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second life <tsp> ( cnn ) -- so , what exactly is news in a virtual world ? cnn has opened an i-report hub in the virtual world of second life . cnn aims to find out by opening an i-report hub in second life , a three-dimensional virtual world created entirely by its residents . there , cnn will look to those most familiar with the virtual world -- the second life residents themselves -- to determine what constitutes news in-world . ' developer linden labs opened second life to the public in 2003 . according to its web site , second life is inhabited by millions of residents ' from around the globe . however , traffic at any given time hovers around 40,000 users . see the many views of second life . » just as cnn asks its real-life audience to submit i-reports -- user-generated content submitted from cell phones , computers , cameras and other equipment for broadcast and online reports -- the network is encouraging residents of second life to share their own sl i-reports ' about events occurring within the virtual world . the thing we most hope to gain by having a cnn presence in second life is to learn about virtual worlds and understand what news is most interesting and valuable to their residents , ' said susan grant , executive vice president of cnn news services . watch cnn 's welcome video from second life » when second life residents observe an in-world event they deem newsworthy , they can take snapshots , shoot video , or write a report about the event and submit to cnn . submissions selected by cnn i-report producers will go back into second life for residents to view throughout the virtual world . sl i-reports may also be viewed and discussed in the real world at cnn.com 's sl i-report blog . cnn 's in-world i-report hub includes a news desk where cnn producers will hold weekly editorial discussions , and an amphitheater for larger in-world events , such as training sessions and appearances by cnn anchors and correspondents . cnn 's first in-world training session will be held tuesday , november 13 , at 5 p.m . et at the i-report hub . at the i-report hub , residents can also meet other resident reporters , as well as access i-report kiosks , free-standing terminals where residents can pick up free gear and tools for gathering and viewing in-world user-generated content . e-mail to a friend | second life is a 3-d digital world developed by linden labs |
traore <tsp> bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- dioncounda traore , mali 's interim president , was beaten and rushed to a hospital after hundreds of protesters demanding his resignation stormed the presidential palace monday . traore was assaulted and hit over the head when protesters found him inside the palace . the president was later taken to the hospital where he was treated for a wound to his head , hospital staff said . there were three dead and some injured by gunshot when [ traore 's ] security shot at people , ' said bakary mariko , a spokesman for the national committee for the restoration of democracy , a group of military officers who mounted a coup in march . april : traore sworn in as interim president protests were expected after the economic community of west african states , which has tried to broker a return to civilian rule after the coup , agreed to let traore remain in charge for a year to oversee the transition . and ecowas has warned that followers of capt . amadou sanogo , who led the revolt that deposed president amadou toumani toure , were threatening to derail the agreement . traore 's term as interim president had been set to expire on tuesday . groups denouncing him gathered monday morning in the place de l'independence , in the center of mali 's capital , bamako . security clearance : disaster looms for people of mali traore is not staying as president of mali , ' said youssouf kone , the leader of several groups demanding the interim president 's resignation . we will stay until traore agrees to step down , ' he added . we 're going to make this the tahrir square , ' referencing the 2011 protests in egypt . just before 11 a.m. ( 7 a.m . et ) , a group of protesters parted and moved up the hill in direction of the presidential palace . we do n't want dioncounda ' and down with ecowas , ' chanted a couple in the crowd , which remained peaceful at that point . when it reached the palace gates , the spontaneous march had gathered a couple of hundred supporters , some of them shouting slogans in support of the coup leader , sanogo . according to witnesses , soldiers stood by as the crowd entered the building while others climbed over armored vehicles parked nearby . some protesters were seen parking motorbikes and bicycles inside the palace . in other parts of town , protesters burned tires and put up posters saying the country will never heal with traore in power . the group closed of one of the city 's bridges , causing the traffic to stand still all over bamako . the protests reflect longstanding frustrations with mali 's political class . several of the protesters expressed discontent with traore , a former labor activist who was the country 's parliament speaker before his appointment as interim president in april . traore is part the same self-serving political elite that has misruled the country for years , ' fadima sy , one of the protesters in place de l'independence , said . interim prime minister cheick modibo diarra went on state television monday evening to denounce the attack and appealed to local politicians and organizations to stop encouraging the youth to march . mali had been hailed as a shining example of african democracy before the coup , having experienced more than 20 years of democratic government . sanogo and his fellow officers ousted toure on march 22 , complaining that he had failed to properly equip soldiers battling a growing insurgency by tuareg rebels in the country 's north . while ecowas and other countries pressured sanogo to relinquish power , tuareg fighters and islamic rebels swiftly advanced and now claim control of much of northern mali . | traore was picked to lead an interim government after a march coup |
traore <tsp> bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- dioncounda traore , mali 's interim president , was beaten and rushed to a hospital after hundreds of protesters demanding his resignation stormed the presidential palace monday . traore was assaulted and hit over the head when protesters found him inside the palace . the president was later taken to the hospital where he was treated for a wound to his head , hospital staff said . there were three dead and some injured by gunshot when [ traore 's ] security shot at people , ' said bakary mariko , a spokesman for the national committee for the restoration of democracy , a group of military officers who mounted a coup in march . april : traore sworn in as interim president protests were expected after the economic community of west african states , which has tried to broker a return to civilian rule after the coup , agreed to let traore remain in charge for a year to oversee the transition . and ecowas has warned that followers of capt . amadou sanogo , who led the revolt that deposed president amadou toumani toure , were threatening to derail the agreement . traore 's term as interim president had been set to expire on tuesday . groups denouncing him gathered monday morning in the place de l'independence , in the center of mali 's capital , bamako . security clearance : disaster looms for people of mali traore is not staying as president of mali , ' said youssouf kone , the leader of several groups demanding the interim president 's resignation . we will stay until traore agrees to step down , ' he added . we 're going to make this the tahrir square , ' referencing the 2011 protests in egypt . just before 11 a.m. ( 7 a.m . et ) , a group of protesters parted and moved up the hill in direction of the presidential palace . we do n't want dioncounda ' and down with ecowas , ' chanted a couple in the crowd , which remained peaceful at that point . when it reached the palace gates , the spontaneous march had gathered a couple of hundred supporters , some of them shouting slogans in support of the coup leader , sanogo . according to witnesses , soldiers stood by as the crowd entered the building while others climbed over armored vehicles parked nearby . some protesters were seen parking motorbikes and bicycles inside the palace . in other parts of town , protesters burned tires and put up posters saying the country will never heal with traore in power . the group closed of one of the city 's bridges , causing the traffic to stand still all over bamako . the protests reflect longstanding frustrations with mali 's political class . several of the protesters expressed discontent with traore , a former labor activist who was the country 's parliament speaker before his appointment as interim president in april . traore is part the same self-serving political elite that has misruled the country for years , ' fadima sy , one of the protesters in place de l'independence , said . interim prime minister cheick modibo diarra went on state television monday evening to denounce the attack and appealed to local politicians and organizations to stop encouraging the youth to march . mali had been hailed as a shining example of african democracy before the coup , having experienced more than 20 years of democratic government . sanogo and his fellow officers ousted toure on march 22 , complaining that he had failed to properly equip soldiers battling a growing insurgency by tuareg rebels in the country 's north . while ecowas and other countries pressured sanogo to relinquish power , tuareg fighters and islamic rebels swiftly advanced and now claim control of much of northern mali . | a spokesman for rebel military officer says 3 people were killed by traore 's bodyguards |
traore <tsp> bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- dioncounda traore , mali 's interim president , was beaten and rushed to a hospital after hundreds of protesters demanding his resignation stormed the presidential palace monday . traore was assaulted and hit over the head when protesters found him inside the palace . the president was later taken to the hospital where he was treated for a wound to his head , hospital staff said . there were three dead and some injured by gunshot when [ traore 's ] security shot at people , ' said bakary mariko , a spokesman for the national committee for the restoration of democracy , a group of military officers who mounted a coup in march . april : traore sworn in as interim president protests were expected after the economic community of west african states , which has tried to broker a return to civilian rule after the coup , agreed to let traore remain in charge for a year to oversee the transition . and ecowas has warned that followers of capt . amadou sanogo , who led the revolt that deposed president amadou toumani toure , were threatening to derail the agreement . traore 's term as interim president had been set to expire on tuesday . groups denouncing him gathered monday morning in the place de l'independence , in the center of mali 's capital , bamako . security clearance : disaster looms for people of mali traore is not staying as president of mali , ' said youssouf kone , the leader of several groups demanding the interim president 's resignation . we will stay until traore agrees to step down , ' he added . we 're going to make this the tahrir square , ' referencing the 2011 protests in egypt . just before 11 a.m. ( 7 a.m . et ) , a group of protesters parted and moved up the hill in direction of the presidential palace . we do n't want dioncounda ' and down with ecowas , ' chanted a couple in the crowd , which remained peaceful at that point . when it reached the palace gates , the spontaneous march had gathered a couple of hundred supporters , some of them shouting slogans in support of the coup leader , sanogo . according to witnesses , soldiers stood by as the crowd entered the building while others climbed over armored vehicles parked nearby . some protesters were seen parking motorbikes and bicycles inside the palace . in other parts of town , protesters burned tires and put up posters saying the country will never heal with traore in power . the group closed of one of the city 's bridges , causing the traffic to stand still all over bamako . the protests reflect longstanding frustrations with mali 's political class . several of the protesters expressed discontent with traore , a former labor activist who was the country 's parliament speaker before his appointment as interim president in april . traore is part the same self-serving political elite that has misruled the country for years , ' fadima sy , one of the protesters in place de l'independence , said . interim prime minister cheick modibo diarra went on state television monday evening to denounce the attack and appealed to local politicians and organizations to stop encouraging the youth to march . mali had been hailed as a shining example of african democracy before the coup , having experienced more than 20 years of democratic government . sanogo and his fellow officers ousted toure on march 22 , complaining that he had failed to properly equip soldiers battling a growing insurgency by tuareg rebels in the country 's north . while ecowas and other countries pressured sanogo to relinquish power , tuareg fighters and islamic rebels swiftly advanced and now claim control of much of northern mali . | interim president dioncounda traore is beaten and taken to a hospital |
