near the candidate . but , i noticed one cable news producer filming directly in front of santorum and some photojournalists snapping away . you ca n't let some of us near santorum but tell the rest of us to stay back ! ' i snapped at security . it 's either no press -- or all press ! ' my colleagues joined the protest . ultimately , we only succeeded in raising a stink . but we did succeed in sticking together as one media contingent . it happens a lot . there was the time last november in des moines , iowa , as sexual harassment allegations dogged herman cain , that his bodyguard tried to keep a washington post reporter at a distance and from asking a question . the bodyguard asked me if i knew the reporter . not only did i vouch for him , i told the bodyguard i would not play his game of pick-and-choose the reporter . then there was the time rick perry apparently hoped to avoid questions about the u.s. supreme court 's delay of the execution of a texas death-row inmate . after his tour of a bottling plant in atlantic , iowa , i popped a question on the court 's delay . annoyed , perry briefly and blandly answered , then moved on . my colleague at nbc news would not have it . he followed up with another question on the subject -- a one-two punch that gave all of us a fuller answer to report . the campaign trail is littered with stories like these : reporters sticking together , working together to file deadlines , even helping each other with broken or missing equipment . i even once put money in a parking meter for a colleague when i noticed his meter time was up . -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - rachel streitfeld one part of the job is making sure we get enough generic ' video of the candidate -- it 's called b-roll -- that can be used on tv again and again . i picked up a trick occasionally used by still photographers covering the end of an event , as the candidate is shaking hands with supporters : if you see a cute baby , wait nearby for your moment . this tactic pays off particularly well when covering former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , who usually ca n't resist lifting babies up high in the air . some of us call the simba lift . ' and sure enough , at an event in south carolina , romney obliged . holding a smiling youngster who gripped a romney sign in her two small fists , he lifted her high up in the air . and cnn got the shot . another fun moment was when , after hearing romney talk for months about his friendship with an inspiring olympic athlete , we finally met the man -- gold-medalist and speed skater derek parra . a small , compact speed demon who switched from rollerblading to speed skating , parra told the traveling press corps stories about his and romney 's friendship . and then he let us try on his olympic gold medal ! -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - peter hamby in the waning days of the iowa caucus campaign , i was trailing texas gov . rick perry around the state as he scraped for a top three finish in hopes of boosting his faltering campaign . a longtime runner who was hobbled by back surgery the previous summer , perry would often wake early in those frigid december mornings and hit the treadmill in whatever hotel chain the campaign and its traveling press corps were in . i 'd sometimes encounter perry during my own workouts ; you 'd know he was in the fitness center if a pair of texas state troopers was standing guard outside . i watched him every now and then on the treadmill . he liked to watch sportscenter . he wore brooks running shoes . i noticed , enviously , that he usually kept a faster pace and ran for longer times than i did . but i also saw that he had more energy on the campaign trail in the final days of the iowa sprint than he did when he first embarked on his presidential bid in august . his staff knew it , too . he was sharper . he was a better debater . it was because he was jogging pretty much every day , something he was prevented from doing in previous months because he was lethargic and on painkillers . i later spun this morning workout routine of ours into a story about perry 's late burst of energy , and how his campaign might have worked out a little differently had be been in top physical condition during those damaging fall debates . perry , it turned out , enjoyed the story and our shared interest in running . and after his campaign ended , whenever i saw him at political events around the country he would invite me to go jogging with him austin . | cnn sent a group starting in 2011 |
pulitzer <tsp> ( cnn ) anthony doerr 's all the light we can not see , ' a novel centered on the world war ii bombing of st.-malo , france , and two characters on opposite sides of the war , won the pulitzer prize for fiction monday . doerr 's novel had received rave reviews upon its release last spring . i must blame anthony doerr for lost sleep , because once i started reading his new novel ,'all the light we can not see ,'there was no putting it down , ' wrote william t. vollmann in the new york times book review . doerr 's work was also a finalist for the national book award . it 's his second novel and fourth work of fiction , including two short story collections . 2015 pulitzer prize winners in journalism named ' between riverside and crazy , ' a play by stephen adly guirgis , won the pulitzer for drama . an earlier guirgis work , the motherf * * * * * with the hat , ' ran on broadway in 2011 . elizabeth kolbert 's the sixth extinction : an unnatural history ' won the pulitzer for general nonfiction . kolbert , a new yorker staff writer , tackles the idea that we 're at the beginning of another mass die-off . as the planet warms up , and carbon dioxide acidifies the oceans , all bets are off -- except the ones hinging on mass extinctions , ' wrote nicholas lazard in the guardian . despite that prospect , he added , kolbert 's book is not , thankfully , as depressing as you might think . she has a good grip on her subject and uses a light touch when it is most needed . ' other winners in arts and letters categories include encounters at the heart of the world : a history of the mandan people ' by elizabeth a. fenn ( history ) ; the pope and mussolini : the secret history of pius xi and the rise of fascism in europe ' by david i. kertzer ( biography/autobiography ) ; anthracite fields ' by julia wolfe ( music ) ; and digest ' by gregory pardlo ( poetry ) . the pulitzer prizes are administered by columbia university and are considered some of the most prestigious honors in journalism and literature . | anthony doerr 's all the light we can not see ' wins pulitzer for fiction |
