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curnow <tsp> johannesburg , south africa ( cnn ) -- what do you say when you meet one of the most iconic statesmen in the world ? mandela holds baby freya as robyn curnow and her husband kim look on . for someone who makes a living out of communications , i have consistently been tongue-tied around nelson mandela . the funny thing is i am not particularly star-struck -- as a cnn correspondent i get to interview and profile all sorts of famous ' people . it 's just a not a big deal for me . however , with madiba ( as mandela is often called ) , i feel like every moment spent with him is a gift , a blessing that i will tell my grandchildren about one day . as a south african he has a place in our hearts that is hard to define . however , my stories about my encounters with nelson mandela are the stuff of comedy clubs . i 've never quite managed to hold my own with him . i always land up somehow embarrassing myself when i am around him ; i 've slipped on shiny presidential floors , got tangled up in camera equipment and made pathetically inane comments . i first met nelson mandela in the early 1990s . i ca n't remember exactly when , but it was at the wanderers cricket stadium in johannesburg . he visited the vip room , during a test match , where i was working during school vacations and everybody lined up to meet him . i stood proudly and waited my turn , he came over to me . he was tall . he said to me , you are so gracious , i am so humbled to meet you . ' i remember thinking , if nelson mandela thinks i am gracious -- fantastic . i promptly turned around and ungraciously tripped on my best shoes , tumbling into the crowd behind me . i was the one humbled . years later , i was a young reporter working for the south african broadcasting corporation during mandela 's presidency . i was n't senior enough to cover the big political stories of the day so news editors only assigned me the light hearted mandela news stories . the one i remember most was around a birthday or christmas during which there was a photo opportunity at one of his grandson 's kindergartens . word had got out among the press that twinkle twinkle little star ' was madiba 's favorite nursery rhyme , so , of course , all the children sang it for him . i sang along too , twinkle-finger actions included , it 's a great song . whether it was or not madiba 's favorite , is not something i have ever asked him . years after that , i was taking a sabbatical from journalism and spent a year studying for my masters degree at cambridge university . mandela just happened to be an honorary fellow at magdalene college , where i was studying . he came to visit that year , giving a speech in the college 's beautiful cloisters . i waved at him , as he passed by all of us students assembled in the quadrangle . of course , he did n't wave back , but i felt gracious and humbled in his presence , protected by magdalene 's great walls . and then i turned to my awe-struck friends and said , did you know his favorite song is'twinkle twinkle little star ?'' -- which kind of killed the moment . fast forward a few more years , i reported on mandela occasionally during my time as a correspondent at cnn london 's bureau . from a distance , i saw him get older and shakier on his feet . his hair got whiter and his public engagements lessened considerably . once in while , i would regale my friends with madiba 's stories -- yes , there are more -- like the time i sneaked into the bathroom in his presidential mansion , desperate for relief , before a long-delayed press conference and phoned a friend from within to ask whether it was morally right to steal some of nelson mandela 's soap . ( i did n't . it is n't very gracious ) . or the time , i asked zelda la grange , his devoted personal assistant , to take a photo of me and madiba together before i went up to cambridge . he agreed and came over to me , throwing his arm around me and giving me squeeze a and joking , ah , i am sure your boyfriend will be jealous . ' did you know that nelson mandela is a terrible flirt ? again , i became self-conscious . i was carrying my handbag over my shoulder and i did n't want the photo to look like i was margaret thatcher or my grandmother , for that matter , constantly clutching a handbag . so with his arm still firm around my middle , i bent down to put my handbag on the floor . that 's when zelda took the photo ... unfortunately ; the automatic flash went off on my camera . that 's a complete no-no around mandela -- his eyes were damaged during his years of imprisonment on robben island and flash photography is forbidden . so they whizzed away , slightly peeved , and i landed up with a me and mandela ' photograph that showed the president grinning into camera , holding me around the waist and me half bent over , lowering my handbag , with my head half cocked and eyes half closed . it was not mantelpiece material . i never thought i 'd meet him again , up close and personal , until , last year when zelda , ever the diplomat , like her boss , invited to me to introduce my newly born daughter , freya , to him . my husband kim and i had just returned back to live in south africa , after nearly six years away in london . it was oddly nerve-racking , and i did what i always do in his presence i acted incredibly gauche , stupid and clumsy . i kept on saying : so how are you ? ' as if he 'd offer me a glass of wine , and say , ya know robyn , my knees are killing me , i 'm bit worried about the situation in zimbabwe and howz about them mets ? ' i offered my baby to him , like a little sacrificial lamb . the pictures tell it all . the ones we sent to friends ( and everybody we knew ) , show us laughing with the world 's greatest statesman . the ones we did n't email to the world show our daughter freaking out and crying . madiba tried to placate her by wagging a finger at her and telling her , i am your great great grandfather . ' she freaked out some more . i think she takes after her mother . | meetings usually ended less than graciously for curnow |
rudi visagie <tsp> nelspruit , south africa ( cnn ) -- it 's dawn . an international south african sports star bolts out of bed after hearing an intruder . ' he takes out a gun and fires one shot , killing a young innocent woman . but this is not the case of olympian oscar pistorius . in an eerily similar incident in may 2004 , former springbok rugby player rudi visagie was awoken by his wife , who heard a car in their driveway in nelspruit , south africa . the couple thought a robber was taking off with their daughter 's car . amid heightened fears following their neighbors'killings the week before , he broke a bedroom window and fired at the car , hitting the driver in the neck . when the car came to a standstill , he ran toward it -- but his daughter 's room was empty . i heard rudi growling , ' his wife , frieda visagie , said . i wondered what 's happening now ... and he told me it 's marle in the car . ' their daughter , marle visagie , 19 , was in the driver 's seat . and in that instant , their lives changed forever . it happened that one shot out of a million ... went right through the door and penetrated my daughter through the neck , ' visagie said . she was dead on the site . ' marle visagie was leaving the house about 5 a.m. to drop off a birthday gift to her boyfriend ; she had notified her parents about the plan two weeks prior . in addition to mourning their daughter , the family was worried that the rugby star would be imprisoned . it 's my daughter , it 's my husband , what 's going to happen now , ' his wife said . a court ruled that the former rugby player had suffered enough over his daughter 's death , and opted not to prosecute him . visagie was a household name and had represented south africa in a series of international rugby games .'you ca n't take that bullet back' his case closely mirrors that of pistorius , who fatally shot his girlfriend , reeva steenkamp , on valentine 's day , saying he mistook her for an intruder . pistorius , a double amputee who made history as the first paralympic to compete in the able-bodied olympics , is out on bail as he awaits trial on a premeditated murder charge . the track star has said he thought an intruder was hiding in a toilet room inside the bathroom of his pretoria home . he says he fired in a fit of terror before realizing his girlfriend was inside . i can tell him , i feel with you , ' visagie said . you are in the situation . you ca n't take it back ... you ca n't take that bullet back . ' pistorius left jail last week after posting a cash bond of about $ 11,200 , with an additional $ 100,800 due by march 1 . though free pending trial , the man nicknamed the blade runner ' has to meet various bail conditions , including giving up alcohol , his passport and ca n't go near an airport , a judge ruled . he is not allowed to return to the home where the shooting occurred . pistorius runs on special carbon fiber blades , hence the nickname . he was born with missing bones in his lower legs , and doctors amputated his legs below the knees when he was 11 months old . he attained fame as a symbol of triumph over adversity when he competed in the london olympics last year . while he failed to win a medal there , he smashed a record to win the men 's 400-meter race in the paralympic games a few weeks later . the hardest thing the former rugby player said he sympathizes with the sprinter . people in such situations go through a lot of emotions , including fear , anger and helplessness , frieda visagie said . i did n't want to talk in front of people -- that was the hardest thing for me to do , ' her husband said despite the heartbreak , his christian faith has helped him through the tough times . now he travels throughout the country , counseling trauma victims . i just want to encourage him ( pistorius ) and say listen , there are a lot of people praying for you , ' he said . and should he need to talk , visagie said , he is ready to help . cnn 's faith karimi contributed to this report from atlanta | rudi visagie had represented south africa in a series of international rugby games |
kentucky <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the bodies of four children swept away in a creek swollen by storm waters in western kentucky were recovered friday morning , local authorities said . the first body was recovered shortly after midnight ; two others were located about 30 minutes later , said graves county sheriff dewayne redmon . missouri officials assisting in the search later found the fourth body . the children were traveling with their amish family in a horse-drawn carriage on a flooded street in graves county when the carriage flipped over thursday evening , said jerry beasley , a kentucky state police spokesman . in all , there were six children and their mother in the carriage , beasley said the mother and two children were able to get to a safe area . but the other four children were swept away with the carriage into a nearby creek . | new : authorities have recovered the bodies of four children in kentucky |
fbi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the family of long-missing former fbi agent robert levinson has renewed its request for a meeting with the bureau 's new director following reports levinson had been working for the cia when he vanished , the family 's lawyer said monday . levinson disappeared on a trip to iran in 2007 , and u.s. officials say they have no idea where he is now . the associated press and the washington post reported last week that he had been working as a contractor for the cia , but the white house said levinson was not a u.s. government employee ' when he disappeared . family attorney david mcgee said levinson 's relatives were supposed to meet with fbi director james comey about the case long before it became publicly known that levinson was working for the cia . the fbi has delayed previously scheduled meetings since comey took over as director in september , mcgee says . a u.s. law enforcement official said the fbi is working to set up that meeting with comey , who has been traveling extensively , and the bureau hopes to arrange that meeting soon . missing american robert levinson not'abandoned'in iran , john kerry says levinson , now 65 , had gone to iran on a mission to investigate corruption involving the laundering of oil profits by iranian officials , including former president akbar hashemi rafsanjani , according to a source . iran has consistently denied having any knowledge of levinson 's whereabouts , and there has been no sign of him since a 2010 video . at the time of his disappearance , the state department said he was on a private business trip investigating cigarette smuggling and said he was not working for the government . his family had also said he was n't working for the government . levinson was on the cia books as an analyst , ' to write academic papers , with money laundering a particular area of expertise , mcgee said . but in reality , levinson was an operative traveling overseas , recruiting , and interviewing sources . mcgee said records he found show without a shadow of a doubt ' that levinson was a cia contract employee on a rogue assignment in iran for the agency when he disappeared . after levinson disappeared , mcgee said he called people at the cia to tell them they had a man missing . nothing happened , mcgee said . when the levinson family first went to the senate intelligence committee for help , staffers contacted the cia and at that point , the cia told them they have no connection with him at all , ' mcgee said . white house : levinson not a government employee when he made iran trip the family then found documentation and returned to the intelligence committee , giving staffers what they call smoking gun ' evidence . the documents included levinson 's contract and expense reports that detailed his previous assignments , including a detailed 2006 report of his work on a separate mission regarding iran 's nuclear program . that mission did not take him to iran . the family also had e-mails regarding his pending 2007 trip to iran involving his instructions with dawud salahuddin , an american fugitive who lives in iran . salahuddin has said he met with levinson in a hotel on kish island on march 8 , 2007 . the meeting was an effort to put levinson in touch with iranian authorities to help the american investigate cigarette smuggling as a contractor for a tobacco company . in classified intelligence committee meetings that followed , florida sen. bill nelson gave then-cia director michael hayden a grilling , ' mcgee said . confronted with the evidence , the cia then demurred , said it would get back in touch and later admitted the relationship with levinson , he said . in the meantime , the cia paid the family $ 120,000 for levinson 's trip and eventually settled for $ 2.5 million to avoid a lawsuit , according to mcgee . ultimately , seven cia staffers were disciplined and three were fired , mcgee said -- including levinson 's chief handler . reports : american who went missing in iran worked for cia cnn justice reporter evan perez contributed to this report . | former fbi agent robert levinson has been missing since 2007 |
fbi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the family of long-missing former fbi agent robert levinson has renewed its request for a meeting with the bureau 's new director following reports levinson had been working for the cia when he vanished , the family 's lawyer said monday . levinson disappeared on a trip to iran in 2007 , and u.s. officials say they have no idea where he is now . the associated press and the washington post reported last week that he had been working as a contractor for the cia , but the white house said levinson was not a u.s. government employee ' when he disappeared . family attorney david mcgee said levinson 's relatives were supposed to meet with fbi director james comey about the case long before it became publicly known that levinson was working for the cia . the fbi has delayed previously scheduled meetings since comey took over as director in september , mcgee says . a u.s. law enforcement official said the fbi is working to set up that meeting with comey , who has been traveling extensively , and the bureau hopes to arrange that meeting soon . missing american robert levinson not'abandoned'in iran , john kerry says levinson , now 65 , had gone to iran on a mission to investigate corruption involving the laundering of oil profits by iranian officials , including former president akbar hashemi rafsanjani , according to a source . iran has consistently denied having any knowledge of levinson 's whereabouts , and there has been no sign of him since a 2010 video . at the time of his disappearance , the state department said he was on a private business trip investigating cigarette smuggling and said he was not working for the government . his family had also said he was n't working for the government . levinson was on the cia books as an analyst , ' to write academic papers , with money laundering a particular area of expertise , mcgee said . but in reality , levinson was an operative traveling overseas , recruiting , and interviewing sources . mcgee said records he found show without a shadow of a doubt ' that levinson was a cia contract employee on a rogue assignment in iran for the agency when he disappeared . after levinson disappeared , mcgee said he called people at the cia to tell them they had a man missing . nothing happened , mcgee said . when the levinson family first went to the senate intelligence committee for help , staffers contacted the cia and at that point , the cia told them they have no connection with him at all , ' mcgee said . white house : levinson not a government employee when he made iran trip the family then found documentation and returned to the intelligence committee , giving staffers what they call smoking gun ' evidence . the documents included levinson 's contract and expense reports that detailed his previous assignments , including a detailed 2006 report of his work on a separate mission regarding iran 's nuclear program . that mission did not take him to iran . the family also had e-mails regarding his pending 2007 trip to iran involving his instructions with dawud salahuddin , an american fugitive who lives in iran . salahuddin has said he met with levinson in a hotel on kish island on march 8 , 2007 . the meeting was an effort to put levinson in touch with iranian authorities to help the american investigate cigarette smuggling as a contractor for a tobacco company . in classified intelligence committee meetings that followed , florida sen. bill nelson gave then-cia director michael hayden a grilling , ' mcgee said . confronted with the evidence , the cia then demurred , said it would get back in touch and later admitted the relationship with levinson , he said . in the meantime , the cia paid the family $ 120,000 for levinson 's trip and eventually settled for $ 2.5 million to avoid a lawsuit , according to mcgee . ultimately , seven cia staffers were disciplined and three were fired , mcgee said -- including levinson 's chief handler . reports : american who went missing in iran worked for cia cnn justice reporter evan perez contributed to this report . | his family wants a meeting with fbi director james comey after those reports |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the sun was barely up when new york mayor michael bloomberg used the colorado massacre to scold president obama and mitt romney for ignoring the gun issue . this is a real problem . no matter where you stand on the second amendment , no matter where you stand on guns , we have a right to hear from both of them concretely , ' bloomberg argued . bloomberg challenges obama , romney to take action on guns he has a point -- gun policy is a back burner debate these days , largely because democrats who had pushed for tighter gun laws concluded it 's bad politics . after the 1999 columbine shooting , democratic vice president al gore played a central role in trying to pass ill-fated gun control legislation . on the campaign trail during his 2000 presidential run , he argued for common-sense gun safety measures . ' democratic strategists said they believe gore and other democrats lost critical votes in rural america by pushing for stricter gun laws . so , democratic party leaders began to recruit candidates who could win those largely red districts and states , candidates who ran on support for gun rights . jim manley worked in the senate for more than 20 years as a top aide to democrats sen. ted kennedy and senate majority leader harry reid . he witnessed the change up close . democrats finally figured out that this was an issue that they were getting walloped on in many western , southern states and many swing states , ' manley said . so they began a subtle shift to try to coordinate and/or get more pro-gun democrats to run . ' for many democrats , it 's smart politics not to get into the gun control debate , ' he said . obama on shooting : this is n't a day for politics so , even though president bill clinton signed an assault weapons ban in 1994 with fanfare , it lapsed in 2004 without much of a fight . even after major tragedies shoved the gun issue into the headlines , there was some talk , but little action . romney calls for unity after colorado shooting the 2007 virginia tech massacre resulted in a minor change : beefing up background checks for the mentally ill. last year 's assassination attempt of then-rep. gabby giffords , d-arizona , produced only a few calls to make high-capacity magazines like those used in that shooting illegal . there is no earthly reason for these weapons to have that kind of bullet capacity , ' argued sen. frank lautenberg , d-new jersey , one of the few remaining anti-gun stalwarts . but senate democrats would n't hold a vote , and giffords'republican colleagues in the house said at the time new laws were useless . bad guys are going to get guns , they 're going to get clips and they 're going to do bad things , ' rep. mike rogers , r-michigan , said then . in fact , the democratic-led senate has n't voted on any gun legislation in three years , since defeating a gop measure that would have required states to recognize each others'gun laws . why ? many still point to the national rifle association spokesman : nra tweeter was'unaware'of colorado shooting ' the nra is an extremely powerful organization and they deliver votes and they deliver money , ' said manley , who now works for qga , a public affairs group in washington . in the wake of the colorado movie massacre , the nra issued a statement steering clear of gun politics . our thoughts and prayers are with the victims , their families and the community . nra will not have any further comment until all the facts are known , ' said andrew arulanandam , the nra 's director of public affairs . because gun issues are not at the forefront of the political debate , the nra 's clout is n't talked about as much as it was in the 1980s and 1990s , when gun policy was a hot topic . but the nra is still active and not afraid to throw its weight around on topics that even tangentially involve gun policy . for example , earlier this summer the nra warned vulnerable house members that it was watching their vote on whether to hold attorney general eric holder in contempt over the failed fast and furious ' gun-walking operation . nra executive director chris cox has said his group supported the contempt vote because of the justice department 's obstruction of congressional oversight of a program that costs lives in support of an anti-gun agenda . ' at the end of the day , of those seeking re-election who voted in favor of contempt , more than half are listed in competitive districts by the cook political report and rely on conservative support -- including endorsements and cash from the nra -- to survive their tough political battles . the nra has reported more and more contributions to democrats in recent elections -- from $ 236,330 in 2008 to $ 373,500 in 2010 -- - still far less than the $ 911,250 the organization gave to republicans that year . when it comes to presidential politics , the nra and the obama campaign both know full well that he could win or lose re-election in battlegrounds like virginia and ohio , where the nra has significant sway over some swing voters . that 's why the president is trying to heed the lesson of gore and not go there when it comes to gun control . that has n't kept the nra from mobilizing members against him . when we 're done speaking out , sir , gun owners will have made the difference in key precincts in battleground states , ' nra executive vice president wayne lapierre told the organization 's meeting in april . you 'll have us to blame for your defeat in november , ' he said , rallying the crowd . cnn 's allison brennan contributed to this report . | bloomberg : we have a right to hear ' from obama and romney on guns |
frankfurt airport <tsp> frankfurt , germany ( cnn ) -- serving germany 's financial capital , frankfurt airport is one of the world 's busiest international gateways . with 56 million passengers passing through last year , it 's the third busiest airport in europe and claims to serve more international destinations than any other airport in the world . but rather than just catering to holiday makers , frankfurt is a major logistical hub . most of its passengers are business travelers and more than half of all passengers are there to transfer between flights . it handles more than 2 million tons of cargo each year , as well as 100 million animals . and more than 18,000 items of baggage travel along its 73 kilometers of conveyor belts every hour . see also : record-breaking airports ' what is unique about frankfurt is the amount of traffic , ' klaus wehle , supervisor at frankfurt control tower , told cnn 's becky anderson . he added : we have four runways , we have two terminals , divided in different parts , so we have a lot of taxiing aircraft , which is very complex . frankfurt is a transfer hub so we have several peak hours a day -- inbound peaks , outbound peaks -- so punctuality is a big issue here . ' the airport was also considered the first to have infrastructure compatible with the colossal airbus a380 -- the biggest passenger aircraft flying today . it can take up to 50 people to handle the turnaround of an a380 and the double-deck plane presents considerable challenges for the airport 's staff . it takes about an hour to refuel an a380 , which can guzzle up to about 320,000 liters of fuel -- enough to fill the tanks of some 6,000 cars . and a single a380 can require up to 1,200 in-flight meals -- prepped and cooked by the airport 's chefs . feeding frankfurt airport and its airlines is no small task . international chefs work around the clock to dish out an average of 100,000 meals a day -- enough to feed the population of a small city . while most meals for economy class are deep frozen , for business and first-class passengers food is freshly prepared on the day . but preparing food for consumption in the air presents unique problems -- not least that passengers'taste buds do n't function as well at altitude . maik herodek , section manager of lsg skychefs , a catering company at frankfurt airport , says its hard to create plane food that is n't plain . the challenge is to make good food ... because if you fly the air is dry , and you ca n't taste the salt , ' he said . so you have to work with more herbs or other spices . ' and his secret to pleasing fussy airline passengers ? all the ingredients are very fresh , ' he said . we check the temperature , we check the freshness , we check everything because it must be the freshest you get , because on the airplane , you ca n't say'oh sorry , tell the chef i want another one .'there 's just one chance to deliver good food on a plane . ' | frankfurt airport 's catering staff produce 100,000 meals a day |
frankfurt airport <tsp> frankfurt , germany ( cnn ) -- serving germany 's financial capital , frankfurt airport is one of the world 's busiest international gateways . with 56 million passengers passing through last year , it 's the third busiest airport in europe and claims to serve more international destinations than any other airport in the world . but rather than just catering to holiday makers , frankfurt is a major logistical hub . most of its passengers are business travelers and more than half of all passengers are there to transfer between flights . it handles more than 2 million tons of cargo each year , as well as 100 million animals . and more than 18,000 items of baggage travel along its 73 kilometers of conveyor belts every hour . see also : record-breaking airports ' what is unique about frankfurt is the amount of traffic , ' klaus wehle , supervisor at frankfurt control tower , told cnn 's becky anderson . he added : we have four runways , we have two terminals , divided in different parts , so we have a lot of taxiing aircraft , which is very complex . frankfurt is a transfer hub so we have several peak hours a day -- inbound peaks , outbound peaks -- so punctuality is a big issue here . ' the airport was also considered the first to have infrastructure compatible with the colossal airbus a380 -- the biggest passenger aircraft flying today . it can take up to 50 people to handle the turnaround of an a380 and the double-deck plane presents considerable challenges for the airport 's staff . it takes about an hour to refuel an a380 , which can guzzle up to about 320,000 liters of fuel -- enough to fill the tanks of some 6,000 cars . and a single a380 can require up to 1,200 in-flight meals -- prepped and cooked by the airport 's chefs . feeding frankfurt airport and its airlines is no small task . international chefs work around the clock to dish out an average of 100,000 meals a day -- enough to feed the population of a small city . while most meals for economy class are deep frozen , for business and first-class passengers food is freshly prepared on the day . but preparing food for consumption in the air presents unique problems -- not least that passengers'taste buds do n't function as well at altitude . maik herodek , section manager of lsg skychefs , a catering company at frankfurt airport , says its hard to create plane food that is n't plain . the challenge is to make good food ... because if you fly the air is dry , and you ca n't taste the salt , ' he said . so you have to work with more herbs or other spices . ' and his secret to pleasing fussy airline passengers ? all the ingredients are very fresh , ' he said . we check the temperature , we check the freshness , we check everything because it must be the freshest you get , because on the airplane , you ca n't say'oh sorry , tell the chef i want another one .'there 's just one chance to deliver good food on a plane . ' | the gateway goes behind the scenes at frankfurt airport |
faa <tsp> ( cnn ) a skywest airlines flight made an emergency landing in buffalo , new york , on wednesday after a passenger lost consciousness , officials said . the passenger received medical attention before being released , according to marissa snow , spokeswoman for skywest . she said the airliner expects to accommodate the 75 passengers on another aircraft to their original destination -- hartford , connecticut -- later wednesday afternoon . the federal aviation administration initially reported a pressurization problem and said it would investigate . snow said there was no indication of any pressurization issues , and the faa later issued a statement that did not reference a pressurization problem . skywest also said there was no problem with the plane 's door , which some media initially reported . flight 5622 was originally scheduled to fly from chicago to hartford . the plane descended 28,000 feet in three minutes . it would feel like a roller coaster -- when you 're coming over the top and you 're going down , ' cnn aviation analyst mary schiavo said , describing how such a descent would feel . you know that these pilots knew they were in a very grave and very serious situation . ' | faa backtracks on saying crew reported a pressurization problem |
gary player <tsp> ( cnn ) -- has gary player found the secret to eternal life ? the 78-year-old completes 1,300 sit ups every day , follows a strict and mainly vegetarian diet and sleeps on average nine hours per night . during a remarkable competitive career spanning six decades , player won nine majors and 165 tournaments , adopting a grueling fitness and a practice regime to help underpin his game . the more i practice the luckier i get , ' was his most famous quote in reference to his unerring ability to hole shots from green side bunkers . player 's forays on to a golf course are now confined to exhibitions -- jack nicklaus and i were 10-under for a better ball three weeks ago , ' he says -- though he still regularly beats his age by several shots . i was 12-under par ( 18 holes in 66 shots ) recently , ' added the south african , who turns 79 in november . the day before this interview he 'd hit 100 practice shots , so it 's hardly surprising player is still able to average about 70 shots per round , which is the mark he achieved during his professional career on the pga then seniors tour , one of the best of all time . nowadays player is driven by a different mission . i have a passion to save lives , ' he says , in reference to his desire to help confront the western world 's growing obesity and type 2 diabetes problem . thirteen percent of the world is now obese , ' player told cnn ahead of the british open , which starts on thursday . we talk about wars , the number of people dying from diabetes and cancer and heart attacks -- in comparison to the numbers killed in wars are insignificant , but nobody cares about health or exercise . i do n't know why only one out of 20,000 people taka exercise and has a proper diet . how can governments allow it ? golf 's black knight ' -- a reference to his trademark all-black attire he wore on the fairways -- does n't expect the world to emulate his own punishing fitness regime , but he does have some simple tips to stay healthy . my advice to fellow menfolk is every day to take you wife by the hand and go for a brisk 30 minutes walk , or get yourself a dog , they demand to be exercised ! secondly do n't go for all these fad diets , just eat half the portion of food that you originally dished up . it will change your life . ' the golf icon 's foundation , run by his son marc -- player has six children and 22 grandchildren -- has raised over $ 50 million for underprivileged children in south africa and around the globe . it aims to improve educational outcomes and player is passionate that his message about health , fitness and diet reaches the younger audience globally . we are not teaching children in school , that 's a great frustration for me . ' player with nicklaus and legendary american arnold palmer revolutionized golf in the early 1960s and under sports management guru mark mccormack earned the label of the big three ' as they dominated the majors and took the sport to a new television audience . player had an unquenchable thirst for victory , racking up more air miles than any athlete in history as he competed in tournaments around the world . he is particularly proud of his nine'senior'majors -- in competitions for golfers aged over 50 -- helping to raise the standard and profile of the events as he battled it out with the likes of palmer and nicklaus again . do n't dare tell player that golf is n't a physically demanding sport . the south african recounts a story about basketball legend michael jordan , a low handicap golfer , telling him that 36 holes of golf in a day was pretty much as exhausting as playing in a match in the nba finals . a slight exaggeration perhaps , but judging by the number of nonagenarians who still inhabit the fairways the notion of golf : a game for life ' -- the title of player 's latest instructional offering -- might not be too far amiss . in keeping with his reputation for supreme physical fitness there is a clip which shows him -- donned in black golf wear -- running at maximum speed on a treadmill -- to the astonishment of the accompanying interviewer . watch : player in incredible running demonstration it 's a breathless demonstration that men several decades younger would fail to emulate but does back up player 's central theme about a healthy life . i tell you , walk 18 holes , it 's tremendous exercise and you can play golf for a lifetime , ' he said . on the evidence of player 's fitness -- a recent test showed he had a resting heart beat of 39 -- the south african will be gracing the fairways of golf courses for many years to come . but he clearly wants to leave a legacy stretching beyond his sporting fame . i said when i 'm a champion i 'm going to change people 's lives . on my epitaph i want it to read :'here was a man who contributed to society and saved lives .'' so for now he continues his punishing schedule of travel to meet burgeoning business commitments , such as golf course design , real estate , a winery and farm , as well as work for his foundation , which runs four high profile tournaments each year . show me a busy man and i 'll show you someone who gets things done . ' that work ethic was engrained in him from an early age , with his mother dying when he was just eight and his father having to travel away to earn a living in gold mining . you must accept adversity with gratitude and never give up . you will overcome it , ' said player . | gary player won nine majors and nine senior majors in stellar career |
iraq <tsp> ( cnn ) -- iraqi president jalal talabani will travel to germany for medical treatment , kurdish lawmaker mahmoud othman said wednesday . talabani is in stable condition , his office said . talabani was rushed to a baghdad hospital monday night in deteriorating health because of hardening of his arteries , his office told the media . but othman , who is close to talabani , said earlier this week that the 79-year-old leader had suffered a stroke . his health condition is not very good , ' he said . read more : read more : iraq 's president in stable condition , office says the president 's office on tuesday released a statement saying that talabani was exhausted . recently , his excellency president jalal talabani spent exhaustive efforts in order to accomplish harmony and stability in the country . due to fatigue and exhaustion , his excellency had a health emergency , ' the office said . talabani was elected president of iraq in 2005 , in the nation 's first free elections in more than 50 years . this is not the first time he has dealt with serious medical issues . at times , the exact nature of his ailments has been shrouded in secrecy . in february 2007 , he fell ill and was flown to jordan for treatment , and there were conflicting reports about what prompted his hospitalization . a hospital source told cnn at the time that doctors performed a catheterization procedure on his heart , but his family and aides denied that . talabani 's doctor and a spokesman for the president 's office said then that he was suffering from exhaustion and lung inflammation , and underwent tests they described as precautionary . he did not return to iraq until march of that year . two months later , talabani left for medical tests and to lose weight , his office said . he did not return until june . in january 2012 , he had spinal surgery in germany . cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq and hamdi alkhshali contributed to this report . | jalal talabani was hospitalized earlier this week in iraq |
moore <tsp> ( cnn ) shortly after his tweet proclaiming snipers are n't heroes ' netted a barrage of criticism , documentary filmmaker michael moore tried to explain where that sentiment came from -- his war veteran father . the controversial tweet sunday came as american sniper , ' the oscar-nominated biopic of a former navy seal and sharpshooter , won the weekend box office . my uncle killed by sniper in ww2 , ' moore tweeted . we were taught snipers were cowards . will shoot u in the back . snipers are n't heroes . and invaders r worse . ' the backlash soon followed . former u.s. house speaker and cnn contributor newt gingrich invited moore to spend some time with terrorist cells overseas , then weigh in on the value of snipers . but moore explained his tweet in a facebook post : ' my dad was in the first marine division in the south pacific in world war ii . his brother , my uncle , lawrence moore , was an army paratrooper and was killed by a japanese sniper 70 years ago next month , ' moore wrote . my dad always said ,'snipers are cowards . they do n't believe in a fair fight . like someone coming up from behind you and coldcocking you . just is n't right . it 's cowardly to shoot a person in the back . only a coward will shoot someone who ca n't shoot back .'' the fahrenheit 9/11 ' and bowling for columbine ' director has long been a staunch advocate for stricter gun control laws in the united states , and his statements are known to court controversy . opinion : why i refuse to see'american sniper' but moore stressed that his comments were not a jab at the movie american sniper , ' which earned $ 105 million in weekend ticket sales and nabbed six academy award nominations last week , including best picture . the box office take trumped previous records for a january opening . i did n't say a word about'american sniper'in my tweets , ' moore wrote on facebook . here 's what i think about american sniper': awesome performance from bradley cooper . one of the best of the year . great editing . costumes , hair , makeup superb ! ' why'american sniper'is a smash hit actor seth rogen equated the war drama to a nazi propaganda film shown in quentin tarantino 's inglourious basterds . ' rogen later clarified his statement , tweeting , i just said something'kinda reminded'me of something else . i actually liked american sniper . it just reminded me of the tarantino scene . ' american sniper ' is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by chris kyle . kyle served four tours in iraq with the navy seals and is lauded as america 's deadliest sniper . ' he was not without controversy of his own , including disputed claims in his book that he punched former minnesota gov . jesse ventura and killed two armed carjackers . kyle was shot and killed by a former marine in 2013 .'american sniper :'sarah palin 's attack on'hollywood leftists ' | moore 's statements come the same weekend american sniper ' broke box office records |
moore <tsp> ( cnn ) shortly after his tweet proclaiming snipers are n't heroes ' netted a barrage of criticism , documentary filmmaker michael moore tried to explain where that sentiment came from -- his war veteran father . the controversial tweet sunday came as american sniper , ' the oscar-nominated biopic of a former navy seal and sharpshooter , won the weekend box office . my uncle killed by sniper in ww2 , ' moore tweeted . we were taught snipers were cowards . will shoot u in the back . snipers are n't heroes . and invaders r worse . ' the backlash soon followed . former u.s. house speaker and cnn contributor newt gingrich invited moore to spend some time with terrorist cells overseas , then weigh in on the value of snipers . but moore explained his tweet in a facebook post : ' my dad was in the first marine division in the south pacific in world war ii . his brother , my uncle , lawrence moore , was an army paratrooper and was killed by a japanese sniper 70 years ago next month , ' moore wrote . my dad always said ,'snipers are cowards . they do n't believe in a fair fight . like someone coming up from behind you and coldcocking you . just is n't right . it 's cowardly to shoot a person in the back . only a coward will shoot someone who ca n't shoot back .'' the fahrenheit 9/11 ' and bowling for columbine ' director has long been a staunch advocate for stricter gun control laws in the united states , and his statements are known to court controversy . opinion : why i refuse to see'american sniper' but moore stressed that his comments were not a jab at the movie american sniper , ' which earned $ 105 million in weekend ticket sales and nabbed six academy award nominations last week , including best picture . the box office take trumped previous records for a january opening . i did n't say a word about'american sniper'in my tweets , ' moore wrote on facebook . here 's what i think about american sniper': awesome performance from bradley cooper . one of the best of the year . great editing . costumes , hair , makeup superb ! ' why'american sniper'is a smash hit actor seth rogen equated the war drama to a nazi propaganda film shown in quentin tarantino 's inglourious basterds . ' rogen later clarified his statement , tweeting , i just said something'kinda reminded'me of something else . i actually liked american sniper . it just reminded me of the tarantino scene . ' american sniper ' is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by chris kyle . kyle served four tours in iraq with the navy seals and is lauded as america 's deadliest sniper . ' he was not without controversy of his own , including disputed claims in his book that he punched former minnesota gov . jesse ventura and killed two armed carjackers . kyle was shot and killed by a former marine in 2013 .'american sniper :'sarah palin 's attack on'hollywood leftists ' | filmmaker michael moore says he was taught snipers were cowards ' |