network timeout <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- china has blocked the popular video-sharing web site youtube but did not offer a reason for the ban . youtube was blocked in china as of wednesday . google , which owns youtube , said it began noticing a decline in traffic from china about noon monday . by early wednesday , site users insider china continued to encounter an error message : network timeout . the server at youtube.com is taking too long to respond . ' we do not know the reason for the blockage and we are working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users , ' said scott rubin , a spokesman for google , which owns youtube . it 's not the first time users in china have been unable to access the site . in march 2008 , china blocked youtube during riots in tibet . watch more about the decision » at the time , protesters burned vehicles and shops , some advocating independence from china , and others demonstrating against the growing influence of the han chinese in the area . the subsequent crackdown left 18 civilians and one police officer dead , according to the chinese government . tibet 's self-proclaimed government-in-exile put the death toll from the protests at 140 . many in the country speculated the latest ban may be an attempt to filter access to footage that a tibetan exile group released . the videos show tibetans being kicked and beaten , allegedly by chinese police officers after the riots . though there is much footage of the protests taking place throughout tibet last year that were splashed across the world , the following is rare footage of police beating of protesters , the suffering and death of a captive , and paramilitary presence in lhasa ( the tibetan capital ) , which managed to make its way to the outside world , ' the tibetan government-in-exile in dharamsala , india , said of the videos . xinhua , china 's state news agency , accused the supporters of tibet 's spiritual leader , the dalai lama , of doctoring the video to deceive the international community . ' china , with 298 million internet users , has routinely blocked access to web sites it considers politically unacceptable , including the voice of america and the new york times . the chinese government has also censored television broadcasts , including those by the bbc and cnn , during coverage of issues such as its policy in tibet and taiwan . the chinese government did not directly address whether it has blocked youtube . china is not afraid of the internet , ' said foreign ministry spokesman qin gang on tuesday . we manage the internet according to law ... to prevent the spread of harmful information . ' youtube , which allows users to upload and share videos , has been banned periodically in other countries as well . bangladesh , pakistan , thailand and turkey temporarily shut off access to the site after users uploaded content the countries'governments considered politically embarrassing . cnn 's emily chang contributed to this report . | by early wednesday , users inside china encountered : network timeout ' |
chinese <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- china has blocked the popular video-sharing web site youtube but did not offer a reason for the ban . youtube was blocked in china as of wednesday . google , which owns youtube , said it began noticing a decline in traffic from china about noon monday . by early wednesday , site users insider china continued to encounter an error message : network timeout . the server at youtube.com is taking too long to respond . ' we do not know the reason for the blockage and we are working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users , ' said scott rubin , a spokesman for google , which owns youtube . it 's not the first time users in china have been unable to access the site . in march 2008 , china blocked youtube during riots in tibet . watch more about the decision » at the time , protesters burned vehicles and shops , some advocating independence from china , and others demonstrating against the growing influence of the han chinese in the area . the subsequent crackdown left 18 civilians and one police officer dead , according to the chinese government . tibet 's self-proclaimed government-in-exile put the death toll from the protests at 140 . many in the country speculated the latest ban may be an attempt to filter access to footage that a tibetan exile group released . the videos show tibetans being kicked and beaten , allegedly by chinese police officers after the riots . though there is much footage of the protests taking place throughout tibet last year that were splashed across the world , the following is rare footage of police beating of protesters , the suffering and death of a captive , and paramilitary presence in lhasa ( the tibetan capital ) , which managed to make its way to the outside world , ' the tibetan government-in-exile in dharamsala , india , said of the videos . xinhua , china 's state news agency , accused the supporters of tibet 's spiritual leader , the dalai lama , of doctoring the video to deceive the international community . ' china , with 298 million internet users , has routinely blocked access to web sites it considers politically unacceptable , including the voice of america and the new york times . the chinese government has also censored television broadcasts , including those by the bbc and cnn , during coverage of issues such as its policy in tibet and taiwan . the chinese government did not directly address whether it has blocked youtube . china is not afraid of the internet , ' said foreign ministry spokesman qin gang on tuesday . we manage the internet according to law ... to prevent the spread of harmful information . ' youtube , which allows users to upload and share videos , has been banned periodically in other countries as well . bangladesh , pakistan , thailand and turkey temporarily shut off access to the site after users uploaded content the countries'governments considered politically embarrassing . cnn 's emily chang contributed to this report . | chinese government and tibet 's government-in-exile differ on death toll |
lbj <tsp> ( cnn ) it may be the most historic plane in the world : special air mission 26000 , sam for short . not familiar ? maybe you know its nickname . back in its heyday the sleek , blue and white airliner was called air force one . this ai n't just any air force one . sam 26000 saw more historic events than any other -- ranging from the tragic to the hilarious . a national treasure , the airliner now sits in the air force museum in dayton , ohio . but you ca n't see it . it 's off limits to visitors . for many history buffs and aviation geeks , that 's a cryin'shame . if things were different , visitors could walk down the same cabin aisles where jacqueline kennedy mournfully sat beside her husband 's casket en route from dallas to washington . you could stand in the exact spot where the only woman to preside over a presidential oath swore in lyndon johnson as commander-in-chief . examine with your own eyes the on-board suites that carried president richard nixon to beijing , where he cracked open u.s. relations with china . for more than 30 years , the 100-ton plane transported some of the most powerful figures on the planet -- and once it even carried a history-making ex-white house intern named monica lewinsky . yep , sam 26000 has seen a few eyebrow-raising situations over the years . oh my , if only this plane could talk . a person could justify that it 's the most important historical airplane in the world , ' air force historian jeff underwood said on the phone , just a stone 's throw away from the jet . it 's a place in history that moves . every time i get on board , that 's what i think about . ' so what 's the problem ? why is this $ 36 million plane -- paid for by taxpayers -- shut away in a darkened hangar ? it 's ironic if you think about it . the plane perhaps most associated with politics has fallen victim to political gamesmanship . about 500 miles away , inside the bubble of washington 's beltway , political fighting triggered mandatory budget cuts called sequestration . the air force ordered the museum to economize -- including temporarily closing the presidential gallery where sam 26000 is parked . buses that are required to transport visitors to sam 26000 's special hangar are just too pricey . so they shut it down . people are very disappointed , ' says sarah swan of the national museum of the u.s. air force . staffers are trying to determine whether to hold events marking the 50th anniversary of jfk 's death this november . it 's bad timing , she admits . last year , sam 26000 ranked among the museum 's most popular exhibits , drawing almost 90,000 visitors among the facility 's total attendance of 1.2 million . since the hangar doors closed in may , the jet 's visitors of course have plunged to zero . history has happened on this plane . and by stepping aboard sam 26000 , visitors say they can imagine it all . they can imagine a newly sworn-in president johnson grabbing ahold of jfk 's casket as he helped white house staff pull it through the plane 's rear exit into the cabin . they can paint a mental picture of federal judge sarah hughes swearing in johnson while a photographer snapped that famous image of lbj and a grief-stricken and stunned jacqueline kennedy . you can stand on that spot where president kennedy 's casket came in -- you think about the horror of what was going on and the shock of what happened , ' said underwood . you can look forward toward the nose of the aircraft and know that 's where the transfer of power took place , and you can see where mrs. kennedy sat near the body of her slain husband . sometimes i still get goosebumps . ' you can imagine the pilot -- col. james b. swindal -- as he took off from dallas to d.c. , jetting to an unusually high 41,000 feet to guard against a possible second attack . he did n't have any idea whether this was part of a large conspiracy , ' his son , james l. swindal told , the new york times . he was n't going to take any chances with a new president in the plane . ' imagine the dramatic scene a few hours later outside washington at andrews air force base as jfk 's brother , attorney general robert kennedy , leaped up ' a portable stairway to board the plane . rushing to console the first lady , rfk pushed his way down ' the aisle past president johnson without saying a word , ' wrote historian steven gillon . an angry johnson fumed that kennedy would board the plane without even acknowledging him , ' gillon claims in the kennedy assassination , 24 hours after . ' a few days after that , imagine the plane soaring high over kennedy 's funeral at arlington national cemetery , as described by historian william manchester . saluting the fallen commander in chief , sam 26000 tipped its wings before swindal threw all his fuel controls on full and leaned into the wind ' at a blistering 600 mph . awkward many associate the jet with jfk , but the plane was tied just as closely to his two successors , lbj and nixon . in 1972 , sam 26000 touched down in the world 's most populous nation , as nixon forged the first u.s. ties with the people 's republic of china . aboard the plane , a burly ' nixon aide blocked the aisle ' to keep staffers from following the president down the stairway to the tarmac , national security adviser henry kissinger recalled . nixon did n't want anyone getting in the way of his historic photo op with china 's premier . nine years later , imagine nixon sitting with ex-presidents gerald ford and jimmy carter in the relatively cramped tail section ' of sam 26000 , as time magazine described it . they felt somewhat ill at ease , ' as they flew to the funeral of egyptian president anwar sadat , wrote carter years later . and they certainly had their reasons -- especially carter and ford . just five years earlier carter , a democrat , had delivered a stinging election defeat to the gop 's ford . tension also ran high among staffers aboard the flight . they endured long waits to use the lavatories and got upset about who received bigger cuts of steak at