elizabeth kolbert <tsp> ( cnn ) anthony doerr 's all the light we can not see , ' a novel centered on the world war ii bombing of st.-malo , france , and two characters on opposite sides of the war , won the pulitzer prize for fiction monday . doerr 's novel had received rave reviews upon its release last spring . i must blame anthony doerr for lost sleep , because once i started reading his new novel ,'all the light we can not see ,'there was no putting it down , ' wrote william t. vollmann in the new york times book review . doerr 's work was also a finalist for the national book award . it 's his second novel and fourth work of fiction , including two short story collections . 2015 pulitzer prize winners in journalism named ' between riverside and crazy , ' a play by stephen adly guirgis , won the pulitzer for drama . an earlier guirgis work , the motherf * * * * * with the hat , ' ran on broadway in 2011 . elizabeth kolbert 's the sixth extinction : an unnatural history ' won the pulitzer for general nonfiction . kolbert , a new yorker staff writer , tackles the idea that we 're at the beginning of another mass die-off . as the planet warms up , and carbon dioxide acidifies the oceans , all bets are off -- except the ones hinging on mass extinctions , ' wrote nicholas lazard in the guardian . despite that prospect , he added , kolbert 's book is not , thankfully , as depressing as you might think . she has a good grip on her subject and uses a light touch when it is most needed . ' other winners in arts and letters categories include encounters at the heart of the world : a history of the mandan people ' by elizabeth a. fenn ( history ) ; the pope and mussolini : the secret history of pius xi and the rise of fascism in europe ' by david i. kertzer ( biography/autobiography ) ; anthracite fields ' by julia wolfe ( music ) ; and digest ' by gregory pardlo ( poetry ) . the pulitzer prizes are administered by columbia university and are considered some of the most prestigious honors in journalism and literature . | elizabeth kolbert 's the sixth extinction ' wins general nonfiction prize |
the sixth extinction <tsp> ( cnn ) anthony doerr 's all the light we can not see , ' a novel centered on the world war ii bombing of st.-malo , france , and two characters on opposite sides of the war , won the pulitzer prize for fiction monday . doerr 's novel had received rave reviews upon its release last spring . i must blame anthony doerr for lost sleep , because once i started reading his new novel ,'all the light we can not see ,'there was no putting it down , ' wrote william t. vollmann in the new york times book review . doerr 's work was also a finalist for the national book award . it 's his second novel and fourth work of fiction , including two short story collections . 2015 pulitzer prize winners in journalism named ' between riverside and crazy , ' a play by stephen adly guirgis , won the pulitzer for drama . an earlier guirgis work , the motherf * * * * * with the hat , ' ran on broadway in 2011 . elizabeth kolbert 's the sixth extinction : an unnatural history ' won the pulitzer for general nonfiction . kolbert , a new yorker staff writer , tackles the idea that we 're at the beginning of another mass die-off . as the planet warms up , and carbon dioxide acidifies the oceans , all bets are off -- except the ones hinging on mass extinctions , ' wrote nicholas lazard in the guardian . despite that prospect , he added , kolbert 's book is not , thankfully , as depressing as you might think . she has a good grip on her subject and uses a light touch when it is most needed . ' other winners in arts and letters categories include encounters at the heart of the world : a history of the mandan people ' by elizabeth a. fenn ( history ) ; the pope and mussolini : the secret history of pius xi and the rise of fascism in europe ' by david i. kertzer ( biography/autobiography ) ; anthracite fields ' by julia wolfe ( music ) ; and digest ' by gregory pardlo ( poetry ) . the pulitzer prizes are administered by columbia university and are considered some of the most prestigious honors in journalism and literature . | elizabeth kolbert 's the sixth extinction ' wins general nonfiction prize |
anthony doerr <tsp> ( cnn ) anthony doerr 's all the light we can not see , ' a novel centered on the world war ii bombing of st.-malo , france , and two characters on opposite sides of the war , won the pulitzer prize for fiction monday . doerr 's novel had received rave reviews upon its release last spring . i must blame anthony doerr for lost sleep , because once i started reading his new novel ,'all the light we can not see ,'there was no putting it down , ' wrote william t. vollmann in the new york times book review . doerr 's work was also a finalist for the national book award . it 's his second novel and fourth work of fiction , including two short story collections . 2015 pulitzer prize winners in journalism named ' between riverside and crazy , ' a play by stephen adly guirgis , won the pulitzer for drama . an earlier guirgis work , the motherf * * * * * with the hat , ' ran on broadway in 2011 . elizabeth kolbert 's the sixth extinction : an unnatural history ' won the pulitzer for general nonfiction . kolbert , a new yorker staff writer , tackles the idea that we 're at the beginning of another mass die-off . as the planet warms up , and carbon dioxide acidifies the oceans , all bets are off -- except the ones hinging on mass extinctions , ' wrote nicholas lazard in the guardian . despite that prospect , he added , kolbert 's book is not , thankfully , as depressing as you might think . she has a good grip on her subject and uses a light touch when it is most needed . ' other winners in arts and letters categories include encounters at the heart of the world : a history of the mandan people ' by elizabeth a. fenn ( history ) ; the pope and mussolini : the secret history of pius xi and the rise of fascism in europe ' by david i. kertzer ( biography/autobiography ) ; anthracite fields ' by julia wolfe ( music ) ; and digest ' by gregory pardlo ( poetry ) . the pulitzer prizes are administered by columbia university and are considered some of the most prestigious honors in journalism and literature . | anthony doerr 's all the light we can not see ' wins pulitzer for fiction |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.