boateng <tsp> in a country where bleaching creams are frequently used to chemically lighten skin tone , one savvy entrepreneur is fighting against the disfiguring practice . after 19 years of driving taxis , alhaji mustapha oti boateng was looking for a change . his journey for a new profession led him to britain , japan and ultimately back home to ghana , where he stumbled into his calling after producing a line of herbal cosmetics . in ghana , the practice of using creams and other cosmetic products to chemically lighten skin tone is fairly common , as it is in many african countries -- but the practice is known to have detrimental health effects , according to the world health organization . using his deep-rooted knowlege of herbs , boateng had an idea to help his fellow ghanaians . now a household name in the west african region , his chocho cosmetics has become a popular staple in beauty bags throughout the area . boateng , who won the overall entrepreneur of the year award bestowed by the entrepreneurs foundation of ghana earlier this year , sat down with cnn to explain how he went from a humble taxi driver to a cosmetics king . cnn : what was your breakout product ? alhaji mustapha oti boateng : i started with chocho cream -- the natural skin restorer and beauty soap . it is a local soap produced by our forefathers ... it 's not all types of a disease that a cream can cure , but most of the skin ailments the cream can cure . that is why it 's written as a natural skin restorer ' -- it does n't bleach but rather enhances your color . cnn : where has this knowledge of organic cosmetics come from ? ab : my father was a herbalist and my grandfather was a herbalist i tried to recall all those things that when i was young they sent me to the bush to collect . the herbs that we have here have a real potency of curing ... and when i started using them too i have realized that i did n't choose the wrong way of curing people . cnn : you had been working as a taxi driver since you dropped out of school . why the sudden need to mix things up ? ab : when i found that my children were growing up , i told [ one of my taxi clients ] that i had to find something to do so that i would be able to look after my children very well . and he himself told me they needed to send someone to britain , to go and learn how to operate printing a press . he sent me there , i learned and came back and they opened a printing press for me in accra . cnn : then after the printing press , came a stint in japan ... ab : they gave me the opportunity to go and i traveled to japan where i started odd jobs ... i came back with about five buses and started a transport business , but unfortunately for me it was all accidents , one after the other . cnn : after all these accidents , you did n't give up though . you transformed one of the buses into a mobile grocery delivery service , right ? ab : what i was doing was going to the villages , buying food stuffs , buying everything needed in the kitchen and coming to the residential areas and announcing the things that i had to sell . it was a very lucrative job . i did it for some time and i saw that the work was so tedious because sometimes i had to go to the bush myself , carry the load , uproot the coco yam , cassava , and that stuff by myself and age was catching up with me . so i decided that this work , i ca n't do it for long because if age caught up with me i ca n't go to the bush to carry those food stuffs , so i decided to try another thing . cnn : so where did the name chocho ' come from ? ab : this name chocho ' is in the memory of a dear friend , who has passed on . that name chocho ' was a nickname between us . cnn : and how did you know organic skin care products would take off the way they did ? ab : i went to the market and bought creams that are manufactured and produced by foreign countries , powders and perfumes , and went around announcing those things for sale and it was really doing very well . cnn : so you decided to start producing locally and it 's been quite the success . has it been an easy ride ? ab : the economy is always fluctuating . you know we have n't got a permanent exchange rate for our currency . i 'm an herbalist , i produce other products but some things , fragrance and petroleum jelly and that sort of stuff . we import them so at the time of importation you calculate based on the exchange rate , before the goods would arrive in the country , [ sometimes ] the exchange rate would shoot upwards . cnn : you seem to face these obstacles head on and industry leaders have noticed . how did it feel to be honored as the overall entrepreneur of the year ' in april ? ab : [ as ] somebody who started from nowhere , if i am in this area and being recognized that i am the entrepreneur of the year , obviously , i cherish this the most ... it means they are appreciating what i am doing , so i was very happy . cnn : and after receiving these honors , you 're also trying the pay it forward ' mentality by helping build schools and provide computers in classrooms ? ab : i 'm not educated but i 'm always happy when i see children in school . you know here in africa , it 's not all people who get [ the ] opportunity to go to school . education is a lost treasure for every human being . that is why i 'm always passionate even if i did not get the change to educate myself very well . now that allah has given me that power , everywhere that i see that need [ for ] education , if it is in my power , i help them . cnn : last question , what advice do you have for any budding businessmen ? ab : nobody should think that because they did n't go to a classroom to sit on a chair i 'm not educated . we can always educate ourselves wherever we go . that is a courageous way of life . whatever dreams that we have , we should think that it 's human beings who can do anything in this world . opinion : diaspora should have a voice , too | alhaji mustapha oti boateng is a ghanaian entrepreneur |
boateng <tsp> in a country where bleaching creams are frequently used to chemically lighten skin tone , one savvy entrepreneur is fighting against the disfiguring practice . after 19 years of driving taxis , alhaji mustapha oti boateng was looking for a change . his journey for a new profession led him to britain , japan and ultimately back home to ghana , where he stumbled into his calling after producing a line of herbal cosmetics . in ghana , the practice of using creams and other cosmetic products to chemically lighten skin tone is fairly common , as it is in many african countries -- but the practice is known to have detrimental health effects , according to the world health organization . using his deep-rooted knowlege of herbs , boateng had an idea to help his fellow ghanaians . now a household name in the west african region , his chocho cosmetics has become a popular staple in beauty bags throughout the area . boateng , who won the overall entrepreneur of the year award bestowed by the entrepreneurs foundation of ghana earlier this year , sat down with cnn to explain how he went from a humble taxi driver to a cosmetics king . cnn : what was your breakout product ? alhaji mustapha oti boateng : i started with chocho cream -- the natural skin restorer and beauty soap . it is a local soap produced by our forefathers ... it 's not all types of a disease that a cream can cure , but most of the skin ailments the cream can cure . that is why it 's written as a natural skin restorer ' -- it does n't bleach but rather enhances your color . cnn : where has this knowledge of organic cosmetics come from ? ab : my father was a herbalist and my grandfather was a herbalist i tried to recall all those things that when i was young they sent me to the bush to collect . the herbs that we have here have a real potency of curing ... and when i started using them too i have realized that i did n't choose the wrong way of curing people . cnn : you had been working as a taxi driver since you dropped out of school . why the sudden need to mix things up ? ab : when i found that my children were growing up , i told [ one of my taxi clients ] that i had to find something to do so that i would be able to look after my children very well . and he himself told me they needed to send someone to britain , to go and learn how to operate printing a press . he sent me there , i learned and came back and they opened a printing press for me in accra . cnn : then after the printing press , came a stint in japan ... ab : they gave me the opportunity to go and i traveled to japan where i started odd jobs ... i came back with about five buses and started a transport business , but unfortunately for me it was all accidents , one after the other . cnn : after all these accidents , you did n't give up though . you transformed one of the buses into a mobile grocery delivery service , right ? ab : what i was doing was going to the villages , buying food stuffs , buying everything needed in the kitchen and coming to the residential areas and announcing the things that i had to sell . it was a very lucrative job . i did it for some time and i saw that the work was so tedious because sometimes i had to go to the bush myself , carry the load , uproot the coco yam , cassava , and that stuff by myself and age was catching up with me . so i decided that this work , i ca n't do it for long because if age caught up with me i ca n't go to the bush to carry those food stuffs , so i decided to try another thing . cnn : so where did the name chocho ' come from ? ab : this name chocho ' is in the memory of a dear friend , who has passed on . that name chocho ' was a nickname between us . cnn : and how did you know organic skin care products would take off the way they did ? ab : i went to the market and bought creams that are manufactured and produced by foreign countries , powders and perfumes , and went around announcing those things for sale and it was really doing very well . cnn : so you decided to start producing locally and it 's been quite the success . has it been an easy ride ? ab : the economy is always fluctuating . you know we have n't got a permanent exchange rate for our currency . i 'm an herbalist , i produce other products but some things , fragrance and petroleum jelly and that sort of stuff . we import them so at the time of importation you calculate based on the exchange rate , before the goods would arrive in the country , [ sometimes ] the exchange rate would shoot upwards . cnn : you seem to face these obstacles head on and industry leaders have noticed . how did it feel to be honored as the overall entrepreneur of the year ' in april ? ab : [ as ] somebody who started from nowhere , if i am in this area and being recognized that i am the entrepreneur of the year , obviously , i cherish this the most ... it means they are appreciating what i am doing , so i was very happy . cnn : and after receiving these honors , you 're also trying the pay it forward ' mentality by helping build schools and provide computers in classrooms ? ab : i 'm not educated but i 'm always happy when i see children in school . you know here in africa , it 's not all people who get [ the ] opportunity to go to school . education is a lost treasure for every human being . that is why i 'm always passionate even if i did not get the change to educate myself very well . now that allah has given me that power , everywhere that i see that need [ for ] education , if it is in my power , i help them . cnn : last question , what advice do you have for any budding businessmen ? ab : nobody should think that because they did n't go to a classroom to sit on a chair i 'm not educated . we can always educate ourselves wherever we go . that is a courageous way of life . whatever dreams that we have , we should think that it 's human beings who can do anything in this world . opinion : diaspora should have a voice , too | but before falling into skin care , boateng held a variety of odd jobs including taxi driver , salesman |
obama <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) the military option is out , president barack obama said sunday , but the u.s. will be looking at all other options to ratchet up the pressure on russia ' on the issue of ukraine . we have no interest in seeing russia weakened or its economy in shambles . we have a profound interest , as i believe every country does , in promoting a core principle , which is : large countries do n't bully smaller countries , ' obama told reporters . speaking in new delhi after a lengthy flight on air force one , obama said sunday he will look at all the additional options that are available to us short of military confrontation . ' on monday , obama will be the first u.s. leader to headline india 's annual republic day parade , a colorful military spectacle featuring marching bands , dancing and lots of heavy machinery rolling down the stately rajpath boulevard . the parade will be a reminder of the decades of sometimes-tense relations between india and the u.s. a military demonstration at heart , the vehicles and equipment parading before obama will be mostly russian-made , a vestige of india 's stance during the cold war . russia remains india 's largest supplier of weapons , and while their share is steadily decreasing , russian military imports still amount to three-quarters of india 's stockpile . with u.s.-russia relations worsening to cold war levels , obama hopes to balance moscow 's influence in india during his visit this week . his visit comes a day after city officials in mariupol , ukraine , said shelling in southeastern ukraine killed at least 30 people , including two children . another 102 people were injured , at least 75 of whom needed hospital treatment , and many suffered shrapnel injuries , mariupol city council said . pro-russian separatists are blamed for the attack on residential areas in the port city , donetsk regional police chief vyacheslav abroskin said on his facebook page . monitors with the organization for security and co-operation in europe said they conducted a crater analysis which showed the use of grad and uragan rockets that likely originated from areas controlled by the pro-russian rebel group donetsk people 's republic . the shelling comes amid a surge in fighting between government forces and pro-russian separatists . u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov discussed ukraine and syria during a phone call , the state department said . on ukraine , the secretary reiterated our condemnation of the separatists'grad missile attack on civilians in mariupol ... and other separatist attacks , ' a statement said . the secretary reiterated the need for an immediate resumption of the ceasefire , a withdrawal of heavy weapons , and closing the border . he also underscored u.s. readiness to participate in serious settlement efforts , making clear that deescalation is in everyone 's interests , that russia will be judged by its actions , and that the costs to russia will only increase if attacks continue . ' kerry has previously warned of increased international pressure on russia . we call on russia to end its support for separatists immediately , close the international border with ukraine , and withdraw all weapons , fighters and financial backing , ' kerry said in a statement saturday . the white house says vice president joe biden spoke with ukraine president petro poroshenko on saturday . they expressed grave concern over russia 's blatant disregard for its commitments under the september minsk agreement and unilateral escalation of the conflict , ' the white house said . thousands have been killed since the conflict broke out in the spring of last year . a ceasefire agreed to in september in minsk , belarus , crumbled long ago . cnn 's elise labott , laura smith-spark and radina gigova contributed to this report . | remark comes a day before obama attends parade in india featuring russian-made military vehicles |
obama <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) the military option is out , president barack obama said sunday , but the u.s. will be looking at all other options to ratchet up the pressure on russia ' on the issue of ukraine . we have no interest in seeing russia weakened or its economy in shambles . we have a profound interest , as i believe every country does , in promoting a core principle , which is : large countries do n't bully smaller countries , ' obama told reporters . speaking in new delhi after a lengthy flight on air force one , obama said sunday he will look at all the additional options that are available to us short of military confrontation . ' on monday , obama will be the first u.s. leader to headline india 's annual republic day parade , a colorful military spectacle featuring marching bands , dancing and lots of heavy machinery rolling down the stately rajpath boulevard . the parade will be a reminder of the decades of sometimes-tense relations between india and the u.s. a military demonstration at heart , the vehicles and equipment parading before obama will be mostly russian-made , a vestige of india 's stance during the cold war . russia remains india 's largest supplier of weapons , and while their share is steadily decreasing , russian military imports still amount to three-quarters of india 's stockpile . with u.s.-russia relations worsening to cold war levels , obama hopes to balance moscow 's influence in india during his visit this week . his visit comes a day after city officials in mariupol , ukraine , said shelling in southeastern ukraine killed at least 30 people , including two children . another 102 people were injured , at least 75 of whom needed hospital treatment , and many suffered shrapnel injuries , mariupol city council said . pro-russian separatists are blamed for the attack on residential areas in the port city , donetsk regional police chief vyacheslav abroskin said on his facebook page . monitors with the organization for security and co-operation in europe said they conducted a crater analysis which showed the use of grad and uragan rockets that likely originated from areas controlled by the pro-russian rebel group donetsk people 's republic . the shelling comes amid a surge in fighting between government forces and pro-russian separatists . u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov discussed ukraine and syria during a phone call , the state department said . on ukraine , the secretary reiterated our condemnation of the separatists'grad missile attack on civilians in mariupol ... and other separatist attacks , ' a statement said . the secretary reiterated the need for an immediate resumption of the ceasefire , a withdrawal of heavy weapons , and closing the border . he also underscored u.s. readiness to participate in serious settlement efforts , making clear that deescalation is in everyone 's interests , that russia will be judged by its actions , and that the costs to russia will only increase if attacks continue . ' kerry has previously warned of increased international pressure on russia . we call on russia to end its support for separatists immediately , close the international border with ukraine , and withdraw all weapons , fighters and financial backing , ' kerry said in a statement saturday . the white house says vice president joe biden spoke with ukraine president petro poroshenko on saturday . they expressed grave concern over russia 's blatant disregard for its commitments under the september minsk agreement and unilateral escalation of the conflict , ' the white house said . thousands have been killed since the conflict broke out in the spring of last year . a ceasefire agreed to in september in minsk , belarus , crumbled long ago . cnn 's elise labott , laura smith-spark and radina gigova contributed to this report . | obama says u.s. not interested in seeing russian economy in shambles ' |
russian <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) the military option is out , president barack obama said sunday , but the u.s. will be looking at all other options to ratchet up the pressure on russia ' on the issue of ukraine . we have no interest in seeing russia weakened or its economy in shambles . we have a profound interest , as i believe every country does , in promoting a core principle , which is : large countries do n't bully smaller countries , ' obama told reporters . speaking in new delhi after a lengthy flight on air force one , obama said sunday he will look at all the additional options that are available to us short of military confrontation . ' on monday , obama will be the first u.s. leader to headline india 's annual republic day parade , a colorful military spectacle featuring marching bands , dancing and lots of heavy machinery rolling down the stately rajpath boulevard . the parade will be a reminder of the decades of sometimes-tense relations between india and the u.s. a military demonstration at heart , the vehicles and equipment parading before obama will be mostly russian-made , a vestige of india 's stance during the cold war . russia remains india 's largest supplier of weapons , and while their share is steadily decreasing , russian military imports still amount to three-quarters of india 's stockpile . with u.s.-russia relations worsening to cold war levels , obama hopes to balance moscow 's influence in india during his visit this week . his visit comes a day after city officials in mariupol , ukraine , said shelling in southeastern ukraine killed at least 30 people , including two children . another 102 people were injured , at least 75 of whom needed hospital treatment , and many suffered shrapnel injuries , mariupol city council said . pro-russian separatists are blamed for the attack on residential areas in the port city , donetsk regional police chief vyacheslav abroskin said on his facebook page . monitors with the organization for security and co-operation in europe said they conducted a crater analysis which showed the use of grad and uragan rockets that likely originated from areas controlled by the pro-russian rebel group donetsk people 's republic . the shelling comes amid a surge in fighting between government forces and pro-russian separatists . u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov discussed ukraine and syria during a phone call , the state department said . on ukraine , the secretary reiterated our condemnation of the separatists'grad missile attack on civilians in mariupol ... and other separatist attacks , ' a statement said . the secretary reiterated the need for an immediate resumption of the ceasefire , a withdrawal of heavy weapons , and closing the border . he also underscored u.s. readiness to participate in serious settlement efforts , making clear that deescalation is in everyone 's interests , that russia will be judged by its actions , and that the costs to russia will only increase if attacks continue . ' kerry has previously warned of increased international pressure on russia . we call on russia to end its support for separatists immediately , close the international border with ukraine , and withdraw all weapons , fighters and financial backing , ' kerry said in a statement saturday . the white house says vice president joe biden spoke with ukraine president petro poroshenko on saturday . they expressed grave concern over russia 's blatant disregard for its commitments under the september minsk agreement and unilateral escalation of the conflict , ' the white house said . thousands have been killed since the conflict broke out in the spring of last year . a ceasefire agreed to in september in minsk , belarus , crumbled long ago . cnn 's elise labott , laura smith-spark and radina gigova contributed to this report . | obama says u.s. not interested in seeing russian economy in shambles ' |
edwin <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- robert sanabria thought he would never see his big brother again . robert was 15 when his brother , edwin , left home at age 18 . born prematurely with only one functioning lung , edwin spent his school years in special education classes , robert said . he remembered his brother as soft-spoken , humble and kindhearted . when he left , he just took off , ' robert told cnn by phone last saturday . he was in love and ran away . ' he last saw his brother in 1999 . neighbors and friends would tell robert they thought they spotted edwin around the city . it was like a bigfoot sighting , ' he said . every time they said they saw him it went nowhere . the information led to a dead end . ' robert , 29 , is a sergeant in the u.s. army who lives with his wife outside fort bragg , north carolina . all his years of military training and combat experience could n't prepare him for what happened a few weeks ago . in mid-october , robert received a call from his father , who told him police might have found edwin locked in a dank philadelphia basement with three other people . the pitch-black , 15-by-6-foot space discovered by the owner of the apartment building houses what police described as an abandoned boiler room , where the overwhelming stench of urine and feces still hung in the chamber two days after the discovery . hours after his father 's phone call , robert made the nine-hour drive north to see if his long-lost brother was among the four victims . it made me nauseous . i was anxious . it was eating me up . i was crying on the way up there . if that gut feeling was n't there , i would n't have gone , ' he said . we still did n't know if it was him , but there was only one way to find out . ' media reports identified edwin sanabria and tamara breeden as two of the victims . when i saw their names together , i knew it was my brother and his girlfriend . i could n't believe it , ' robert said . when edwin left his philadelphia home at 18 , he told robert he was staying with his girlfriend , tamara , and her family , robert said . they were in love . we were hoping that they were being taken care of , ' robert said . after edwin lost contact with his family , the sanabrias asked for help in tracking him down from philadelphia police and the local social security administration office , which distributed disability benefits checks to edwin . their efforts were in vain . edwin was an adult who left home on his own , so the police could n't intervene . access to edwin 's personal information from the social security administration was n't possible because it was considered a violation of his privacy , robert said . it would take more than a decade for the sanabrias to discover edwin 's fate . robert said it was breeden who introduced edwin to one of his alleged captors , and he believes his brother 's abuse could have started soon after edwin left home . police have not said how long edwin may have been captive . last month in philadelphia , robert and his father met with police and were sent to a health care facility where the captives were being evaluated . expecting a hug and ceremonious reunion , robert was greeted with a nonchalant head nod . exhausted and feeling defeated , he began to cry , fearing his brother no longer even recognized him , he said . but as if on cue , edwin stood up and walked over to the stunned men and said , pop , ' to his father . robert , a self-described tough guy who completed two tours in iraq , wept uncontrollably . i am bawling . i realized how much i missed him , how much i loved him , ' he said . he looked really , really skinny and really malnourished . ' then edwin started looking closer at his crying brother and said , robert ? ' he quickly flashed edwin his military id . edwin held it inches from his face , almost straining to read it , robert said . edwin started talking , and then wrapped his lanky arms around his baby brother . he gave me a long hug , ' robert said . then he said ,'you know what i want ? i want a cheesesteak .'so i went and got him one as fast as i could . ' police arrested linda ann weston , 51 , gregory thomas , 47 , eddie wright , 49 , and weston 's daughter , jean mcintosh , 32 , for allegedly imprisoning four mentally disabled adults in the basement boiler room . they face a host of charges including criminal conspiracy , aggravated assault , kidnapping , criminal trespass , unlawful restraint and false imprisonment . weston , wright and mcintosh face additional charges -- including aggravated assault , simple assault , kidnapping and reckless endangerment -- in connection with the alleged abuse of weston 's niece , beatrice weston , authorities said . a hearing for the new charges is set for november 15 . all four suspects in the case are scheduled to appear in court on december 19 . weston had identification documents for about 50 people with her when she was arrested , philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey said . those documents included social security cards and court documents giving power of attorney . police said they were investigating whether the victims'social security checks had been stolen , as well as several other leads . in addition to the four captives found in the basement , authorities have located 10 other potential victims , including six children , ramsey said . police believe two of the six children placed in protective custody -- ages 2 and 5 -- are the children of tamara breeden . dna testing is being conducted to confirm paternity , but the sanabrias believe edwin is the father . edwin is slowly opening up about his ordeal , robert said . edwin never fled because he loved breeden and he was never left alone , he said . he also said he was mistreated by weston 's teenage sons . edwin said he would often fight back and share his food with the others while he was with weston , robert said . edwin said he would also intercept blows intended for breeden . edwin also recalled separate incidents in which he was sliced with a knife and shot with a bb gun , robert said . edwin told his brother that one of the captives , herbert knowles , had seizures in the basement , so he gave him water and placed a cold rag on his head , robert said . he said the water came from the same bucket they used as a toilet and to bathe . worried about the physical and emotional abuse his brother endured , robert said he plans to have edwin come live with him , and vows to protect him to the end . the first thing i wanted to tell him was that this was not his fault , that everybody gets tricked , ' he said . it 's disturbing . it still messes with me . they ( the defendants ) all deserve life in prison . ' | edwin , who suffered from mental disabilities , left home at 18 to live with his girlfriend |
edwin <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- robert sanabria thought he would never see his big brother again . robert was 15 when his brother , edwin , left home at age 18 . born prematurely with only one functioning lung , edwin spent his school years in special education classes , robert said . he remembered his brother as soft-spoken , humble and kindhearted . when he left , he just took off , ' robert told cnn by phone last saturday . he was in love and ran away . ' he last saw his brother in 1999 . neighbors and friends would tell robert they thought they spotted edwin around the city . it was like a bigfoot sighting , ' he said . every time they said they saw him it went nowhere . the information led to a dead end . ' robert , 29 , is a sergeant in the u.s. army who lives with his wife outside fort bragg , north carolina . all his years of military training and combat experience could n't prepare him for what happened a few weeks ago . in mid-october , robert received a call from his father , who told him police might have found edwin locked in a dank philadelphia basement with three other people . the pitch-black , 15-by-6-foot space discovered by the owner of the apartment building houses what police described as an abandoned boiler room , where the overwhelming stench of urine and feces still hung in the chamber two days after the discovery . hours after his father 's phone call , robert made the nine-hour drive north to see if his long-lost brother was among the four victims . it made me nauseous . i was anxious . it was eating me up . i was crying on the way up there . if that gut feeling was n't there , i would n't have gone , ' he said . we still did n't know if it was him , but there was only one way to find out . ' media reports identified edwin sanabria and tamara breeden as two of the victims . when i saw their names together , i knew it was my brother and his girlfriend . i could n't believe it , ' robert said . when edwin left his philadelphia home at 18 , he told robert he was staying with his girlfriend , tamara , and her family , robert said . they were in love . we were hoping that they were being taken care of , ' robert said . after edwin lost contact with his family , the sanabrias asked for help in tracking him down from philadelphia police and the local social security administration office , which distributed disability benefits checks to edwin . their efforts were in vain . edwin was an adult who left home on his own , so the police could n't intervene . access to edwin 's personal information from the social security administration was n't possible because it was considered a violation of his privacy , robert said . it would take more than a decade for the sanabrias to discover edwin 's fate . robert said it was breeden who introduced edwin to one of his alleged captors , and he believes his brother 's abuse could have started soon after edwin left home . police have not said how long edwin may have been captive . last month in philadelphia , robert and his father met with police and were sent to a health care facility where the captives were being evaluated . expecting a hug and ceremonious reunion , robert was greeted with a nonchalant head nod . exhausted and feeling defeated , he began to cry , fearing his brother no longer even recognized him , he said . but as if on cue , edwin stood up and walked over to the stunned men and said , pop , ' to his father . robert , a self-described tough guy who completed two tours in iraq , wept uncontrollably . i am bawling . i realized how much i missed him , how much i loved him , ' he said . he looked really , really skinny and really malnourished . ' then edwin started looking closer at his crying brother and said , robert ? ' he quickly flashed edwin his military id . edwin held it inches from his face , almost straining to read it , robert said . edwin started talking , and then wrapped his lanky arms around his baby brother . he gave me a long hug , ' robert said . then he said ,'you know what i want ? i want a cheesesteak .'so i went and got him one as fast as i could . ' police arrested linda ann weston , 51 , gregory thomas , 47 , eddie wright , 49 , and weston 's daughter , jean mcintosh , 32 , for allegedly imprisoning four mentally disabled adults in the basement boiler room . they face a host of charges including criminal conspiracy , aggravated assault , kidnapping , criminal trespass , unlawful restraint and false imprisonment . weston , wright and mcintosh face additional charges -- including aggravated assault , simple assault , kidnapping and reckless endangerment -- in connection with the alleged abuse of weston 's niece , beatrice weston , authorities said . a hearing for the new charges is set for november 15 . all four suspects in the case are scheduled to appear in court on december 19 . weston had identification documents for about 50 people with her when she was arrested , philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey said . those documents included social security cards and court documents giving power of attorney . police said they were investigating whether the victims'social security checks had been stolen , as well as several other leads . in addition to the four captives found in the basement , authorities have located 10 other potential victims , including six children , ramsey said . police believe two of the six children placed in protective custody -- ages 2 and 5 -- are the children of tamara breeden . dna testing is being conducted to confirm paternity , but the sanabrias believe edwin is the father . edwin is slowly opening up about his ordeal , robert said . edwin never fled because he loved breeden and he was never left alone , he said . he also said he was mistreated by weston 's teenage sons . edwin said he would often fight back and share his food with the others while he was with weston , robert said . edwin said he would also intercept blows intended for breeden . edwin also recalled separate incidents in which he was sliced with a knife and shot with a bb gun , robert said . edwin told his brother that one of the captives , herbert knowles , had seizures in the basement , so he gave him water and placed a cold rag on his head , robert said . he said the water came from the same bucket they used as a toilet and to bathe . worried about the physical and emotional abuse his brother endured , robert said he plans to have edwin come live with him , and vows to protect him to the end . the first thing i wanted to tell him was that this was not his fault , that everybody gets tricked , ' he said . it 's disturbing . it still messes with me . they ( the defendants ) all deserve life in prison . ' | u.s. army sgt . robert sanabria had n't seen his brother , edwin , since 1999 |
geo news <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gunmen wounded a prominent pakistani tv news anchor on saturday in an attack his brother linked to the nation 's government , despite its firm denial . hamid mir was shot three times by gunmen in a car and on two motorcycles near karachi 's airport , his network geo news -- a cnn affiliate -- reported . shahid hayat , the police chief for karachi , said bullets struck mir 's intestines , leg and pelvic area . dr. aamir hussain told geo news that mir then underwent a successful operation at a private hospital . amir mir -- the targeted news anchor 's brother and a journalist himself -- said hamid mir believed isi , pakistan 's powerful intelligence agency , and specifically its leader lt. gen. zaheerul islam , had plans to assassinate him . yet the pakistani military public relations agency ispr said that raising allegations against isi or the head of isi without any basis is highly regrettable and misleading . ' in the same statement , a spokesman for that agency condemned the attack and prayed for ( mir 's ) well-being and quick recovery . ' the united states condemned the shooting , calling it the latest in a series of worrisome attacks on journalists in pakistan . ... attacks like these should be a wake-up call to all who value democracy in pakistan , ' u.s. state department spokeswoman jen psaki said . we wish hamid mir a speedy recovery and urge the government of pakistan to bring all those responsible for these attacks on the media to justice . ' a former newspaper reporter and editor , hamid mir writes columns and hosts a political talk show on geo news . his guests have included members of pakistan 's ruling government and the opposition . mir is also writing a book on osama bin laden , the late al qaeda leader whose escape from the tora bora mountains of afghanistan he extensively reported on . two pakistani governments -- once in 2007 and again in 2008 -- banned him from appearing on pakistani television . pointing to a late march attack against a pakistani journalist , an official with the committee to protect journalists called the targeting of mir an indicator that the government of prime minister nawaz sharif has not been able to reverse the country 's appalling record of violence against journalists , despite pledges to do so . ' police must act swiftly and decisively in this and all cases that have been building up for years in pakistan , ' said bob dietz , the journalism advocacy group 's asia program coordinator . and the country 's media must use their capabilities to pursue their own investigations , as well as pressure the government to take action . ' | men in a car , on motorcycles fired at hamid mir , reports his network , geo news |
geo news <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gunmen wounded a prominent pakistani tv news anchor on saturday in an attack his brother linked to the nation 's government , despite its firm denial . hamid mir was shot three times by gunmen in a car and on two motorcycles near karachi 's airport , his network geo news -- a cnn affiliate -- reported . shahid hayat , the police chief for karachi , said bullets struck mir 's intestines , leg and pelvic area . dr. aamir hussain told geo news that mir then underwent a successful operation at a private hospital . amir mir -- the targeted news anchor 's brother and a journalist himself -- said hamid mir believed isi , pakistan 's powerful intelligence agency , and specifically its leader lt. gen. zaheerul islam , had plans to assassinate him . yet the pakistani military public relations agency ispr said that raising allegations against isi or the head of isi without any basis is highly regrettable and misleading . ' in the same statement , a spokesman for that agency condemned the attack and prayed for ( mir 's ) well-being and quick recovery . ' the united states condemned the shooting , calling it the latest in a series of worrisome attacks on journalists in pakistan . ... attacks like these should be a wake-up call to all who value democracy in pakistan , ' u.s. state department spokeswoman jen psaki said . we wish hamid mir a speedy recovery and urge the government of pakistan to bring all those responsible for these attacks on the media to justice . ' a former newspaper reporter and editor , hamid mir writes columns and hosts a political talk show on geo news . his guests have included members of pakistan 's ruling government and the opposition . mir is also writing a book on osama bin laden , the late al qaeda leader whose escape from the tora bora mountains of afghanistan he extensively reported on . two pakistani governments -- once in 2007 and again in 2008 -- banned him from appearing on pakistani television . pointing to a late march attack against a pakistani journalist , an official with the committee to protect journalists called the targeting of mir an indicator that the government of prime minister nawaz sharif has not been able to reverse the country 's appalling record of violence against journalists , despite pledges to do so . ' police must act swiftly and decisively in this and all cases that have been building up for years in pakistan , ' said bob dietz , the journalism advocacy group 's asia program coordinator . and the country 's media must use their capabilities to pursue their own investigations , as well as pressure the government to take action . ' | mir felt pakistan 's spy agency may try to assassinate him , his brother tells geo news |
australian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- can companies patent human genes ? it was the question considered by an australian federal court judge who on friday ruled that a u.s. biotech company was within its rights to hold australian patent 686004 . that patent covers mutations of the human gene brca1 which point to a greater hereditary risk of breast and ovarian cancer . the same gene , along with another , brca2 , is at the center of a high-profile lawsuit in the u.s. set to be heard by the supreme court in april . that lawsuit argues that patents on human genes violate the first amendment and u.s. patent law because genes are products of nature ' and therefore ca n't be patented , according to the american civil liberties union ( aclu ) . the australian federal court defeat was a crushing blow for cancer campaigners who have been fighting to have the patent declared invalid since the case was first filed in june 2010 . i wo n't give up the fight because this is too important for future generations of people who at some point in their lives may need testing and treatment for cancers and other diseases , ' said breast cancer survivor yvonne d'arcy , one of the parties in the case . rebecca gilsenan of maurice blackburn lawyers , who represented d'arcy and cancer voices australia , said : we are disappointed in this ruling but it is not necessarily the end of the issue in a legal or policy sense . we think there may be grounds to appeal , and that there 's a reasonable chance that we will make that decision in the next week or two . ' reasons for the australian ruling in his ruling , justice john nicholas found that the process of isolating the brca1 gene for testing requires human intervention , and because of that human intervention the isolated gene is patentable . he said there was no doubt that naturally occurring dna and rna as they exist inside the cells of the human body can not be the subject of a valid patent . ' however , he said that the issue in this case was whether an isolated nucleic acid constituted an artificial state of affairs . ' he ruled that it did . the lawsuit , the first of its kind in australia , was filed against two biotech companies , u.s.-based myriad genetics , which owns the patent , and genetic technologies in melbourne , which has exclusive rights to the testing in australia and new zealand . gilsenan said that currently genetic technologies was not enforcing its ownership rights under patent laws , though it did attempt to in 2008 but backed down after public backlash . at the moment is it 's not being strictly enforced , but nevertheless researchers and testing institutions feel conscious of the fact that it could be enforced at any time and their work or their testing could be stopped or they could be in trouble for doing it . ' genetic technologies declined cnn 's request for comment on the ruling , and at the time of writing myriad genetics was unavailable for comment . supreme court to hear case in u.s . myriad genetics is also defending its right to own a patent on the gene in the u.s. , where it is named in a lawsuit alongside the university of utah research foundation and the u.s. patent and trademark office . the lawsuit , filed by the aclu and the public patent foundation , argues that the patents on genes brca1 and brca2 are unconstitutional and invalid . according to the aclu , the lawsuit was filed on behalf of researchers , genetic counselors , women patients , cancer survivors , breast cancer and women 's health groups and scientific associations representing 150,000 geneticists , pathologists , and laboratory professionals . ' it was filed in 2009 and has since bounced from the new york federal court to the appeals court and the supreme court , which will hear arguments in the coming months on whether human genes can and should be patented . the genes at issue according to myriad genetics'website , approximately 7 % of breast cancer cases and up to 15 % of ovarian cancer cases are caused by mutations in the brca1 and brca2 genes . the company says people found with mutations of either gene have risks of up to 87 % for breast cancer and up to 44 % for ovarian cancer by age 70 . ' it says its bracanalysis test can confirm the presence of mutations so carriers can form patient-specific medical management plans to significantly reduce the risk of cancer . ' this is the beginning of personalized medicine , ' said sally crossing , spokesman for cancer voices australia , a national network representing australians affected by cancer . any testing or access to material for researchers needs to be made as free and as easy as possible for them just to speed it up . ' crossing said the australian ruling was extremely disappointing ' but not surprising . there seems to be a mindset in australia to protect patents at all costs , ' she said . to our way of thinking it 's an anomaly of the patents act that was never intended to be applied to the human body . ' she said cancer voices australia would be pushing for an amendment to australian law to cover human genes . i think the only thing for us to do now is to look at having an exclusion clause in our current patent law or put up a whole new law . that 's what we will be advocating for and supporting , ' she said . | australian federal court rules patent on human gene testing valid |