dinner , according to author ronald kessler . then nixon surprisingly eased the tension ' with courtesy , eloquence and charm , ' carter revealed in a memoir . aboard sam 26000 , the two former enemies developed a camaraderie and then a friendship , wrote historian douglas brinkley .'buck naked' air force one was designed for presidential multitasking , generations before the word was even invented . maybe the funniest example of this concept occurred aboard sam 26000 at a campaign stop in 1964 . johnson invited reporter frank cormier and two colleagues to an impromptu press conference in the plane 's bedroom , according to cormier 's book , the way he was . ' the president -- who wanted to change clothes after giving a speech in the hot sun -- astonished the reporters when he removed his shirt and trousers , ' while answering their questions about the economy . johnson then shucked off his underwear ' and kept talking while standing buck naked and waving his towel for emphasis . ' another time on the jet , cormier wrote , johnson was sitting and talking with his legs crossed when an airman who served as lbj 's valet ' kneeled before the president and quickly removed one of johnson 's shoes and socks , bathed the naked foot then put on a fresh sock and replaced the shoe . ' neither the valet nor the president ever acknowledged each other , and johnson did n't miss a beat of his conversation . the plane carried lbj 's body after his death in 1973 , just as it had kennedy . twenty-one years later , it ferried nixon 's casket back home to california . sam 26000 's legacy also includes a footnote labeled , monica lewinsky . ' the former white house intern who later became a central figure in the impeachment of president bill clinton flew aboard the plane as a pentagon staffer on a tour of european nations in the '90s . by that time , the aging sam 26000 had been demoted as a second-tier presidential aircraft and was reserved as a backup . the air force introduced a military version of the boeing 747 -- much bigger than sam 26000 -- into the sam fleet beginning in 1990 . sam 26000 carried about 48 passengers and crew , while the new bigger jets held more than twice as many : 102 passengers and crew with about 4,000 square feet of floor space to roam around in . it was such a quantum leap forward in air force one 's capabilities , ' said underwood . with the added ability of inflight refueling , it freed up air force one to do whatever it needed to do . ' by 1998 , sam 26000 was done . then-vice president al gore honored the plane 's legacy by hosting its final official flight -- a hop from washington to columbia , south carolina , before it traveled to the air force museum in ohio a few months later . if history itself had wings , it probably would be this very aircraft , ' gore said at the time . as this year 's 50th anniversary of the kennedy assassination approaches , sam 26000 's caretakers at the air force museum have no idea how to plan for it . as underwood put it , we 're just held in limbo right now . ' it 's a mystery whether congress will end sequestration in october -- or if even deeper cuts will follow . the air force is already preparing for a worst-case scenario . at the pentagon , air force brass have no plans to change the current funding situation at the museum -- at least through october , said air force lt. col. laurel tingley . after that , she said , we do n't know what the new normal will look like in our current fiscal-constrained environment . ' in the meantime , the air force will continue to take action to reduce spending ' as a way to support overseas contingency operations and preserve readiness , ' tingley said . it 's heartbreaking , ' says rep. michael turner , a republican member of the powerful house armed services committee who represents the museum 's district . these are incredibly historic aircraft , ' turner said , which are inaccessible to visitors because of sequestration that he described as shameful and outrageous . ' turner called on the senate and president barack obama to come to the table with a solution and break the deadlock . despite the closure of the museum 's presidential and research and development galleries , the facility remains open seven days a week , and admission is free . but until funds appear -- or lawmakers in washington can come together -- the world 's most historic plane will stay behind closed doors . air force returns sequestration-grounded thunderbirds to the sky | it carried jfk 's casket , hosted lbj 's swearing in , and ferried nixon to china |
kilwa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- can a handful of ancient copper coins from a once-opulent but now abandoned corner of east africa change what we know about australian history ? a team of researchers is on a mission to find out . with its glittering wealth , busy harbor and coral stone buildings , the island of kilwa rose to become the premier commercial post of coastal east africa around the 1300s , controlling much of the indian ocean trade with the continent 's hinterland . situated in present-day southern tanzania , during its heyday kilwa hosted traders from as far away as china , who would exchange gold , ivory and iron from southern africa 's interior for arabian pottery and indian textiles as well as perfumes , porcelains and spices from the far east . but the kilwa sultanate 's heyday came to a crashing end in the early 1500s with the arrival of the portuguese who sacked the city in their bid to dominate the trade routes between eastern africa and india . from then on , kilwa never managed to recover its greatness . with its trading network gradually eclipsing , the once flourishing city started to decline in importance . it was eventually deserted in the 19th century , its crumbling , unesco-protected ruins offering today a glimpse of its glorious past . but interest in this nearly forgotten east african city has resurfaced lately thanks to the mystery surrounding a remarkable discovery thousands of miles away , in a long-abandoned , remote chain of small islands near australia 's northern territory . astonishing discovery back in 1944 , an australian soldier named maurie isenberg was assigned to one of the uninhabited but strategically positioned wessel islands to man a radar station . one day , whilst fishing on the beach during his spare time , he discovered nine coins buried in the sand . isenberg stored them in a tin until 1979 , when he wondered if they might be worth something and sent them to be identified . four of the coins were found to belong to the dutch east india company , with one of them being from the late 17th century . but the rest of them were identified as originating from kilwa , believed to date back to the 1100s . the sultanate started minting its own currency in the 11th century . read this : the dark history of bunce island ' it 's a very fascinating discovery , ' says ian mcintosh , an indiana university-purdue university indianapolis anthropologist . kilwa coins have only ever been found outside of the kilwa region on two occasions , ' he explains . a single coin was found in the ruins of great zimbabwe and one coin was found in the arabian peninsula , in what is now oman , but nowhere else . and yet , here is this handful of them in northern australia , this is the astonishing thing . ' re-write history ? according to history textbooks , aboriginal explorers arrived in australia from asia at least 60,000 years ago . the first european widely known to have set foot on the continent was dutch navigator willem janszoon in 1606 , more than 160 years before captain james cook arrived at australia 's south-eastern coast to claim the territory for the british empire . so how did the five coins from distant kilwa wind up in the isolated wessel islands ? was a shipwreck involved ? could it be that the portuguese , who had looted kilwa in 1505 , reached the australian shores with coins from east africa in their possession ? or was it that kilwan sailors , renowned as expert navigators all across the sea route between china and africa , were hired by traders from the far east to navigate their dhows ? these are the kind of questions that mcintosh now hopes to answer as he bids to unravel the mystery of how the coins , which are currently stored in sydney 's powerhouse museum , were found in this part of the world . we have five separate hypotheses we 're looking to test about how these coins got there , each one quite different from the other , ' says mcintosh . on july 15 , he will lead an eight-member team of archaeologists , historians and scientists to the area where isenberg discovered the coins . read this : african roots of the human family tree ' this is an initial survey ; if we find something then we 'll prepare for a more detailed and focused exploration in specific areas , ' says the australian professor . we are interested in a more accurate portrayal of australian history that is currently allowed in textbooks . ' the team will embark on its quest for answers equipped with a nearly 70-year-old map on which isenberg had marked with an x the spot where he found the coins . mcintosh , who was sent the map before isenberg 's death in 1991 , says he first tried to mount an expedition to the wessel islands in the early 1990s but at the time he 'd failed to gather funding . in 1992 there was a very limited interest for such a venture , ' he says . but we maintained an interest in the kilwa connection because it was such a famous place in its day -- from the 1100s to the 1300s it was the most prominent port in the entire east african coast , bigger than mombasa , zanzibar and mogadishu . ' if you bought these coins in a shop in kilwa , you could probably get them for a few dollars , ' says mcintosh . but in northern australia , these are priceless in terms of their historical value . ' | coins were minted in powerful african city state of kilwa , in modern-day tanzania |
mob wives <tsp> ( cnn ) -- table flipping . hair pulling . name calling . glass chucking . fist throwing . who needs scripted dialogue when women are willing to physically and emotionally exchange blows for the camera ? mtv 's jersey shore , ' the mega-hit known for both male and female brawls , featured yet another bar fight on thursday night 's episode . despite hyping the altercation between cast member sammi giancola and a female club-goer in a promo for the show , the scene was treated like any other segment . catfights have become practically de rigueur for many cable and network reality series . shows like the bachelor , ' mob wives , ' the real housewives ' and love & hip hop ' all seemingly rely on female cast members'aggressive behavior for ratings . the genre has become more about shock tv than reality tv , said steve carbone , who runs the spoiler site realitysteve.com . that said , if you 're shocked by what you see ( on reality tv ) , you should n't be , ' he said . for almost a decade , viewers have watched 25 to 30 women vie for the attention of one man each season on abc 's the bachelor . ' and if the majority of catfights on reality tv have taught us anything , it 's that viewers love watching women fight over a man . so what 's shocking about the current season 's villain , courtney , who said she 'd like to verbally assault ' and rip another girl 's head off ' ? carbone rhetorically asked . people , two years ago , were saying the exact same thing about vienna . ' mary mcclelland , who contributes to the reality tv site reality tea , said viewers are still shocked by cattiness and girl-on-girl violence despite no longer being appalled by it . viewers almost revel in it ... in an excited way , ' she said , adding that stories about catfights on reality shows elicit the most comments on reality tea . judging by the comments , people seem to be annoyed by the constant cattiness on such shows , mcclelland said , adding , maybe people like the cringe factor . ' and so producers routinely cast women who will be controversial . as shaunie o'neal , the executive producer and star of vh1 's basketball wives , ' wrote in a commentary for cnn.com in july , i 'm not a big supporter of the bickering , drink throwing and fighting , but when you put a group of strong , independent and vocal women who are going through or just came out of a bad relationship together , there 's bound to be a little drama . ' more and more people are starting to realize how scripted some of this stuff is , ' carbone said . not in terms of words , but in unscripted drama . they 're not telling people what to say , but they 're giving them a situation where they know what 's going to arise . ' that 's exactly what happened when vh1 's other reality hit love & hip hop ' found chrissy lampkin and kimbella vanderhee in the same room . what began as a verbal disagreement ended with flying fists and exposed lady parts . viewers like to find a character to dislike , ' mcclelland said . people like to have sides . like with'the real housewives of new jersey'-- caroline ( manzo ) vs. teresa ( giudice ) . fans are into that . ' who could forget giudice 's infamous last supper , ' in which she flipped a table over . there 's over 100 ( reality shows ) with all of the cable programs , ' carbone said . you almost have to outdo the others to get noticed . ' the aggression appears to have amped up recently . a study out of brigham young university published in 2010 stated that reality-television programs contained high levels of verbal and relational aggression , but almost no physical violence . such'meanness'is so frequent , that it is almost expected in reality programs . ' and shows like oxygen 's bad girls club ' are built around mean girls and fights . these shows clearly have an audience . however , carbone said , that does n't mean viewers are desensitized to girl-on-girl violence . if they were , he said , producers would move on to a new attention-grabbing storyline . which raises a frightening question : what does a show have to do for us to say , oh , we 've never seen this on reality tv before ' ? | the bachelor , ' mob wives ' and love & hip hop ' feature such aggressive behavior |