ukraine <tsp> in suspense , a nation listened to the ukrainian president 's inaugural speech saturday , hoping for answers to the question : will there be peace ? i do n't want war . i do n't want revenge , ' petro poroshenko said after taking the oath of office . but then his talk turned tough . he promised to meet anyone challenging ukraine 's territorial integrity with military might . alluding to a biblical verse he said , who comes with the sword will fall from the sword . ' the statement was met with enthusiastic applause . the country will build the means to do so , poroshenko said , and re-arming the ukrainian army must be a priority . no one will protect us , if we do not learn to protect ourselves . ' he called for separatists in ukraine 's east who have taken up arms against the government to lay them down and offered amnesty to those who do not have blood on their hands . ' poroshenko also called for corridors to open to allow fighters who have joined pro-russia separatist forces from outside the country to leave ukraine . in russia , president vladimir putin ordered border guards to stop the illegal crossings of people from ukraine by beefing up security , the state-run itar-tass news agency reported . meanwhile , in donetsk on saturday , an assistant to denis pushilin , the head of the self-proclaimed donetsk republic , was killed in an attack in broad daylight , a cnn crew at the scene said . attackers shot at the car that maksim petruhin was in , and when he exited the vehicle , he was shot and killed . it was the most brazen attack in donetsk since the unrest began . heading west poroshenko , one of the world 's richest men and an experienced politician , took the oath of office in the country 's parliament saturday . he was presented with the symbols of high office -- a presidential badge , a seal and a mace -- before taking to the podium for his inaugural address . his opening remarks left little doubt over the tenor of his speech , as he praised the activists of the maidan , whose rebellion in the center of kiev led to the ouster of his predecessor in office , viktor yanukovych . the pro-russia former president sparked rage from ukrainians who wanted the country to join the european union when he nixed an agreement with the eu in favor of closer ties to moscow . ensuing street battles resulted in the deaths of dozens . poroshenko condemned the former pro-russia government as a dictatorship . ' the people stood up , ' he said , declaring his country 's new direction toward the west . before at least four european presidents and u.s. vice president joe biden , the man who became a billionaire as a chocolate maker vowed to quickly continue ukraine 's move toward the eu , calling ukraine 's path to europe irreversible . ' ukraine 's natural place is with europe , he said , adding that he 's prepared to sign an economic partnership agreement with the european union as soon as its officials approve it . the agreement is just one step toward ukraine becoming a member of the european union . poroshenko received a standing ovation for the remark . ukrainians have reason to look forward to a brighter future , he said . we are being supported by the whole world . ' armed conflict but the new president inherits a country with a burgeoning armed conflict in its east . violence there is taking lives daily , and government troops and rebel fighters are beefing up their might . the names of the cities donetsk and luhansk have transformed into monikers for flashpoints of tension between russia and the west as the government in kiev breaks its ties with moscow to embrace europe and the united states . but ethnic russian separatists in the east and south yearn to stay with moscow . the kremlin , holding fast to centuries-old ties , is said to be helping them dig in their heels after annexing the region of crimea , which before 1954 was part of russia . poroshenko addressed the move directly . the territorial integrity of ukraine is not up for discussion , he said , and he has taken an oath to uphold it . i will stand by this oath no matter what , ' he said . he promised to visit luhansk and donetsk and maintain respect for the russian language , commonly spoken in ukraine 's east and south . the government will be decentralized , giving those regions more say in their own affairs , he said . new powers will be allocated to regional powers , ' poroshenko said . but there will be no federalization , as many separatists have demanded . some analysts believe such a move would help cement russia 's influence in their regions . ukraine will be one unified country , the president said . meeting putin security prospects have seemed elusive , but on friday , a ray of hope pierced the ominous clouds between moscow and kiev during d-day celebrations in france , where putin came together with western leaders to honor common sacrifices made to defeat fascism in world war ii . putin came face-to-face with poroshenko . afterward , poroshenko announced that negotiations between the two sides would begin sunday , his second day in office . but in his address on saturday , he spoke of the meeting with putin in more assertive language . yesterday i made a firm statement about it to the russian leadership in normandy , ' he said . crimea was , is and will be ukrainian soil . ' poroshenko sets out ukraine 's european destiny , warns adversaries'it 's hell down there': inside the battle for eastern ukraine separatists , government troops continue faceoff in eastern ukraine | ukraine 's natural place in the world is with europe , the president says |
ukraine <tsp> in suspense , a nation listened to the ukrainian president 's inaugural speech saturday , hoping for answers to the question : will there be peace ? i do n't want war . i do n't want revenge , ' petro poroshenko said after taking the oath of office . but then his talk turned tough . he promised to meet anyone challenging ukraine 's territorial integrity with military might . alluding to a biblical verse he said , who comes with the sword will fall from the sword . ' the statement was met with enthusiastic applause . the country will build the means to do so , poroshenko said , and re-arming the ukrainian army must be a priority . no one will protect us , if we do not learn to protect ourselves . ' he called for separatists in ukraine 's east who have taken up arms against the government to lay them down and offered amnesty to those who do not have blood on their hands . ' poroshenko also called for corridors to open to allow fighters who have joined pro-russia separatist forces from outside the country to leave ukraine . in russia , president vladimir putin ordered border guards to stop the illegal crossings of people from ukraine by beefing up security , the state-run itar-tass news agency reported . meanwhile , in donetsk on saturday , an assistant to denis pushilin , the head of the self-proclaimed donetsk republic , was killed in an attack in broad daylight , a cnn crew at the scene said . attackers shot at the car that maksim petruhin was in , and when he exited the vehicle , he was shot and killed . it was the most brazen attack in donetsk since the unrest began . heading west poroshenko , one of the world 's richest men and an experienced politician , took the oath of office in the country 's parliament saturday . he was presented with the symbols of high office -- a presidential badge , a seal and a mace -- before taking to the podium for his inaugural address . his opening remarks left little doubt over the tenor of his speech , as he praised the activists of the maidan , whose rebellion in the center of kiev led to the ouster of his predecessor in office , viktor yanukovych . the pro-russia former president sparked rage from ukrainians who wanted the country to join the european union when he nixed an agreement with the eu in favor of closer ties to moscow . ensuing street battles resulted in the deaths of dozens . poroshenko condemned the former pro-russia government as a dictatorship . ' the people stood up , ' he said , declaring his country 's new direction toward the west . before at least four european presidents and u.s. vice president joe biden , the man who became a billionaire as a chocolate maker vowed to quickly continue ukraine 's move toward the eu , calling ukraine 's path to europe irreversible . ' ukraine 's natural place is with europe , he said , adding that he 's prepared to sign an economic partnership agreement with the european union as soon as its officials approve it . the agreement is just one step toward ukraine becoming a member of the european union . poroshenko received a standing ovation for the remark . ukrainians have reason to look forward to a brighter future , he said . we are being supported by the whole world . ' armed conflict but the new president inherits a country with a burgeoning armed conflict in its east . violence there is taking lives daily , and government troops and rebel fighters are beefing up their might . the names of the cities donetsk and luhansk have transformed into monikers for flashpoints of tension between russia and the west as the government in kiev breaks its ties with moscow to embrace europe and the united states . but ethnic russian separatists in the east and south yearn to stay with moscow . the kremlin , holding fast to centuries-old ties , is said to be helping them dig in their heels after annexing the region of crimea , which before 1954 was part of russia . poroshenko addressed the move directly . the territorial integrity of ukraine is not up for discussion , he said , and he has taken an oath to uphold it . i will stand by this oath no matter what , ' he said . he promised to visit luhansk and donetsk and maintain respect for the russian language , commonly spoken in ukraine 's east and south . the government will be decentralized , giving those regions more say in their own affairs , he said . new powers will be allocated to regional powers , ' poroshenko said . but there will be no federalization , as many separatists have demanded . some analysts believe such a move would help cement russia 's influence in their regions . ukraine will be one unified country , the president said . meeting putin security prospects have seemed elusive , but on friday , a ray of hope pierced the ominous clouds between moscow and kiev during d-day celebrations in france , where putin came together with western leaders to honor common sacrifices made to defeat fascism in world war ii . putin came face-to-face with poroshenko . afterward , poroshenko announced that negotiations between the two sides would begin sunday , his second day in office . but in his address on saturday , he spoke of the meeting with putin in more assertive language . yesterday i made a firm statement about it to the russian leadership in normandy , ' he said . crimea was , is and will be ukrainian soil . ' poroshenko sets out ukraine 's european destiny , warns adversaries'it 's hell down there': inside the battle for eastern ukraine separatists , government troops continue faceoff in eastern ukraine | i do n't want war . i do n't want revenge , ' ukraine 's new president says |
olympic <tsp> olympic park , london ( cnn ) -- let it be known from this day forth , the olympic movement has seen the creation of the first'rock 'n'roll'games , and london 2012 will be remembered for all time as the venue of its birth . ' an affirmation that was not so much spoken by opening ceremony supremo danny boyle - film director and oscar winner of slum dog millionaire ' fame - but implied with so much of his vision for the 30th olympiad curtain raiser . music was the heartbeat of the $ 42.3 million spectacular , an aural backdrop arguably worthy of the isle of wonders ' hype , creating an almost tangible cultural dna of what the organizers feel is to be british . from the androgynous swagger of david bowie ( his hit heroes ' introduced team gb to the stadium ) , to the drugged-out funk of the happy mondays ; the rolling grooves of soul ii soul 's back to life ' to the punky-punch of the prodigy 's firestarter ' ; the petulance of the stones' satisfaction ' to the raw , rebellious sound of the sex pistols ; and form the staccato rap of dizzee rascal ( born a stone's-throw from the olympic park ) to euphoria of underworld 's bespoke-written tracks a montage of era-defining tunes were melded together to provide a snapshot of distinctly british sounds . and if all of that was n't enough , music was also used to answer the biggest question that had hung over the event like a judge 's gavel : how do you top beijing ? easy , by getting a beatle to end the show ! olympic opening ceremonies are often a anomalous mix of political grandstanding , national branding and artistic re-visioning of the global gathering that the games represents . the response of london 2012 organizers to the grandiose opening ceremony of the 2008 beijing olympics , such was the scope and spectacular nature of the chinese curtain-raiser , was always going to pique curiosity . it seemed apt to end the evening with the voice of one of the fab four , who had directly influenced many of the other acts who had performed earlier in the night . in fact , the arctic monkeys even sang abbey road 's come together ' as part of their set . the beatles may well be a band form another century but the 28 million people who follow the now defunct band 's official facebook page suggests they are loved the world over as much as ever . beijing may have had an athlete running around the roof of the arena but london had mccartney play out with hey jude ' leaving television viewers from around the world no doubt humming a chorus that even language proves no barrier to : nah , na , na , nananna nah , nananna nah ... ' etc . put simply , it rocked : a spell-binding moment that touched the soul in the way the splendor of the beijing opener failed to with such force . the vision had always been clear even back in the bird 's nest stadium -- when led zeppelin 's legendary axeman jimmy page and stunning soul singer leona lewis belted out whole lotta love ' from the top of a double-decker bus to provide soundtrack to the handing over of hosting duties from china . it may have been seen as a risk by many , but for some the tone and topic matter captured british idiosyncrasies well . jamie fullerton - features editor for the nme ( new musical express ) , britain 's pre-eminent weekly music magazine , told cnn : what 's really interesting is the set included bands like new order and happy mondays , organizers tipping their hat towards the cult element of british rock 'n'roll music , which is very different to what you see at an event like the superbowl . i think britain likes to see itself as having a bit of edge . the sex pistols were only recording for a couple of years , but people bought into their rebellious nature the world over . it 's funny how this anti-establishment band is now seen as one of the nation 's great musical acts . there 's also an element of embracing the outsider in britain . new order were the ultimate cult band , coming from factory records , a small independent record label , and being from manchester . i would imagine most americans are n't familiar with bands like new order , so it 's great to showcase them . the olympics is a cultural event and the games is about hammering home the sense of location as much as anything , it 's natural for music to be a big part of that especially because it 's so integral to our identity in britain . as for the beatles , they are the biggest band of all time . their template is the one that was followed through the generations , and i think if you ask any visitor to britain to name a few of the favorite things about this country , i 'm sure the beatles would still be one of them . ' statistics would also suggest that boyle had been correct to assume that many around the world see british identity closely entwined with that of its musical exports . sales of british music abroad reached $ 2.9 billion in retail value in 2011 with british artists accounting for almost 13 % of global sales of recorded music , according to bpi ( the representative body of the british music industry ) figures . compared to britain 's share of world trade in goods ( 2.7 % ) , the trade of recorded music is four times the nation 's average share of trade in services , accounting for 12.6 % of the global market , according to figures from the department for business , innovation and skills . in 2011 for example , adele became the fourth british artist in five years to claim the best-selling artist album in the world , following in the footsteps of amy winehouse , coldplay , and susan boyle . the londoner 's second album , 21 , sold 18 million copies , accounting for 1.6 % of all albums sold in the global music market that year . thanks to the success of new faces on the scene , such as tinie tempah , florence + the machine , hugh laurie and mumford & sons , the bpi states that one in every eight albums sold this century in america alone were produced by a uk act . in europe , british acts accounted for 52.7 % of all sales . geoff taylor , the chief executive of bpi -- a body that represents independent and major record labels in the uk -- told cnn in a statement : i think british people are more obsessed by music than any other people in the world , they buy more cd albums per capita than any other nation , it 's fundamental to our life . 180 million singles were sold in the uk last year . we ran a survey last year to ask whether the uk population thought that we 'd made an important contribution to world music . eight out of 10 thought we did , and the same number said they were proud of the music britain produces . the beatles were particularly important in paving the way internationally . their invasion of the states really raised the profile of the quality that is produced here in the uk . whether it 's punk or dub step , we have a great tradition of being innovative . we 're a nation which , given the size of our economy and population , punch way above our weight in music . without doubt we are a musical superpower , alongside the united states , and if anything the cultural influence of britain 's music is increasing as our communications are increasingly digital . ' ultimately , the success of the opening ceremony to the london 2012 olympics can probably only be judged properly with the perspective of hindsight and when measured against the others that have gone before it . but , arguably , by putting popular music at the center of the showpiece boyle , and the local organizers , focused on an area where britain can still boast of superpower status . maybe beijing and london were n't so different in their approach after all . now , back to the nanana nahs . ' | music was the heartbeat of the $ 42.3 million olympic opening ceremony spectacular |
bologna <tsp> ( cnn ) -- kaka underlined his commitment to ac milan with two goals in a 4-1 serie a win at bologna on sunday when on-loan david beckham claimed his first goal in italian football . kaka scored twice for ac milan days after rejecting a world record transfer to manchester city . brazilian star kaka , playing his first match since the collapse of a proposed world record transfer to premier league manchester city , converted from the penalty spot after 17 minutes and added a spectacular second two minutes before half-time . kaka 's double took the limelight away from former england captain beckham who made his mark on the hour as milan kept up the pressure on top two , city rivals inter and turin-based juventus . beckham moved to milan from los angeles galaxy earlier this month and found the target as coach carlo ancelotti marked 400 games in charge of the club . the former mancherster united star is clearly enjoying his stay in italy and there have been suggestions he could extend his stay . i ca n't say what will happen , ' pa sport quoted him as saying on sunday . even if my contract says that i 'll be here until march . we 'll have to see . at the moment i 'm enjoying this experience . i 'm at one of the biggest clubs in the world . and having won gives us confidence to continue . ' he added : it 's great to score my first goal -- i will keep this jersey . it 's special to play for milan and also to score , but what 's most important is that we won . ' milan coach carlo ancelotti was delighted with beckham 's performance , but insists the club can do nothing to keep him at the san siro . however , he claims the 33-year-old holds his future in his own hands . if he said'we 'll see'it means he 's thinking about staying , ' ancelotti told sky italia . however , our hands are tied as he has a clear contract . ' bologna took the lead through a marco di vaio penalty after nine minutes and clarence seedorf equalised after kaka 's effort had been spilled by goalkeeper francesco antonioli . as roma closed to within three points of fourth , the final champions league qualifying position , with a stunning 3-0 win at napoli . centre-backs philippe mexes ( 18 ) and juan ( 32 ) gave roma a two-goal lead at the interval and montenegro forward mirko vucinic added the third four minutes into the second half . roma are now only three points behind genoa who were surprisingly held to a 1-1 home draw by catania who led through a 67th-minute goal from jorge martinez . diego milito replied six minutes later . roma have won eight of their last 10 serie a matches following an awful start to the season where they won only two and lost six of their first 10 games . fabio simplicio scored twice as palermo defeated udinese 3-2 while strugglers lecce and torino shared six goals . | brazil star kaka scores twice as ac milan romp to 4-1 serie a win at bologna |
blackberry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- since the dawn of the iphone age in 2007 , loyal blackberry users have watched their favorite device maker stumble into an ever-steepening decline . some of the collapse is due to the consumer changeover to apple and google android products , but the company -- once known as research in motion -- has n't helped itself with poor planning and delayed product introductions . on monday , the company that once blazed the trail in the smartphone market announced it 's being taken private by its largest shareholder , fairfax financial , a canadian insurance company . the move comes on the heels of an announced $ 1 billion quarterly loss and layoffs of 4,500 employees . its future as a maker of smartphones may be in doubt . now the dwindling numbers of loyal blackberry users must decide : is this the last straw ? it 's no idle question . for all the attention paid to blackberry 's fall and the rise of iphone and android , there 's still a sizable blackberry market out there . forbes magazine estimates that there are in excess of 50 million blackberry users , and they remain fiercely devoted to their phones , with their secure e-mail software and physical keyboards . you can tear my blackberry 's real keyboard out of my cold dead fingers , ' user charles wright of toronto wrote on twitter . blackberry : why breaking up is hard to do ronen halevy , an it security professional who runs the site berryreview.com , still prefers his blackberry because it focuses on communications first ' -- even though he 's familiar with both android and iphone platforms . they 're very good devices to consume information , but the main point of the phone is that it 's more like a computer , ' he says of the apple and google phones . blackberrys , he says , are better at flow ' from e-mail to calendar to other applications . he hopes that the company returns to its roots . i think that fairfax should double down on blackberry 10 and the combination of corporate and consumer market that appreciated the rock solid communication platform it offered , ' he wrote on berryreview.com . this means an end to the'me too'additions of features to blackberry 10 and instead appealing to the market that made blackberry take off . ' one commenter observed , however , that the company will be hard pressed to win new converts . not good news for consumers , people hate the bb name and what it stands for . self-inflicted suicide , ' kingbernie wrote . he suspected that becoming a corporate-focused software business might be the company 's best way out of the wilderness -- even if it means leaving the consumer market behind . from crackberry to'depressing': the blackberry 's 5-year fall chris umiastowski , a tech analyst and regular contributor to the blackberry boards on crackberry.com , says blackberry fans should remain wary . going private does n't necessarily change the outcome for the company . all it is guaranteed to change is the ownership structure , ' he said via e-mail . it 's not a nail in the coffin , nor is it some massive opportunity to fix themselves . no matter who owns the shares they still have to compete with solid competitors . going private just lets them operate outside of so much public scrutiny . ' for those who want to put their blackberrys in a drawer next to their palmpilots but want to keep a physical keyboard on their devices , your options are limited . the motorola photon q and the motorola droid 4 are android-compatible and have relatively large slide-out keyboards , but reviewers have taken issue with their camera capabilities . in addition , berryreview.com 's halevy observes , those keyboards -- which are landscape-oriented instead of the portrait-style versions on blackberrys -- seem like afterthoughts . ' even if you 're in an e-mail and you want to hit the'delete'button to delete an e-mail -- you think that 's logical -- it does n't work , ' he says . what killed blackberry : terrible apps the nec terrain , another android phone with a physical keyboard , is marketed for its rugged innovation ' but , says halevy , he does n't think it 's really aimed at the general consumer . that leads to the host of smartphones with virtual keyboards , including the new iphone 5s and 5c , the android-compatible samsung galaxy s4 and the android htc one , among many others . all have their pros and cons , whether it 's your comfort with their operating systems or your desire for certain accessories . but for those , like umiastowski , who want to stick with blackberry , it will hard to get them to change . his household includes a number of apple items -- including his wife 's iphone -- but he prefers the blackberry . he 's frustrated by the lack of apps for the device but still prefers the overall experience . blackberry has always been ( and still is ) the best experience for communicating . at first it was push email and physical keyboards . now i 'm on a z10 and i find the multitasking + software keyboard + email experience is second to none , ' he wrote . an iphone would feel like a step backwards on those things which matter to me . ' besides , says halevy , he likes how the blackberry creates community . the one thing you notice immediately when people change from blackberry to other devices is you never hear from them anymore , ' he says . opinion : why i 'll never ditch my blackberry | despite decline in consumer sales , there are still 50 million blackberry users |
blackberry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- since the dawn of the iphone age in 2007 , loyal blackberry users have watched their favorite device maker stumble into an ever-steepening decline . some of the collapse is due to the consumer changeover to apple and google android products , but the company -- once known as research in motion -- has n't helped itself with poor planning and delayed product introductions . on monday , the company that once blazed the trail in the smartphone market announced it 's being taken private by its largest shareholder , fairfax financial , a canadian insurance company . the move comes on the heels of an announced $ 1 billion quarterly loss and layoffs of 4,500 employees . its future as a maker of smartphones may be in doubt . now the dwindling numbers of loyal blackberry users must decide : is this the last straw ? it 's no idle question . for all the attention paid to blackberry 's fall and the rise of iphone and android , there 's still a sizable blackberry market out there . forbes magazine estimates that there are in excess of 50 million blackberry users , and they remain fiercely devoted to their phones , with their secure e-mail software and physical keyboards . you can tear my blackberry 's real keyboard out of my cold dead fingers , ' user charles wright of toronto wrote on twitter . blackberry : why breaking up is hard to do ronen halevy , an it security professional who runs the site berryreview.com , still prefers his blackberry because it focuses on communications first ' -- even though he 's familiar with both android and iphone platforms . they 're very good devices to consume information , but the main point of the phone is that it 's more like a computer , ' he says of the apple and google phones . blackberrys , he says , are better at flow ' from e-mail to calendar to other applications . he hopes that the company returns to its roots . i think that fairfax should double down on blackberry 10 and the combination of corporate and consumer market that appreciated the rock solid communication platform it offered , ' he wrote on berryreview.com . this means an end to the'me too'additions of features to blackberry 10 and instead appealing to the market that made blackberry take off . ' one commenter observed , however , that the company will be hard pressed to win new converts . not good news for consumers , people hate the bb name and what it stands for . self-inflicted suicide , ' kingbernie wrote . he suspected that becoming a corporate-focused software business might be the company 's best way out of the wilderness -- even if it means leaving the consumer market behind . from crackberry to'depressing': the blackberry 's 5-year fall chris umiastowski , a tech analyst and regular contributor to the blackberry boards on crackberry.com , says blackberry fans should remain wary . going private does n't necessarily change the outcome for the company . all it is guaranteed to change is the ownership structure , ' he said via e-mail . it 's not a nail in the coffin , nor is it some massive opportunity to fix themselves . no matter who owns the shares they still have to compete with solid competitors . going private just lets them operate outside of so much public scrutiny . ' for those who want to put their blackberrys in a drawer next to their palmpilots but want to keep a physical keyboard on their devices , your options are limited . the motorola photon q and the motorola droid 4 are android-compatible and have relatively large slide-out keyboards , but reviewers have taken issue with their camera capabilities . in addition , berryreview.com 's halevy observes , those keyboards -- which are landscape-oriented instead of the portrait-style versions on blackberrys -- seem like afterthoughts . ' even if you 're in an e-mail and you want to hit the'delete'button to delete an e-mail -- you think that 's logical -- it does n't work , ' he says . what killed blackberry : terrible apps the nec terrain , another android phone with a physical keyboard , is marketed for its rugged innovation ' but , says halevy , he does n't think it 's really aimed at the general consumer . that leads to the host of smartphones with virtual keyboards , including the new iphone 5s and 5c , the android-compatible samsung galaxy s4 and the android htc one , among many others . all have their pros and cons , whether it 's your comfort with their operating systems or your desire for certain accessories . but for those , like umiastowski , who want to stick with blackberry , it will hard to get them to change . his household includes a number of apple items -- including his wife 's iphone -- but he prefers the blackberry . he 's frustrated by the lack of apps for the device but still prefers the overall experience . blackberry has always been ( and still is ) the best experience for communicating . at first it was push email and physical keyboards . now i 'm on a z10 and i find the multitasking + software keyboard + email experience is second to none , ' he wrote . an iphone would feel like a step backwards on those things which matter to me . ' besides , says halevy , he likes how the blackberry creates community . the one thing you notice immediately when people change from blackberry to other devices is you never hear from them anymore , ' he says . opinion : why i 'll never ditch my blackberry | on monday , blackberry announced that it was being taken private |
anastasia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- josh and jenni johnston already have photos and memories of 4-year-old anastasia , the hiv-positive russian orphan they met in november and hoped to welcome into their family . now they do n't know what the future holds after russian president vladimir putin on friday signed a controversial law that bans the adoption of russian children by american families . the new law creates uncertainty for 46 american families who have already met prospective adoptees , according to the u.s. state department . the agency , which helps facilitate foreign adoptions , hopes russia will lift the ban altogether , but in the meantime is working to resolve pending adoptions . read more : russia 's putin signs anti-u.s. adoption bill as far as the johnstons know , their dossier was submitted to a russian court on friday , one month after meeting anastasia in a children 's home outside moscow . otherwise , they have no idea where their case stands or how the new law will affect them . we just hope everything works out so we can bring her home , ' josh johnston said in a phone interview from his home in dover , new jersey . we told her we were going to be back for her and she said she would wait for us , ' he said . now we 're in limbo . ' the couple already has one adopted child , 4-year-old jack from ethiopia , and two biological children . but they wanted to continue growing their family , and their christian faith led them to again consider adoption , josh johnston said . jenni johnston 's experience volunteering for an international nonprofit had also opened their eyes to the difficulties orphans with medical conditions face in finding a family , leading them to specifically request a child who was hiv-positive . we knew that there was an overwhelming need for children to be adopted , especially children with special needs , ' josh johnston said . we had means and love to give , so we figured that would be the best way to serve the lord and the world . ' they completed about 90 hours of online and classroom training on cultural awareness and raising a special-needs child before arriving in moscow at the end of november . they met with an official from the region 's ministry of education , who gave them an information packet with anastasia 's picture , josh johnston said . they accepted the referral and drove about 70 miles ( 115 km ) east of moscow to the children 's home , an imposing facility surrounded by high fences topped with barbed wire . inside , they found a clean and safe environment for children ages 4 to 16 . they first saw anastasia from a distance in the audience of a talent show and later met her face-to-face accompanied by a nurse and doctor , josh johnston said . she seemed shy and unsure at first . but when the nurse explained that they were there to take her home , her face flushed and she smiled , he said . she captured our hearts , ' he said . we went there guided by the lord , and she was the one the lord put in front of us . ' americans tend to seek adoptions abroad because of the perception that it 's easier and that there are more children in need in other countries than in the united states . in the past 20 years , americans have adopted about 60,000 russian children , according to the u.s state department . in 2011 , americans adopted 970 children from russia , making it third to china ( 2,589 in 2011 ) and ethiopia ( 1,727 ) , according to the u.s. state department . still , most adoptions are domestic . u.s. citizens adopted 17,416 children from foreign countries in 2008 , accounting for 13 percent of adoptions that year compared to approximately 136,000 children in the united states , according to a 2011 report from the u.s. department of health and human services'children 's bureau . generally , it 's perceived that orphans have far greater challenges abroad than they do in the united states , so when it comes to adopting a child , families typically want to raise a child out of a desperate situation , ' said kim de blecourt , founder of nourished hearts , a faith-based support network for those connected to adoption and foster care . another common perception is that it costs less to adopt internationally . but estimates show that variables such as travel , visa and attorney fees can drive up the cost . international adoptions also offer families who do n't want open adoptions more distance from biological parents -- geographically , psychologically and logistically . when dominique love found out she could n't have children , she and her husband started looking abroad to avoid potential conflicts with birth parents . she knows that stance might draw criticism , but at the time it was a very real fear . i was scared of the birth mother having a role in our lives , or taking the child back or changing her mind , ' she said . when you 're standing on the edge of adoption , every angle of it is scary . until you 're in those shoes and faced with the decision you really ca n't judge . ' the couple came across russia as an option and ultimately found the experience to be so positive that they planned to return there to adopt a daughter . the process was relatively quick , from the moment they submitted paperwork in august 2008 to when they left the country on february 7 , 2009 , with the 20-month-old boy they later renamed hampton burchfield love greto . he knows he is adopted and where he 's from , she said . she and her husband try to instill in him an awareness of russian culture through maps , books and tv shows about russia . they have also become part of a community of russian-american families in atlanta in an effort to stay connected to his roots . he 's russian-american . it 's part of his story , and we do n't want to erase that , ' she said . she remembers the day her son thanked her for choosing ' him . it broke her heart and reminded her of the other children still waiting for a family to choose them , which is why she was eager to return to russia for hampton 's sister . if the ban holds up , she and her husband will pursue a domestic adoption . she sympathizes with russians who want their children to stay in the land where they born but thinks the children are the ones who will suffer . our son had been in that baby home for 12 months when we came along , ' she said . you do n't understand the need until you see it . we walked into that baby home and saw the number of children that need homes . ' follow cnn living on facebook and emanuella grinberg on twitter cnn 's elise labott contributed to this report . | josh and jenni johnston told orphan anastasia they would return for her |
till schauder <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when american basketball player kevin sheppard moved to iran in 2009 , he was greeted by elaborate graffiti that read down with the usa ' and america is the devil . ' similar rhetoric came from the united states , with the government decrying a nuclear weapons program from the country that was part of the axis of evil . ' it was in this tense political climate that the 6-foot point guard from the virgin islands accepted a job with the iranian super league after being recruited to carry his team to the playoffs . filmmaker till schauder joined sheppard on his journey , chronicling the basketball player 's experience in one of the most feared countries in the world in a documentary called the iran job . ' although sheppard had played basketball in several countries around the globe -- including israel , spain , china and brazil -- he accepted the job in iran with some reluctance . i said to myself ,'well , if i get there and it 's everything like the news said it was , weapons of mass destruction , these people are crazy ... then i 'm just going to get on the next plane and come right back home ,' sheppard said . yet , what he encountered upon arrival was the unexpected : a team of dedicated basketball players , devoted fans cheering his name , friends with a sense of humor and families that opened their doors and their homes . they love americans ! ' sheppard exclaimed . it was so ironic , because here i was in a country where they have all these signs :'down with usa'and'usa 's the devil'and'usa 's the evil one .'and then with the people , they 're like ,'man ! i love kobe bryant ! i love lebron james ! i love you guys . i want to be like you . i want to go to america and be a superstar !'' understanding iran : u.s. athlete reveals his inside story sheppard became a local star in the cultural center of shiraz , where he gradually led his low-ranking basketball team to more wins and ultimately to the playoffs . and with nothing more than a than a small hdv camera , a wireless mic and an extension cable packed in an unassuming backpack , schauder began filming sheppard 's progress under the radar . ' without a journalist 's visa and running the risk of imprisonment , the german-american filmmaker planned to tell authorities he was a european tourist filming iran 's ancient sites if questioned . yet despite the rigid measures , schauder saw the opportunity for intercultural dialogue through the charismatic ball player . sheppard , along with 12 other american basketball players in the country , came under investigation by the u.s. state department for technically breaking the trade embargo against iran by accepting a salary . the investigation reminded schauder of the lack of diplomatic relations between the two nations and the fact the u.s. had n't had an embassy in iran since the 1979 islamic revolution . it struck me that these players could potentially be bridge-builders , ' schauder said . as an athlete , sheppard strove to avoid politics and focus on the game but soon learned that politics is the game for nearly every aspect of iranian life . the women he befriended could be imprisoned for visiting his apartment ; police could stop a car that they suspected carried unmarried women with men ; people who spoke out against the government could be detained without explanation . sheppard found himself literally in the middle of the tense political situation in spring 2009 , when iranians took to the streets to protest the results of the presidential election . it was the beginning of the country 's green movement , when demonstrators claimed a rigged election and demanded the removal of president mahmoud ahmadinejad . sheppard , in the capital of tehran for the playoffs with his team , unwittingly found himself in the heart of the protests . i was getting ready to go to practice , and they had this street , like this long street as far as your eyes could see , ' sheppard explained . on one side was hezbollah , which is like their police , their military police , and the other side were the green protesters . i had to go through the middle of that road , and i was just saying to myself ,'if one of these guys throw a bottle , a stone , shoot a gun , i 'm going to be caught between almost a million people .'that 's when i said ,'man , this thing right here ai n't no basketball ; this thing right here is starting to get serious .' although the protests were quickly quelled by the government , iran 's green movement was the prelude to the arab spring , laying the groundwork for subsequent uprisings across the middle east and even the united states'occupy wall street movement . it 's important to remember that all of these uprisings in the countries that we now associate with the arab spring , all of these uprisings were initiated by the green movement in iran , ' schauder said . so it 's ironic that iran , of all places , has n't quite gotten there yet . ... i really hope at some point in history , we 'll remember the iranian people as the ones who got things going . ' schauder is determined to record that piece of iranian history , and as the revolutionaries go online to mobilize support , the filmmaker likewise utilizes the internet to spread their story . along with his co-producer and wife , sara nodjoumi , schauder launched one of the most successful kickstarter campaigns in the fundraising site 's history , raising $ 100,466 for the production of the iran job . ' another campaign is under way to fund distribution of the film . when you get so much support from every corner of the world , you literally feel the love , ' schauder said . it 's a combination of basketball fans , people interested in bettering relationships between the two religions , between the two cultures , and a lot of people coming together and entering this big tent that we 're trying to create . ' the ultimate goal of the documentary for schauder and sheppard is intercultural dialogue . both hope that a clearer understanding of the arab world in the west will lead to more informed policy decisions and will foster support for the ordinary people who are fighting to realize democracy . this story here needs to be told because we 're grouping iran with the government and not the people , ' sheppard said . we 're not understanding that the people wanted an opportunity to change the government . ' | filmmaker till schauder joined sheppard on his journey to chronicle his experience |
marseille <tsp> ( cnn ) -- didier deschamps has been confirmed as the new coach of france after laurent blanc quit at the end of euro 2012 . deschamps , a former coach of juventus and monaco , left his most recent post , as manager of marseille this summer . the french football federation held talks with the 43-year-old in paris on saturday and confirmed his appointment on their official website . in his illustrious playing career deschamps twice won the european champions league as a player and also won titles in france and italy . he captained france to their first ever world cup triumph in 1998 and led them to victory in the european championships two years later . he amssed 103 caps in total . a statement read : the fff has officially confirmed today the arrival of didier deschamps as coach of the france team . captain of les blues during the world cup 98 and euro 2000 , the former coach of as monaco , juventus and olympique de marseille has extensive experience at the highest level . ' blanc resigned after a disappointing euro 2012 campaign in which france lost to spain in the quarterfinals and again were hit by problems in the dressing room . | deschamps left french club marseille this summer |
white house <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- top white house and congressional negotiators failed to reach agreement tuesday on a spending plan for the rest of the current fiscal year , bringing the federal government closer to a shutdown at the end of the week . key democrats rejected a republican proposal to keep the government running for one more week at the cost of an additional $ 12 billion in cuts . republicans , meanwhile , dismissed democrats'insistence that there had been an agreement to cut $ 33 billion for the rest of the fiscal year . if there is no deal by midnight friday , when the current spending authorization measure expires , parts of the government will close down . later tuesday , senate majority leader harry reid and house speaker john boehner met privately to discuss the matter . statements issued by each of their offices described the talks as productive ' and said they agreed to continue working to find a solution . the budget brinksmanship showed the political stakes of the situation , with both parties trying to depict the other as unwilling to do what 's right for the country . republicans , under pressure from the conservative tea party movement for deep cuts that will reduce the size of government , blame democrats for failing to pass a fiscal year 2011 budget last year when they controlled both congressional chambers and say that president barack obama and his party are ignoring the peril of the rising federal deficits and national debt . democrats contend that spending cuts sought by house republicans in response to the tea party movement pressure will harm economic recovery and slash education and innovation programs essential for continued growth . obama and reid , d-nevada , both insisted tuesday that democrats are agreeing to more than 50 % of the spending cuts sought by republicans , which they said should be sufficient for a compromise on an issue that has little overall effect on the deficit and debt issues . obama discussed the growing budget crisis behind closed doors at the white house with key house and senate leaders . the president met with two republicans , boehner and house appropriations committee chairman hal rogers of kentucky , and two democrats , reid and senate appropriations committee chairman daniel inouye of hawaii . the president then made an unannounced appearance in the white house briefing room to tell reporters that boehner and reid would meet on their own later in the day . obama said that if the two men failed to make progress on their own , he expected them to return to the white house on wednesday . and if that does n't work , we 'll invite them again the day after that , ' the president promised . there 's no reason why we should not get this done . ' the administration will put in whatever resources are required in terms of time and energy ' to reach an agreement , obama said . but what we ca n't do is have a'my way or the highway'approach to this problem , ' he added . if we start applying that approach ... we 're not going to get anything done . ' obama also said he could support one more short-term funding extension to avert a partial shutdown , but only if a deal is reached on spending for the rest of the current fiscal year , which ends september 30 . he and reid rejected the gop proposal for a seven-day extension that would include $ 12 billion in spending cuts while providing the military with funding for the rest of the fiscal year , but reid added he would consider amending the measure if it reached the senate in time for action before the current spending resolution expires . reid also said house republicans should start doing what the country needs , not what the tea party wants , ' noting the democratic-controlled senate rejected a house spending bill favored by conservatives that would cut $ 61 billion in discretionary spending this fiscal year . democrats consider that bill draconian , complaining that , among other things , it would cut key programs for continued economic recovery while eliminating funding for others opposed by conservatives , such as planned parenthood and national public radio . boehner , meanwhile , insisted house republicans would n't let senate democrats and the white house put them in a box ' by forcing them to choose between a government shutdown or continued government funding with insufficient spending cuts . we want the largest spending cuts that are possible , ' said boehner , r-ohio . we 're going to continue to fight for those . ' boehner also said he would not drop the gop 's insistence on including provisions relating to hot-button social issues such as abortion , calling them important to his conservative caucus . democrats oppose the so-called policy riders ' in the spending bill . the speaker cast aside assertions by obama and reid that they had already given the gop over half of what it initially wanted in terms of cuts , saying the democrats were using smoke and mirrors to get there . ' our goal is to keep the government open , ' boehner insisted . we have no interest in the government shutting down , but we are interested in cutting spending . ' as the potential for a shutdown grew , an aide to boehner said the lawmaker also told house administration committee chairman dan lungren , r-california , to issue guidance to all members on how the house would operate in the event of a government shutdown . meanwhile , the u.s. office of personnel management posted information about how a shutdown would affect federal employees on its website tuesday . the posting said that most federal workers paid with funds appropriated by congress will go on temporary furlough in the event of a shutdown . it would be up to congress to decide if furloughed workers get paid for the work time missed when the shutdown ends , the posting said . health benefits continue if the shutdown lasts for less than a year , it said . a senior democratic source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations said the biggest obstacle to a deal involves whether reductions in mandatory spending programs , known in appropriations parlance as changes in mandatory spending ' or chimps , should be part of spending cuts . examples of mandatory spending programs include pell grants , the children 's health insurance program and some types of highway funding . such programs are funded for multiple years at a time , with the spending set for the time period covered , exempt from congressional authorization each year . according to the senior democratic source , the chiefs of staff to inouye and rogers negotiated throughout the weekend , and the gap between them is about $ 8 billion to $ 10 billion . democratic sources said they want about half the overall cuts in this spending bill to come from mandatory spending programs , and that they have proposed the necessary reductions in programs at the u.s. department of agriculture , the justice department , the treasury department and pell grants . republicans , who want any spending cuts to reflect a reduction in the size of government , note that reducing the spending in a mandatory program for one year does n't prevent the amount from returning to its original level the following year . cnn 's dana bash , deirdre walsh , ted barrett contributed to this report | white house , congressional budget negotiations fail to reach an agreement |