delta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- delta air lines and american airlines announced thursday the cancellations of hundreds of flights so the companies can conduct inspections on bundles of wires in some of their jets . delta cancellations will affect flights up until early friday , according to a statement from the airline . the cancellations will affect flights through friday , according to statements by both companies . a spokeswoman for delta earlier said 325 flights would be canceled thursday , but later said 275 flights were cut . delta apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and is working to proactively contact and reaccommodate affected customers . customers should call ahead to check flight status , ' a delta statement said . wednesday , american airlines canceled 318 flights , said company spokesman tim wagner . the airline canceled 132 of its estimated 2,300 flights scheduled for thursday , wagner said , about 6 percent of the daily schedule . the cancellations forced dozens of people to spend the night in the atrium of atlanta 's hartsfield-jackson international airport . they slept wherever they could -- on couches , on the floor , some on non-moving baggage carousels . kelly said the airline rebooked flights and covered the cost of hotel and food for passengers on canceled flights . it was initially believed that delta 's md-90 planes were part of the inspection but it was determined that the md-88 planes were the only ones that needed to be inspected , a spokeswoman said . the airline said the checks are voluntary and are expected to be completed by week 's end . american airlines , meanwhile , is examining wiring secured to its md-80 aircraft . in atlanta , the cancellations caused grousing among passengers who missed job interviews , connecting flights and the comfort of their beds , cnn affiliate wxia reported . they told us 6:45 ( p.m. ) . then they told us 7:30 . then 8 , so on and so forth and they just canceled , ' passenger fred billizon told wxia . so they had about 200 people just waiting on flights . and that 's not a lot of happy people . ' this latest round of inspections was prompted by questions raised by the faa and american safety officials about how a certain bundle of wires is secured to the md-80 aircraft . the md-80 is the workhorse of the american fleet . american 's web site says the aircraft accounts for 300 of the airline 's fleet of 655 jets . the jet debuted in 1980 from mcdonnell-douglas , which was purchased by rival boeing in 1997 . boeing discontinued production of the aircraft in 1999 . e-mail to a friend | new : 275 delta flights were canceled thursday for safety inspections |
delta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- delta air lines and american airlines announced thursday the cancellations of hundreds of flights so the companies can conduct inspections on bundles of wires in some of their jets . delta cancellations will affect flights up until early friday , according to a statement from the airline . the cancellations will affect flights through friday , according to statements by both companies . a spokeswoman for delta earlier said 325 flights would be canceled thursday , but later said 275 flights were cut . delta apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and is working to proactively contact and reaccommodate affected customers . customers should call ahead to check flight status , ' a delta statement said . wednesday , american airlines canceled 318 flights , said company spokesman tim wagner . the airline canceled 132 of its estimated 2,300 flights scheduled for thursday , wagner said , about 6 percent of the daily schedule . the cancellations forced dozens of people to spend the night in the atrium of atlanta 's hartsfield-jackson international airport . they slept wherever they could -- on couches , on the floor , some on non-moving baggage carousels . kelly said the airline rebooked flights and covered the cost of hotel and food for passengers on canceled flights . it was initially believed that delta 's md-90 planes were part of the inspection but it was determined that the md-88 planes were the only ones that needed to be inspected , a spokeswoman said . the airline said the checks are voluntary and are expected to be completed by week 's end . american airlines , meanwhile , is examining wiring secured to its md-80 aircraft . in atlanta , the cancellations caused grousing among passengers who missed job interviews , connecting flights and the comfort of their beds , cnn affiliate wxia reported . they told us 6:45 ( p.m. ) . then they told us 7:30 . then 8 , so on and so forth and they just canceled , ' passenger fred billizon told wxia . so they had about 200 people just waiting on flights . and that 's not a lot of happy people . ' this latest round of inspections was prompted by questions raised by the faa and american safety officials about how a certain bundle of wires is secured to the md-80 aircraft . the md-80 is the workhorse of the american fleet . american 's web site says the aircraft accounts for 300 of the airline 's fleet of 655 jets . the jet debuted in 1980 from mcdonnell-douglas , which was purchased by rival boeing in 1997 . boeing discontinued production of the aircraft in 1999 . e-mail to a friend | new : delta cancelations only related to md-88 , not md-90s |
antonin scalia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the next stop in a legal battle over a controversial new abortion law in texas could be the u.s. supreme court . on monday abortion-rights groups filed an emergency motion asking the supreme court to block texas from enforcing part of the law , which is considered among the most restrictive in the country . justice antonin scalia has given the state until november 12 to respond , according to court documents . the motion comes four days after a federal appeals court reinstated a key part of the law -- a provision that requires doctors to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic at which they 're providing abortion services . the appeals court 's decision allowed that provision to remain in place , but monday 's motion asks the supreme court to overturn that ruling . since the decision , more than a third of centers that had provided abortions in texas have stopped providing abortions , louise melling , a deputy legal director of the american civil liberties union , told reporters in a conference call monday . a dozen abortion providers were forced to cancel appointments immediately , ' said kenneth lambrecht , director and ceo of planned parenthood of greater texas . our patients are scared , some are angry , some have said they do n't know how they 're going to make the long trip to the next closest provider . ' marni evans , 37 , a freelance consultant , told reporters she is now considering flying to seattle for an abortion after her appointment in austin , texas , was canceled . she said she and her fiance decided to pursue an abortion for financial reasons . we can barely afford our own health care , let alone a child , she said . after a lot of soul searching , we decided we want to start a family someday , but we just ca n't do it right now . because of last thursday 's ruling , that decision has been taken out of our hands . ' a planned parenthood lawsuit against the state over the law is still pending . the suit -- filed in u.s. district court in austin on behalf of more than a dozen women 's health care providers across texas -- alleges that the abortion law violates the constitutional rights of women and puts unreasonable demands on doctors who perform abortions . the bill originally failed to gain approval because of a democratic filibuster led by state sen. wendy davis . gov . rick perry then called the legislature into a second special session to continue consideration of the bill . perry cheered last week 's appeals court ruling . today 's decision affirms our right to protect both the unborn and the health of the women of texas , ' he said in a statement last week . we will continue doing everything we can to protect a culture of life in our state . ' cnn 's dana ford and cristy lenz contributed to this report . | justice antonin scalia gives the state until november 12 to respond |
sanlu <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- officials on monday announced the death of a second child who consumed contaminated milk powder . more than 1,200 others have been sickened , according to china 's health ministry . of that number , 340 infants are hospitalized and 53 are considered to be in serious condition . government inspectors are testing baby formula around china and plan to release their results on tuesday , said li changjiang , head of the state administration of quality supervision , inspection and quarantine , according to the xinhua news agency . the manufacturer , sanlu group , has recalled more than 8,200 tons of the tainted formula following reports of babies developing kidney stones , xinhua said . watch what sanlu has done » sanlu , one of china 's leading dairy producers , has also sealed off more than 2,100 tons of contaminated product , and another 700 tons still need to be recalled , the news agency said . it is not the first time sanlu has been connected to a scandal involving tainted milk powder , according to china daily . in 2004 , at least 13 infants in the eastern anhui province died of malnutrition after drinking milk powder that had little to no nutrition . the illegally manufactured milk was falsely labeled with the sanlu brand , according to the paper . more than 170 other babies were hospitalized as a result of drinking the cheap milk powder . chinese police have questioned 78 people -- including dairy farmers and milk dealers -- about the most recent contamination , a chinese official told xinhua saturday . sanlu would not say whether its employees are being investigated , xinhua said . testing by sanlu found tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine , in 700 tons of its product , said zhao xinchao , the vice mayor of shijiazhuang , the news agency reported . zhao told the news agency that the suspects added water to the milk they sold to sanlu to make more money , then added the chemical so the diluted milk could still meet standards . inspectors found the chemical in sanlu infant formula produced by one of the company 's partner producers in northwest gansu province , an official said sunday . two of 12 samples randomly selected from the sanlu milk powder produced by the haoniu dairy company in jiuquan city tested positive for melamine , said xian hui , the vice-governor of gansu . health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation . the chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . hundreds of wal-mart and carrefour stores in china are pulling the sanlu milk powder from their shelves , xinhua said . this episode marks the latest in a string of tainted products produced in china . the u.s. food and drug administration recalled more than 150 brands of cat and dog food last year after finding that some pets became ill or died after eating food tainted with melamine , the same chemical found in the powdered milk . two chinese businesses , a u.s. company and top executives of each were indicted by a federal grand jury in february in connection with tainted pet food , which resulted in deaths and serious illnesses in up to thousands of u.s. pets , federal prosecutors said . in october 2007 , regulators and retailers in the united states recalled at least 69,000 chinese-made toys over concerns of excessive amounts of lead paint , which can cause hazardous lead poisoning . in november , shipments of the popular toy aqua dots were found to have been contaminated with a toxic chemical that turned into a powerful date rape ' drug if swallowed , causing some children who ate the craft toys to vomit and lose consciousness . and in february , a maryland candy distributor pulled pokemon-brand valentine lollipops from store shelves after bits of metal were found in the sealed treats , authorities said . officials on monday announced the death of a second child who consumed contaminated milk powder . of the more than 1,200 others who have been sickened , 340 infants were hospitalized , and 53 considered to be in serious condition , according to china 's health ministry . government inspectors were testing baby formula around china and plan to release their results on tuesday , said li changjiang , head of the state administration of quality supervision , inspection and quarantine , according to the xinhua news agency . the manufacturer , sanlu group , has recalled more than 8,200 tons of the tainted formula following reports of babies developing kidney stones , xinhua said . sanlu , one of china 's leading dairy producers , also has sealed off more than 2,100 tons of contaminated product , and another 700 tons still need to be recalled , the news agency said . chinese police have questioned 78 people , including dairy farmers and milk dealers , about the contamination , a chinese official told xinhua saturday . sanlu would not say whether its employees were being investigated , xinhua said . testing by sanlu found tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine , in 700 tons of its product , said zhao xinchao , the vice mayor of shijiazhuang , the news agency reported . zhao told the news agency that the suspects added water to the milk they sold to sanlu to make more money , then added the chemical so that the diluted milk could still meet standards . inspectors found the chemical in sanlu infant formula produced by one of the company 's partner producers in northwest gansu province , an official said sunday . two of 12 samples randomly selected from the sanlu milk powder produced by the haoniu dairy company in jiuquan city tested positive for melamine , said xian hui , the vice-governor of gansu . ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation , health experts said . the chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . the chemical was also involved in the massive pet food recall last year . hundreds of wal-mart and carrefour stores in were pulling the sanlu milk powder from their shelves , xinhua said . | sanlu is one of china 's leading dairy producers |
sanlu <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- officials on monday announced the death of a second child who consumed contaminated milk powder . more than 1,200 others have been sickened , according to china 's health ministry . of that number , 340 infants are hospitalized and 53 are considered to be in serious condition . government inspectors are testing baby formula around china and plan to release their results on tuesday , said li changjiang , head of the state administration of quality supervision , inspection and quarantine , according to the xinhua news agency . the manufacturer , sanlu group , has recalled more than 8,200 tons of the tainted formula following reports of babies developing kidney stones , xinhua said . watch what sanlu has done » sanlu , one of china 's leading dairy producers , has also sealed off more than 2,100 tons of contaminated product , and another 700 tons still need to be recalled , the news agency said . it is not the first time sanlu has been connected to a scandal involving tainted milk powder , according to china daily . in 2004 , at least 13 infants in the eastern anhui province died of malnutrition after drinking milk powder that had little to no nutrition . the illegally manufactured milk was falsely labeled with the sanlu brand , according to the paper . more than 170 other babies were hospitalized as a result of drinking the cheap milk powder . chinese police have questioned 78 people -- including dairy farmers and milk dealers -- about the most recent contamination , a chinese official told xinhua saturday . sanlu would not say whether its employees are being investigated , xinhua said . testing by sanlu found tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine , in 700 tons of its product , said zhao xinchao , the vice mayor of shijiazhuang , the news agency reported . zhao told the news agency that the suspects added water to the milk they sold to sanlu to make more money , then added the chemical so the diluted milk could still meet standards . inspectors found the chemical in sanlu infant formula produced by one of the company 's partner producers in northwest gansu province , an official said sunday . two of 12 samples randomly selected from the sanlu milk powder produced by the haoniu dairy company in jiuquan city tested positive for melamine , said xian hui , the vice-governor of gansu . health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation . the chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . hundreds of wal-mart and carrefour stores in china are pulling the sanlu milk powder from their shelves , xinhua said . this episode marks the latest in a string of tainted products produced in china . the u.s. food and drug administration recalled more than 150 brands of cat and dog food last year after finding that some pets became ill or died after eating food tainted with melamine , the same chemical found in the powdered milk . two chinese businesses , a u.s. company and top executives of each were indicted by a federal grand jury in february in connection with tainted pet food , which resulted in deaths and serious illnesses in up to thousands of u.s. pets , federal prosecutors said . in october 2007 , regulators and retailers in the united states recalled at least 69,000 chinese-made toys over concerns of excessive amounts of lead paint , which can cause hazardous lead poisoning . in november , shipments of the popular toy aqua dots were found to have been contaminated with a toxic chemical that turned into a powerful date rape ' drug if swallowed , causing some children who ate the craft toys to vomit and lose consciousness . and in february , a maryland candy distributor pulled pokemon-brand valentine lollipops from store shelves after bits of metal were found in the sealed treats , authorities said . officials on monday announced the death of a second child who consumed contaminated milk powder . of the more than 1,200 others who have been sickened , 340 infants were hospitalized , and 53 considered to be in serious condition , according to china 's health ministry . government inspectors were testing baby formula around china and plan to release their results on tuesday , said li changjiang , head of the state administration of quality supervision , inspection and quarantine , according to the xinhua news agency . the manufacturer , sanlu group , has recalled more than 8,200 tons of the tainted formula following reports of babies developing kidney stones , xinhua said . sanlu , one of china 's leading dairy producers , also has sealed off more than 2,100 tons of contaminated product , and another 700 tons still need to be recalled , the news agency said . chinese police have questioned 78 people , including dairy farmers and milk dealers , about the contamination , a chinese official told xinhua saturday . sanlu would not say whether its employees were being investigated , xinhua said . testing by sanlu found tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine , in 700 tons of its product , said zhao xinchao , the vice mayor of shijiazhuang , the news agency reported . zhao told the news agency that the suspects added water to the milk they sold to sanlu to make more money , then added the chemical so that the diluted milk could still meet standards . inspectors found the chemical in sanlu infant formula produced by one of the company 's partner producers in northwest gansu province , an official said sunday . two of 12 samples randomly selected from the sanlu milk powder produced by the haoniu dairy company in jiuquan city tested positive for melamine , said xian hui , the vice-governor of gansu . ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation , health experts said . the chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . the chemical was also involved in the massive pet food recall last year . hundreds of wal-mart and carrefour stores in were pulling the sanlu milk powder from their shelves , xinhua said . | melamine found in 700 tons of sanlu 's product , xinhua cites mayor as saying |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- emblazoned on a long , tall , concrete barrier in the midst of a rocky middle eastern landscape is this spray-painted message : mirror , mirror on the wall . when will this senseless object fall ? ' messages of peace , marriage proposals and jokes are among the most popular graffiti requests . it 's one of more than 900 graffiti messages that have been spray-painted by palestinians on the controversial wall that separates israel and the west bank . the painters take orders through a web site that lets customers get a message on the wall . for the equivalent of $ 40 , a palestinian will spray paint the message and send three digital photos of it . anything goes -- marriage proposals , jokes , notes to friends -- as long as it is n't extremist , hate-filled , or pornographic , said faris arouri , one of the founders of the site . trying to imagine a clear view between palestine and israel , ' one message reads . if all humans are equal , why do they have to live separated ? ' says another . and another simply shouts : get along with each other ! ' this is an alternative way to send your message to whoever you 're sending it to , ' arouri told cnn from ramallah . it is there physically and it will stay there until someone sprays over it or someone decides to demolish that wall ... hopefully it wo n't stay forever , because hopefully this wall will be removed sometime soon . ' the israeli government began building the barrier in 2002 , about two years after renewed violence erupted in israel , the west bank and gaza . in some areas , it takes the form of a tall concrete wall ; in others , it is more of a fence . israel says the barrier has been successful in preventing terrorist attacks by palestinians . but palestinians say it amounts to an illegal land grab of palestinian territory because it does not match the line of israel 's border with the west bank before the 1967 six day war . the barrier cuts so far into west bank territory at some points that the west bank settlement of alfei menashe and five palestinian villages are actually now on the israeli side of the wall . palestinians in those villages contend they are cut off from both israel and the west bank because they are not allowed to travel into israel and they must pass through military checkpoints to reach other west bank villages . the sendamessage web site says other families cut off by the barrier are deprived of their livelihoods . the site describes how the wall separated a family from the hotel they owned and kept farmers away from their 500 olive trees . israel 's supreme court has twice ruled that the government must reroute sections of the barrier to avoid infringing on the lives of thousands of palestinians . arouri represents a palestinian non-profit group , the peace and freedom youth forum , that works on the social and political issues facing young people in the west bank . about two-thirds of the money raised through the site goes to the group , which uses it to pay for projects like building a playground , buying bicycles , or establishing laundry facilities for university students in bir zeit , near ramallah . the group says it only works with organizations that are legal in the palestinian territories and allowed to operate by the israeli government . the rest of the money goes to the group 's partners in the netherlands , who maintain the web site , accept payments , and manage the paperwork . first conceived at a dutch-palestinian workshop in ramallah two years ago , the site has gone on to attract customers from around the world . there have been 910 orders so far , said justus van oel , a dutch screenwriter who volunteers his time maintaining the site in the netherlands . spray-painting on the wall is a peaceful way for palestinians to protest the barrier , arouri said . you 're not only defying the existence of the wall , but you 're also showing the international community our refusal , first of all , to such a structure , ' he said . also , it 's an attempt to humanize the palestinian society in the eyes of the world , showing that the palestinians are not just militants who are violently resisting occupation . ' there