navy <tsp> tokyo ( cnn ) -- u.s. navy personnel are taking precautionary measures after instruments aboard an aircraft carrier docked in japan detected low levels of radioactivity from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant , the navy said tuesday . the uss george washington was docked for maintenance in yokosuka , about 175 miles ( 280 kilometers ) from the plant in okuma , when instruments detected the radiation at 7 a.m. tuesday ( 6 p.m . et monday ) , the navy said in a statement . personnel will limit outdoor activities and secure external ventilation systems there and at a nearby air facility in atsugi . there is no appreciable health risk , and we are being very conservative in our recommendations , ' u.s . naval forces japan commander rear adm. richard wren said . in a recorded video message , wren said the additional radiation exposure over the past 12 hours had been less than one month 's exposure to naturally occurring background radiation . workers are scrambling to cool down fuel rods and prevent a full meltdown in three reactors at the earthquake-hit fukushima daiichi plant . japanese prime minister naoto kan warned tuesday that the risk of further releases of radioactive material from the plant remains very high . ' radioactive steam has been released intentionally to lessen growing pressure in the reactors . but radiation levels at the plant increased tuesday to levels that can impact human health , ' chief cabinet secretary yukio edano told reporters . the announcement came after an explosion at the plant 's no . 2 reactor . in addition , edano said , the building housing the no . 4 unit -- which had been shut down before friday 's earthquake -- was burning tuesday morning , on monday the navy said it was repositioning ships after tests had detected low levels of radioactivity on 17 u.s. navy helicopter crew members that had been conducting disaster relief missions in japan . no further contamination was detected after the crew members washed with soap and water , the navy said . the navy 's monday statement , however , provided some perspective , noting that the maximum potential radiation dose received by ship personnel when it passed through the area was less than the radiation exposure received from about one month of exposure to natural background radiation from sources such as rocks , soil , and the sun . ' cnn 's larry shaughnessy and bob kovach contributed to this report . | the navy is limiting outdoor activities and securing ventilation systems |
navy <tsp> tokyo ( cnn ) -- u.s. navy personnel are taking precautionary measures after instruments aboard an aircraft carrier docked in japan detected low levels of radioactivity from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant , the navy said tuesday . the uss george washington was docked for maintenance in yokosuka , about 175 miles ( 280 kilometers ) from the plant in okuma , when instruments detected the radiation at 7 a.m. tuesday ( 6 p.m . et monday ) , the navy said in a statement . personnel will limit outdoor activities and secure external ventilation systems there and at a nearby air facility in atsugi . there is no appreciable health risk , and we are being very conservative in our recommendations , ' u.s . naval forces japan commander rear adm. richard wren said . in a recorded video message , wren said the additional radiation exposure over the past 12 hours had been less than one month 's exposure to naturally occurring background radiation . workers are scrambling to cool down fuel rods and prevent a full meltdown in three reactors at the earthquake-hit fukushima daiichi plant . japanese prime minister naoto kan warned tuesday that the risk of further releases of radioactive material from the plant remains very high . ' radioactive steam has been released intentionally to lessen growing pressure in the reactors . but radiation levels at the plant increased tuesday to levels that can impact human health , ' chief cabinet secretary yukio edano told reporters . the announcement came after an explosion at the plant 's no . 2 reactor . in addition , edano said , the building housing the no . 4 unit -- which had been shut down before friday 's earthquake -- was burning tuesday morning , on monday the navy said it was repositioning ships after tests had detected low levels of radioactivity on 17 u.s. navy helicopter crew members that had been conducting disaster relief missions in japan . no further contamination was detected after the crew members washed with soap and water , the navy said . the navy 's monday statement , however , provided some perspective , noting that the maximum potential radiation dose received by ship personnel when it passed through the area was less than the radiation exposure received from about one month of exposure to natural background radiation from sources such as rocks , soil , and the sun . ' cnn 's larry shaughnessy and bob kovach contributed to this report . | the navy says the radioactivity detected comes from the fukushima daiichi plant |
l.a. galaxy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- david beckham was upstaged on the day his ac milan future was finally resolved as teammate filippo inzaghi fired a hat-trick in the 3-0 success over atalanta at the san siro on sunday . david beckham congratulates hat-trick hero filippo inzaghi as the san siro enjoys a double celebration . milan confirmed in a brief statement a deal had been reached with los angeles galaxy over england international beckham . ac milan announces that the player david beckham will remain at the club until june 30 , 2009 , ' it read . the 33-year-old midfielder will then return to the united states to play for the galaxy between july and october . i 'm grateful to both clubs for allowing this dream to come true , ' beckham said in a statement posted on www.gazzetta.it . what do think of beckham 's move to play in the u.s. and italy ? it will enable me to play for milan and the galaxy in the same season , with the possibility of been able to keep up my commitments with major league soccer and the development of soccer in the united states , something which i 'm very passionate about . ' the deal follows weeks of negotiations between the two clubs during which milan baulked at the size of the transfer fee galaxy were demanding -- thought to be around £12million . galaxy 's chief executive , tim lieweke , admits the deal is one which suits both clubs . i 'm sorry that it had to go for so long , for him and for us and particularly for the fans , ' he told the los angeles times . this is a good solution . it allows him to finish the season with milan . we will see him in july . ' coach carlo ancelotti admits beckham has exceeded all expectations during his first two months as an ac milan player . beckham has done more than we could have possibly expected from him , ' ancelotti told pa sport . he has settled in very well with the squad and given a huge contribution up to now . he is very professional and we are all very , very happy that he is staying . ' he added : the aim was to keep him until june 30 and we have done that . he is very happy with the solution that has been found and we will make the most of having him now and then we will see . ' sunday 's victory gave milan a five-point gap over fourth-placed fiorentina , who lost 2-0 at home to palermo . ancelotti said inzaghi had helped lift the club out of a crisis after their uefa cup exit . he gave us a real helping hand . it was a tough match and for most of the first half atalanta caused us problems , ' he said . then pippo 's ability to find the right place to be in allowed us to end the match well . we were in a crisis and now i hope that this result has put an end to the crisis . ' only the top three in serie a will go straight into next season 's champions league group stages with the fourth place finisher having to negotiate two qualifying rounds . with his contract uncertainty behind him , beckham seemed to have a new lease of life and he was even given a free role behind forwards inzaghi and pato by ancelotti . the former england captain dictated the play and helped open the way for milan to take a seventh-minute lead when marek jankulovski firied across goal for the unmarked inzaghi to score . milan had to wait until the 71st minute for inzaghi 's second . he beat the offside trap to latch onto pato 's chip and take the ball around consigli before slotting home . moment 's later inzaghi was once again in the right place at the right time to tap in gianluca zambrotta 's pass from close range . after that ancelotti took both inzaghi and beckham off to give the fans the chance to show their appreciation for both players . there was no change to the top three in serie a as inter milan and juventus both won on saturday , 2-0 at genoa and 1-0 at torino respectively . serie a top scorer marco di vaio also scored a hat-trick as bologna thrashed sampdoria 3-0 . | beckham will stay at san siro for rest of season and the rejoin l.a. galaxy |
nsync <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- nsync is back ! kind of . the group 's label , sony legacy records , released the essential * nsync , a double album featuring nsync 's hits as well as some rarer songs , tuesday†” and the band , evidently , had no idea . lance bass posted a photo of the album on instagram , writing , i love when the record label does n't even tell you they are releasing a new'nsync album tomorrow ! sounds like they do n't anyone to know about it . ' despite the apparent lack of promotion , plenty of people found out about its release : the album is already out of stock on amazon and is currently one of the most downloaded albums on itunes . there 's a lot of these songs i do n't think i 've ever heard , i remember recording them but i 've never heard them before , so i 'm interested in just hearing it , ' bass said on his radio show dirty pop ' after hearing the news . some of those songs include believe in yourself , ' which they performed on sesame street in 2000 , and a cover of the lion sleeps tonight . ' the group 's label , sony legacy records , released the essential * nsync , a double album featuring nsync 's hits as well as some rarer songs , tuesday†” and the band , evidently , had no idea . lance bass posted a photo of the album on instagram , writing , i love when the record label does n't even tell you they are releasing a new'nsync album tomorrow ! sounds like they do n't anyone to know about it . ' despite the apparent lack of promotion , plenty of people found out about its release : the album is already out of stock on amazon and is currently one of the most downloaded albums on itunes . there 's a lot of these songs i do n't think i 've ever heard , i remember recording them but i 've never heard them before , so i 'm interested in just hearing it , ' bass said on his radio show dirty pop ' after hearing the news . some of those songs include believe in yourself , ' which they performed on sesame street in 2000 , and a cover of the lion sleeps tonight . ' bass is n't the only nsync-er excited to hear what tracks are on this surprise album : chris kirkpatrick wrote it 's great to release some of the songs that had never made a record before ! ' on twitter tuesday . joey fatone and jc chasez also took to twitter to thank their fans , but justin timberlake has yet to make any sort of statement about the album†” he 's probably too busy listening to it on repeat like the rest of us . though nsync has n't released an album together since 2001 's celebrity , the five briefly reunited at 2013 's vmas to perform a medley of girlfriend ' and bye bye bye . ' see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | sony released a double nsync album |
miami masters <tsp> ( cnn ) -- david ferrer will aim to become the first spaniard to win the miami masters after beating germany 's tommy haas in an absorbing semifinal on friday . the trophy has proved beyond the reach of three of his compatriots in the past , with rafael nadal having failed on three occasions ( 2005 , 2008 , 2011 ) to add to previous failures by carlos moya ( 2003 ) and sergi bruguera ( 1997 ) . the third seed , who celebrates his 31st birthday on tuesday , will play either andy murray or richard gasquet in sunday 's final after recovering from a break down in the third set to win 4-6 , 6-2 , 6-3 . the world no . 5 finally ended a fine championships for haas who , at 34 , was bidding to become the oldest man to reach the final since jimmy connors in 1988 . the german , who slayed world no . 1 and defending champion novak djovokic in the quarterfinals , took his fine form into the clash as he powered his way to the first set in key biscayne . losing the opener only served to focus ferrer 's concentration however and he broke haas in the sixth game of the second before repeating the feat to take the set 6-2 . when haas broke in the first and third games of the third set , the german seemed to have regained the initiative only for ferrer to find his way back into the match through his trademark resilience . 2013 has started in superb fashion for the spaniard , who can win his third title of the year on sunday -- with the australian open semifinalist having already triumphed in auckland and buenos aires . ferrer is into his fifth atp world tour masters 1000 final although his only success came last november when beating poland 's jerzy janowicz in paris . while no spanish male has ever lifted the title in key biscayne , the ladies'trophy has previously been claimed by spain -- with arantxa sanchez vicario beating gabriela sabatini in 1992 , before defending her crown against steffi graf the following year . | ferrer bidding to become first spaniard to win miami masters |
spain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- david ferrer will aim to become the first spaniard to win the miami masters after beating germany 's tommy haas in an absorbing semifinal on friday . the trophy has proved beyond the reach of three of his compatriots in the past , with rafael nadal having failed on three occasions ( 2005 , 2008 , 2011 ) to add to previous failures by carlos moya ( 2003 ) and sergi bruguera ( 1997 ) . the third seed , who celebrates his 31st birthday on tuesday , will play either andy murray or richard gasquet in sunday 's final after recovering from a break down in the third set to win 4-6 , 6-2 , 6-3 . the world no . 5 finally ended a fine championships for haas who , at 34 , was bidding to become the oldest man to reach the final since jimmy connors in 1988 . the german , who slayed world no . 1 and defending champion novak djovokic in the quarterfinals , took his fine form into the clash as he powered his way to the first set in key biscayne . losing the opener only served to focus ferrer 's concentration however and he broke haas in the sixth game of the second before repeating the feat to take the set 6-2 . when haas broke in the first and third games of the third set , the german seemed to have regained the initiative only for ferrer to find his way back into the match through his trademark resilience . 2013 has started in superb fashion for the spaniard , who can win his third title of the year on sunday -- with the australian open semifinalist having already triumphed in auckland and buenos aires . ferrer is into his fifth atp world tour masters 1000 final although his only success came last november when beating poland 's jerzy janowicz in paris . while no spanish male has ever lifted the title in key biscayne , the ladies'trophy has previously been claimed by spain -- with arantxa sanchez vicario beating gabriela sabatini in 1992 , before defending her crown against steffi graf the following year . | third seed from spain will play either andy murray or richard gasquet in sunday 's final |
england <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he made his name predicting germany 's 2010 world cup results , but now paul the octopus is returning home to help england 's bid to stage the 2018 tournament . england 's campaign came off the rails in may when former football association chariman david triesman was forced to stand down after being secretly taped accusing spain and russia of bribing referees . his comments put a big dent in the considerable goodwill that had been built by the addition of soccer superstar david beckham to the campaign team in 2009 . now paul , who was hatched at an english aquarium in 2008 , is lending his particular talents to the bid despite having retired from psychic predictions . paul has spent the last two years of his life in germany , but he is definitely a proud englishman and is therefore delighted to put his support behind england 2018 , ' weymouth sea life center manager nicola hamilton said on wednesday . we have had a number of football approaches from around the world but paul was only ever going to choose his homeland . ' the cephalopod correctly predicted the outcome of eight consecutive world cup matches , dooming germany 's hopes when he plumped for spain in the semifinal and then also in the final . he has since signed book and merchandising deals and is set to appear in a film , all of which will help to raise funds for a sea turtle rescue center on the greek island of zakynthos -- which will also receive a donation from the england 2018 team . with his predicting days behind him , paul is now concentrating on a number of new projects and the england 2018 campaign is something we are sure he feels passionately about . becoming an official ambassador for the bid is an honor for paul and everyone at the sea life center , ' hamilton said . paul joins music stars robbie williams , sting and former oasis leader noel gallagher as part of the team along with prince william , formula one champions lewis hamilton and jenson button . the england bid is one of five seeking to host the 2018 tournament and one of eight hoping to stage the 2022 event , with the decision to be made by world ruling body fifa in december this year . | psychic cephalopod backs england 's campaign to stage the 2018 world cup |
england <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he made his name predicting germany 's 2010 world cup results , but now paul the octopus is returning home to help england 's bid to stage the 2018 tournament . england 's campaign came off the rails in may when former football association chariman david triesman was forced to stand down after being secretly taped accusing spain and russia of bribing referees . his comments put a big dent in the considerable goodwill that had been built by the addition of soccer superstar david beckham to the campaign team in 2009 . now paul , who was hatched at an english aquarium in 2008 , is lending his particular talents to the bid despite having retired from psychic predictions . paul has spent the last two years of his life in germany , but he is definitely a proud englishman and is therefore delighted to put his support behind england 2018 , ' weymouth sea life center manager nicola hamilton said on wednesday . we have had a number of football approaches from around the world but paul was only ever going to choose his homeland . ' the cephalopod correctly predicted the outcome of eight consecutive world cup matches , dooming germany 's hopes when he plumped for spain in the semifinal and then also in the final . he has since signed book and merchandising deals and is set to appear in a film , all of which will help to raise funds for a sea turtle rescue center on the greek island of zakynthos -- which will also receive a donation from the england 2018 team . with his predicting days behind him , paul is now concentrating on a number of new projects and the england 2018 campaign is something we are sure he feels passionately about . becoming an official ambassador for the bid is an honor for paul and everyone at the sea life center , ' hamilton said . paul joins music stars robbie williams , sting and former oasis leader noel gallagher as part of the team along with prince william , formula one champions lewis hamilton and jenson button . the england bid is one of five seeking to host the 2018 tournament and one of eight hoping to stage the 2022 event , with the decision to be made by world ruling body fifa in december this year . | england bid is ailing following controversy involving former chairman earlier this year |
victoria <tsp> victoria , texas ( cnn ) -- this small texas town is half a world away from the nuclear disaster unfolding in japan . nevertheless , the calamity is having a ripple effect . this week , the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission held a scheduled two-day public hearing on a nuclear power plant near victoria . there , texans for sound energy policy got a chance to voice their opposition on the proposed plant that would be built by electric power giant exelon generation . those who support the plant repeatedly stated , nuclear power is a safe energy source ' at the two-day hearing . in addition , supporters argued that the $ 16 billion project would add over 750 permanent jobs and 2,500 temporary construction jobs . how close are you to a nuclear plant ? the money spent on the plant would be nearly five times more than victoria 's yearly budget , said don pozzi , an administrative judge and lifetime resident of victoria county . that 's a lot of money , ' said pozzi , 67 . in addition to the jobs , he argues the project would help add to the town 's coffers through sales taxes and real estate taxes from new housing . that , he says , will help the small town of about 87,000 people continue to grow . and that 's exactly what rancher david huber is afraid of -- a larger victoria with a nuclear power plant . i 've been opposed from the beginning and i 'm still opposed , ' said huber , 62 . the proposed site for the reactor is located in a rural farming district approximately seven miles from huber 's ranch . huber , a 6-foot-2 rancher with a thick texas accent and an affable personality , said he loves his land and his way of life . his family has been a part of the victoria farming community since the late 1800s . the road exelon is planning on using for heavy hauling , my grandfather built around 1920 , ' the rancher said , while driving around his ranch with his son , jason huber . along the way , he proudly points the results of his family 's hard work . our roots are in the ground . ' his concerns over the dangers of a possible nuclear reactor so close to his ranch have increased since the nuclear disaster triggered by last week 's quake and tsunami in japan , he said . japan 's nuclear crisis explained prior to choosing the location , exelon generation studied the possible impact of a nuclear power plant on victoria 's community , water and ecology . exelon is the united states'largest nuclear power plant operator , running 17 plants in 10 states . see locations of u.s. nuclear power facilities after studying the victoria site , the power company found the risks to be low . but not everyone agrees . nuclear power is a high risk , high stakes business , ' said jim blackburn with texans for sound energy policy at this week 's nrc public hearing . everyone here should be sobered by the events in japan and by the seriousness of matters at hand , ' blackburn added . our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in japan . ' the nrc must grant final approval before any new nuclear plants can be built and operated . no new nuclear plant has won final approval in the united states since the three mile island accident in 1979 , although site work is being done at a couple of locations around the country . at this week 's hearing , exelon representative william scott acknowledged the events in japan , but he urged people not to overreact to what 's going on in light of the continuous news coverage of the unfolding crisis . texas town ok with nuclear plant expansion he said he understands people 's concerns and why politicians have taken a closer look at the safety plans for nuclear plants in their states . that 's a perfectly natural reaction . we expect to be held accountable , that 's part of our commitment to safety , ' said scott . the situation in japan does n't seem to have any effect on those who steadfastly support the proposed nuclear plant near victoria , pozzi said . i do n't expect people will change their minds , ' he said . i think people have had their minds made up . ' he pointed to an unscientific online poll in the local newspaper , the victoria advocate , which found that despite the japan incident , 53 % of the 394 people polled said they favor the victoria plant compared to 23 % who oppose it . there are plane crashes , people continue to fly . there are car accidents , people continue to drive , ' pozzi said . there 's going to be nuclear power . ' victoria 's mayor will armstrong agreed . my support has n't wavered at all , ' he said . victoria county commissioner gary burns said he and other city officials have wined and dined ' exelon in hopes of bringing billions of dollars to victoria 's economy . burns said if the deal falls through , the town 's economic future is at risk . those who oppose the plant said the site where exelon would build the plant lies on a growth fault ' which does n't trigger earthquakes but can cause the earth to shift . blackburn and his texans for sound energy policy group fears the ground beneath the proposed nuclear site could sink , causing the cooling water ponds , vital to a nuclear plant , to drain away . it has active oil and gas extraction , ' blackburn said about the proposed site . it can and will change over time . ' blackburn said exelon has not addressed the growth fault issue in its filings with the nrc . but steve frantz , an attorney representing exelon pointed out that the growth faults are are not tectonic in nature . ' a study of the area shows one growth fault in the area moved only 8 inches over 40 years . they pose no seismic threat , ' said frantz . the only threat is a possibility of surface deformation if the growth faults were to move . ' he did say all safety structures including vital safety cooling ponds would be located away from the growth faults . we did find it and studied it , ' said frantz . we planned the safety-related structures 500 feet away , which we felt was more than adequate . ' blackburn insists that even though growth faults are not seismic , they still pose potential dangers to the safe operation of a nuclear facility . ' tsep believes that good engineering can address many potential safety issues , ' he said . however , you can not engineer around issues that are not recognized , studied and evaluated . ' some residents , like huber , who would live near the proposed site , feel that it 's a risk that is not worth taking . ( what if ) all of a sudden that ( proposed ) plant has a problem and there 's an evacuation for a 10-mile radius ? ' the rancher wondered . i 'm in the 10-mile radius . what do i do ? try and pick up and try to run ? this is my life . ' why would you even want to risk this natural beauty ? ' he asked , as he stood on the banks of the san antonio river next to his ranch at sunset . | exelon wants to build a $ 16 billion nuclear plant near victoria |
obama <tsp> incoming texas gov . greg abbott said monday he expects to legally challenge president barack obama 's new immigration action in the next two weeks . ' abbott , currently the attorney general in texas , said he 's reaching out to other governors and top state attorneys about joining the expected lawsuit . our constitutional structure does not work when our president is untethered from the law . that is what has happened here , ' he said at a news conference monday . abbott 's charge against obama 's executive order limiting deportations has vaulted the republican onto the national stage , giving him a lead role on a prominent issue just as he prepares to replace outgoing gov . rick perry . related : virginia 's ken cuccinelli on immigration lawsuit :'take it slow' he accused obama on monday of violating the constitution 's requirement that the president faithfully execute laws passed by congress , and said obama 's move is dangerous because it paves the way for future presidential candidates to claim , for instance , that they would waive penalties for americans who did n't pay taxes . he said the attorney general 's office is currently conducting research and analysis ' on a legal challenge and is contacting other states with status updates . oklahoma officials have already said they expect to sue , and others -- including indiana gov . mike pence -- have said they 're considering joining the challenge , as well . he said a 2012 obama order deferring the deportation of dreamers ' -- undocumented immigrants who came to the united states as children , who would have gained legal status under a bill dubbed the dream act ' that never became law -- led to millions of dollars in costs to schools , to law enforcement , to health care ' in texas . if history repeats itself even in the slightest , texas will once again sustain consequences from the president 's executive order , ' abbott said . | texas gov.-elect greg abbott says the state is preparing to challenge president obama 's immigration order in court |
obama <tsp> incoming texas gov . greg abbott said monday he expects to legally challenge president barack obama 's new immigration action in the next two weeks . ' abbott , currently the attorney general in texas , said he 's reaching out to other governors and top state attorneys about joining the expected lawsuit . our constitutional structure does not work when our president is untethered from the law . that is what has happened here , ' he said at a news conference monday . abbott 's charge against obama 's executive order limiting deportations has vaulted the republican onto the national stage , giving him a lead role on a prominent issue just as he prepares to replace outgoing gov . rick perry . related : virginia 's ken cuccinelli on immigration lawsuit :'take it slow' he accused obama on monday of violating the constitution 's requirement that the president faithfully execute laws passed by congress , and said obama 's move is dangerous because it paves the way for future presidential candidates to claim , for instance , that they would waive penalties for americans who did n't pay taxes . he said the attorney general 's office is currently conducting research and analysis ' on a legal challenge and is contacting other states with status updates . oklahoma officials have already said they expect to sue , and others -- including indiana gov . mike pence -- have said they 're considering joining the challenge , as well . he said a 2012 obama order deferring the deportation of dreamers ' -- undocumented immigrants who came to the united states as children , who would have gained legal status under a bill dubbed the dream act ' that never became law -- led to millions of dollars in costs to schools , to law enforcement , to health care ' in texas . if history repeats itself even in the slightest , texas will once again sustain consequences from the president 's executive order , ' abbott said . | the republican has seized a prominent role leading the charge against obama 's executive order |
caroline <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- caroline pla has been playing football since kindergarten , and for the past two years , the 11-year-old has been knocking opposing players on their butts . it never occurred to her that someone might need to protect her from the sport she adores . her playing time with the catholic youth organization ended after last season when the archdiocese of philadelphia enforced its boys only ' policy for football , sidelining the all-star guard and defensive end . inspired by her older brother , george , 14 , caroline started playing pop warner flag football at age 5 and was hooked . once she got too big to play pop warner , she signed up to play tackle football with the cyo in the fifth grade . two games into caroline 's second season , head coach chip ross received an unexpected call from jason budd , deputy secretary for catholic education for the archdiocese , who oversees the football program . the 5-foot-3 , 110-pound sixth-grader , budd explained to ross , could no longer play for the romans because , according to the cyo handbook , football is a full-contact sport -- no girls allowed . unaware such a rule existed , ross was shocked , he said . she should be allowed to play , ' said ross , who also coaches football at a nearby high school . football is a sport that culls out the folks that can hang or not hang , and certainly , caroline has been more than able to hold her own . ' league of their own not wanting to disrupt the season or ostracize caroline , ross and her parents kept the news under wraps and pleaded with the archdiocese to let her finish the season . after a week of corresponding with budd , including sending a letter of support from the family 's church pastor , an extension was granted . there are 46 football programs , each with junior varsity and varsity teams , under the archdiocese of philadelphia cyo . of the nearly 2,500 participants , caroline is the only female player . the coaches waited until the end of the season to tell caroline and her teammates that she was off the team because of the archdiocese 's boys only ' rule . i was mad , ' caroline said after learning she was n't allowed to play , just really mad that we do n't get the same opportunity as boys just because we 're not a boy . not only am i not going to be able to play , but girls all over are n't going to be able to sign up , ' she said . and i do n't think that 's fair . ' though caroline says she 's never been hurt -- and has laid her share of licks on the boys -- the archdiocese said in a statement that the decision to give caroline the boot was for her and other girls'safety . the archdiocese of philadelphia 's catholic youth organization currently designates football as a full-contact sport for boys only . it is important to note that most cyo sports are designated by gender , with some sports offering separate leagues for boys and girls . these measures are taken in an effort to ensure a safe and appropriate playing environment for all participants , ' archdiocese of philadelphia spokesman kenneth a. gavin said in a statement . traditionally , football is a boys only sport due to its full contact nature . most parents and players have preferred this ; some now disagree . an archdiocesan panel of coaches , parents , pastors and experts in the sports medicine and pediatrics fields will evaluate the current rule . calls for an immediate change in the policy are premature and unwise without adequate consultation , especially given the potential safety issues involved , ' the statement continued . according to the archdiocese , budget cuts and personnel changes allowed caroline to slip through the cracks , but she actually should 've been denied the opportunity to play when she initially applied in fifth grade . she 'll'knock you on your butt' when she first stepped on the field , the boys on caroline 's first cyo team were uncomfortable lining up against a girl , said her former coach , jim reichwein . those concerns dissipated once caroline showed she was tough enough to pop a lineman in the mouth just like the rest of her teammates . we did n't make a big deal about it , ' said reichwein . anyone who went head-to-head with her ended up on the ground . after a week , ( her gender ) was laid to lest . ' reichwein , who is also caroline 's basketball coach and her best friend 's father , said she embodies the character and sportsmanship that football coaches so often strive to instill in their players . this whole fight is for other people more than it is for her , ' he said . she 's such a caring , kind , well-rounded young lady who 's able to put a helmet on , throw a switch and knock you on your butt . ' caroline 's father proudly stands with his daughter . he said the ruling is outdated . girls playing football is not something new . they 're not going through uncharted water or pioneering something that has n't been addressed before , ' george pla said . the sport will determine where 's she 's best able to play , if she is at all . ' all four pla children are encouraged to pursue their passions , whether it 's theater or football , george pla said . caroline 's twin sister , alexandra , uninterested in playing football , would prefer to remain on the sidelines as a cheerleader . tackling the boys-only rule is bigger than just letting her twin back on the gridiron , alexandra said . she 's trying really hard to let girls play football , ' she said . i really like to watch her play , and the rule should be changed so anyone can play . ' rally'round the girl after calls and e-mails to the archdiocese were unsuccessful , caroline , no longer welcome to play football for the cyo , decided to call an audible . with the full support of her team , caroline 's mom , seal pla , started an online petition at change.org to encourage the archdiocese to allow girls to play football . her original goal was to get 100 signatures . there are now more than 100,000 . one signer is 9-year-old peewee football sensation samantha sweet feet ' gordon from utah . she was recently featured on a wheaties box and made a november appearance on nfl gameday morning , ' where she showed off her moves to hall of famers marshall faulk and warren sapp . she also was invited to this year 's super bowl in new orleans , where she blogged for four days for espnw.com , which focuses on female athletes . even philadelphia councilman and devout catholic jim kenney fired off an official letter to the archdiocese , saying the issue hits close to home . ' the archdiocese is one of the last remaining defenders of gender discriminating in sports , so let us proudly take a giant leap forward in catholic education today by purging this archaic rule from the cyo handbook , ' he wrote . caroline also caught the attention of talk show host ellen degeneres . sporting her navy and gold football jersey on set , caroline won over the crowd during her appearance last month . when asked whether she 's gotten hurt , the crowd erupted when she quipped with a made-for-tv smile , i 've never really gotten hurt , but i have hurt people . ' could archdiocese cut back ? caroline 's fight to get back on the field has n't swayed the archdiocese yet , but the panel selected by the archdiocese is expected to issue a decision on the boys-only rule by mid-march . in a final appeal , caroline , who also competes on cyo track and basketball teams , wrote to philadelphia archbishop charles chaput after recently learning he would have the final say after the panel makes their recommendation . in an e-mail provided to cnn by the pla family , chaput told caroline he was perplexed ' that she wrote to him only after going to the media . i admire your love of the game , caroline , and i 'm impressed by your zeal in pursuing the opportunity to play it , ' he wrote . at the same time , it 's important to understand that pressure is not a good way of showing respect for dedicated people who are simply fulfilling their duty to protect young people in sports . ' the chiding seems to ignore that caroline 's parents wrote the archdiocese , to no avail , before taking their daughter 's cause public , the plas said . though it 's now basketball season for caroline , she is n't giving up her fight . she 's not being disrespectful when she says the archbishop 's claim that he 's just trying to protect her does n't ring true . i was just really surprised that we 're not allowed to play because we 're girls , ' caroline said . they say it 's a safety issue , but i do n't get that because it 's not just a safety issue for us ; it 's a safety issue for anybody that goes on to the field . ' | caroline pla says she 's laid her share of licks on the boys and has never been hurt |
caroline <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- caroline pla has been playing football since kindergarten , and for the past two years , the 11-year-old has been knocking opposing players on their butts . it never occurred to her that someone might need to protect her from the sport she adores . her playing time with the catholic youth organization ended after last season when the archdiocese of philadelphia enforced its boys only ' policy for football , sidelining the all-star guard and defensive end . inspired by her older brother , george , 14 , caroline started playing pop warner flag football at age 5 and was hooked . once she got too big to play pop warner , she signed up to play tackle football with the cyo in the fifth grade . two games into caroline 's second season , head coach chip ross received an unexpected call from jason budd , deputy secretary for catholic education for the archdiocese , who oversees the football program . the 5-foot-3 , 110-pound sixth-grader , budd explained to ross , could no longer play for the romans because , according to the cyo handbook , football is a full-contact sport -- no girls allowed . unaware such a rule existed , ross was shocked , he said . she should be allowed to play , ' said ross , who also coaches football at a nearby high school . football is a sport that culls out the folks that can hang or not hang , and certainly , caroline has been more than able to hold her own . ' league of their own not wanting to disrupt the season or ostracize caroline , ross and her parents kept the news under wraps and pleaded with the archdiocese to let her finish the season . after a week of corresponding with budd , including sending a letter of support from the family 's church pastor , an extension was granted . there are 46 football programs , each with junior varsity and varsity teams , under the archdiocese of philadelphia cyo . of the nearly 2,500 participants , caroline is the only female player . the coaches waited until the end of the season to tell caroline and her teammates that she was off the team because of the archdiocese 's boys only ' rule . i was mad , ' caroline said after learning she was n't allowed to play , just really mad that we do n't get the same opportunity as boys just because we 're not a boy . not only am i not going to be able to play , but girls all over are n't going to be able to sign up , ' she said . and i do n't think that 's fair . ' though caroline says she 's never been hurt -- and has laid her share of licks on the boys -- the archdiocese said in a statement that the decision to give caroline the boot was for her and other girls'safety . the archdiocese of philadelphia 's catholic youth organization currently designates football as a full-contact sport for boys only . it is important to note that most cyo sports are designated by gender , with some sports offering separate leagues for boys and girls . these measures are taken in an effort to ensure a safe and appropriate playing environment for all participants , ' archdiocese of philadelphia spokesman kenneth a. gavin said in a statement . traditionally , football is a boys only sport due to its full contact nature . most parents and players have preferred this ; some now disagree . an archdiocesan panel of coaches , parents , pastors and experts in the sports medicine and pediatrics fields will evaluate the current rule . calls for an immediate change in the policy are premature and unwise without adequate consultation , especially given the potential safety issues involved , ' the statement continued . according to the archdiocese , budget cuts and personnel changes allowed caroline to slip through the cracks , but she actually should 've been denied the opportunity to play when she initially applied in fifth grade . she 'll'knock you on your butt' when she first stepped on the field , the boys on caroline 's first cyo team were uncomfortable lining up against a girl , said her former coach , jim reichwein . those concerns dissipated once caroline showed she was tough enough to pop a lineman in the mouth just like the rest of her teammates . we did n't make a big deal about it , ' said reichwein . anyone who went head-to-head with her ended up on the ground . after a week , ( her gender ) was laid to lest . ' reichwein , who is also caroline 's basketball coach and her best friend 's father , said she embodies the character and sportsmanship that football coaches so often strive to instill in their players . this whole fight is for other people more than it is for her , ' he said . she 's such a caring , kind , well-rounded young lady who 's able to put a helmet on , throw a switch and knock you on your butt . ' caroline 's father proudly stands with his daughter . he said the ruling is outdated . girls playing football is not something new . they 're not going through uncharted water or pioneering something that has n't been addressed before , ' george pla said . the sport will determine where 's she 's best able to play , if she is at all . ' all four pla children are encouraged to pursue their passions , whether it 's theater or football , george pla said . caroline 's twin sister , alexandra , uninterested in playing football , would prefer to remain on the sidelines as a cheerleader . tackling the boys-only rule is bigger than just letting her twin back on the gridiron , alexandra said . she 's trying really hard to let girls play football , ' she said . i really like to watch her play , and the rule should be changed so anyone can play . ' rally'round the girl after calls and e-mails to the archdiocese were unsuccessful , caroline , no longer welcome to play football for the cyo , decided to call an audible . with the full support of her team , caroline 's mom , seal pla , started an online petition at change.org to encourage the archdiocese to allow girls to play football . her original goal was to get 100 signatures . there are now more than 100,000 . one signer is 9-year-old peewee football sensation samantha sweet feet ' gordon from utah . she was recently featured on a wheaties box and made a november appearance on nfl gameday morning , ' where she showed off her moves to hall of famers marshall faulk and warren sapp . she also was invited to this year 's super bowl in new orleans , where she blogged for four days for espnw.com , which focuses on female athletes . even philadelphia councilman and devout catholic jim kenney fired off an official letter to the archdiocese , saying the issue hits close to home . ' the archdiocese is one of the last remaining defenders of gender discriminating in sports , so let us proudly take a giant leap forward in catholic education today by purging this archaic rule from the cyo handbook , ' he wrote . caroline also caught the attention of talk show host ellen degeneres . sporting her navy and gold football jersey on set , caroline won over the crowd during her appearance last month . when asked whether she 's gotten hurt , the crowd erupted when she quipped with a made-for-tv smile , i 've never really gotten hurt , but i have hurt people . ' could archdiocese cut back ? caroline 's fight to get back on the field has n't swayed the archdiocese yet , but the panel selected by the archdiocese is expected to issue a decision on the boys-only rule by mid-march . in a final appeal , caroline , who also competes on cyo track and basketball teams , wrote to philadelphia archbishop charles chaput after recently learning he would have the final say after the panel makes their recommendation . in an e-mail provided to cnn by the pla family , chaput told caroline he was perplexed ' that she wrote to him only after going to the media . i admire your love of the game , caroline , and i 'm impressed by your zeal in pursuing the opportunity to play it , ' he wrote . at the same time , it 's important to understand that pressure is not a good way of showing respect for dedicated people who are simply fulfilling their duty to protect young people in sports . ' the chiding seems to ignore that caroline 's parents wrote the archdiocese , to no avail , before taking their daughter 's cause public , the plas said . though it 's now basketball season for caroline , she is n't giving up her fight . she 's not being disrespectful when she says the archbishop 's claim that he 's just trying to protect her does n't ring true . i was just really surprised that we 're not allowed to play because we 're girls , ' caroline said . they say it 's a safety issue , but i do n't get that because it 's not just a safety issue for us ; it 's a safety issue for anybody that goes on to the field . ' | archbishop tells caroline he 's only trying to protect her , it 's disrespectful to involve media |
somalia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of two suicide bombers responsible for killing two african union soldiers in somalia was from minnesota , the fbi announced thursday . fingerprints showed that farah mohamed beledi , 27 , from minneapolis-st. paul , was one of the attackers , the fbi 's minneapolis field office said in a statement . in recent years , approximately 20 young men have traveled from the minneapolis area to somalia to train with al-shabaab , and a number of them have gone on to fight with the terrorist organization , u.s. officials said . beledi was one of 14 people indicted in july 2010 on charges of aiding al-shabaab . beledi was charged with , among other things , conspiring wth and providing material support to al-shabaab , and conspiring to kill , kidnap , maim and injure persons abroad , the fbi said . he was believed to have left minnesota in october 2009 for somalia , the fbi said . according to the african union , several extremist insurgents ' disguised themselves as somali government forces in order to attack an african union checkpoint may 30 . al-shabaab , a somali militant group allied with al qaeda , posted a statement on its website identifying the suicide bomber as abdullahi ahmed , a somali-american from minneapolis . it was not clear if ahmed is the second bomber the fbi is trying to identify . al-shabaab has been waging a war against somalia 's government in an effort to implement a stricter form of islamic law , or sharia law . somalia has not had a stable government since 1991 , and fighting between the rebels and government troops has added to the humanitarian crisis in the nation on the horn of africa . cnn 's chris welch contributed to this report . | two african union soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber in somalia |
somalia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of two suicide bombers responsible for killing two african union soldiers in somalia was from minnesota , the fbi announced thursday . fingerprints showed that farah mohamed beledi , 27 , from minneapolis-st. paul , was one of the attackers , the fbi 's minneapolis field office said in a statement . in recent years , approximately 20 young men have traveled from the minneapolis area to somalia to train with al-shabaab , and a number of them have gone on to fight with the terrorist organization , u.s. officials said . beledi was one of 14 people indicted in july 2010 on charges of aiding al-shabaab . beledi was charged with , among other things , conspiring wth and providing material support to al-shabaab , and conspiring to kill , kidnap , maim and injure persons abroad , the fbi said . he was believed to have left minnesota in october 2009 for somalia , the fbi said . according to the african union , several extremist insurgents ' disguised themselves as somali government forces in order to attack an african union checkpoint may 30 . al-shabaab , a somali militant group allied with al qaeda , posted a statement on its website identifying the suicide bomber as abdullahi ahmed , a somali-american from minneapolis . it was not clear if ahmed is the second bomber the fbi is trying to identify . al-shabaab has been waging a war against somalia 's government in an effort to implement a stricter form of islamic law , or sharia law . somalia has not had a stable government since 1991 , and fighting between the rebels and government troops has added to the humanitarian crisis in the nation on the horn of africa . cnn 's chris welch contributed to this report . | farah mohamed beledi left for somalia in 2009 , authorities say |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the recently renewed violence in the mideast claimed more lives sunday as israeli strikes killed at least 16 people in gaza and a hamas attack on a border crossing wounded four israeli civilians . the 16 palestinian victims included a mother and her three children in their home , said a spokesman for the ministry of health , ashraf al-qidra . one of the targets was mohamed al-oul , who supervised hamas'financial transactions , according to the israel defense forces . the idf said a hit was confirmed . ' the four israelis were hit at the border crossing near the town of erez . the idf tweeted that several rockets and mortars struck the checkpoint . one civilian was moderately wounded and three were injured , the idf said , without elaborating on their conditions . the civilians had come to the crossing to aid people needing humanitarian assistance , israel 's ministry of defense said in a written statement . the crossing remains closed . hamas said it fired 23 mortar shells at the site . at least 117 rockets were fired at israel on sunday , the idf said via its twitter account . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu reiterated before his weekly cabinet meeting that airstrikes will continue and that israel targets militants . the hamas is paying and will pay a heavy price for the crimes it is carrying out . i call on the citizens of gaza to leave every place that the hamas is carrying out terror activity . every place like this is a target for us . ... this is true on all fronts and for all countries , ' he said . he compared hamas to isis , the militant group that now calls itself the islamic state . hamas is isis and isis is hamas . they simply work in the same way . they are branches of the same poisonous tree , ' netanyahu said . israel , the european union and the united states consider hamas a terrorist organization . al-qidra told cnn that 92 people in gaza have been killed since a ceasefire ended five days ago and more than 2,100 have died in this weekslong conflict . there were other effects of the violence , which began in early july . the united nations , which runs many schools in gaza , said 500,000 children were unable to begin classes on sunday . a spokesman for the palestinian ministry of education said more than 100 government-run schools are closed while others are being used as shelters . fire from syria also sunday , the israeli military said rockets from syria hit various locations through the golan heights . it was unclear who was responsible for the rockets from syria or whether they had anything to do with israel 's ongoing fight with hamas that has raged for weeks . the golan heights is under israeli government control but is considered to be occupied territory by the international community . the announcement came hours after a rocket from lebanon struck an open area in northern israel in a separate attack . no injuries were immediately reported in either of those attacks . last month , a rocket was fired into northern israel from southern lebanon , and the israeli military responded with an artillery strike . at the time , israel said it held the lebanese government responsible for the attack . israel has waged an offensive in gaza against the militant palestinian group hamas and the stream of rockets fired into israel from gaza . hopes for a ceasefire appear dim despite calls from world leaders for the two sides to stop the violence . during the offensive , israel destroyed more than 30 concrete-lined tunnels that led from gaza into israel . sources , including one who witnessed an explosion , told cnn that the egyptian army sunday blew up five tunnels on the border with gaza . hamas request hamas is urging palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas to go before the international criminal court to prosecute israeli leaders for war crimes . the palestinians are not currently under the jurisdiction of the icc , but would be if they sign the court 's rome statute , the treaty that established the court . back in may , a group of 17 human rights organizations , including human rights watch , signed a letter to abbas encouraging him to join the icc . the united states and israel and some other nations have pressured abbas not to take this step , arguing that it would harm peace talks . hamas'announcement comes a day after one of the group 's leaders admitted that its militants were responsible for the abduction of three israeli teens in the west bank in june . hamas political bureau member saleh aruri added that the kidnappers did not tell their leaders about the action . the kidnappings were not approved by hamas leadership or its military wing , he said , stressing that this acknowledgment does not equate to a claim of responsibility . the three teens were later found dead , sparking the violence that has raged since then . cnn 's ian lee in gaza and michael schwartz in jerusalem , and katia hetter in atlanta contributed to this report . | new : some 117 rockets were fired at israel on sunday , israel says |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the recently renewed violence in the mideast claimed more lives sunday as israeli strikes killed at least 16 people in gaza and a hamas attack on a border crossing wounded four israeli civilians . the 16 palestinian victims included a mother and her three children in their home , said a spokesman for the ministry of health , ashraf al-qidra . one of the targets was mohamed al-oul , who supervised hamas'financial transactions , according to the israel defense forces . the idf said a hit was confirmed . ' the four israelis were hit at the border crossing near the town of erez . the idf tweeted that several rockets and mortars struck the checkpoint . one civilian was moderately wounded and three were injured , the idf said , without elaborating on their conditions . the civilians had come to the crossing to aid people needing humanitarian assistance , israel 's ministry of defense said in a written statement . the crossing remains closed . hamas said it fired 23 mortar shells at the site . at least 117 rockets were fired at israel on sunday , the idf said via its twitter account . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu reiterated before his weekly cabinet meeting that airstrikes will continue and that israel targets militants . the hamas is paying and will pay a heavy price for the crimes it is carrying out . i call on the citizens of gaza to leave every place that the hamas is carrying out terror activity . every place like this is a target for us . ... this is true on all fronts and for all countries , ' he said . he compared hamas to isis , the militant group that now calls itself the islamic state . hamas is isis and isis is hamas . they simply work in the same way . they are branches of the same poisonous tree , ' netanyahu said . israel , the european union and the united states consider hamas a terrorist organization . al-qidra told cnn that 92 people in gaza have been killed since a ceasefire ended five days ago and more than 2,100 have died in this weekslong conflict . there were other effects of the violence , which began in early july . the united nations , which runs many schools in gaza , said 500,000 children were unable to begin classes on sunday . a spokesman for the palestinian ministry of education said more than 100 government-run schools are closed while others are being used as shelters . fire from syria also sunday , the israeli military said rockets from syria hit various locations through the golan heights . it was unclear who was responsible for the rockets from syria or whether they had anything to do with israel 's ongoing fight with hamas that has raged for weeks . the golan heights is under israeli government control but is considered to be occupied territory by the international community . the announcement came hours after a rocket from lebanon struck an open area in northern israel in a separate attack . no injuries were immediately reported in either of those attacks . last month , a rocket was fired into northern israel from southern lebanon , and the israeli military responded with an artillery strike . at the time , israel said it held the lebanese government responsible for the attack . israel has waged an offensive in gaza against the militant palestinian group hamas and the stream of rockets fired into israel from gaza . hopes for a ceasefire appear dim despite calls from world leaders for the two sides to stop the violence . during the offensive , israel destroyed more than 30 concrete-lined tunnels that led from gaza into israel . sources , including one who witnessed an explosion , told cnn that the egyptian army sunday blew up five tunnels on the border with gaza . hamas request hamas is urging palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas to go before the international criminal court to prosecute israeli leaders for war crimes . the palestinians are not currently under the jurisdiction of the icc , but would be if they sign the court 's rome statute , the treaty that established the court . back in may , a group of 17 human rights organizations , including human rights watch , signed a letter to abbas encouraging him to join the icc . the united states and israel and some other nations have pressured abbas not to take this step , arguing that it would harm peace talks . hamas'announcement comes a day after one of the group 's leaders admitted that its militants were responsible for the abduction of three israeli teens in the west bank in june . hamas political bureau member saleh aruri added that the kidnappers did not tell their leaders about the action . the kidnappings were not approved by hamas leadership or its military wing , he said , stressing that this acknowledgment does not equate to a claim of responsibility . the three teens were later found dead , sparking the violence that has raged since then . cnn 's ian lee in gaza and michael schwartz in jerusalem , and katia hetter in atlanta contributed to this report . | israel targets hamas financial leader , military says |
guantanamo bay <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- former vice president dick cheney said monday that he does not believe saddam hussein was involved in the planning or execution of the september 11 , 2001 , attacks . former vice president dick cheney says saddam hussein provided sanctuary ... and resources to terrorists . ' he strongly defended the bush administration 's decision to invade iraq , however , arguing that hussein 's previous support for known terrorists was a serious danger after 9/11 . cheney , in an appearance at the national press club , also said he is intent on speaking out in defense of the bush administration 's national security record because a clear understanding of policies that worked [ in protecting the united states ] is essential . ' i do not believe and have never seen any evidence to confirm that [ hussein ] was involved in 9/11 . we had that reporting for a while , [ but ] eventually it turned out not to be true , ' cheney conceded . but hussein was somebody who provided sanctuary and safe harbor and resources to terrorists . ... [ it ] is , without question , a fact . ' cheney restated his claim that there was a relationship between al qaeda and iraq that stretched back 10 years . it 's not something i made up . ... we know for a fact that saddam hussein was a sponsor -- a state sponsor -- of terror . it 's not my judgment . that was the judgment of our [ intelligence community ] and state department . ' the former vice president said in 2004 that the evidence was overwhelming ' that al qaeda had a relationship with hussein 's regime in iraq , and that media reports suggesting that the commission investigating the 9/11 attacks reached a contradictory conclusion were irresponsible . ' there clearly was a relationship . it 's been testified to . the evidence is overwhelming , ' cheney said at the time . it goes back to the early '90s . it involves a whole series of contacts , high-level contacts with osama bin laden and iraqi intelligence officials . ' on monday , though , cheney identified former cia director george tenet as the prime source of information ' on the relationship between iraq and al qaeda . tenet testified , if you go back and check the record , in the fall of [ 2002 ] before the senate intelligence committee -- in open session -- that there was a relationship , ' cheney said . hussein was captured by u.s. forces in iraq in december 2003 . in november 2006 , the former iraqi leader was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death . he was executed the following december . cheney said on june 17 , 2004 that the evidence was overwhelming ' that al qaeda had a relationship with hussein 's regime in iraq , and said media reports suggesting that the 9/11 commission has reached a contradictory conclusion were irresponsible . ' among other things monday , cheney also called the guantanamo bay , cuba , detention center a good facility ... if you are going to be engaged in a world conflict , such as we are , in terms of global war on terrorism . you know , if you do n't have a place where you can hold these people , the only other option is to kill them . and we do n't operate that way . ' watch what cheney has to say about the detention facility » he reiterated his call for president obama to declassify documents detailing the results of enhanced interrogations ' of high-value detainees . since obama has already released memos detailing the interrogation methods , cheney said , it is important to share the results of those interrogations with the public as well . i would not ordinarily be leading the charge to declassify classified information , otherwise they would n't call me darth vader for nothing , ' cheney said . but once the [ obama ] administration released the legal memos that gave the opinions that were used to guide the interrogation program , they 'd given away the store . ... i [ therefore ] thought it was important to have the results that were gained from that interrogation program front and center as well . ' on may 14 , the cia rejected the former vice president 's request to declassify the documents . cia spokesman paul gimigliano , in a written statement , said the two documents are the subject of pending lawsuits and therefore can not be declassified . cheney said monday that the memos previously released also were the subject of ongoing lawsuits . he said obama can release the additional documents with the stroke of a pen . ' on may 21 , cheney gave a full-throated defense of the bush administration 's enhanced interrogations of al qaeda prisoners during an appearance at the conservative american enterprise institute . he has said that the interrogations saved the lives of thousands , perhaps hundreds of thousands . ' he called the techniques the bush administration approved legal , essential , justified , successful and the right thing to do . ' | cheney says guantanamo bay detention center is needed amid war on terrorism |
kingdom city <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a man authorities believe has robbed at least 10 banks in at least four states was arrested in missouri after a retired state trooper saw him and learned he was wanted , authorities said sunday . schaffner is seen in a police mug shot after his arrest saturday in kingdom city , missouri . chad schaffner , 37 , was arrested in kingdom city , missouri , about 2:45 p.m. saturday , said missouri state highway patrol radio operator paula price . sam lakey , a retired missouri state highway patrol officer said he alerted authorities to schaffner 's whereabouts after seeing him at a motel in kingdom city , about 100 miles west of st. louis , missouri . lakey did n't know who schaffner was at first , but said he felt something was n't right after seeing schaffner and his car , partly because schaffner did n't make eye contact with him . watch how ex-cop 's hunch brought arrest » lakey , who was staying at the motel , said he remembered seeing news reports about a man sought in a string of bank robberies , so he looked on the web site of the television show america 's most wanted ' to check a vehicle description in the case . a license plate number on the site matched that of the car outside the motel , he said . i felt my goosebumps raising , ' he said . lakey told cnn that after calling his old colleagues at the missouri state highway patrol , he packed up his family from their room at the motel and watched the arrest from across the street . schaffner faces charges including bank robbery in tennessee ; burglary in indiana ; armed robbery in illinois ; and receiving stolen property in ohio , price said . he also faces drug charges in missouri , she said . schaffner is suspected of robbing banks in states including kentucky , north carolina , south carolina and tennessee , according to the fbi . schaffner is suspected in 14 robberies of various types in six states , fbi special agent brian truchon told cnn on sunday . a spokeswoman for the callaway county jail , in fulton , missouri , said schaffner was booked into the facility about 8 p.m. saturday . no bond has been set , she said . schaffner will appear in court monday in jefferson city , missouri , according to bridget patton , spokeswoman for the fbi 's kansas city , missouri , office . schaffner was identified as a suspect last month after investigators posted surveillance photos from the robberies on electronic billboards throughout the south . in the photos , a man was seen sneering and holding a pistol sideways . the robberies began in may . while no one was harmed , the fbi said they considered the suspect dangerous . this guy has made no effort to hide the gun , ' said fbi agent kevin keithley last month . he has threatened the use of it in every bank robbery he has committed . he has put the gun in the faces of the tellers , threatened to use the gun against them . so we want to get this guy in custody before he harms anyone . ' a woman in morristown , tennessee , also told authorities schaffner hid in her apartment in august and threatened to kill her children if she revealed his whereabouts , according to documents filed in federal court . when schaffner was identified , the fbi said he was released from an indiana prison last year following an armed robbery conviction . he also has several other convictions in indiana , for crimes including burglary , resisting law enforcement , and purchase of a handgun without a license , according to the indiana department of correction . the last bank robbery schaffner is suspected of committing occurred in caseyville , illinois , on wednesday , according to cnn affiliate kmov . two bank robberies occurred in morristown and jefferson city , tennessee , on august 18 , authorities said . the billboards began showing images from the robberies on august 24 , and the next day , a man told the fbi that schaffner was in the morristown area at the time of the august 18 holdups . the man said he 'd known schaffner for about two months , according to a federal criminal complaint . fbi agents also interviewed a morristown woman after hearing she 'd had a brief relationship with schaffner , the complaint says . during the first interview , she spoke to agents outside her apartment and denied knowing him , the complaint said . but the next day she told authorities she knew schaffner and that he had been in her apartment with her children while she talked to police outside . he had threatened to kill the children if she told agents he was there , the woman said . cnn 's marylynn ryan , chuck johnston and justin lear contributed to this report . | chad schaffner apprehended by police saturday in kingdom city , missouri |
putin <tsp> the announcement that russia 's prime minister , vladimir putin , will run for president in next march 's election and will , if elected , appoint the current president , dmitri medvedev , as his prime minister brings to mind one of the most famous lines of italian literature . in giuseppe di lampedusa 's novel the leopard , ' set in 19th century sicily , a young nobleman tells his conservative uncle that clinging to the past will not work . if we want things to stay as they are , ' he says , things will have to change . ' the kremlin 's proposed game of musical chairs is the kind of change whose only purpose is to keep things as they are . putin and company have made clear for years that they do not intend to leave the scene quietly in 2012 when medvedev 's presidential term expires . the only question was in what configuration the two leaders would return . to stay in the same positions would have smacked of stagnation . switching places , although hardly an inspired move , is the simplest way to stir the waters without fear of rocking the boat . it will provoke a temporary burst of indignation from putin 's many critics in the west , some of whom saw in medvedev a champion of liberalism and civil rights . some will predict a tightening of authoritarian rule . yet the reality is that putin 's return to the kremlin will not , in itself , change much . for the last four years , he has made all key decisions , with medvedev 's advice , and he will continue to do so . those who imagine that a second medvedev term would have produced dramatic breakthroughs face the problem of explaining why his first term did not . unless western leaders seek to punish putin for his return , there is no reason to think it will undermine the reset ' of recent years . improved relations with the us could not have been pursued had putin not approved of the policy . despite rumors of disagreements between the two leaders -- or , more often , their aides -- putin and medvedev have always worked together as a close-knit team . ordinary russians understand this well . fifty-eight percent think stories about conflicts between the two are dreamed up by journalists and opposition politicians . seventy-three percent see medvedev as having continued putin 's policies rather than introducing new ones of his own . both want to make russia a strong , modern country and understand the need for an efficient economy linked into global markets and capital flows . at the same time , both want to protect a circle of friends and acquaintances who have grown rich during their years in power . obviously , these two goals at times conflict . to maintain their popularity , the two leaders have employed a political division of labor . putin 's priority has been to keep mainstream russians loyal . his occasional anti-western jibes and earthy aphorisms aim to appeal to provincial sensibilities . but his main weapon has been money . during the financial crisis , the prime minister spent lavishly to soften the pain , increasing pensions by 24 % in real terms in 2009 and another 13 % in 2010 . although the economy shrank by 8 % in 2009 , government spending grew from 34 to 41 % of gdp . russians'real disposable income rose by 2 % in 2009 and almost 5 % in 2010 . the strategy has largely worked . although putin 's -- and medvedev 's -- approval ratings have fallen in the last two years , the decline has been relatively slow . the latest polls by the respected levada center show that 68 % still approve of putin 's performance while 63 % approve of medvedev 's . barring a sudden collapse , this should be enough to get putin comfortably through next march 's election , even without the predictable electoral irregularities . but the support , although high , is thin , resting on economic performance and little else . russians are worried about the future . even as the economy stabilized after the worst of the global crisis , the percentage who think the country is heading in the right direction fell during the past year from 48 % to 36 % . medvedev 's political constituency has been the urban , educated elites in business , academia , the arts , and other spheres . he has courted them with articulate interviews , technology incubators , and tweets about modernization . the problem is that , after years of empty promises and speeches , almost all have given up on him . as prime minister , medvedev will be plunged into the operational details of managing the economy at an unusually tricky moment . although russia achieved growth of 4 % last year , it is not clear how long it can continue at this rate without major reforms to restore battered investor confidence . oil and gas output is unlikely to increase much in coming years , especially if growth in the developed economies stalls . aware of this , the two leaders have already announced reforms to simplify rules for investors and privatize large stakes in state-owned companies . medvedev 's first task will probably be implementing unpopular cuts to rein in public spending . he may have to back away from a commitment to triple defense expenditures -- a promise that prompted alexei kudrin , the long-serving finance minister and leading budget hawk , to say he would refuse to serve under medvedev . the need to trim social spending threatens to turn medvedev into a lightning rod for discontent , and could shorten his tenure . yet there is also the chance that he will survive for long enough to see reforms bear fruit -- and claim a share of the credit . having visibly chafed at the lack of levers to get his policies implemented , he will now get opportunities to implement some himself . how effective he proves in this new role -- and how much leeway putin allows him -- remain to be seen . | he says putin and medvedev both recognize the importance of keeping economy growing |
putin <tsp> the announcement that russia 's prime minister , vladimir putin , will run for president in next march 's election and will , if elected , appoint the current president , dmitri medvedev , as his prime minister brings to mind one of the most famous lines of italian literature . in giuseppe di lampedusa 's novel the leopard , ' set in 19th century sicily , a young nobleman tells his conservative uncle that clinging to the past will not work . if we want things to stay as they are , ' he says , things will have to change . ' the kremlin 's proposed game of musical chairs is the kind of change whose only purpose is to keep things as they are . putin and company have made clear for years that they do not intend to leave the scene quietly in 2012 when medvedev 's presidential term expires . the only question was in what configuration the two leaders would return . to stay in the same positions would have smacked of stagnation . switching places , although hardly an inspired move , is the simplest way to stir the waters without fear of rocking the boat . it will provoke a temporary burst of indignation from putin 's many critics in the west , some of whom saw in medvedev a champion of liberalism and civil rights . some will predict a tightening of authoritarian rule . yet the reality is that putin 's return to the kremlin will not , in itself , change much . for the last four years , he has made all key decisions , with medvedev 's advice , and he will continue to do so . those who imagine that a second medvedev term would have produced dramatic breakthroughs face the problem of explaining why his first term did not . unless western leaders seek to punish putin for his return , there is no reason to think it will undermine the reset ' of recent years . improved relations with the us could not have been pursued had putin not approved of the policy . despite rumors of disagreements between the two leaders -- or , more often , their aides -- putin and medvedev have always worked together as a close-knit team . ordinary russians understand this well . fifty-eight percent think stories about conflicts between the two are dreamed up by journalists and opposition politicians . seventy-three percent see medvedev as having continued putin 's policies rather than introducing new ones of his own . both want to make russia a strong , modern country and understand the need for an efficient economy linked into global markets and capital flows . at the same time , both want to protect a circle of friends and acquaintances who have grown rich during their years in power . obviously , these two goals at times conflict . to maintain their popularity , the two leaders have employed a political division of labor . putin 's priority has been to keep mainstream russians loyal . his occasional anti-western jibes and earthy aphorisms aim to appeal to provincial sensibilities . but his main weapon has been money . during the financial crisis , the prime minister spent lavishly to soften the pain , increasing pensions by 24 % in real terms in 2009 and another 13 % in 2010 . although the economy shrank by 8 % in 2009 , government spending grew from 34 to 41 % of gdp . russians'real disposable income rose by 2 % in 2009 and almost 5 % in 2010 . the strategy has largely worked . although putin 's -- and medvedev 's -- approval ratings have fallen in the last two years , the decline has been relatively slow . the latest polls by the respected levada center show that 68 % still approve of putin 's performance while 63 % approve of medvedev 's . barring a sudden collapse , this should be enough to get putin comfortably through next march 's election , even without the predictable electoral irregularities . but the support , although high , is thin , resting on economic performance and little else . russians are worried about the future . even as the economy stabilized after the worst of the global crisis , the percentage who think the country is heading in the right direction fell during the past year from 48 % to 36 % . medvedev 's political constituency has been the urban , educated elites in business , academia , the arts , and other spheres . he has courted them with articulate interviews , technology incubators , and tweets about modernization . the problem is that , after years of empty promises and speeches , almost all have given up on him . as prime minister , medvedev will be plunged into the operational details of managing the economy at an unusually tricky moment . although russia achieved growth of 4 % last year , it is not clear how long it can continue at this rate without major reforms to restore battered investor confidence . oil and gas output is unlikely to increase much in coming years , especially if growth in the developed economies stalls . aware of this , the two leaders have already announced reforms to simplify rules for investors and privatize large stakes in state-owned companies . medvedev 's first task will probably be implementing unpopular cuts to rein in public spending . he may have to back away from a commitment to triple defense expenditures -- a promise that prompted alexei kudrin , the long-serving finance minister and leading budget hawk , to say he would refuse to serve under medvedev . the need to trim social spending threatens to turn medvedev into a lightning rod for discontent , and could shorten his tenure . yet there is also the chance that he will survive for long enough to see reforms bear fruit -- and claim a share of the credit . having visibly chafed at the lack of levers to get his policies implemented , he will now get opportunities to implement some himself . how effective he proves in this new role -- and how much leeway putin allows him -- remain to be seen . | vladimir putin will run for russian president ; medvedev to become prime minister |
italy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hostilities were resumed in the oldest international rivalry in football wednesday and although billed as a friendly england and scotland served up a fiercely competitive encounter at wembley settled by a dream winner from debutant rickie lambert . the 31-year-old southampton striker was summoned off the bench by england manager roy hodgson just after the hour mark and within moments had put them 3-2 ahead with a thumping header from a corner . lambert replaced manchester united 's wayne rooney , who has been the subject of continued speculation about his future with chelsea keen for his signature . rooney looked short of match practice and had few opportunities to add to his international tally of 36 goals but a near capacity crowd had plenty of action and atmosphere to soak up . the two sides first played in 1872 with scotland always keen to beat the auld enemy ' and in particular at wembley stadium . annual matches between the two ended in 1989 but to mark the 150th anniversary of the english football association , the fixture was revived as a one-off , the first clash between the teams for 14 years . the thousands of fanatical scottish fans , who drowned out the home support at times , were celebrating first when james morrison put them ahead with a dipping shot which deceived england goalkeeper joe hart . theo walcott soon equalized after racing on to tom cleverley 's through ball , but scotland went ahead just after halftime when veteran striker kenny miller found space to turn and shoot home . again the lead was short lived and manchester united 's danny welbeck headed england level again . the script was written for lambert , who had spent much of his early career in the lower leagues , to come on and score a fairytale winner , rising to connect with a pinpoint delivery from leighton baines . lambert might have added to his tally as a later effort thumped the post , but it sent the england fans home happy ahead of crucial world cup qualification matches next month . i 've been dreaming of that all my life . it means so much , ' lambert told itv sport . in other key friendlies wednesday , paraguay held germany 3-3 in kaiserslautern but led 2-0 and 3-2 . miguel samudio put them ahead for the final time until lars bender salvaged a draw for germany with a 75th minute equalizer . argentina did not miss lionel messi as they edged italy 2-1 in rome . gonzalo higuain and ever banega put them in control with second half goals . lorenzo insigne pulled one back late on for the home side . 2014 world cup hosts brazil crashed to a 1-0 defeat in switzerland , a 48th minute own goal from dani alves sinking luiz felipe scolari 's men in basel . a jozy altidore hat-trick helped the united states to a 4-3 win in bosnia-herzegovina , while zlatan ibrahimovic emulated him as sweden thumped norway 4-2 . in competitive action , russia 's hopes of world cup qualification were dented by a 1-0 loss to minnows northern ireland in belfast . martin paterson scored the only goal to sink the fabio capello 's men , who remain two points behind portugal but with a game in hand . portugal were playing to a 1-1 friendly draw against the netherlands with cristiano ronaldo grabbing a late equalizer . | argentina win 2-1 in italy with gonzalo higuain scoring opener |
white house <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the white house office of administration is not required to turn over records about a trove of possibly missing e-mails , a federal judge ruled monday . the white house office of administration is not bound by the freedom of information act , a judge says . the ruling by u.s. district judge colleen kollar-kotelly found the agency does not have substantial independent authority ' so it is not subject to the freedom of information act . the decision means the white house does not have to disclose documents relating to its troubled e-mail system . that system developed problems that may have caused millions of white house e-mails to be unaccounted for . the watchdog organization citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington had sued under foia . the group expressed disappointment in the ruling and said it is appealing the decision . the bush administration is using the legal system to prevent the american people from discovering the truth about the millions of missing white house e-mails , ' said melanie sloan , the organization 's executive director . in january , the white house said it can not rule out that it may have lost certain e-mails . the possibly lost e-mails are from a period in which the united states decided to go to war with iraq , white house officials leaked the identity of cia officer valerie plame and the justice department started a criminal investigation into who leaked the information . the white house has denied any evidence , including e-mails , have been destroyed . | some white house e-mails missing from period when cia operative 's identity leaked |
scooter braun <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tom hanks does n't need to bring a present to a wedding . his dance moves are the gift that keeps on giving . as caught on camera by justin bieber , hanks was clearly one of the best parts of a star-filled wedding reception over the weekend , unabashedly grooving to montell jordan 's 1995 hit , this is how we do it . ' or , as bieber put it on instagram : tom hanks singing'this is how we do it'dressed like a rabbi lol # thatdancetho . ' bieber and hanks , who turns 58 on wednesday , were celebrating the nuptials of bieber 's manager , scooter braun . braun tied the knot with cancer prevention activist yael cohen in canada on sunday and picked his young talent to serenade the couple with the beatles' all you need is love ' during the ceremony . according to tmz , other attendees included a no diggity ' -singing ed sheeran ; sophia bush ; hanks'wife , rita wilson ; and carly rae jepsen , who at one point joined bieber in a rendition of call me maybe . ' | the nuptials were for bieber 's manager , scooter braun |
we con the world <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israeli government 's press division is apologizing for circulating a link to a video that mocks activists aboard a ship headed to gaza earlier this week that was blocked by an israeli raid . due to a misunderstanding on our part , earlier ( friday ) we inadvertently issued a video link that had been sent for our perusal , ' according to a statement from israel 's government press office , which distributed the link to media outlets . it was not intended for general release , ' the statement said . the contents of the video in no way represent the official policy of either the government press office or of the state of israel . ' the video , titled we con the world ' -- set to the tune of the 1985 hit , we are the world ' -- was put together by caroline glick , a former member of the israel defense forces and columnist for the jerusalem post . in the video , up to a dozen members of the so-called flotilla choir ' -- some wearing a variation of traditional arab dress -- sing satirical verses , such as : there 's no people dying , so the best that we can do is create the biggest bluff of all . ' on her blog , glick , who briefly appears in the video , says , we produced a clip in english . there we feature the turkish-hamas'love boat'captain , crew and passengers in a musical explanation of how they con the world . ' we think this is an important israeli contribution to the discussion of recent events and we hope you distribute it far and wide , ' she adds . nine turkish citizens were killed monday after violence erupted on one of six ships in a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the palestinian gaza strip . a number of other people were wounded . israel said the passengers initiated the attack ; the passengers blamed the troops . that incident drew widespread condemnation and cast a spotlight on the dynamics of the gaza crisis . on saturday , israel intercepted the final boat that was part of the flotilla , though the incident aboard the irish-owned mv rachel corrie ended peacefully about 22 miles off the gaza coast . israeli government spokesman mark regev dismissed the the video link , saying , the gpo sends out lots of articles . it does n't mean they like it . ' regev said he first noticed the video on the new york times website . i called my kids in to watch it because i thought it was funny , ' he said . it is what israelis feel . but the government has nothing to do with it . the gpo distributes non-government items , things that we think that show our side of the story . ' it was not the first time the israeli gpo stirred controversy with its public communications on the gaza flotilla . prior to the storming of the turkish ship , the gpo sent an e-mail to journalists sarcastically recommending that while covering alleged humanitarian difficulties , ' journalists should dine at one of gaza 's few restaurants . we have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended , ' the e-mail said . the message included an internet link to an old promotional video for the restaurant . the e-mail drew criticism from the foreign press and pro-palestinian activists . in an interview with the jerusalem post , gpo director danny seaman defended the communication , arguing that foreign media coverage of gaza was not balanced . cnn 's kevin flower contributed to this report . | we con the world ' video created by jerusalem post columnist |