are other benefits to the project , too , arouri said . the rest of the world can get a glimpse , however small , into the palestinians'lives behind the wall -- and the palestinians get a sense that they 're not forgotten , arouri said . there 's no big concept , ' van oel told cnn . the wall wo n't fall because texts are on it , but the people behind the wall , they will have a face . it 's also about beauty and poetry . it inspires people . ' poetry is indeed on the wall , as are emotional pleas to take the wall down . marriage proposals are a frequent order , arouri said , but so are jokes and funny messages . we had a series of obviously french ( people ) making silly jokes about each other , because the names were just being repeated and repeated , ' he said . we also got a message supposedly from a dog , asking the neighbor 's dog to come out and play in the sun . ' the diversity of the messages is something arouri says he finds incredible . we 've covered most of the aspects of human life , ' he said . caspar nieuwenhuis , a dutch theater director , used the site to propose to his girlfriend . his plan was to feature a picture of the spray-painted proposal on a dutch news broadcast about the wall and make sure his girlfriend , a journalist , was watching -- but the picture never aired . then i thought , well , i have this photo of a palestinian boy who 's writing my proposal on the wall , ' nieuwenhuis wrote to cnn . i 've got a notebook ( computer ) . i could save the photo ( onto ) my desktop and show it to my girlfriend , just that plain and simple . so i did . and when she saw this , she said'yes'and cried , ' he said . nieuwenhuis said he heard about the site through van oel , a friend , and liked the idea right away . i thought it was a brilliant idea to have something beautiful written on an ugly wall , ' he told cnn . the sendamessage foundation is also planning to spray-paint an entire letter written by south african human rights activist farid esack next month . it 's looking for customers to sponsor a portion of the letter in exchange for having their name signed onto the end . in the letter , esack compares the situation in the palestinian territories to south africa under apartheid , the web site says . | security barrier separates israel from palestinian west bank |
murphy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if massachusetts'strangely arcane alimony reform act were to become the law of the land , the financial well-being and security of married women could be seriously threatened . the law dramatically changes the way judges grant alimony for nonworking ex-spouses . it is written in gender-neutral terminology , but because 97 % of the people who seek and require alimony are women , the effects on women will be substantially greater . first the ( oversimplified ) basics : the new law decides whether alimony will be granted , if at all , based not on a wide variety of criteria -- such as the value of the nonworking spouse 's contributions to the marriage -- but on how many years the couple stayed married and how much money the working spouse made during the marriage . and it wo n't last a lifetime . if a marriage lasted 15 years , a woman will receive alimony , at most , for only 10â½ years . it 's craziness . the massachusetts legislature has effectively embraced a policy declaring that being married is roughly akin to working in state government . the more years you log , the bigger your pension , and if you make it to certain cut-off periods , you get a larger sum . specifically , five years of marriage or less gets the dependent spouse alimony for a period equal to 50 % of the number of months the couple was married . so , if a couple stays married for two years , the dependent spouse will receive alimony for no more than 12 months . a marriage that lasts at least 15 years , but less than 20 , entitles the dependent spouse to alimony for 80 % of the number of months of the marriage . if it were n't such a dangerous bill , it might be worth only a few snarky remarks about how people are not widgets , and human relationships should not be subjected to mechanical valuation systems . but this is a bill that threatens serious consequences and will affect women in ways that transcend economic concerns . for example , one woman told me she 's afraid of becoming homeless if her ex-husband invokes the new law to stop her alimony payments . she gave up a career in banking to stay at home and raise the couple 's child . when that child went off to college , the husband filed for divorce . she is surviving on a modest alimony payment , but under the new law , payments will stop in two years . having left a profession , she stands no chance at being hired for a well-paying job in that career . a minimum wage job would pay less than public assistance . victims of domestic abuse face an inhumane choice . those who worry about homelessness if they leave a violent spouse might feel pressured to stay in an abusive relationship to make it to a particular cut-off period . at the same time , men who want to get out of a marriage cheaply can run to divorce court on the eve of the next cut-off period . click here for a viewpoint in favor of the new law : ending forever alimony similar bills have been proposed in other states , but women 's groups have been deafeningly silent , perhaps because some aspects of the new law seem fair , at least superficially . for example , a judge can consider the income of a new partner in measuring a dependent spouse 's assets . in the past , a divorced woman who was granted alimony would lose it only upon remarriage . this prompted lots of women to simply move in with a man and benefit from his financial support without having his income considered part of her assets during a court assessment of whether her need for alimony has changed . lifetime alimony , in such circumstances , is terribly unfair . but it 's also rare , especially these days . it happens , but so infrequently and usually in such unusual cases -- where the dependent ex-spouse is financially desperate and unable to work -- that it does n't merit the restructuring of all alimony laws for all purposes . massachusetts divorce lawyer elizabeth clague says she 's seen a judge grant lifetime alimony only a few times in her 16-year career . the cases involved unusual circumstances . one woman was living in a shelter ; in another case , the husband had been hiding assets , ' clague said . lifetime alimony awards are disfavored in massachusetts and have been for a long time . ' judges ordered alimony under the previous , more flexible , rule based on a holistic view of each case rather than in accordance with arbitrary lines that reward or punish stay-at-home spouses based on years spent in the marriage . among other things , a mechanical approach to a woman 's value disregards entirely the value of a woman 's lost career . if she finished medical school , for example , then stayed home to raise children and care for her family , a judge should be able to take into account this lost opportunity and income . instead , the new law dictates that a woman 's value is based solely on the length of time she spent enabling her husband to earn a certain income while she cooked , met with teachers and took the kids to soccer practice . judges in massachusetts do retain some discretion to grant alimony beyond the guidelines , in unusual cases , but the stated purpose of the new rule will compel most judges to simply dole out discounted alimony awards based on an awkward calculation of numbers , years and percentages , rather than full valuation of a woman 's worth . lifetime alimony has been a problem , but the system mostly self-corrected when judges stopped routinely ordering it . for those few men whose payments were unfair , a law granting a more generous standard of review on appeal would have fixed it . the alimony reform act is too broad , and other states should beware . lawmakers motivated to please special interest groups would be wise to remember they represent the public interest , not only the interests of wealthy men with lobbyists . join us at facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of wendy murphy . | murphy : women who have no ability to work could find themselves with no income at all |
murphy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if massachusetts'strangely arcane alimony reform act were to become the law of the land , the financial well-being and security of married women could be seriously threatened . the law dramatically changes the way judges grant alimony for nonworking ex-spouses . it is written in gender-neutral terminology , but because 97 % of the people who seek and require alimony are women , the effects on women will be substantially greater . first the ( oversimplified ) basics : the new law decides whether alimony will be granted , if at all , based not on a wide variety of criteria -- such as the value of the nonworking spouse 's contributions to the marriage -- but on how many years the couple stayed married and how much money the working spouse made during the marriage . and it wo n't last a lifetime . if a marriage lasted 15 years , a woman will receive alimony , at most , for only 10â½ years . it 's craziness . the massachusetts legislature has effectively embraced a policy declaring that being married is roughly akin to working in state government . the more years you log , the bigger your pension , and if you make it to certain cut-off periods , you get a larger sum . specifically , five years of marriage or less gets the dependent spouse alimony for a period equal to 50 % of the number of months the couple was married . so , if a couple stays married for two years , the dependent spouse will receive alimony for no more than 12 months . a marriage that lasts at least 15 years , but less than 20 , entitles the dependent spouse to alimony for 80 % of the number of months of the marriage . if it were n't such a dangerous bill , it might be worth only a few snarky remarks about how people are not widgets , and human relationships should not be subjected to mechanical valuation systems . but this is a bill that threatens serious consequences and will affect women in ways that transcend economic concerns . for example , one woman told me she 's afraid of becoming homeless if her ex-husband invokes the new law to stop her alimony payments . she gave up a career in banking to stay at home and raise the couple 's child . when that child went off to college , the husband filed for divorce . she is surviving on a modest alimony payment , but under the new law , payments will stop in two years . having left a profession , she stands no chance at being hired for a well-paying job in that career . a minimum wage job would pay less than public assistance . victims of domestic abuse face an inhumane choice . those who worry about homelessness if they leave a violent spouse might feel pressured to stay in an abusive relationship to make it to a particular cut-off period . at the same time , men who want to get out of a marriage cheaply can run to divorce court on the eve of the next cut-off period . click here for a viewpoint in favor of the new law : ending forever alimony similar bills have been proposed in other states , but women 's groups have been deafeningly silent , perhaps because some aspects of the new law seem fair , at least superficially . for example , a judge can consider the income of a new partner in measuring a dependent spouse 's assets . in the past , a divorced woman who was granted alimony would lose it only upon remarriage . this prompted lots of women to simply move in with a man and benefit from his financial support without having his income considered part of her assets during a court assessment of whether her need for alimony has changed . lifetime alimony , in such circumstances , is terribly unfair . but it 's also rare , especially these days . it happens , but so infrequently and usually in such unusual cases -- where the dependent ex-spouse is financially desperate and unable to work -- that it does n't merit the restructuring of all alimony laws for all purposes . massachusetts divorce lawyer elizabeth clague says she 's seen a judge grant lifetime alimony only a few times in her 16-year career . the cases involved unusual circumstances . one woman was living in a shelter ; in another case , the husband had been hiding assets , ' clague said . lifetime alimony awards are disfavored in massachusetts and have been for a long time . ' judges ordered alimony under the previous , more flexible , rule based on a holistic view of each case rather than in accordance with arbitrary lines that reward or punish stay-at-home spouses based on years spent in the marriage . among other things , a mechanical approach to a woman 's value disregards entirely the value of a woman 's lost career . if she finished medical school , for example , then stayed home to raise children and care for her family , a judge should be able to take into account this lost opportunity and income . instead , the new law dictates that a woman 's value is based solely on the length of time she spent enabling her husband to earn a certain income while she cooked , met with teachers and took the kids to soccer practice . judges in massachusetts do retain some discretion to grant alimony beyond the guidelines , in unusual cases , but the stated purpose of the new rule will compel most judges to simply dole out discounted alimony awards based on an awkward calculation of numbers , years and percentages , rather than full valuation of a woman 's worth . lifetime alimony has been a problem , but the system mostly self-corrected when judges stopped routinely ordering it . for those few men whose payments were unfair , a law granting a more generous standard of review on appeal would have fixed it . the alimony reform act is too broad , and other states should beware . lawmakers motivated to please special interest groups would be wise to remember they represent the public interest , not only the interests of wealthy men with lobbyists . join us at facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of wendy murphy . | wendy murphy : new law dramatically changes alimony for nonworking ex-spouses |