israelis <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israeli government 's press division is apologizing for circulating a link to a video that mocks activists aboard a ship headed to gaza earlier this week that was blocked by an israeli raid . due to a misunderstanding on our part , earlier ( friday ) we inadvertently issued a video link that had been sent for our perusal , ' according to a statement from israel 's government press office , which distributed the link to media outlets . it was not intended for general release , ' the statement said . the contents of the video in no way represent the official policy of either the government press office or of the state of israel . ' the video , titled we con the world ' -- set to the tune of the 1985 hit , we are the world ' -- was put together by caroline glick , a former member of the israel defense forces and columnist for the jerusalem post . in the video , up to a dozen members of the so-called flotilla choir ' -- some wearing a variation of traditional arab dress -- sing satirical verses , such as : there 's no people dying , so the best that we can do is create the biggest bluff of all . ' on her blog , glick , who briefly appears in the video , says , we produced a clip in english . there we feature the turkish-hamas'love boat'captain , crew and passengers in a musical explanation of how they con the world . ' we think this is an important israeli contribution to the discussion of recent events and we hope you distribute it far and wide , ' she adds . nine turkish citizens were killed monday after violence erupted on one of six ships in a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the palestinian gaza strip . a number of other people were wounded . israel said the passengers initiated the attack ; the passengers blamed the troops . that incident drew widespread condemnation and cast a spotlight on the dynamics of the gaza crisis . on saturday , israel intercepted the final boat that was part of the flotilla , though the incident aboard the irish-owned mv rachel corrie ended peacefully about 22 miles off the gaza coast . israeli government spokesman mark regev dismissed the the video link , saying , the gpo sends out lots of articles . it does n't mean they like it . ' regev said he first noticed the video on the new york times website . i called my kids in to watch it because i thought it was funny , ' he said . it is what israelis feel . but the government has nothing to do with it . the gpo distributes non-government items , things that we think that show our side of the story . ' it was not the first time the israeli gpo stirred controversy with its public communications on the gaza flotilla . prior to the storming of the turkish ship , the gpo sent an e-mail to journalists sarcastically recommending that while covering alleged humanitarian difficulties , ' journalists should dine at one of gaza 's few restaurants . we have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended , ' the e-mail said . the message included an internet link to an old promotional video for the restaurant . the e-mail drew criticism from the foreign press and pro-palestinian activists . in an interview with the jerusalem post , gpo director danny seaman defended the communication , arguing that foreign media coverage of gaza was not balanced . cnn 's kevin flower contributed to this report . | israeli pm spokesman : video captures what israelis feel ' |
matteo trentin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he did n't win the 14th stage of the tour de france but chris froome 's saturday at cycling 's most prestigious race was better than his friday . although he still held the overall lead heading into saturday , the team sky racer saw his advantage trimmed by both bauke mollema and two-time tour winner alberto contador . contador , considered froome 's main rival , made up more than a minute to pull to within three minutes . froome , deprived of the services of injured teammate edvald boasson hagen , was left behind the breakaway pack . in saturday 's 118-mile trek from saint-pourcain-sur-sioule to lyon , though , froome came away unscathed as the main contenders enjoyed a fairly routine outing . belkin 's mollema remains two minutes , 28 seconds behind froome , with saxo-tinkoff 's contador staying 2:45 behind . there was no change in the top two of the points standings , either . cannondale 's peter sagan kept his lead of 84 points over mark cavendish . a really big test , ' as froome put it , comes sunday as the 15th stage is the longest of the tour and concludes at the summit of mont ventoux . riders face a steep 13-mile climb to reach the summit . it 's an extremely historical climb in terms of cycling so there 'll be a lot of guys going for it to try and win , ' froome told the tour 's website . it 's going to be quite a tactical game tomorrow in the early parts of the race but once we hit the mountain it 's all about who has got the legs and that part of the race is quite straight forward . ' italy 's matteo trentin made it two stage wins in a row for omega pharma-quick step when he came from behind to beat switzerland 's michael albasini by half a wheel in a sprint finish . cavendish claimed his 25th stage victory overall on friday . it 's my first win as a pro , ' said trentin . when you work alongside a rider like cavendish , you learn a thing or two . i just waited patiently and unleashed my sprint with ( 110 yards ) to go . we 're all super happy . all my teammates came behind the podium to congratulate me and that was really nice . ' hopes of a first french stage winner this year were dashed when julien simon was caught near the end . it 's infuriating to miss out on a stage win because we know that , for our team , the opportunities are rare , ' sojasun 's simon said . today we had one chance , and then in the alps we are on terrain that is not favorable to us . ' | italy 's matteo trentin won the 14th stage saturday in a sprint finish over michael albasini |
latin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- assuming pope benedict xvi steps down as planned at the end of february , his tenure on twitter will have been fleeting . the pope has been active on the social-media platform for only two months . during that time he has sent just 34 tweets -- 33 if you do n't count one that corrected a typo in a previous message . the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion catholics stunned the world monday with the news that he will resign february 28 because of advanced age . ' most of the pope 's messages to his 1.5 million followers have promoted catholic doctrine and teachings , although he has also occasionally commented on current events , condemning violence in nigeria and syria . one tweet asked followers for suggestions on how to be more prayerful when we are so busy with the demands of work , families and the world ? ' the first catholic pope to use twitter , he tweets under the handle @ pontifex -- meaning bridge builder ' in latin . all his messages have been retweeted by thousands of followers , although others have used twitter to criticize the catholic church over sexual abuse by priests , its stance on gay marriage and other issues . here are pope benedict xvi 's five most popular twitter messages , as ranked by the number of retweets : . | he tweets under the handle @ pontifex -- meaning bridge builder ' in latin |
sochi gp <tsp> sochi , russia ( cnn ) -- who do you ask for help if you need to turn a muddy hole in the ground into a futuristic grand prix track ? he 's my sort of man , ' formula one supremo bernie ecclestone says of russian president vladimir putin 's influence in the project to stage the nation 's first grand prix this october in sochi . he knows what he wants to do and he gets on and does it . i 've never had any fear that what he agreed to do would n't happen . i think ( russia has ) done a first-class job for f1 and a super job for the olympics , ' ecclestone told cnn . it 's the kind of ringing endorsement that stands out like an oasis in a desert for a politician much derided for many of his policies by a large swathe of the international community . but then , the 83-year-old ecclestone has a reputation for favoring those who he believes can deliver on their promises and thereby aid f1 's further expansion . the growth of motorsport 's elite division into one of the world 's most valuable sport franchises has been built on such relationships and ecclestone 's shrewd 40-year management of them . the sochi circuit is the culmination of talks that first started in the 1980s , when a plan to run a race through red square in moscow was abandoned -- they did n't want to replace the cobblestones with paving , ' says ecclestone -- and is a major statement of intent from putin 's government to secure the city 's post-games future . talks became serious six years ago , when the olympic project gained momentum . he 's been following the plans all of the way through , ' ecclestone says of putin 's involvement . new locations are always a risk for f1 's management . the promise of lucrative hosting deals and iconic locations often turn to dust before coming to reality , as plans for a race in new jersey recently demonstrated . but the sochi pitch filled ecclestone with confidence , so much so that a six-year deal reportedly worth in excess of $ 250 million -- though ecclestone would not confirm that figure -- was signed to secure the event until 2020 . i think russia is an important nation full stop . f1 is a world championship , so it 's difficult to think of leaving russia out of a world event like this , ' ecclestone said . we looked at what they were building ... and tailored ourselves around what they had constructed for the events already . ' but the task of fitting an f1 circuit within the confines of an olympic park proved no easy task . originally we had an idea to build the track through the main fisht stadium , ' oleg zabara , promoter of the sochi grand prix , told cnn from his office in the paddock area of the newly-built pit lane compound . so organizers turned to track designer hermann tilke -- nothing is impossible for him , ' says zabara -- with the german engineer offering another plan more suitable for the olympic park facilities . it was a big hole ! ' says tilke , recalling his initial impressions of when he visited the sochi site in 2010 . it looked like a desert of mud ... but i had a fantasy in my mind of how it would look later so i was n't too worried . ' the complexity of the new circuit design -- it needed to be cut through the middle of the olympic park and weaved in between the stadium and arenas -- provided tilke with plenty of challenges . i 've had more meetings about sochi than any other track , ' the architect says . we were a construction site within a construction site ... ( but ) in many ways it 's like a city track -- you can not move a house in a city , you have to work with the situation . the stadiums , arenas and pipes and cables under the earth had to be factored in . ' turn four -- a long , sweeping circular corner which the cars will enter at 80 miles per hour and exit at 190 mph -- fills tilke with particular pride , and he believes it will be the hardest in f1 , ' especially when the surface is slippery or when attempted on degraded tires . despite his pride at a job well done , tilke admits he 'll feel very nervous ' on the day of the race because the track until then remains a prototype . as with the olympic constructions , it seems costs were not foremost in organizers'minds in their ambition to construct a world-class facility . we 've spent about $ 330 million ( so far ) . but i 'm not worried about the cost only about the quality , ' zabara says . i can say for sure that the cost of the track will be three to four times cheaper than the circuit in abu-dhabi . ' the promoter is hoping a race on russian soil will attract many of the country 's f1 fans who already travel the world to watch the championship , as well as creating a new domestic supporter base willing to pay $ 200 a ticket to attend . about 60,000 fans are expected to come here and that will mean an extension of the resort season ( in the town ) too , ' says zabara . it 's also suitable to use the track throughout the season -- we 've signed contracts with gp2 , gp3 , the porsche cup and hope to attract motogp , ' adds zabara , a fan of motorcycling star valentino rossi . the plans for the sochi gp certainly do n't lack for ambition and chime well with the wider putin-driven plan of trying to rebrand russia through the city . it 's maybe the reason ecclestone expects the russian president to attend the inaugural race in october and why he remains so enthusiastic about this month 's winter games . people love to criticize anything new do n't they ? but we 'll look back at vancouver and say it did n't come close to what we 've just seen in sochi , ' ecclestone argues . maybe the same will soon be said of the sochi grand prix . | sochi gp promoter oleg zabara says $ 330 million spent on circuit |
russia <tsp> sochi , russia ( cnn ) -- who do you ask for help if you need to turn a muddy hole in the ground into a futuristic grand prix track ? he 's my sort of man , ' formula one supremo bernie ecclestone says of russian president vladimir putin 's influence in the project to stage the nation 's first grand prix this october in sochi . he knows what he wants to do and he gets on and does it . i 've never had any fear that what he agreed to do would n't happen . i think ( russia has ) done a first-class job for f1 and a super job for the olympics , ' ecclestone told cnn . it 's the kind of ringing endorsement that stands out like an oasis in a desert for a politician much derided for many of his policies by a large swathe of the international community . but then , the 83-year-old ecclestone has a reputation for favoring those who he believes can deliver on their promises and thereby aid f1 's further expansion . the growth of motorsport 's elite division into one of the world 's most valuable sport franchises has been built on such relationships and ecclestone 's shrewd 40-year management of them . the sochi circuit is the culmination of talks that first started in the 1980s , when a plan to run a race through red square in moscow was abandoned -- they did n't want to replace the cobblestones with paving , ' says ecclestone -- and is a major statement of intent from putin 's government to secure the city 's post-games future . talks became serious six years ago , when the olympic project gained momentum . he 's been following the plans all of the way through , ' ecclestone says of putin 's involvement . new locations are always a risk for f1 's management . the promise of lucrative hosting deals and iconic locations often turn to dust before coming to reality , as plans for a race in new jersey recently demonstrated . but the sochi pitch filled ecclestone with confidence , so much so that a six-year deal reportedly worth in excess of $ 250 million -- though ecclestone would not confirm that figure -- was signed to secure the event until 2020 . i think russia is an important nation full stop . f1 is a world championship , so it 's difficult to think of leaving russia out of a world event like this , ' ecclestone said . we looked at what they were building ... and tailored ourselves around what they had constructed for the events already . ' but the task of fitting an f1 circuit within the confines of an olympic park proved no easy task . originally we had an idea to build the track through the main fisht stadium , ' oleg zabara , promoter of the sochi grand prix , told cnn from his office in the paddock area of the newly-built pit lane compound . so organizers turned to track designer hermann tilke -- nothing is impossible for him , ' says zabara -- with the german engineer offering another plan more suitable for the olympic park facilities . it was a big hole ! ' says tilke , recalling his initial impressions of when he visited the sochi site in 2010 . it looked like a desert of mud ... but i had a fantasy in my mind of how it would look later so i was n't too worried . ' the complexity of the new circuit design -- it needed to be cut through the middle of the olympic park and weaved in between the stadium and arenas -- provided tilke with plenty of challenges . i 've had more meetings about sochi than any other track , ' the architect says . we were a construction site within a construction site ... ( but ) in many ways it 's like a city track -- you can not move a house in a city , you have to work with the situation . the stadiums , arenas and pipes and cables under the earth had to be factored in . ' turn four -- a long , sweeping circular corner which the cars will enter at 80 miles per hour and exit at 190 mph -- fills tilke with particular pride , and he believes it will be the hardest in f1 , ' especially when the surface is slippery or when attempted on degraded tires . despite his pride at a job well done , tilke admits he 'll feel very nervous ' on the day of the race because the track until then remains a prototype . as with the olympic constructions , it seems costs were not foremost in organizers'minds in their ambition to construct a world-class facility . we 've spent about $ 330 million ( so far ) . but i 'm not worried about the cost only about the quality , ' zabara says . i can say for sure that the cost of the track will be three to four times cheaper than the circuit in abu-dhabi . ' the promoter is hoping a race on russian soil will attract many of the country 's f1 fans who already travel the world to watch the championship , as well as creating a new domestic supporter base willing to pay $ 200 a ticket to attend . about 60,000 fans are expected to come here and that will mean an extension of the resort season ( in the town ) too , ' says zabara . it 's also suitable to use the track throughout the season -- we 've signed contracts with gp2 , gp3 , the porsche cup and hope to attract motogp , ' adds zabara , a fan of motorcycling star valentino rossi . the plans for the sochi gp certainly do n't lack for ambition and chime well with the wider putin-driven plan of trying to rebrand russia through the city . it 's maybe the reason ecclestone expects the russian president to attend the inaugural race in october and why he remains so enthusiastic about this month 's winter games . people love to criticize anything new do n't they ? but we 'll look back at vancouver and say it did n't come close to what we 've just seen in sochi , ' ecclestone argues . maybe the same will soon be said of the sochi grand prix . | sochi hosts russia 's inaugural grand prix in october 2014 |
german <tsp> sochi , russia ( cnn ) -- who do you ask for help if you need to turn a muddy hole in the ground into a futuristic grand prix track ? he 's my sort of man , ' formula one supremo bernie ecclestone says of russian president vladimir putin 's influence in the project to stage the nation 's first grand prix this october in sochi . he knows what he wants to do and he gets on and does it . i 've never had any fear that what he agreed to do would n't happen . i think ( russia has ) done a first-class job for f1 and a super job for the olympics , ' ecclestone told cnn . it 's the kind of ringing endorsement that stands out like an oasis in a desert for a politician much derided for many of his policies by a large swathe of the international community . but then , the 83-year-old ecclestone has a reputation for favoring those who he believes can deliver on their promises and thereby aid f1 's further expansion . the growth of motorsport 's elite division into one of the world 's most valuable sport franchises has been built on such relationships and ecclestone 's shrewd 40-year management of them . the sochi circuit is the culmination of talks that first started in the 1980s , when a plan to run a race through red square in moscow was abandoned -- they did n't want to replace the cobblestones with paving , ' says ecclestone -- and is a major statement of intent from putin 's government to secure the city 's post-games future . talks became serious six years ago , when the olympic project gained momentum . he 's been following the plans all of the way through , ' ecclestone says of putin 's involvement . new locations are always a risk for f1 's management . the promise of lucrative hosting deals and iconic locations often turn to dust before coming to reality , as plans for a race in new jersey recently demonstrated . but the sochi pitch filled ecclestone with confidence , so much so that a six-year deal reportedly worth in excess of $ 250 million -- though ecclestone would not confirm that figure -- was signed to secure the event until 2020 . i think russia is an important nation full stop . f1 is a world championship , so it 's difficult to think of leaving russia out of a world event like this , ' ecclestone said . we looked at what they were building ... and tailored ourselves around what they had constructed for the events already . ' but the task of fitting an f1 circuit within the confines of an olympic park proved no easy task . originally we had an idea to build the track through the main fisht stadium , ' oleg zabara , promoter of the sochi grand prix , told cnn from his office in the paddock area of the newly-built pit lane compound . so organizers turned to track designer hermann tilke -- nothing is impossible for him , ' says zabara -- with the german engineer offering another plan more suitable for the olympic park facilities . it was a big hole ! ' says tilke , recalling his initial impressions of when he visited the sochi site in 2010 . it looked like a desert of mud ... but i had a fantasy in my mind of how it would look later so i was n't too worried . ' the complexity of the new circuit design -- it needed to be cut through the middle of the olympic park and weaved in between the stadium and arenas -- provided tilke with plenty of challenges . i 've had more meetings about sochi than any other track , ' the architect says . we were a construction site within a construction site ... ( but ) in many ways it 's like a city track -- you can not move a house in a city , you have to work with the situation . the stadiums , arenas and pipes and cables under the earth had to be factored in . ' turn four -- a long , sweeping circular corner which the cars will enter at 80 miles per hour and exit at 190 mph -- fills tilke with particular pride , and he believes it will be the hardest in f1 , ' especially when the surface is slippery or when attempted on degraded tires . despite his pride at a job well done , tilke admits he 'll feel very nervous ' on the day of the race because the track until then remains a prototype . as with the olympic constructions , it seems costs were not foremost in organizers'minds in their ambition to construct a world-class facility . we 've spent about $ 330 million ( so far ) . but i 'm not worried about the cost only about the quality , ' zabara says . i can say for sure that the cost of the track will be three to four times cheaper than the circuit in abu-dhabi . ' the promoter is hoping a race on russian soil will attract many of the country 's f1 fans who already travel the world to watch the championship , as well as creating a new domestic supporter base willing to pay $ 200 a ticket to attend . about 60,000 fans are expected to come here and that will mean an extension of the resort season ( in the town ) too , ' says zabara . it 's also suitable to use the track throughout the season -- we 've signed contracts with gp2 , gp3 , the porsche cup and hope to attract motogp , ' adds zabara , a fan of motorcycling star valentino rossi . the plans for the sochi gp certainly do n't lack for ambition and chime well with the wider putin-driven plan of trying to rebrand russia through the city . it 's maybe the reason ecclestone expects the russian president to attend the inaugural race in october and why he remains so enthusiastic about this month 's winter games . people love to criticize anything new do n't they ? but we 'll look back at vancouver and say it did n't come close to what we 've just seen in sochi , ' ecclestone argues . maybe the same will soon be said of the sochi grand prix . | track site in 2010 was a big hole , ' says german track designer hermann tilke |
south african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the south african slum of kliptown has long suffered from high rates of unemployment , crime and school dropouts , and the end of apartheid did little to change the situation . but hundreds of children are starting to find hope thanks to thulani madondo , who is changing the community through education . madondo 's nonprofit , the kliptown youth program , provides free academic support , meals and after-school activities to more than 400 children living in the slum . cnn asked madondo for his thoughts on being chosen as one of the top 10 cnn heroes of 2012 . cnn : what do you hope this recognition will mean for the kliptown youth program ? thulani madondo : it means we can continue to grow as an organization , and it has helped us educate people about the life that we live here . kliptown is one of the very old communities around soweto , but it 's still lacking in things like schools , electricity , running water . we use communal bathrooms . but this does n't stop the children in our program from continuing to believe in their dreams . the recognition has also taught us that through hard work everything is possible , but it has also brought us a big challenge : we should always be working hard , because we will never know who is watching us ! cnn : what was the reaction when you found out you were a top 10 cnn hero ? madondo : kyp people heard me shouting , and they wanted to know what was happening . i immediately told them that we have made it ! they went straight to the computers to double-check . after that , we started singing our kyp songs , celebrating that we are part of history in the making for our country and continent . tears fell from my eyes , thinking how proud my mom was going to be seeing her struggle paying off to the nation . and i was then touched when a colleague said this achievement is dedicated to my late brother , xolani dube , who passed away in april . more from cnn heroes : finding'diamonds'in paradise city cnn : how will you use the $ 50,000 award you receive for being selected as a top 10 cnn hero ? madondo : our plan is to build a computer lab , provide school uniforms for the year 2013 and buy a solar geyser ( to heat water ) for our kitchen . it will also help provide relevant training for our staff so that we can be more competent in the work that we do . we believe that is very important , so our team can also grow with the organization . we want to strengthen the programs that we have , especially the tutorial program . we 've been visiting a number of educational institutions around johannesburg to see how we can strengthen it , what resources and skills we need . for us to succeed , we need to make sure our tutorial program is strong . cnn : what do you want people to know most about your work ? madondo : the most important thing that i would like people to know about kyp is that it is an organization that is community-needs driven , and it is led by the youth of kliptown that want to break the poverty cycle that has existed for many decades . this will be done through formal and nonformal education , where people will be empowered in things they are good at . ... we believe that if people are guided to what they are interested in , that is setting them up for success . read the full story on cnn hero thulani madondo : helping'kliptown'kids take control of their future more q & as from top 10 heroes :'a ray of hope'where girls did n't count a voice for america 's caregiving kids after losing daughter , dad vows to change culture seeking justice for haiti 's rape victims | he grew up in kliptown , a south african slum outside johannesburg |
cnn hero of the year <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the south african slum of kliptown has long suffered from high rates of unemployment , crime and school dropouts , and the end of apartheid did little to change the situation . but hundreds of children are starting to find hope thanks to thulani madondo , who is changing the community through education . madondo 's nonprofit , the kliptown youth program , provides free academic support , meals and after-school activities to more than 400 children living in the slum . cnn asked madondo for his thoughts on being chosen as one of the top 10 cnn heroes of 2012 . cnn : what do you hope this recognition will mean for the kliptown youth program ? thulani madondo : it means we can continue to grow as an organization , and it has helped us educate people about the life that we live here . kliptown is one of the very old communities around soweto , but it 's still lacking in things like schools , electricity , running water . we use communal bathrooms . but this does n't stop the children in our program from continuing to believe in their dreams . the recognition has also taught us that through hard work everything is possible , but it has also brought us a big challenge : we should always be working hard , because we will never know who is watching us ! cnn : what was the reaction when you found out you were a top 10 cnn hero ? madondo : kyp people heard me shouting , and they wanted to know what was happening . i immediately told them that we have made it ! they went straight to the computers to double-check . after that , we started singing our kyp songs , celebrating that we are part of history in the making for our country and continent . tears fell from my eyes , thinking how proud my mom was going to be seeing her struggle paying off to the nation . and i was then touched when a colleague said this achievement is dedicated to my late brother , xolani dube , who passed away in april . more from cnn heroes : finding'diamonds'in paradise city cnn : how will you use the $ 50,000 award you receive for being selected as a top 10 cnn hero ? madondo : our plan is to build a computer lab , provide school uniforms for the year 2013 and buy a solar geyser ( to heat water ) for our kitchen . it will also help provide relevant training for our staff so that we can be more competent in the work that we do . we believe that is very important , so our team can also grow with the organization . we want to strengthen the programs that we have , especially the tutorial program . we 've been visiting a number of educational institutions around johannesburg to see how we can strengthen it , what resources and skills we need . for us to succeed , we need to make sure our tutorial program is strong . cnn : what do you want people to know most about your work ? madondo : the most important thing that i would like people to know about kyp is that it is an organization that is community-needs driven , and it is led by the youth of kliptown that want to break the poverty cycle that has existed for many decades . this will be done through formal and nonformal education , where people will be empowered in things they are good at . ... we believe that if people are guided to what they are interested in , that is setting them up for success . read the full story on cnn hero thulani madondo : helping'kliptown'kids take control of their future more q & as from top 10 heroes :'a ray of hope'where girls did n't count a voice for america 's caregiving kids after losing daughter , dad vows to change culture seeking justice for haiti 's rape victims | who should be the cnn hero of the year ? cast your vote now ! |
daniel cicciaro <tsp> riverhead , new york ( cnn ) -- the tragic story that began with a sick joke on the internet is coming to a close as a riverhead , new york , jury deliberates the fate of 53-year-old john white , on trial for killing a friend of his son . a bogus threat of rape on the internet may have led to the shooting death of 17-year-old daniel cicciaro . white is accused of shooting 17-year old daniel cicciaro in the face on august 9 , 2006 , outside his long island home after a heated exchange with cicciaro and his friends . cicciaro died that night , and white was arrested . he is charged with second-degree manslaughter . the trial has brought out allegations of racism and revenge . white , who is african-american , maintains he was protecting his family from a white lynch mob and says the gun discharged accidentally . prosecutors disagree , saying white should have called police but instead deliberately chose to confront the boys outside his home with a .32-caliber beretta . watch cicciaro 's parents recall son 's death » riverhead police say this all started with an internet prank sent from the myspace page of white 's son , 20-year-old aaron . under his screen name , a threatening message was sent to a teenage girl who was a close friend of daniel cicciaro . the night cicciaro was killed , he was at a party with the girl when they spotted aaron white . according to court testimony , cicciaro became angry and white was asked to leave . aaron white testified that after he left the party , cicciaro and a male friend called him on his cell phone , saying to him , get back to this party you n * * * * r. ' aaron white says he then went home and received more calls from cicciaro and his friends , telling him they were coming to his house to kill him . he then woke his father , who grabbed his handgun and waited for the boys to arrive . police say that around 11 p.m. , cicciaro and four friends arrived at white 's house . john and aaron white walked out of their house , both holding guns , and had a heated exchange with cicciaro and his friends . john white asked the boys to leave . then , police say , john white shot cicciaro at point-blank range . cicciaro died in the emergency room that night . but the rape threat that sparked the confrontation between daniel cicciaro and aaron white was not real . under testimony , aaron white 's friend michael longo admitted he logged on to aaron 's myspace page and sent the threat to the girl as a joke . daniel cicciaro 's mother , joanne cicciaro , says her son was trying to protect the girl . the thing is , that night , daniel believed aaron threatened to rape a girl that was like his little sister , ' cicciaro said . during the trial , which lasted three weeks and ended tuesday , john white broke down in tears . he testified , i did n't mean to shoot this young man . this young man was another child of god . ' white 's attorneys say that racism lies at the heart of the confrontation and that john white feared cicciaro and his friends were going to kill his son . you had this group of white men who felt that they were going to defend this young white woman from a black man who said these things about her , and they felt justified to do so because of his race , ' said defense attorney fred brewington . but daniel cicciaro 's father , also named daniel , says he does n't believe white 's story . he had 20 minutes to gather his thoughts , to call the police to defuse the situation , to find out why they were coming over , and he did n't take any of the precautionary steps ' he said . the whites , none of them , ever called 9-1-1 , even after he shot daniel , but he did call their attorney , ' joanne cicciaro added . with tears in their eyes , daniel and joanne cicciaro say their last image of their son was in the hospital , drenched in blood and being given cpr . i saw the hole in his cheek . i got to tell him that i loved him , ' joanne cicciaro said . i saw his blank eyes open , staring at the ceiling . ' friends and supporters of both the whites and the cicciaros have attended the trial daily , which presented its case to the jury tuesday . the jury finished its second day of deliberations thursday with no verdict . e-mail to a friend | shooting followed confrontation between daniel cicciaro and aaron white |
department of justice <tsp> des moines , iowa ( cnn ) on a bright , clear morning in april 2013 , two professional poker players from california were heading west on interstate 80 in rural iowa when they were stopped by two iowa state troopers . before that stop was over , the officers had seized $ 100,000 , which the men said was money to play poker . the troopers also called ahead to california authorities , who raided the men 's homes and ultimately indicted one of them , john newmerzhycky , on a charge of illegal possession of drug paraphernalia . if this sounds unusual and way out of the ordinary , it is n't . the seizure is just one of thousands of highway stops that state and local authorities call interdictions : ' roadside stops aimed at catching drug dealers or even terrorists , but which can also result in cash seizures alone with no criminal charges attached . it 's called civil asset forfeiture , and it was started in the early 1980s by the justice department . it has since migrated to thousands of state and local jurisdictions nationwide . the program , when it originated , was meant to target and take money authorities believed was connected to crimes . a legal advocacy group based in washington called the institute for justice has been battling civil asset forfeiture for years . it violates due process for americans , ' said larry salzman , an attorney for the group . it 's wrong . it 's a simple premise that the government should not be taking money from people who have done nothing wrong . it should n't be taking money from people who have not been charged , let alone convicted , of any crime . ' in the case of the two poker players in iowa , months after their money was taken , they reached a settlement in which most of the money — $ 90,000 — was returned . they told cnn they believed it was the best deal they could have made at the time . now , however , they are suing to get the rest of the money back and have asked for unspecified damages . the state of iowa is n't giving it back and is not backing down . it has had widespread and deep impacts on my life , ' said william bart ' davis , one of the two poker players . it 's my primary focus right now . it 's made me aware of the things i was unaware of . and made me angry . ' other examples are rife . in a small nevada county two hours driving time east of reno , a single deputy sheriff has been responsible for more than a dozen cash seizures in 2014 alone , according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of motorists whose money was taken . that deputy , lee dove , asks one motorist in a dash-cam video how much money he has on hand . when the driver answers , dove said , quote , it 's not counted is it ? well , i 'm seizing it . ' dove was so proud of his cash seizures that he autographed photos of himself with a bundle of money at his feet , accompanied by his k-9 dog . cnn wanted to ask him about the seizures but he did n't answer when our team approached his security gate just after nightfall . as we were driving away a few minutes later , two humboldt county sheriff 's deputies pulled us over even though we had n't done anything wrong . one of them said their colleague , dove , had been going through a tough time ' and had called them to complain about our presence . the newly elected sheriff in humboldt county , mike allen , said dove is still with the department but has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a state investigation . allen said the entire program is suspended pending that investigation and that any future stops must have a clear connection to criminal activity . i want to know what crime they 're investigating , and what evidence do they have to substantiate that crime before any property is seized , allen said . the justice department recently said it was backing away from the civil asset forfeiture actions it had been taking for nearly three decades . its records show it seized more than $ 6 million in the most recent fiscal year . now , the department says it wo n't benefit from most seizures any longer . with this new policy , effective immediately , the justice department is taking an important step to prohibit federal agency adoptions of state and local seizures , except for public safety reasons , ' said attorney general eric holder . critics like the institute for justice , however , say that does n't mean the elimination of the practice . the institute 's president , scott bullock predicted it will continue in most states around the country . | department of justice recently said it was backing away from civil asset forfeiture actions |
house republicans <tsp> momentum in the senate may be building for passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill after a border security deal was announced this week , but house gop opposition to immigration legislation remains the biggest roadblock to a bill getting to the president 's desk , and that opposition only appears to be hardening . senate immigration deal includes tougher border security the messy demise of the farm bill on the house floor on thursday demonstrated the divisions within gop ranks and the willingness of dozens of rank-and-file members to ignore their leadership . while there 's not a clear parallel between that bill 's failure and the road ahead for immigration reform , the episode does underline the exceedingly tough task house speaker john boehner , r-ohio , faces as he attempts to guide immigration legislation through the house . boehner insists he wants to tackle immigration reform , but has n't been clear about how he intends to navigate the controversial issue through his own conference . cnn poll : big generational divide in immigration battle ' after all this talk about the senate there has been so little focus on the house and that it has been , pre-farm vote -- and will continue to be post-farm vote -- the choke point for any immigration reform , amy walter , national editor of the cook political report told cnn . house gop leaders knew many conservatives would vote against the farm bill because they viewed the food-stamp programs as too expensive . but 62 members , roughly a quarter of all house republicans , broke with boehner , who made a rare endorsement of the bill , and joined with the vast majority of house democrats to take down the bill . even if democrats produced the level of support republicans say they anticipated , gop leaders still did n't have support within their own ranks to get the farm bill through . the farm bill 's defeat exposed the vulnerabilities of so called compromise legislation in the house , ' walter added . but even before the farm bill fiasco boehner began pouring cold water on the immigration momentum coming out of the senate . as news was breaking on the senate deal on thursday morning boehner compared immigration reform to obamacare , the bill republicans constantly malign as the prime example of government overreach . every day as obamacare is being implemented , americans are reminded of what happens when you have big legislation rammed through congress with minimum support , ' boehner said at his weekly news conference . americans'confidence in their government is near an all-time low , so if immigration reform is going to work it 's essential that we have the confidence of the american people and that it 's done the right way , ' the speaker added . the deliberate move to put immigration in the same category as obamacare showed boehner is in no mood to muscle through a massive immigration overhaul unless it can garner significant votes from both sides of the aisle -- a tall order in the house . boehner did n't comment directly on the new border surge ' provisions that would double the number of agents on the u.s.-mexico border or the new money to construct a 700-mile-long fence . but he raised questions on whether that plan would be enough to address concerns among conservatives , saying , if we 're going to get the kind of bipartisan support i think we need , and we 're not going to get that confidence unless the american people look up and say ,'yes , this border security package meets the straight-face test .' another key house gop player on immigration reform , judiciary committee chairman bob goodlatte , r-virginia , was skeptical that the senate 's border security plan was going to work , telling reporters , just throwing bodies at it ' does not solve the problem . goodlatte said the larger issue is addressing the 35 % -45 % of the 11 million people in the u.s. without legal status who he says enter the country lawfully -- through visas , but are allowed to overstay or gain a waiver to remain . he argued there has to be a bigger emphasis on interior enforcement programs . and goodlatte repeated his intention to move immigration reform through a step by step ' process instead of the sort of comprehensive bill the senate is considering . navarrette : border security push is a joke ' anything attached to a path to citizenship even if it secures the border i would n't support it , ' pennsylvania republican rep. lou barletta said when asked by cnn about the senate 's new border security plan . barletta said he could support additional resources but said he wanted a guarantee ' that enforcement measures in fact worked , and he thought what the senate was doing would end up speeding up eventual citizenship for undocumented workers , something he said was unacceptable . i do n't have any confidence that it 's ever going to be implemented , iowa republican rep. steve king told cnn when asked about the senate border security plan , saying he did n't believe secretary of homeland security janet napolitano would follow the law . the dynamic inside the house republican conference on immigration could be seen outside the capitol on wednesday afternoon with two groups delivering polar opposite messages about immigration policy . house gop conference chair cathy mcmorris rogers , r-washington , held a news conference with several house republicans and a group of hispanic religious leaders and stressed the party 's outreach efforts to latinos on immigration . just yards away , the loud voices of a hundreds of activists opposed to a path to citizenship -- branded amnesty ' -- could be heard at an event king organized . boehner already made it clear earlier in the week that he would only move an immigration bill if it had the support of the majority of house republicans . but even if he gets more than half of the 234 house gop members , he 'll still needs to rely on house democratic leader nancy pelosi to get most of her members on board to pass a bill . democratic support for immigration reform has never been in question . but house republican congressional aides , still incensed about the failure of the farm bill , question whether democrats on capitol hill are more focused on scoring political points in the next election than joining with them to pass a bill . how are we supposed to trust a promise or a whip count from house democrats now ? ' one senior house gop leadership aide said when asked about what the farm bill 's defeat means on immigration . walter noted that all along many republicans on the hill have been suspicious about how serious congressional democrats were about actually getting an immigration bill over the finish line . it speaks to this deep seeded belief among many republicans that democrats are going to pull the rug out from them and use it to beat them about the head in 2014 , ' walter explained to cnn . the senate could be on track to pass its immigration package before july 4 , but the bipartisan group in the house that has been working for months on a similar proposal has n't been able to finalize their deal yet . the house judiciary committee has begun working on more narrow proposals aimed at enforcement and security , and those could come up for votes as early as next month . even those in the house who are pressing for major immigration reform say it 's unlikely to play out in the house until later this fall . but that schedule poses difficult decisions for boehner about how to move immigration as it comes around the same time as the house has to deal with an equally divisive issue -- addressing how to deal with the country 's debt limit . biden urges final push on immigration reform | roughly a quarter of house republicans broke ranks with speaker boehner |
choudhury <tsp> for the first time , britain has convicted someone of a terrorism offense related to the syrian civil war . mashudur choudhury , 31 , was convicted of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist attacks , the crown prosecution service said . a father of two , choudhury traveled to syria in october with the intention of joining a terrorist training camp , the uk 's press association reported . at times in his discussions with others the defendant described his intention to become a martyr , ' prosecutor alison morgan told the jury during the two-week trial , the association reported . in one text message , his wife wrote him , go die in battlefield . go die , i really mean it just go . i 'll be relieved . at last . at last , ' the press association said . choudhury pleaded not guilty . he will be sentenced june 13 . | britain convicts mashudur choudhury of a terrorism offense in syria |
choudhury <tsp> for the first time , britain has convicted someone of a terrorism offense related to the syrian civil war . mashudur choudhury , 31 , was convicted of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist attacks , the crown prosecution service said . a father of two , choudhury traveled to syria in october with the intention of joining a terrorist training camp , the uk 's press association reported . at times in his discussions with others the defendant described his intention to become a martyr , ' prosecutor alison morgan told the jury during the two-week trial , the association reported . in one text message , his wife wrote him , go die in battlefield . go die , i really mean it just go . i 'll be relieved . at last . at last , ' the press association said . choudhury pleaded not guilty . he will be sentenced june 13 . | choudhury pleaded not guilty |
selfridges <tsp> think twice before you throw out your leftovers , those scraps could form the basis of a spiced apple chutney or a luscious raspberry jam . london-based company , rubies in the rubble , concoct luxury preserves out of food destined for the garbage can . founder , jenny dawson , made her first batch of chutney out of leftovers in 2010 and since then the brand has flown off the shelves in high-end outlets such as fortnum & mason , harvey nichols and selfridges . but how do you transform food waste into an in-demand product ? cnn : what inspired you to start the project ? jenny dawson : i was researching food waste in 2010 and realized the scale of it , the implications both financially and environmentally . i wanted to do something about it . with my own eyes , i saw mountains of mangoes coming in from kenya which looked perfect to me but for some reason they were being thrown away . it evoked a reaction in me . i thought there must be something i can do with this - i want to make a brand that champion-s things that others overlook . cnn : what inspired to you to turn this project into a business ? jd : people were saying why do n't you become a charity ? but i was really passionate about becoming a business that solved social problems . we live in a capitalist society where businesses take change and i was hoping we could be an example of a business that really made a social impact throughout our supply chain . cnn : how has the response been so far ? jd : there 's been an amazing response to our product , people really get behind it . in general , the supermarkets as well as the uk government have really gone behind it - people talk about it now and are trying to address this . people are really aware of it ... they want to change and become responsible for what they 're consuming . watch : funding 80 start-ups at once read more : groceries sent right to the trunk of your car read more : 7 insider tips from the new startup cities | the business now sells a selection of preserves through high-end outlets such as selfridges and harvey nichols |
venezuelan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- venezuela 's president has spoken with embattled libyan leader moammar gadhafi about a proposal to bring an international mediation team to libya , venezuela 's information minister confirmed wednesday . the two leaders conversed tuesday , minister andrez izarra said in a post on his twitter account . all the contacts that venezuela is making with the arab world and the entire world is for peace in libya . tomorrow new developments , ' the tweet read . earlier this week , venezuelan president hugo chavez said the united states'criticisms of gadhafi had a clear aim : military invasion . let 's not get carried away by the drums of war , because the united states , i am sure that they are exaggerating and distorting things to justify an invasion , ' chavez said monday , according to venezuelan state media . the united states has said all options are on the table . speaking in caracas monday , chavez proposed sending an international committee to libya to mediate and help develop a peaceful solution to unrest in the north african country . instead of sending marines and tanks and planes , why do n't we send a goodwill commission to try to help so that they do not continue killing in libya ? they are our brothers , ' he said in a speech televised on the government-run network . chavez and gadhafi have a close relationship , having bonded partly over shared opposition to u.s. global influence . at a lavish tripoli celebration commemorating 40 years of gadhafi 's leadership in 2009 , the two leaders sat side-by-side during a two-hour military parade . that same year , a new football stadium in benghazi was named after the venezuelan leader . as rumors swirled about gadhafi and his whereabouts last week , some suggested that he may be en route to venezuela . those reports proved to be false ; the libyan leader later spoke publicly in his country 's capital . but the close ties between the two leaders remain strong . on monday , chavez said gadhafi has been my friend and our friend for a long time ' in remarks broadcast on venezuelan state television . we must be cautious . we know what our policy is : we do not support invasions , or massacres , or anything , no matter who does it . but there is no doubt that , regarding libya , a campaign of lies is being woven -- the same that has been woven about venezuela for a long time , ' he said . the u.n. security council over the weekend voted for tough restrictions and possible war crimes charges against the libyan regime . cnn 's nelson quinones and journalist osmary hernandez sosa contributed to this report . | the venezuelan leader proposes sending a goodwill commission to mediate in libya |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- critics are already gushing over steven spielberg 's new lincoln ' as a potential oscar contender . much of the praise centers on how the film makes the larger-than-life president at once heroic and human . by all accounts , it deftly explores both his personal and political wisdom through scenes like the one in which daniel day lewis , who plays honest abe , cites ancient mathematical theory in an assessment of humanity : it 's a self-evident truth that things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other . ' but even as moviegoers line up for tickets , some in washington may well wonder what one special fan of lincoln might take away from a screening . president barack obama is a self-professed , lifelong admirer of the 16th president , who is by many accounts the most popular and influential of all chief executives in american history . holding democratic'blue wall'was crucial for obama victory shortly before taking office in 2009 , the obama family made an unannounced late night visit to the lincoln memorial and since , the 44th president has stopped by again . mr. obama took his oath on the same bible lincoln used for his inauguration in 1861 ; a small volume sheathed in stained red velvet with gilt edges . he has frequently been spotted reading about lincoln and he 's fond of quoting the rail-splitter in his speeches , most notably during the recent democratic national convention . i 'm far more mindful of my own failings , ' he told the convention crowd , knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said ,'i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go .'' some lincolnophiles have since suggested he actually misquoted lincoln in that instance , but the point remains : obama is a big lincoln fan . so what advice might lincoln have for obama as he heads toward a second term ? in the land of lincoln , at illinois wesleyan university , professor robert bray is one of the nation 's leading lincoln scholars . he suggests that lincoln lesson one might be : make your enemies into friends . bray notes that lincoln had an enormous talent for turning around even his fiercest opponents . he was able to keep his eye on the prize , ' bray says , which means he was able to disassociate himself from personal attacks . ' no matter how cruelly his foes savaged him , lincoln repeatedly rose above the fray , using humor and warmth to disarm his enemies and refocus everyone on the agenda at hand . instances of his temper showing , bray notes , were rare . opinion : election a call for purple politics lincoln lesson two : be firm , but play nice . lincoln was no pushover . despite his legendarily laconic style , bray says lincoln had a single-minded ability to steadily exert political pressure on others , inexorably pushing them toward the action he wanted , or rather he felt the nation needed . and yet , he did so in a way that left others feeling unthreatened . he could talk without anger , ' bray says . he could talk without heat to his political opponents . ' lincoln lesson three : take the long view . lincoln clearly saw the future in a way that many of his contemporaries could not . he imagined not merely the end of slavery , but also the repercussions that would follow for freed african americans , southern citizens , and northerners as well . he knew resolution might take many years , and yet he tried to point the politics of the day in the proper direction . he believed firmly , i think , that if we put our heads to it and we put our wills to it , the american people could be that shining example of equality for the world , ' bray says . bray is the first to say that there is so much more about lincoln , noting the volumes of work about him . at ford 's theater , where lincoln was assassinated , workers constructed a 34-foot tall tower of books to represent all the titles published about lincoln ; more than 15,000 in all , according to their count . it is unlikely that obama has read them all and it is not known when or if he 'll see the new lincoln movie , but undoubtedly , abe still has plenty of lessons for our times ... honestly . | a professor offers three lessons for obama from lincoln |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- critics are already gushing over steven spielberg 's new lincoln ' as a potential oscar contender . much of the praise centers on how the film makes the larger-than-life president at once heroic and human . by all accounts , it deftly explores both his personal and political wisdom through scenes like the one in which daniel day lewis , who plays honest abe , cites ancient mathematical theory in an assessment of humanity : it 's a self-evident truth that things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other . ' but even as moviegoers line up for tickets , some in washington may well wonder what one special fan of lincoln might take away from a screening . president barack obama is a self-professed , lifelong admirer of the 16th president , who is by many accounts the most popular and influential of all chief executives in american history . holding democratic'blue wall'was crucial for obama victory shortly before taking office in 2009 , the obama family made an unannounced late night visit to the lincoln memorial and since , the 44th president has stopped by again . mr. obama took his oath on the same bible lincoln used for his inauguration in 1861 ; a small volume sheathed in stained red velvet with gilt edges . he has frequently been spotted reading about lincoln and he 's fond of quoting the rail-splitter in his speeches , most notably during the recent democratic national convention . i 'm far more mindful of my own failings , ' he told the convention crowd , knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said ,'i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go .'' some lincolnophiles have since suggested he actually misquoted lincoln in that instance , but the point remains : obama is a big lincoln fan . so what advice might lincoln have for obama as he heads toward a second term ? in the land of lincoln , at illinois wesleyan university , professor robert bray is one of the nation 's leading lincoln scholars . he suggests that lincoln lesson one might be : make your enemies into friends . bray notes that lincoln had an enormous talent for turning around even his fiercest opponents . he was able to keep his eye on the prize , ' bray says , which means he was able to disassociate himself from personal attacks . ' no matter how cruelly his foes savaged him , lincoln repeatedly rose above the fray , using humor and warmth to disarm his enemies and refocus everyone on the agenda at hand . instances of his temper showing , bray notes , were rare . opinion : election a call for purple politics lincoln lesson two : be firm , but play nice . lincoln was no pushover . despite his legendarily laconic style , bray says lincoln had a single-minded ability to steadily exert political pressure on others , inexorably pushing them toward the action he wanted , or rather he felt the nation needed . and yet , he did so in a way that left others feeling unthreatened . he could talk without anger , ' bray says . he could talk without heat to his political opponents . ' lincoln lesson three : take the long view . lincoln clearly saw the future in a way that many of his contemporaries could not . he imagined not merely the end of slavery , but also the repercussions that would follow for freed african americans , southern citizens , and northerners as well . he knew resolution might take many years , and yet he tried to point the politics of the day in the proper direction . he believed firmly , i think , that if we put our heads to it and we put our wills to it , the american people could be that shining example of equality for the world , ' bray says . bray is the first to say that there is so much more about lincoln , noting the volumes of work about him . at ford 's theater , where lincoln was assassinated , workers constructed a 34-foot tall tower of books to represent all the titles published about lincoln ; more than 15,000 in all , according to their count . it is unlikely that obama has read them all and it is not known when or if he 'll see the new lincoln movie , but undoubtedly , abe still has plenty of lessons for our times ... honestly . | obama is avid admirer of the 16th president |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- critics are already gushing over steven spielberg 's new lincoln ' as a potential oscar contender . much of the praise centers on how the film makes the larger-than-life president at once heroic and human . by all accounts , it deftly explores both his personal and political wisdom through scenes like the one in which daniel day lewis , who plays honest abe , cites ancient mathematical theory in an assessment of humanity : it 's a self-evident truth that things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other . ' but even as moviegoers line up for tickets , some in washington may well wonder what one special fan of lincoln might take away from a screening . president barack obama is a self-professed , lifelong admirer of the 16th president , who is by many accounts the most popular and influential of all chief executives in american history . holding democratic'blue wall'was crucial for obama victory shortly before taking office in 2009 , the obama family made an unannounced late night visit to the lincoln memorial and since , the 44th president has stopped by again . mr. obama took his oath on the same bible lincoln used for his inauguration in 1861 ; a small volume sheathed in stained red velvet with gilt edges . he has frequently been spotted reading about lincoln and he 's fond of quoting the rail-splitter in his speeches , most notably during the recent democratic national convention . i 'm far more mindful of my own failings , ' he told the convention crowd , knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said ,'i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go .'' some lincolnophiles have since suggested he actually misquoted lincoln in that instance , but the point remains : obama is a big lincoln fan . so what advice might lincoln have for obama as he heads toward a second term ? in the land of lincoln , at illinois wesleyan university , professor robert bray is one of the nation 's leading lincoln scholars . he suggests that lincoln lesson one might be : make your enemies into friends . bray notes that lincoln had an enormous talent for turning around even his fiercest opponents . he was able to keep his eye on the prize , ' bray says , which means he was able to disassociate himself from personal attacks . ' no matter how cruelly his foes savaged him , lincoln repeatedly rose above the fray , using humor and warmth to disarm his enemies and refocus everyone on the agenda at hand . instances of his temper showing , bray notes , were rare . opinion : election a call for purple politics lincoln lesson two : be firm , but play nice . lincoln was no pushover . despite his legendarily laconic style , bray says lincoln had a single-minded ability to steadily exert political pressure on others , inexorably pushing them toward the action he wanted , or rather he felt the nation needed . and yet , he did so in a way that left others feeling unthreatened . he could talk without anger , ' bray says . he could talk without heat to his political opponents . ' lincoln lesson three : take the long view . lincoln clearly saw the future in a way that many of his contemporaries could not . he imagined not merely the end of slavery , but also the repercussions that would follow for freed african americans , southern citizens , and northerners as well . he knew resolution might take many years , and yet he tried to point the politics of the day in the proper direction . he believed firmly , i think , that if we put our heads to it and we put our wills to it , the american people could be that shining example of equality for the world , ' bray says . bray is the first to say that there is so much more about lincoln , noting the volumes of work about him . at ford 's theater , where lincoln was assassinated , workers constructed a 34-foot tall tower of books to represent all the titles published about lincoln ; more than 15,000 in all , according to their count . it is unlikely that obama has read them all and it is not known when or if he 'll see the new lincoln movie , but undoubtedly , abe still has plenty of lessons for our times ... honestly . | new lincoln ' film offers opportunities , advice for barack obama |
lincoln <tsp> ( cnn ) -- critics are already gushing over steven spielberg 's new lincoln ' as a potential oscar contender . much of the praise centers on how the film makes the larger-than-life president at once heroic and human . by all accounts , it deftly explores both his personal and political wisdom through scenes like the one in which daniel day lewis , who plays honest abe , cites ancient mathematical theory in an assessment of humanity : it 's a self-evident truth that things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other . ' but even as moviegoers line up for tickets , some in washington may well wonder what one special fan of lincoln might take away from a screening . president barack obama is a self-professed , lifelong admirer of the 16th president , who is by many accounts the most popular and influential of all chief executives in american history . holding democratic'blue wall'was crucial for obama victory shortly before taking office in 2009 , the obama family made an unannounced late night visit to the lincoln memorial and since , the 44th president has stopped by again . mr. obama took his oath on the same bible lincoln used for his inauguration in 1861 ; a small volume sheathed in stained red velvet with gilt edges . he has frequently been spotted reading about lincoln and he 's fond of quoting the rail-splitter in his speeches , most notably during the recent democratic national convention . i 'm far more mindful of my own failings , ' he told the convention crowd , knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said ,'i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go .'' some lincolnophiles have since suggested he actually misquoted lincoln in that instance , but the point remains : obama is a big lincoln fan . so what advice might lincoln have for obama as he heads toward a second term ? in the land of lincoln , at illinois wesleyan university , professor robert bray is one of the nation 's leading lincoln scholars . he suggests that lincoln lesson one might be : make your enemies into friends . bray notes that lincoln had an enormous talent for turning around even his fiercest opponents . he was able to keep his eye on the prize , ' bray says , which means he was able to disassociate himself from personal attacks . ' no matter how cruelly his foes savaged him , lincoln repeatedly rose above the fray , using humor and warmth to disarm his enemies and refocus everyone on the agenda at hand . instances of his temper showing , bray notes , were rare . opinion : election a call for purple politics lincoln lesson two : be firm , but play nice . lincoln was no pushover . despite his legendarily laconic style , bray says lincoln had a single-minded ability to steadily exert political pressure on others , inexorably pushing them toward the action he wanted , or rather he felt the nation needed . and yet , he did so in a way that left others feeling unthreatened . he could talk without anger , ' bray says . he could talk without heat to his political opponents . ' lincoln lesson three : take the long view . lincoln clearly saw the future in a way that many of his contemporaries could not . he imagined not merely the end of slavery , but also the repercussions that would follow for freed african americans , southern citizens , and northerners as well . he knew resolution might take many years , and yet he tried to point the politics of the day in the proper direction . he believed firmly , i think , that if we put our heads to it and we put our wills to it , the american people could be that shining example of equality for the world , ' bray says . bray is the first to say that there is so much more about lincoln , noting the volumes of work about him . at ford 's theater , where lincoln was assassinated , workers constructed a 34-foot tall tower of books to represent all the titles published about lincoln ; more than 15,000 in all , according to their count . it is unlikely that obama has read them all and it is not known when or if he 'll see the new lincoln movie , but undoubtedly , abe still has plenty of lessons for our times ... honestly . | a professor offers three lessons for obama from lincoln |
lincoln <tsp> ( cnn ) -- critics are already gushing over steven spielberg 's new lincoln ' as a potential oscar contender . much of the praise centers on how the film makes the larger-than-life president at once heroic and human . by all accounts , it deftly explores both his personal and political wisdom through scenes like the one in which daniel day lewis , who plays honest abe , cites ancient mathematical theory in an assessment of humanity : it 's a self-evident truth that things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other . ' but even as moviegoers line up for tickets , some in washington may well wonder what one special fan of lincoln might take away from a screening . president barack obama is a self-professed , lifelong admirer of the 16th president , who is by many accounts the most popular and influential of all chief executives in american history . holding democratic'blue wall'was crucial for obama victory shortly before taking office in 2009 , the obama family made an unannounced late night visit to the lincoln memorial and since , the 44th president has stopped by again . mr. obama took his oath on the same bible lincoln used for his inauguration in 1861 ; a small volume sheathed in stained red velvet with gilt edges . he has frequently been spotted reading about lincoln and he 's fond of quoting the rail-splitter in his speeches , most notably during the recent democratic national convention . i 'm far more mindful of my own failings , ' he told the convention crowd , knowing exactly what lincoln meant when he said ,'i have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that i had no place else to go .'' some lincolnophiles have since suggested he actually misquoted lincoln in that instance , but the point remains : obama is a big lincoln fan . so what advice might lincoln have for obama as he heads toward a second term ? in the land of lincoln , at illinois wesleyan university , professor robert bray is one of the nation 's leading lincoln scholars . he suggests that lincoln lesson one might be : make your enemies into friends . bray notes that lincoln had an enormous talent for turning around even his fiercest opponents . he was able to keep his eye on the prize , ' bray says , which means he was able to disassociate himself from personal attacks . ' no matter how cruelly his foes savaged him , lincoln repeatedly rose above the fray , using humor and warmth to disarm his enemies and refocus everyone on the agenda at hand . instances of his temper showing , bray notes , were rare . opinion : election a call for purple politics lincoln lesson two : be firm , but play nice . lincoln was no pushover . despite his legendarily laconic style , bray says lincoln had a single-minded ability to steadily exert political pressure on others , inexorably pushing them toward the action he wanted , or rather he felt the nation needed . and yet , he did so in a way that left others feeling unthreatened . he could talk without anger , ' bray says . he could talk without heat to his political opponents . ' lincoln lesson three : take the long view . lincoln clearly saw the future in a way that many of his contemporaries could not . he imagined not merely the end of slavery , but also the repercussions that would follow for freed african americans , southern citizens , and northerners as well . he knew resolution might take many years , and yet he tried to point the politics of the day in the proper direction . he believed firmly , i think , that if we put our heads to it and we put our wills to it , the american people could be that shining example of equality for the world , ' bray says . bray is the first to say that there is so much more about lincoln , noting the volumes of work about him . at ford 's theater , where lincoln was assassinated , workers constructed a 34-foot tall tower of books to represent all the titles published about lincoln ; more than 15,000 in all , according to their count . it is unlikely that obama has read them all and it is not known when or if he 'll see the new lincoln movie , but undoubtedly , abe still has plenty of lessons for our times ... honestly . | new lincoln ' film offers opportunities , advice for barack obama |
florida <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a man whose financial management business is under investigation faked a life-or-death emergency in his private aircraft before secretly parachuting out and letting his plane crash in the florida panhandle , authorities said monday . marcus schrenker exited his small plane before it crashed , and investigators are looking for him , police say . the pilot , identified as marcus schrenker , 38 , later checked into a hotel in alabama under a fake name and then put on a black cap and fled into woods , authorities in alabama said , according to the santa rosa county sheriff 's office in milton , florida . authorities are searching for schrenker . the manager of the airport in indiana from which the six-seat piper pa-46 took off sunday said that no one else was on board at takeoff . the plane crashed sunday night in a swampy , wooded area within 50 to 75 yards of some homes in east milton , florida , the sheriff 's office said . watch more on the mysterious flight » an indiana judge on monday froze schrenker 's assets at the request of investigators looking into his business dealings , said jim gavin , spokesman for the indiana secretary of state . public documents list schrenker as president of an indianapolis agency called heritage wealth management . records also show heritage insurance services at the same address . the address is listed in the telephone directory as the site of icon wealth management . those three companies are under investigation for possible securities violations , according to gavin . a search warrant was served in connection with that investigation december 31 . the judge 's asset-freezing order , which applies to schrenker 's wife and his three companies , is aimed at protecting investors , gavin said . cnn 's attempts to reach a representative for schrenker were unsuccessful . the phone number for his business was disconnected , and public records do not list his home phone number . schrenker appears to have intentionally abandoned the plane after putting it on autopilot over the birmingham , alabama , area and parachuting to the ground ' sunday night , the sheriff 's office said in a news release . the plane crashed at 9:15 p.m. ct on sunday in a swampy area of the blackwater river in east milton , authorities said . it 's unclear what time schrenker made the earlier distress call . he told air traffic controllers that the window of his plane had imploded and he was bleeding profusely . that call came in when the aircraft was about 35 miles southwest of birmingham . controllers tried to tell the pilot to divert the flight to pell city , alabama , but he did not respond . the plane appeared to have been put on autopilot around 2,000 feet altitude , said sgt . scott haines , a spokesman for the santa rosa county sheriff 's office . the plane had been scheduled to land in destin , florida , authorities said . after the call came in , military aircraft were dispatched to intercept the plane . the jets spotted the piper and deployed flares to illuminate the plane as it was flying and noticed that its door was open and the cockpit was dark , according to the santa rosa authorities . the jets continued to follow the plane until it crashed . rescuers searched the area where the plane went down and began a search for the pilot . meanwhile , schrenker reportedly was more than 220 miles north of the crash site . the santa rosa county sheriff 's office got a call at 2:26 a.m. monday from the childersburg police department in alabama saying that a white male , identified as schrenker by his indiana driver 's license , approached a childersburg officer at a store . schrenker , who was wet from the knees down and had no injuries , told the officer that he had been in a canoeing accident with friends , the santa rosa sheriff 's office said in a news release . schrenker had goggles that looked like they were made for flying , ' according to the release . the childersburg police did n't know about the plane crash , so they took schrenker to a nearby hotel , authorities said . when police found out about the crash , they went back to the hotel and entered schrenker 's room . he was not there , they said . according to santa rosa authorities , schrenker had checked in under a fake name , paid for his room in cash and put on a black toboggan cap and ran into the woods located next to the hotel . ' cnn affiliate wvtm obtained surveillance video from the harpersville motel that wvtm says shows schrenker checking in . it also shows schrenker putting on a black cap and leaving , the station reported . harpersville is 30 minutes east of birmingham , and about 223 miles north of milton , florida , near where the wrecked plane was found . ireport.com : are you near the crash scene ? tell us what you 've seen federal investigators were helping in the probe . the fbi is looking into the matter , along with other agencies , ' said paul draymond with the birmingham , alabama , fbi office . kathleen bergen , spokeswoman for the federal aviation administration , said a detailed review of radar data ' and the fact that the plane had switched to autopilot suggested the pilot might have parachuted . the corporate plane does not have an ejection feature , said steve darlington , the airport manager of the anderson municipal airport in anderson , indiana . darlington described the pilot as accomplished ' and said he owns a couple of airplanes ' and flies regularly . | pilot faked emergency , jumped from plane before it crashed in florida , police say |
new york <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was an election night like none other , in every sense of the phrase . in addition to the obvious -- the selection of the nation 's first black president -- tuesday night 's coverage on cnn showcased groundbreaking technology . cnn 's jessica yellin appears live as a hologram before anchor wolf blitzer tuesday night in new york . i want you to watch what we 're about to do , ' cnn anchor wolf blitzer told viewers early in the evening 's coverage , because you 've never seen anything like this on television . ' and he was right . cue cnn political correspondent jessica yellin . hi wolf ! ' said yellin , waving to blitzer as she stood a few feet in front of him in the network 's new york city studios . or at least , that 's the way it appeared at first glance . in reality , yellin -- a correspondent who had been covering sen. barack obama 's campaign -- was at the now president-elect 's mega-rally along the lakefront in chicago , illinois , more than 700 miles away from cnn 's election center in new york . it looked like a scene straight out of star wars . ' here was yellin , partially translucent with a glowing blue haze around her , appearing to materialize in thin air . she even referenced the classic movie on her own , saying , it 's like i follow in the tradition of princess leia . it 's something else . ' watch a behind-the-scenes look at cnn 's hologram project » jay leno has poked fun at the hologram , and mash-up spoofs that replace yellin 's voice with carrie fisher 's lines from the movie already are making their way around the internet . but the million-dollar question on everyone 's mind now : how 'd they do it ? cnn dubbed it a hologram ' -- a three-dimensional image that 's been reproduced . and it 's the brainchild of a few people . a hologram creates an image using coherent light , such as lasers ; cnn 's technique used conventional cameras to capture multiple images from different angles . about a dozen years , i 've been trying to do it , ' david bohrman , cnn 's senior vice president and washington bureau chief , said to blitzer on the situation room ' on wednesday . i 've basically been a crazy mad scientist trying to get it done . ' the technology involved placing a subject -- in this case yellin , and later in the evening , musical artist will.i.am -- in the middle of a bright-green circular room inside a large tent at obama 's grant park victory celebration . the subject was then filmed with 35 high-definition video cameras , barely larger than average point-and-shoot cameras , which ringed the wall of the circular room . the video cameras were 6 inches apart and at eye level , 220 degrees around the subject . chuck hurley , the washington bureau 's senior producer of video and the staffer tapped by bohrman to manage the execution of the hologram , ' called it simple chroma-key technology that 's been taken to the nth degree . ' watch the hologram on air » ' weathermen have been standing in front of green screens for years now , but that 's [ with ] one camera , ' hurley said . now we can do that times 35 , so you can send all the way around the subject . ' hurley said the tiny cameras talk ' to the new york studio 's cameras , meaning that when a new york camera moves , it tells ' the cameras in the tent which direction it 's moving and keeps the subject in the correct proportions . on tuesday night , blitzer could only see yellin on a tv monitor across the studio . technicians placed a round piece of red laminate on the studio floor where she was beamed in ' so that blitzer would know where to look . the technology in play was originally developed by israeli-based company sportvu ( pronounced sport view ' ) as a new way of filming soccer games . gal oz , a sportvu designer who came to the united states to work with cnn on the endeavor , said it was originally designed to create a matrix effect in sports ' -- in other words , to provide 360 degrees of perspective for instant replays . but it has n't been used for its intended purpose yet . instead , for the past three months , the company has been perfecting it for cnn 's election coverage , oz said . tuesday night 's live interview of yellin was essentially the technology 's world debut as well . hurley and oz agree that as good as the image looked on television tuesday , it can look even more realistic . hurley said the blue glow around yellin and will.i.am was added intentionally to avoid confusion . we could have had a much crisper , more realistic shot , almost to the extent where the viewer at home would have had no idea even that the person was n't really there , ' hurley said . you do n't want to have the effect where it looks so good that for every future live shot , you have people on the blogs saying ,'oh they 're not really there -- they 're in a studio , faking the moon landing .' hurley said considering it was cnn 's first real test launch ' with the high-end gadgetry , they were beyond thrilled . ' that 's not to say there were n't setbacks . for all the preparation that went into the tent and green room in chicago -- a location cnn staffers dubbed casper ' after the friendly cartoon ghost -- there was an equally elaborate setup in phoenix , arizona , site of john mccain 's election night rally . cnn correspondent dana bash was ready there for her turn in the portal as well . but because the arizona site did n't go through as much testing in the final hours , and because the election was called in obama 's favor earlier in the evening than many expected , chicago 's casper ' was the only hologram'venue put to use . hurley and oz both said they could n't put a price tag on the total cost of such technology . but could this become a staple of future tv news ? we 'll see . it was a little ornament on the tree , ' bohrman said . but television evolves , and how we do things evolves , and at some point -- maybe it 's five years or 10 years or 20 years down the road -- i think there 's going to be a way that television does interviews like this because it allows for a much more intimate possibility for a remote interview . ' the day after her virtual appearance in new york , yellin said this kind of new technology is what keeps television news entertaining , even when it 's presenting important political stories . we do serious journalism , but we also have fun . this is fun . this is about what we can do , about pushing the envelope and pushing the boundaries , ' she said . someday when this is even more advanced , having a fuller visual field for interview subjects could give viewers even more of a sense of people . ' now , in hindsight , yellin only wishes she could have come up with a better star wars ' joke . i was thinking of making an obi-wan kenobi joke -- obi-wolf kenobi , ' she said , laughing , but i could n't figure out the pun . ' | cnn beamed ' a correspondent from chicago to its new york studios tuesday |
captain marvel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marvel announced a huge slate of forthcoming films at a tuesday news conference -- including a two-part avengers , ' infinity war ' -- but left out a bit of strange ' information fans were waiting for . at an enthusiastic gathering at hollywood 's el capitan theatre , marvel chief kevin feige reeled off announcements for a new captain america film , a guardians of the galaxy ' sequel and the two-part avengers adventure . the company also plans to introduce some of its other characters on the big screen , including black panther , captain marvel and the inhumans . although a doctor strange ' film was announced , marvel did n't bring out benedict cumberbatch , who has been widely rumored to be in negotiations to play the powerful magician . benedict cumberbatch reportedly to play doctor strange ' we 're opening up an entire new corner of the ( marvel ) cinematic universe : the mystical , ' feige said . doctor strange ' is scheduled for release november 4 , 2016 . the character was created by stan lee and steve ditko and made his first appearance in strange tales no . 110 in 1963 . he 's a former neurosurgeon who rises to become the sorcerer supreme and protect the planet from magical threats . scott derrickson is set to direct . strange ' was n't the only film to get a spot on the marvel calendar . the new captain america film , captain america : civil war , ' will be released may 6 , 2016 . a guardians of the galaxy ' sequel is slated for may 5 , 2017 , and the next thor movie will come out in july 2017 . black panther ' will follow in november 2017 , captain marvel ' in july 2018 and the inhumans ' in november 2018 . captain marvel will be a female superhero , the alter ego of carol danvers . marvel tweeted concept art for black panther . ' in addition , marvel announced a two-part avengers ' film , avengers : infinity war , ' due in 2018 and 2019 . avengers : age of ultron , ' the sequel to 2012 's the avengers , ' comes out in 2015 . its trailer has already lit up the internet . feige said marvel 's plans -- and the opportunity to make a big announcement -- have been the works for a while . we wanted to do this at comic-con this year , and things were not set :'civil war'was n't set ;'guardians of the galaxy'was n't out yet . ' he said . guardians , ' which came out in august , is the biggest-grossing film of the year . robert downey jr. , who plays iron man , and chris evans , who plays captain america , were on hand for the presentation , along with chadwick boseman , who will play black panther . i 'm blessed to be a part of this marvel universe , and i 'm looking forward to making magic happen , ' boseman said . the actor portrayed jackie robinson in last year 's 42 ' and recently played james brown in get on up . ' however , cumberbatch was a no-show . if it were confirmed , we would have introduced him today , ' feige said at the news conference . cumberbatch is currently on a hot streak . in addition to his well-received sherlock ' series , for which he won an emmy this year , he 's earned a great deal of oscar buzz for his performance as cyberpioneer alan turing in the imitation game , ' a drama about world war ii codebreakers . | other films include captain marvel ' with female lead |
new york <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a blustery nor'easter that made travel throughout the northeast absolutely miserable tuesday is going to stick around for a few more days . and the west coast will get drenched , too . record rain reports poured in from the new york metropolitan area with nearly 3 inches falling . at john f. kennedy international airport , 2.95 inches fell , the most on this date . coupled with high winds -- including one gust of 47 mph -- the precipitation delayed air travel for hours . at laguardia airport , where 2.65 inches fell , the delays at one point reached four hours . heavy rain tapered off tuesday evening , but some areas were still flooded , the new york office of the national weather service said . flood warnings for three counties just north of manhattan were issued . i urge all drivers to exercise caution and check conditions before getting on the road , ' gov . andrew cuomo said , according to cnn affiliate wcbs . we are proactively deploying as many resources as necessary to assist communities in the storm 's path to prepare for and manage whatever mother nature brings . ' earlier , the pooling water caused issues for parents . we 're stuck at home until this dies down , ' a woman in amityville told cnn affiliate news 12 long island . i 'm not even sure if i 'll be able to get my kids at school . ' and there were problems for some commuters on foot . it 's pretty bad . i 'm actually trying to get home so i do n't know how i 'm going to get over there , i 'm going to have to walk through it again , ' sean o'malley told wcbs of his trek through the water-logged streets of sea bright , new jersey , on the atlantic ocean shore . it happens every year , it 's not a surprise . ' about 20 million people are under winter storm warnings and advisories in the northeast . snow will stay inland with over a foot of snow from northern new york to maine . some areas could get up to 12 inches of snow by thursday . according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com , more than 2,600 flights departing from and/or landing in the united states were delayed tuesday and 1,200 were canceled . headaches in other areas it was also pouring in washington state . 1 storm down , 2 more to go , ' the headline on the website of cnn affiliate komo in seattle read . the station reported there was going to be a break in the rain between tuesday evening and wednesday morning . the next set of storms will bring buckets of rain to oregon and california , too . the highest elevations of northern california might get 10 inches of rain , forecasters said . san francisco could see 2 to 4 inches in the city with up to 8 inches in the hills . southern california might get 1 to 2 inches with twice as much in the hilly areas . in west virginia , an inch or so was predicted for the next few days , but it was an ice-covered morning for ireporter janie lambert of harpers ferry . the roads were glazed and hazardous early in the morning , ' she said . by noon , the ice melted on the roadway but the trees were still an icy wonderland . ' cnn 's christina zdanwiscz contributed to this report . | new york gov . andrew cuomo warns potential drivers to check conditions first |