bayern <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pep guardiola 's first competitive game in charge of bayern munich ended in defeat on saturday as borussia dortmund ran out 4-2 winners in the german super cup . two goals from marco reus helped jurgen klopp 's team beat the reigning german and european champions in front of a home crowd at the signal inuna park . dortmund always held sway in an absorbing contest but bayern , minus franck ribery and former dortmund midfielder mario goetze , were never far behind . klopp 's men were gifted the opening goal in the sixth minute when reus headed home from close range after bayern keeper tom starke -- deputizing for an injured manuel neuer -- had fumbled a cross . dortmund were unlucky not to double their lead moments later when robert lewandowski scored , but he was adjudged to be offside . bayern fought back and were denied in the 12th minute by a fine double save by roman weidenfeller who blocked xherdan shaqiri 's low shot before palming away a rebound effort to safety . the half ended as it had begun with dortmund with their noses in front but it was bayern who struck first after the break -- arjen robben heading home in the 54th minute to level the scores . the goal sparked a frantic passage of play which saw four goals in ten minutes . in the 56th minute , dortmund regained the lead when daniel van butyen scored an own goal and 60 seconds they were 3-1 up thanks to a wonderful curling effort from ilkay gundogan . bayern halved the deficit eight minutes later when robben received a cross from philipp lahm , before turning and firing a left-foot shot past weidenfeller . but it was dortmund who finally finished the contest in the 86th minute when reus steered pierre-emerick aubameyang cross into the net to bag a brace and ensure dortmund made a winning start to the season . the bundesliga gets underway on the august 9 with bayern munich playing borussia monchengladbach at the allianz arena . dortmund kick off their campaign the following day away to augsburg . | bundesliga gets underway on friday august 9 with bayern taking on monchengladbach |
yemen <tsp> obock , djibouti ( cnn ) amina ali qassim is sitting with her youngest grandchild on her lap , wiping away tears with her headscarf . only a few months old , this is the baby girl whose ears she desperately tried to cover the night the aerial bombardment started . she lay awake , she says , in a village mosque on the yemeni island of birim , counting explosions as the baby cried . it could have been worse though . they could have still been in their house when the first missile landed . our neighbor shouted to my husband'you have to leave , they 're coming .'and we just ran . as soon as we left the house , the first missile fell right by it and then a second on it . it burned everything to the ground , ' qassim tells us . qassim and her family fled birim at first light , piling in with three other families . twenty-five of them squeezed into one boat setting sail through the bab al-mandab strait to djibouti . bab al-mandab is one of the busiest waterways in the world , a thoroughfare for oil tankers and cargo ships . it 's now being crossed by desperate yemenis in rickety fishing boats seeking refuge from the conflict threatening to engulf their country . qassim 's son mohamed describes the families'journey across this part of the red sea as a window into hell . ' the women were violently ill , ' he tells us . it was a catastrophe . ' it took them five hours to cross into the north of djibouti , where the government is providing the refugees with temporary shelter in this unfinished orphanage here in obock . and the u.n. says thousands more refugees are expected . qassim and her family will soon have to move to the plastic tents that have been prepared for them on the dusty outskirts of the town , taking with them only the collection of plastic mats and pots neatly stacked in the corner . it 's all that remains of everything they once owned . her two daughters are trapped back in yemen , in taiz . she has n't been able to reach them and the worry she says is almost unbearable . i ask her how many days it was after the saudi aerial bombardment began that they left . she looks at me and laughs , how many days would you have stayed ? ' then she goes quiet , looking down at the granddaughter in her lap . finally she tells me , i thought she would never be able to stop screaming . that the fear would stay with her forever . ' may god please have mercy on yemen . ' | amina ali qassim 's family sought shelter in a mosque before fleeing yemen |
yemen <tsp> obock , djibouti ( cnn ) amina ali qassim is sitting with her youngest grandchild on her lap , wiping away tears with her headscarf . only a few months old , this is the baby girl whose ears she desperately tried to cover the night the aerial bombardment started . she lay awake , she says , in a village mosque on the yemeni island of birim , counting explosions as the baby cried . it could have been worse though . they could have still been in their house when the first missile landed . our neighbor shouted to my husband'you have to leave , they 're coming .'and we just ran . as soon as we left the house , the first missile fell right by it and then a second on it . it burned everything to the ground , ' qassim tells us . qassim and her family fled birim at first light , piling in with three other families . twenty-five of them squeezed into one boat setting sail through the bab al-mandab strait to djibouti . bab al-mandab is one of the busiest waterways in the world , a thoroughfare for oil tankers and cargo ships . it 's now being crossed by desperate yemenis in rickety fishing boats seeking refuge from the conflict threatening to engulf their country . qassim 's son mohamed describes the families'journey across this part of the red sea as a window into hell . ' the women were violently ill , ' he tells us . it was a catastrophe . ' it took them five hours to cross into the north of djibouti , where the government is providing the refugees with temporary shelter in this unfinished orphanage here in obock . and the u.n. says thousands more refugees are expected . qassim and her family will soon have to move to the plastic tents that have been prepared for them on the dusty outskirts of the town , taking with them only the collection of plastic mats and pots neatly stacked in the corner . it 's all that remains of everything they once owned . her two daughters are trapped back in yemen , in taiz . she has n't been able to reach them and the worry she says is almost unbearable . i ask her how many days it was after the saudi aerial bombardment began that they left . she looks at me and laughs , how many days would you have stayed ? ' then she goes quiet , looking down at the granddaughter in her lap . finally she tells me , i thought she would never be able to stop screaming . that the fear would stay with her forever . ' may god please have mercy on yemen . ' | saudi arabia has been pounding yemen in a bid to defeat houthi rebels |
djibouti <tsp> obock , djibouti ( cnn ) amina ali qassim is sitting with her youngest grandchild on her lap , wiping away tears with her headscarf . only a few months old , this is the baby girl whose ears she desperately tried to cover the night the aerial bombardment started . she lay awake , she says , in a village mosque on the yemeni island of birim , counting explosions as the baby cried . it could have been worse though . they could have still been in their house when the first missile landed . our neighbor shouted to my husband'you have to leave , they 're coming .'and we just ran . as soon as we left the house , the first missile fell right by it and then a second on it . it burned everything to the ground , ' qassim tells us . qassim and her family fled birim at first light , piling in with three other families . twenty-five of them squeezed into one boat setting sail through the bab al-mandab strait to djibouti . bab al-mandab is one of the busiest waterways in the world , a thoroughfare for oil tankers and cargo ships . it 's now being crossed by desperate yemenis in rickety fishing boats seeking refuge from the conflict threatening to engulf their country . qassim 's son mohamed describes the families'journey across this part of the red sea as a window into hell . ' the women were violently ill , ' he tells us . it was a catastrophe . ' it took them five hours to cross into the north of djibouti , where the government is providing the refugees with temporary shelter in this unfinished orphanage here in obock . and the u.n. says thousands more refugees are expected . qassim and her family will soon have to move to the plastic tents that have been prepared for them on the dusty outskirts of the town , taking with them only the collection of plastic mats and pots neatly stacked in the corner . it 's all that remains of everything they once owned . her two daughters are trapped back in yemen , in taiz . she has n't been able to reach them and the worry she says is almost unbearable . i ask her how many days it was after the saudi aerial bombardment began that they left . she looks at me and laughs , how many days would you have stayed ? ' then she goes quiet , looking down at the granddaughter in her lap . finally she tells me , i thought she would never be able to stop screaming . that the fear would stay with her forever . ' may god please have mercy on yemen . ' | thousands like them are boarding boats to sail to djibouti |
amina ali qassim <tsp> obock , djibouti ( cnn ) amina ali qassim is sitting with her youngest grandchild on her lap , wiping away tears with her headscarf . only a few months old , this is the baby girl whose ears she desperately tried to cover the night the aerial bombardment started . she lay awake , she says , in a village mosque on the yemeni island of birim , counting explosions as the baby cried . it could have been worse though . they could have still been in their house when the first missile landed . our neighbor shouted to my husband'you have to leave , they 're coming .'and we just ran . as soon as we left the house , the first missile fell right by it and then a second on it . it burned everything to the ground , ' qassim tells us . qassim and her family fled birim at first light , piling in with three other families . twenty-five of them squeezed into one boat setting sail through the bab al-mandab strait to djibouti . bab al-mandab is one of the busiest waterways in the world , a thoroughfare for oil tankers and cargo ships . it 's now being crossed by desperate yemenis in rickety fishing boats seeking refuge from the conflict threatening to engulf their country . qassim 's son mohamed describes the families'journey across this part of the red sea as a window into hell . ' the women were violently ill , ' he tells us . it was a catastrophe . ' it took them five hours to cross into the north of djibouti , where the government is providing the refugees with temporary shelter in this unfinished orphanage here in obock . and the u.n. says thousands more refugees are expected . qassim and her family will soon have to move to the plastic tents that have been prepared for them on the dusty outskirts of the town , taking with them only the collection of plastic mats and pots neatly stacked in the corner . it 's all that remains of everything they once owned . her two daughters are trapped back in yemen , in taiz . she has n't been able to reach them and the worry she says is almost unbearable . i ask her how many days it was after the saudi aerial bombardment began that they left . she looks at me and laughs , how many days would you have stayed ? ' then she goes quiet , looking down at the granddaughter in her lap . finally she tells me , i thought she would never be able to stop screaming . that the fear would stay with her forever . ' may god please have mercy on yemen . ' | amina ali qassim 's family sought shelter in a mosque before fleeing yemen |