new york <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a blustery nor'easter that made travel throughout the northeast absolutely miserable tuesday is going to stick around for a few more days . and the west coast will get drenched , too . record rain reports poured in from the new york metropolitan area with nearly 3 inches falling . at john f. kennedy international airport , 2.95 inches fell , the most on this date . coupled with high winds -- including one gust of 47 mph -- the precipitation delayed air travel for hours . at laguardia airport , where 2.65 inches fell , the delays at one point reached four hours . heavy rain tapered off tuesday evening , but some areas were still flooded , the new york office of the national weather service said . flood warnings for three counties just north of manhattan were issued . i urge all drivers to exercise caution and check conditions before getting on the road , ' gov . andrew cuomo said , according to cnn affiliate wcbs . we are proactively deploying as many resources as necessary to assist communities in the storm 's path to prepare for and manage whatever mother nature brings . ' earlier , the pooling water caused issues for parents . we 're stuck at home until this dies down , ' a woman in amityville told cnn affiliate news 12 long island . i 'm not even sure if i 'll be able to get my kids at school . ' and there were problems for some commuters on foot . it 's pretty bad . i 'm actually trying to get home so i do n't know how i 'm going to get over there , i 'm going to have to walk through it again , ' sean o'malley told wcbs of his trek through the water-logged streets of sea bright , new jersey , on the atlantic ocean shore . it happens every year , it 's not a surprise . ' about 20 million people are under winter storm warnings and advisories in the northeast . snow will stay inland with over a foot of snow from northern new york to maine . some areas could get up to 12 inches of snow by thursday . according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com , more than 2,600 flights departing from and/or landing in the united states were delayed tuesday and 1,200 were canceled . headaches in other areas it was also pouring in washington state . 1 storm down , 2 more to go , ' the headline on the website of cnn affiliate komo in seattle read . the station reported there was going to be a break in the rain between tuesday evening and wednesday morning . the next set of storms will bring buckets of rain to oregon and california , too . the highest elevations of northern california might get 10 inches of rain , forecasters said . san francisco could see 2 to 4 inches in the city with up to 8 inches in the hills . southern california might get 1 to 2 inches with twice as much in the hilly areas . in west virginia , an inch or so was predicted for the next few days , but it was an ice-covered morning for ireporter janie lambert of harpers ferry . the roads were glazed and hazardous early in the morning , ' she said . by noon , the ice melted on the roadway but the trees were still an icy wonderland . ' cnn 's christina zdanwiscz contributed to this report . | the rainfall records for december 9 fell at several new york measuring spots |
keith alexander <tsp> las vegas ( cnn ) -- the hacker who goes by the pseudonym cyfi wo n't share her real name and declines to be photographed without her signature aviator sunglasses . at the annual def con hacking conference here friday , gen. keith alexander , director of the national security agency and head of the u.s. cyber command , brought cyfi on stage during his keynote address and called her the most important person for our future . ' cyfi is 11 years old . for the second year in a row , def con organizers included a full schedule of def con kids programs for beginner hackers ages 8 to 18 . the children and teens , who must be accompanied by a parent , learned how to pick locks , competed to find the most bugs in mobile apps and learned about digital forensics by investigating a mock crime scene in a hotel room . some skilled young hackers also taught classes and gave talks . to kick off the conference , def con founder and veteran hacker jeff moss welcomed the kids with a talk on the ethics of hacking and rules for how to stay out of trouble with the law . i think it 's harder for you guys now than it was for me , ' moss told a room of kids and their parents . moss started the conference in 1992 because he wanted an open place for hackers to meet in person and share information . twenty years later , the young attendees from def con 's early years have grown up , established careers and started families . now they bring their own children to def con to soak up the knowledge and culture , but this new generation faces a different set of rules and a maze of new laws -- not to mention parents who are savvy enough to know what they 're up to and keen on keeping their progeny out of trouble . navigating the law ' i just want to open it , but do n't want to see what 's on the other side , ' a young woman told and moss and lauren gelman , an attorney who works in the field of internet law and policy . many of def con kids'school-age hackers are driven by the challenge of finding vulnerabilities in security systems and networks , not stealing information or money , or selling their knowledge to third parties . these white-hat ' hackers report any issues they find directly to the developers or relevant companies so they can be more secure . but good intentions are n't always enough when it comes to staying out of legal trouble . when moss was starting out , computer technology was n't widely understood by law enforcement , and laws were n't yet in place that classified his actions as illegal . technically , i was n't committing any crimes . i was n't stealing any money , was n't trying to break anything , ' said moss . the u.s. and international governments have since drafted complicated laws that criminalize many aspects of hacking . however , gelman pointed out that in many cases , the rules are still not clear or current , and that current laws are far behind what def con attendees are doing . she recommended the kids avoid breaking laws by asking for permission before testing any systems , and if that 's not possible , to find a situation where they can ask for approval . the lawyer perspective and mother perspective and ethics perspective is you can get in a lot of trouble if you do n't ask for permission . ' gelman is married to journalist and former hacker kevin poulsen and has two children . moss has his own test for deciding whether to hack something : my rule of thumb is , do i completely own it ? if yes , i can hack it . ' if hackers are unsure whether they are breaking the law , gelman suggests they check the electronic frontier foundation 's ( eff ) site , which spells out rules for everyone from bloggers to coders . the 22-year-old organization also provides legal assistance for those who do get in trouble , taking on some cases itself or referring people to attorneys . building a reputation breaking the law is n't the only concern moss , gelman and parents have for the budding hackers -- true anonymity online is harder to come by and a bad reputation can follow these kids into adulthood . moss warned the kids that everything they do online now until they die will be backed up to the cloud . that makes life more difficult for you guys , because if you get in trouble now , you 're screwed . ' twenty years ago , hackers could operate in the shadows without leaving much of a trail . chat logs were n't recorded for long and hackers'handles were n't easily traceable to their real-life identities . now , most communications that take place online are stored permanently and some can be dug up by law enforcement and human-resources departments . moss was just a kid himself when he got started with computers . at 13 , his father brought home an ibm computer for the family . by 14 , moss was online creating a new identity for himself , conversing with adults who were oblivious to his real age and spoke to him like an equal . i could n't drive a car , but i could have conversations about politics with people in russia , ' he said . in those days , if someone made a mistake or needed a fresh start , they could create a new online identity . moss got a do-over at an early age and recreated himself online as dark tangent , which grew into a trusted and respected identity he still uses now . today , a fresh start is harder to come by and old communications can surface at any time . facebook ceo mark zuckerberg learned this the hard way when embarrassing instant-message conversations from his college days were made public years later . your reputation is the most important thing you own , ' said moss , urging the young hackers to behave ethically , not because it will make their parents happy , but because they are the ones who will have to live with the results . hacking for good with so many dangers , why would parents encourage their children to hack at all ? def con kids organizers believe in the good that can come from hacking , including making the country more secure and helping encourage freedom of speech around the world . technology can really change the world , ' said gelman , citing the liberation-technology movement that encourages hackers to help people spread messages from countries where online communication is restricted . the u.s. government sees the potential in these bright young minds as well . the department of defense ran the digital forensics program at def con kids , hoping to encourage more education and interest in the field . and alexander met with three of the children before going on stage to give his keynote address . this is our future , ' alexander said of the kids . what you 're doing here to help train those folks is absolutely superb , and you should be proud . ' | nsa chief gen. keith alexander praises the program and its kids |
state department <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- when the father of suspected terrorist umar farouk abdulmutallab visited the u.s. embassy in nigeria in november , he told officials he believed his son was under the influence of religious extremists and had traveled from london , england , to yemen , a senior administration official said monday . revealing new details , the official also denied the father told officials his son might be on a suicide mission : ' there was no suggestion he was about to carry out a terrorist act , ' the official said . a suspect in the foiled christmas day terror attack , umar farouk abdulmutallab , is being held for allegedly trying to blow up a flight carrying 300 passengers that was about to land in the united states . this official says the father , umaru abdulmutallab , came to the embassy in abuja , nigeria , on november 19 . he was concerned about his son 's safety and whereabouts and wondered if the u.s. government could help , ' the official said . the father said he was in yemen , ' this official said . his son had gone from london to yemen . ' the official noted that this information was based on what the father said but has not been corroborated . the next day , november 20 , the u.s. embassy in abuja sent what is called a visas viper cable ' to the state department detailing the father 's concerns , according to an official account by state department spokesman ian kelley . that information was passed on to the national counter-terrorism center in washington , which ruled that the information in the cable was insufficient for this interagency review process to make a determination that this individual 's visa should be revoked . ' the secretary of state can unilaterally revoke a visa but usually does that for foreign policy and diplomatic , not national security , reasons , kelley said . this has to be done in consultation with other agencies , ' kelley said . state department spokesman ian kelley provided further details monday . abdulmutallab was studying in london , kelly said . he applied for a multiple-entry u.s. visa on june 12 , 2008 , and received it june 16 , 2008 . the visa was a standard multiple-entry tourist visa good for two years . at the time , there was nothing in his application , nor in any data base at the time , that would warrant that he should not receive a visa . he was a student at a reputable school , he had plenty of financial resources . ... there was no derogatory information about him last year that would have indicated that he should not get a visa , ' kelley said . the suspect traveled previously to the u.s. on another visa , kelley said . kelley said secretary of state hillary clinton will ask the department 's consular division to review all processes connected with issuing visas . | official says embassy notified state department , which found no cause to revoke visa |
petfinder <tsp> ( cnn ) -- are you missing a beloved four-legged friend from the past ? or , on a far sillier note , would you like your very own grumpy cat or doge ? a new app aims to help you find a lookalike for your departed or dream pet by using photo-matching software to find the closest match in your area . petmatch lets you upload a picture of a dog or cat , or use one from its gallery . it then tries to find you a pet available for adoption that is the closest possible match to the one you posted . the app is from startup superfish and uses its patented image-recognition technology . it scans your photo , registering details like the shape of an animal 's mouth , the distance between its eyes , its coloring and its general size and shape . it then performs a similar search on petfinder , a database with photos of hundreds of thousands of animals up for adoption throughout the united states , and gives you the closest overall matches , as well as the closest ones in your area . of course , it 's not perfect . if the picture you upload shows an animal at an odd angle , is blurry or otherwise differs from typical shots by animal-rescue groups , there 's no telling what it will return for you . ( tech-news site the verge claims a photo of lady gaga produced a matching ' image of a hamster . ) the app also does n't necessarily consider the breed of the animal you photograph , if that 's something that 's important to you . and , of course , we love our animals for reasons other than their appearance . photos do n't show personality . or intelligence . or , in special circumstances , megalomaniacal tendencies and palpable disdain for underlings . we tested the app with a photo of cash , a gray-and-white scottish fold cat in atlanta , and it returned matches of cats with similar coloring in jefferson , georgia ; knoxville , tennessee ; huntsville , alabama ; charlotte , north carolina , and other neighboring states . a few of the cats looked vaguely like cash , although most did not . but the pool of available cats may grow larger as more pet shelters connect with the database . the petmatch app , released this month , is currently available only on apple 's ios operating system . and while it will no doubt be helpful to pet seekers , petmatch is not the only product the folks at superfish have in mind . the company has been around since 2006 and its photo-recognition tool has been available as a standalone ios app or a web browser extension for a while . now , it 's planning to expand its item-specific offerings , with jewelry and furniture apps in the works . | app 's photo-recognition searches petfinder for the closest match |
katti <tsp> mumbai , india ( cnn ) -- my mother says i will make a name for myself . ' shweta katti sings lyrics from a popular bollywood song that has special meaning to her . growing up in mumbai 's largest red-light district , in a makeshift room above a brothel , katti often found it difficult to study and stay focused on her future . i was young . i did n't know how to deal with the situation , ' said katti , now 18 . there were men who used to ask me ,'do you want to sleep with me ?' katti says she was sexually abused around age 11 or 12 . it was hard to imagine a way out . but with inspiration from her mother and help from a local charity , katti is now much more optimistic . she won a scholarship to bard college in new york , and she is set to enroll this fall . i do n't know what i 'm going to find out there , but i 'm really excited , ' katti told cnn 's kristie lu stout . this is going to be an adventure for me : a new place , new people , new culture . ' katti 's unlikely journey has received global attention . newsweek recently named her one of 25 women to watch under age 25 . it would not have been possible without the help of kranti , a charity that is empowering girls from mumbai 's red-light districts . everyone looks at these girls like ,'poor them , they 're victims , they 're just going to suffer and have such terrible lives ,' said kranti founder robin chaurasiya . but the fact is that people who go through all of these situations and experience these hardships i personally believe are going to make the most amazing leaders . ' katti credits her mother , vandana , for encouraging her move to kranti , which means revolution ' in hindi . my mom is my inspiration , and she 's the one who encouraged me and who said ,'you 're going to do better , you are amazing ,' katti said . and of course the sex workers whom i was surrounded by , because my mom used to go to factory at like 9 in the morning and she used to come back at 7 . i used to spend most of my time with them . ... because of my mom and because of them , i 'm here . ' katti 's mother said she was forced to raise her children above a brothel because it was all she could afford . but she always dreamed of something better . from the time my daughter was born , i wanted her to read and write , ' she said . i did n't want her to endure what i did . ' katti said she now wants to study psychology so she can help other women back home . she hopes her story will inspire others in the red-light district to dream big . every girl has it in herself . ... if given a chance , everybody can do this , ' she said . this is not like a supernatural thing in me , but i got the opportunity , i got this chance . ' more : forced to marry as child for safety more : malala 's global voice stronger than ever more : what happened to malala 's friend ? more from cnn 's girl rising project | shweta katti grew up above a brothel in mumbai 's red-light district |
katti <tsp> mumbai , india ( cnn ) -- my mother says i will make a name for myself . ' shweta katti sings lyrics from a popular bollywood song that has special meaning to her . growing up in mumbai 's largest red-light district , in a makeshift room above a brothel , katti often found it difficult to study and stay focused on her future . i was young . i did n't know how to deal with the situation , ' said katti , now 18 . there were men who used to ask me ,'do you want to sleep with me ?' katti says she was sexually abused around age 11 or 12 . it was hard to imagine a way out . but with inspiration from her mother and help from a local charity , katti is now much more optimistic . she won a scholarship to bard college in new york , and she is set to enroll this fall . i do n't know what i 'm going to find out there , but i 'm really excited , ' katti told cnn 's kristie lu stout . this is going to be an adventure for me : a new place , new people , new culture . ' katti 's unlikely journey has received global attention . newsweek recently named her one of 25 women to watch under age 25 . it would not have been possible without the help of kranti , a charity that is empowering girls from mumbai 's red-light districts . everyone looks at these girls like ,'poor them , they 're victims , they 're just going to suffer and have such terrible lives ,' said kranti founder robin chaurasiya . but the fact is that people who go through all of these situations and experience these hardships i personally believe are going to make the most amazing leaders . ' katti credits her mother , vandana , for encouraging her move to kranti , which means revolution ' in hindi . my mom is my inspiration , and she 's the one who encouraged me and who said ,'you 're going to do better , you are amazing ,' katti said . and of course the sex workers whom i was surrounded by , because my mom used to go to factory at like 9 in the morning and she used to come back at 7 . i used to spend most of my time with them . ... because of my mom and because of them , i 'm here . ' katti 's mother said she was forced to raise her children above a brothel because it was all she could afford . but she always dreamed of something better . from the time my daughter was born , i wanted her to read and write , ' she said . i did n't want her to endure what i did . ' katti said she now wants to study psychology so she can help other women back home . she hopes her story will inspire others in the red-light district to dream big . every girl has it in herself . ... if given a chance , everybody can do this , ' she said . this is not like a supernatural thing in me , but i got the opportunity , i got this chance . ' more : forced to marry as child for safety more : malala 's global voice stronger than ever more : what happened to malala 's friend ? more from cnn 's girl rising project | every girl has it within herself , ' says katti , who starts school in the fall |
katti <tsp> mumbai , india ( cnn ) -- my mother says i will make a name for myself . ' shweta katti sings lyrics from a popular bollywood song that has special meaning to her . growing up in mumbai 's largest red-light district , in a makeshift room above a brothel , katti often found it difficult to study and stay focused on her future . i was young . i did n't know how to deal with the situation , ' said katti , now 18 . there were men who used to ask me ,'do you want to sleep with me ?' katti says she was sexually abused around age 11 or 12 . it was hard to imagine a way out . but with inspiration from her mother and help from a local charity , katti is now much more optimistic . she won a scholarship to bard college in new york , and she is set to enroll this fall . i do n't know what i 'm going to find out there , but i 'm really excited , ' katti told cnn 's kristie lu stout . this is going to be an adventure for me : a new place , new people , new culture . ' katti 's unlikely journey has received global attention . newsweek recently named her one of 25 women to watch under age 25 . it would not have been possible without the help of kranti , a charity that is empowering girls from mumbai 's red-light districts . everyone looks at these girls like ,'poor them , they 're victims , they 're just going to suffer and have such terrible lives ,' said kranti founder robin chaurasiya . but the fact is that people who go through all of these situations and experience these hardships i personally believe are going to make the most amazing leaders . ' katti credits her mother , vandana , for encouraging her move to kranti , which means revolution ' in hindi . my mom is my inspiration , and she 's the one who encouraged me and who said ,'you 're going to do better , you are amazing ,' katti said . and of course the sex workers whom i was surrounded by , because my mom used to go to factory at like 9 in the morning and she used to come back at 7 . i used to spend most of my time with them . ... because of my mom and because of them , i 'm here . ' katti 's mother said she was forced to raise her children above a brothel because it was all she could afford . but she always dreamed of something better . from the time my daughter was born , i wanted her to read and write , ' she said . i did n't want her to endure what i did . ' katti said she now wants to study psychology so she can help other women back home . she hopes her story will inspire others in the red-light district to dream big . every girl has it in herself . ... if given a chance , everybody can do this , ' she said . this is not like a supernatural thing in me , but i got the opportunity , i got this chance . ' more : forced to marry as child for safety more : malala 's global voice stronger than ever more : what happened to malala 's friend ? more from cnn 's girl rising project | but katti has risen above her circumstances and won a scholarship at a u.s. college |
schalke <tsp> ( cnn ) -- bayern munich wrapped up the bundesliga title in record time on tuesday night with a 3-1 win over hertha berlin at the olympic stadium . after being crowned champions with six games to spare last season , the bavarians have gone one better this year , winning with seven still left to play . bayern were 2-0 up within the first 15 minutes -- toni kroos netting in the sixth minute with mario goetze heading a second eight minutes later -- and looked to be coasting to a 24th bundesliga title . hertha did pull a goal back as colombian striker adrian ramos netted a 66th-minute penalty , but when franck ribery came off the bench to score a third with 11 minutes remaining the celebrations for bayern 's traveling fans could begin . pep guardiola 's side have now won their last 19 league games and have 77 points from 27 matches -- 25 points more than second place borussia dortmund with only 21 points now available from the remaining seven matches . i am just happy we have finally managed it , ' guardiola said . it did n't matter when we got it just as long as we won the title for this great club . ' the spanish manager , who steered barcelona to three consecutive la liga titles , has built on the foundations laid by former coach jupp heynckes who guided bayern to the treble ( bundesliga , dfb cup and champions league ) last season . tuesday 's win also sees bayern extend their unbeaten run of league matches to 52 -- their last loss was against bayer leverkusen on october 28th 2012 . it 's unbelievable to clinch the title on the back of an unbeaten record , ' said winger arjen robben . we 're all unbelievably proud of the team and our achievements this season . ' guardiola 's team still have plenty to play for with not just a champions league title to defend -- they play manchester united in the first leg of the quarterfinals on april 1 -- but more league records to try and break before the season finishes . bayern need 15 points to overhaul last year 's record haul of 91 league points and win five of their last seven matches to better the mark of most wins ( 29 , set last year ) in a season . elsewhere in the bundesliga on tuesday , second-place borussia dortmund drew 0-0 with third-place schalke while braunschweig beat mainz 3 - 1 . wolfsburg were also 3-1 winners against werder bremen . read more : derby delight for man city | borussia dortmund draw with schalke 0-0 |
somalia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the deadly church and mosque attacks in nigeria and kenya , and the deaths of ghanaian and ethiopian leaders dominated sub-saharan africa headlines in 2012 . but lost in the midst were a series of positive stories . for every conflict , there was a milestone . for every violence , there was reconciliation . for every setback , progress . here are the top 5 positive stories out of the continent , as chosen by those who call it home : the rise of african women this year saw three african women take on key leadership roles . malawi appointed a female president , joyce banda , as liberia re-elected ellen johnson sirleaf . since taking over the task of stabilizing a shaky economy , banda has earned plaudits for financial reforms , including selling the presidential jet , downsizing the government 's car fleet and cutting her own salary . in another milestone , south africa 's nkosazana dlamini-zuma was inaugurated as the chief of the african union . the former minister took the reins of a male-dominated organization facing funding woes and challenged it to reduce its reliance on aid . her election could ease tensions between the body and the international criminal court , which also picked an african woman as its top prosecutor . critics have accused the court of focusing on african nations and overlooking opportunities to investigate abuses in other countries . gambian lawyer fatou bensouda took over as the court 's top prosecutor , a move welcomed by critics as a major step in healing relations between the two organizations . the three were the first women to assume their respective positions . growing economies , middle class africa is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world . and the thriving , burgeoning middle class is one indication of that . the number of middle-class africans tripled over the past three decades to 313 million , or about 34 % of the continent 's population , the african development bank says in its latest report . the figure is a marked improvement from previous years . middle-class earners are described as people spending between $ 2 and $ 20 a day , a threshold criticized by some analysts as too low . the report says that the overall number of people defined as middle class includes a floating class ' -- those with expenditure levels of $ 2 to $ 4 per day , a group considered at risk of sliding back to poverty levels . though the report also warns of the growing number of income inequality , it also notes that the middle class is crucial in anchoring african economies . it 's a call to say'look , please invest in africa , there are good returns ,' says mthuli ncube , chief economist and vice president of the african development bank . analysts have warned that the current boom in a middle class is not generating much employment . new somali government though progress is fragile at best , somalia got its first central government in about two decades . parliament members picked a political newcomer as president , who then named another political novice as prime minister . somalia also adopted a provisional constitution and selected parliament members -- all in recent months . the new leadership marks a milestone for the nation , which plunged into chaos after dictator mohamed siad barre was overthrown 21 years ago . clan warlords and militants battled for control after his ouster , sparking a civil war and mayhem . in another recent achievement , somali and african union troops forced out al-shabaab militants from mogadishu , sending residents frolicking to the beach as life in the capital trickled back to normalcy . once out of the capital , the militants retreated to the port city of kismayo , a strategic location for their lucrative coal shipments . coalition forces forced them out of that city as well . it was the last major town under militant control . ghana elections ghana lived up to its mature democracy ' reputation again this year , a political feat that has eluded most nations in africa . long hailed as a beacon of democracy and progress in the continent , the nation re-elected the incumbent , who beat his closest contender with a razor-thin margin . despite the narrowness of the victory , no violence erupted , unlike elections in nations such as the ivory coast , where both the incumbent and the winner clung to power after the results of the 2010 poll . a series of other african nations have also descended into violence after elections , making ghana a noteworthy exception . while there was some bickering from the losing sides , the nation maintained peace for the most part . president john mahama served as vice president under his predecessor , who died this year . in another move highlighting the solidity of its democracy , ghana immediately swore in mahama to avoid a power vacuum . zambia 's emotional win zambia won its first african cup of nations -- nearly two decades after a plane crash killed its team , coaches and crew members . the win was sentimental because it occurred in gabon , the same country where the tragic crash happened in 1993 . and it was a major triumph because the team was not favored to win against the star-studded ivory coast . in the end , zambia hoisted the cup of nations after beating ivory coast 8-7 in a dramatic penalty shootout . throngs of supporters danced and wept at the airport when the team arrived home . did we leave any out ? let us know in the comment section below . | somalia formed a government in 2012 , and ghana 's presidential election was peaceful |
russian <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- pilot error , slight intoxication of the navigator , and a failure of the crew to interact properly caused a plane crash that killed 47 people in june of this year , russia 's interstate aviation committee ( iac ) said monday . the crew should have circled to make a fresh attempt at landing in poor weather conditions , the iac probe found . it was the failure of the crew to decide on a go-around and descend below the minimal established safety altitude in the absence of visual contact with approach lights and landmarks which resulted in the collision of the aircraft with trees and ground , ' the iac said . the report comes out nearly two weeks after another plane crash that killed dozens of russian and international hockey players in yaroslavl , russia . an investigation into that crash is ongoing . monday 's report examined a tupolev-134 airliner that went down june 20 in the russian northwest city of petrozavodsk . the jet with 43 passengers and a crew of nine took from moscow for petrozavodsk , about 950 kilometers ( 600 miles ) to the north . controllers lost contact with the twin-engine plane , and it crashed onto a highway outside besovets , near the petrozavodsk airport , the transportation ministry reported . the first thing that the plane had contact with was a pine tree of about 15 meters high , ' alexander neradko , head of the russian federal aviation agency said on russian state tv at the time of the crash . this proves that the plane did n't break in mid-air but that all that destruction was inflicted to it as a result of that contact , ' he said . nearly 140 rescue workers , doctors and police officers responded to the crash . the iac investigates and analyzes aviation accidents in the former soviet union , and oversees civil aviation across the region . | a russian plane should have circled for another landing attempt , a report says |
russian <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- pilot error , slight intoxication of the navigator , and a failure of the crew to interact properly caused a plane crash that killed 47 people in june of this year , russia 's interstate aviation committee ( iac ) said monday . the crew should have circled to make a fresh attempt at landing in poor weather conditions , the iac probe found . it was the failure of the crew to decide on a go-around and descend below the minimal established safety altitude in the absence of visual contact with approach lights and landmarks which resulted in the collision of the aircraft with trees and ground , ' the iac said . the report comes out nearly two weeks after another plane crash that killed dozens of russian and international hockey players in yaroslavl , russia . an investigation into that crash is ongoing . monday 's report examined a tupolev-134 airliner that went down june 20 in the russian northwest city of petrozavodsk . the jet with 43 passengers and a crew of nine took from moscow for petrozavodsk , about 950 kilometers ( 600 miles ) to the north . controllers lost contact with the twin-engine plane , and it crashed onto a highway outside besovets , near the petrozavodsk airport , the transportation ministry reported . the first thing that the plane had contact with was a pine tree of about 15 meters high , ' alexander neradko , head of the russian federal aviation agency said on russian state tv at the time of the crash . this proves that the plane did n't break in mid-air but that all that destruction was inflicted to it as a result of that contact , ' he said . nearly 140 rescue workers , doctors and police officers responded to the crash . the iac investigates and analyzes aviation accidents in the former soviet union , and oversees civil aviation across the region . | the crew did n't interact properly , according to russian investigators |
ghana <tsp> rome ( cnn ) muslims who were among migrants trying to get from libya to italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were christians , italian police said thursday . italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the christians at sea , police in palermo , sicily , said . why migrants are dying to get to italy the original group of 105 people left libya on tuesday in a rubber boat . sometime during the trip north across the mediterranean sea , the alleged assailants -- muslims from the ivory coast , mali and senegal -- threw the 12 overboard , police said . other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain , ' palermo police said . the boat was intercepted by an italian navy vessel , which transferred the passengers to a panamanian-flagged ship . that ship docked in palermo on wednesday , after which the arrests were made , police said .'i enter europe or i die': desperate migrants rescued this week off italy the 12 who died were from nigeria and ghana , police said . thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from north africa to europe 's mediterranean coast , often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip . many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in africa and the middle east . more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend alone , according to the italian coast guard . many die each year while attempting the voyage , often when boats capsized . last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip . since 2000 , according to the international organization for migration , almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the mediterranean . the iom reported thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey . only four people survived from the original 45 on board , bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand . cnn 's hada messia reported from rome , and cnn 's livia borghese reported from augusta , sicily . cnn 's jason hanna wrote in atlanta . cnn 's ben wedeman contributed to this report . | the 12 victims were from nigeria and ghana , police said |
nigeria <tsp> rome ( cnn ) muslims who were among migrants trying to get from libya to italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were christians , italian police said thursday . italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the christians at sea , police in palermo , sicily , said . why migrants are dying to get to italy the original group of 105 people left libya on tuesday in a rubber boat . sometime during the trip north across the mediterranean sea , the alleged assailants -- muslims from the ivory coast , mali and senegal -- threw the 12 overboard , police said . other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain , ' palermo police said . the boat was intercepted by an italian navy vessel , which transferred the passengers to a panamanian-flagged ship . that ship docked in palermo on wednesday , after which the arrests were made , police said .'i enter europe or i die': desperate migrants rescued this week off italy the 12 who died were from nigeria and ghana , police said . thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from north africa to europe 's mediterranean coast , often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip . many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in africa and the middle east . more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend alone , according to the italian coast guard . many die each year while attempting the voyage , often when boats capsized . last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip . since 2000 , according to the international organization for migration , almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the mediterranean . the iom reported thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey . only four people survived from the original 45 on board , bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand . cnn 's hada messia reported from rome , and cnn 's livia borghese reported from augusta , sicily . cnn 's jason hanna wrote in atlanta . cnn 's ben wedeman contributed to this report . | the 12 victims were from nigeria and ghana , police said |
libya <tsp> rome ( cnn ) muslims who were among migrants trying to get from libya to italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were christians , italian police said thursday . italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the christians at sea , police in palermo , sicily , said . why migrants are dying to get to italy the original group of 105 people left libya on tuesday in a rubber boat . sometime during the trip north across the mediterranean sea , the alleged assailants -- muslims from the ivory coast , mali and senegal -- threw the 12 overboard , police said . other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain , ' palermo police said . the boat was intercepted by an italian navy vessel , which transferred the passengers to a panamanian-flagged ship . that ship docked in palermo on wednesday , after which the arrests were made , police said .'i enter europe or i die': desperate migrants rescued this week off italy the 12 who died were from nigeria and ghana , police said . thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from north africa to europe 's mediterranean coast , often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip . many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in africa and the middle east . more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend alone , according to the italian coast guard . many die each year while attempting the voyage , often when boats capsized . last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip . since 2000 , according to the international organization for migration , almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the mediterranean . the iom reported thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey . only four people survived from the original 45 on board , bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand . cnn 's hada messia reported from rome , and cnn 's livia borghese reported from augusta , sicily . cnn 's jason hanna wrote in atlanta . cnn 's ben wedeman contributed to this report . | the group of 105 people left libya , bound for italy |
libya <tsp> rome ( cnn ) muslims who were among migrants trying to get from libya to italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were christians , italian police said thursday . italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the christians at sea , police in palermo , sicily , said . why migrants are dying to get to italy the original group of 105 people left libya on tuesday in a rubber boat . sometime during the trip north across the mediterranean sea , the alleged assailants -- muslims from the ivory coast , mali and senegal -- threw the 12 overboard , police said . other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain , ' palermo police said . the boat was intercepted by an italian navy vessel , which transferred the passengers to a panamanian-flagged ship . that ship docked in palermo on wednesday , after which the arrests were made , police said .'i enter europe or i die': desperate migrants rescued this week off italy the 12 who died were from nigeria and ghana , police said . thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from north africa to europe 's mediterranean coast , often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip . many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in africa and the middle east . more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend alone , according to the italian coast guard . many die each year while attempting the voyage , often when boats capsized . last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip . since 2000 , according to the international organization for migration , almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the mediterranean . the iom reported thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey . only four people survived from the original 45 on board , bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand . cnn 's hada messia reported from rome , and cnn 's livia borghese reported from augusta , sicily . cnn 's jason hanna wrote in atlanta . cnn 's ben wedeman contributed to this report . | more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend |
italian <tsp> rome ( cnn ) muslims who were among migrants trying to get from libya to italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were christians , italian police said thursday . italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the christians at sea , police in palermo , sicily , said . why migrants are dying to get to italy the original group of 105 people left libya on tuesday in a rubber boat . sometime during the trip north across the mediterranean sea , the alleged assailants -- muslims from the ivory coast , mali and senegal -- threw the 12 overboard , police said . other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain , ' palermo police said . the boat was intercepted by an italian navy vessel , which transferred the passengers to a panamanian-flagged ship . that ship docked in palermo on wednesday , after which the arrests were made , police said .'i enter europe or i die': desperate migrants rescued this week off italy the 12 who died were from nigeria and ghana , police said . thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from north africa to europe 's mediterranean coast , often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip . many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in africa and the middle east . more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend alone , according to the italian coast guard . many die each year while attempting the voyage , often when boats capsized . last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip . since 2000 , according to the international organization for migration , almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the mediterranean . the iom reported thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey . only four people survived from the original 45 on board , bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand . cnn 's hada messia reported from rome , and cnn 's livia borghese reported from augusta , sicily . cnn 's jason hanna wrote in atlanta . cnn 's ben wedeman contributed to this report . | more than 10,000 people have arrived on italian shores from libya since last weekend |
japan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the devastating wall of water that struck japan in march was the result of at least two waves that combined to create a more powerful tsunami , u.s. scientists said monday . ocean ridges and mountain ranges below the surface of the water channeled the waves created by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of japan , bringing them together far out at sea to form a merging tsunami , ' according to researchers from nasa and ohio state university . the earthquake and tsunami together killed 15,840 people , according to the most recent death toll , and set off a nuclear crisis at the fukushima daiichi plant . satellite data have enabled the researchers to come up with an account of the formation of the tsunami and its destructive force . nobody had definitively observed a merging tsunami until now , ' y. tony song , a research scientist at nasa 's jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena , calif. , said in a statement . the results of the research could help predict the risks from tsunamis in the future . we can use what we learned to make better forecasts of tsunami danger in specific coastal regions anywhere in the world , ' said professor c.k . shum of ohio state university . | tsunami that struck japan in march was the result of at least two waves that combined , scientists say |
anderson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- pamela anderson is splitting from husband rick salomon just months after marrying him for a second time , her publicist said tuesday . the baywatch ' actress and playboy model filed for divorce in los angeles , but she 's not sharing details of their irreconcilable differences . we ask the media to please respect pamela and her family 's privacy during this time , ' a statement from anderson publicistâ ann gurrola said . anderson , 47 , first married salomon , who had been a longtime friend , in 2007 . the couple divorced in 2008 . the two remained best friends with benefits , ' anderson said last year after they were spotted together on a beach . anderson revealed last january that she had retied the marital knot with salomon , saying she was very happy . ' mounties check pamela anderson 's sex abuse allegations this would be anderson 's fourth divorce . she previously married and divorced musicians tommy lee and kid rock -- one time for each . salomon , 46 , was previously married to actresses shannen doherty and elizabeth daily . salomon 's biggest claim to fame -- or infamy -- may be his 2003 performance opposite paris hilton in a sex tape distributed under the title 1 night in paris . ' paris hilton on sex tape :'i 'll never be able to erase it ' | anderson and salomon are longtime friends and twice married to each other |
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