saudi arabia <tsp> obock , djibouti ( cnn ) amina ali qassim is sitting with her youngest grandchild on her lap , wiping away tears with her headscarf . only a few months old , this is the baby girl whose ears she desperately tried to cover the night the aerial bombardment started . she lay awake , she says , in a village mosque on the yemeni island of birim , counting explosions as the baby cried . it could have been worse though . they could have still been in their house when the first missile landed . our neighbor shouted to my husband'you have to leave , they 're coming .'and we just ran . as soon as we left the house , the first missile fell right by it and then a second on it . it burned everything to the ground , ' qassim tells us . qassim and her family fled birim at first light , piling in with three other families . twenty-five of them squeezed into one boat setting sail through the bab al-mandab strait to djibouti . bab al-mandab is one of the busiest waterways in the world , a thoroughfare for oil tankers and cargo ships . it 's now being crossed by desperate yemenis in rickety fishing boats seeking refuge from the conflict threatening to engulf their country . qassim 's son mohamed describes the families'journey across this part of the red sea as a window into hell . ' the women were violently ill , ' he tells us . it was a catastrophe . ' it took them five hours to cross into the north of djibouti , where the government is providing the refugees with temporary shelter in this unfinished orphanage here in obock . and the u.n. says thousands more refugees are expected . qassim and her family will soon have to move to the plastic tents that have been prepared for them on the dusty outskirts of the town , taking with them only the collection of plastic mats and pots neatly stacked in the corner . it 's all that remains of everything they once owned . her two daughters are trapped back in yemen , in taiz . she has n't been able to reach them and the worry she says is almost unbearable . i ask her how many days it was after the saudi aerial bombardment began that they left . she looks at me and laughs , how many days would you have stayed ? ' then she goes quiet , looking down at the granddaughter in her lap . finally she tells me , i thought she would never be able to stop screaming . that the fear would stay with her forever . ' may god please have mercy on yemen . ' | saudi arabia has been pounding yemen in a bid to defeat houthi rebels |
america <tsp> editor 's note : fareed zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who is the host of fareed zakaria : gps ' on cnn at 1 p.m . et sundays . america will have to fight to attract capital and investment like every other nation , ' says fareed zakaria . new york ( cnn ) -- the crisis in global financial markets will top the agenda as finance ministers from the world 's top industrialized nations and central bank governors meet in washington . in an effort to breathe some life into economies around the world , the federal reserve , in tandem with five other central banks , lowered its key lending rate to 1.5 percent from 2 percent . however , the global financial crisis has sunk its teeth in to the point that analysts say the $ 700 billion bailout plan and coordinated rate cut were merely steps in the right direction , and it will take much more to really get credit moving . cnn spoke to world affairs expert fareed zakaria about the most recent developments . cnn : is the economy as bad as everyone is saying ? zakaria : what is happening now is a deep , wrenching financial crisis unlike any we 've seen since the 1930s . it 's contributing to a broad slowdown of the american economy . the pain is spreading across the world . it 's ugly . but the history of capitalism is filled with credit crises , panics , financial meltdowns and recessions . it does n't mean the end of capitalism . cnn : then why ca n't we just let the free markets resolve the current economic problems without the federal government getting involved ? zakaria : we just ca n't accept the downswings that used to be routine for western countries in the 19th century , when we saw much less intervention by the government . can you imagine the political fallout from 20 percent unemployment or 5 percent growth rates ? the government must experiment with massive interventions in the market to ensure credit starts flowing smoothly again . these interventions have become part and parcel of modern capitalism . cnn : so what should the government do ? zakaria : that is the real question : how to regulate the markets so you get the maximum innovation and growth , but temper their wilder movements ? the government will have to do this by trial and error . no one knows in theory what the perfect system would look like . in the short run , whatever it takes , including buying up mortgages , debt , equities . clearly , america 's financial system needs new , different and better regulations for the 21st century , and this crisis should help produce those . cnn : what does it mean for the united states ? zakaria : people around the world once saw the united states as the most modern , sophisticated and productive economy in the world . now they wonder , was this all a house of cards ? they listened to american policymakers with respect , even awe . today , they wonder if these officials know what they are doing . this loss of credibility will have hard consequences . for decades , the united states has attracted massive amounts of capital -- 80 percent of the surplus savings of the world -- which has allowed it to live beyond its means . that era is drawing to a close . america will have to fight to attract capital and investment like every other nation . cnn : what can we do ? zakaria : we need to wake up and get serious about our challenges . we must address all these issues , and fast -- restore confidence , reform the system , return the country to fiscal sanity . we have the opportunity to remain the pivotal player in a richer , more dynamic , more exciting world . but we have to take a substantial shift in our approach . | zakaria : america 's financial system needs new , different and better regulations |
facebook <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what 's the first foreign policy issue the next u.s. president should tackle after the election ? more than 1,000 aspiring foreign secretaries in 114 countries and territories around the world weighed in on cnn international 's latest facebook survey to give us their answer . vote now on facebook : what should be top u.s. foreign policy task ? the verdict : 45 % of voters said america 's post-arab spring policies should be the top foreign policy priority for either barack obama or mitt romney . this mirrors the week 's biggest story -- violent protests in egypt and libya that resulted in the storming of u.s. diplomatic buildings following the publication on youtube of an amateur film portraying the prophet mohammed in a negative light . more : facebook cnn election insights tool the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi on tuesday led to the death of u.s . ambassador chris stevens , and by friday the protests had spread to at least eight other countries . our facebook survey also reflects lingering worries about the european debt crisis : 21 % of respondents said america 's top task should be to address the crisis that threatens to undermine the euro . nearly one in five ( 18.5 % ) believe sorting out relations with china should be the next president 's first order of business . but just one in 10 people see iranian and north korean nuclear proliferation as the top priority . more : latest updates at cnn 's election center and last but not least , just one in 20 people ( 4.7 % ) chose fighting al qaeda as the number one foreign policy for the u.s. president -- despite the fact al qaeda militants and associates are now fighting for influence from mali to pakistan . last week 's facebook survey ( insert link ) was dominated by men ( 75 % ) , and this week even more so : four out of five ( 80 % ) who cast votes in our foreign policy survey were male . the british cast more than a quarter ( 27 % ) of this week 's votes , followed by the u.s. ( 17 % ) , egypt and the philippines . more : follow @ cnni and @ cnnpolitics to stay in the know and , much like last week , the vast majority ( 62 % ) of voters were aged 18 to 34 . thanks to everyone who took part . did you vote in this week 's facebook survey ? if not , what would you like to vote on next week ? leave us top tips in the comments below . | 45 % on facebook poll say post-arab spring policies should be top task |
facebook <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what 's the first foreign policy issue the next u.s. president should tackle after the election ? more than 1,000 aspiring foreign secretaries in 114 countries and territories around the world weighed in on cnn international 's latest facebook survey to give us their answer . vote now on facebook : what should be top u.s. foreign policy task ? the verdict : 45 % of voters said america 's post-arab spring policies should be the top foreign policy priority for either barack obama or mitt romney . this mirrors the week 's biggest story -- violent protests in egypt and libya that resulted in the storming of u.s. diplomatic buildings following the publication on youtube of an amateur film portraying the prophet mohammed in a negative light . more : facebook cnn election insights tool the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi on tuesday led to the death of u.s . ambassador chris stevens , and by friday the protests had spread to at least eight other countries . our facebook survey also reflects lingering worries about the european debt crisis : 21 % of respondents said america 's top task should be to address the crisis that threatens to undermine the euro . nearly one in five ( 18.5 % ) believe sorting out relations with china should be the next president 's first order of business . but just one in 10 people see iranian and north korean nuclear proliferation as the top priority . more : latest updates at cnn 's election center and last but not least , just one in 20 people ( 4.7 % ) chose fighting al qaeda as the number one foreign policy for the u.s. president -- despite the fact al qaeda militants and associates are now fighting for influence from mali to pakistan . last week 's facebook survey ( insert link ) was dominated by men ( 75 % ) , and this week even more so : four out of five ( 80 % ) who cast votes in our foreign policy survey were male . the british cast more than a quarter ( 27 % ) of this week 's votes , followed by the u.s. ( 17 % ) , egypt and the philippines . more : follow @ cnni and @ cnnpolitics to stay in the know and , much like last week , the vast majority ( 62 % ) of voters were aged 18 to 34 . thanks to everyone who took part . did you vote in this week 's facebook survey ? if not , what would you like to vote on next week ? leave us top tips in the comments below . | uk , u.s. and egypt are top three participating countries in facebook survey |
hague <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an international court in the netherlands ruled thursday to uphold the 50-year sentence handed down last year to liberia 's former president , charles taylor , after he was convicted of aiding war crimes in neighboring sierra leone . the ruling by the appeals judges in the united nations-backed special court for sierra leone in the hague brings to an end a lengthy legal battle . taylor , 65 , was found guilty last year of supplying and encouraging rebels in sierra leone in a campaign of terror , involving murder , rape , sexual slavery , looting and the conscription of children younger than 15 . he was also convicted of using sierra leone 's diamond deposits to help fuel its civil war with arms and guns while enriching himself with what have commonly come to be known as blood diamonds . ' both the defense and prosecution lodged appeals after the court convicted the former president of all 11 counts against him , following a trial lasting nearly four years . taylor 's defense appealed the court 's judgment and sentence on multiple grounds , arguing that the trial chamber had made mistakes in evaluating the evidence and in applying the law . but the appeals judges rejected those arguments , saying that the trial chamber had thoroughly evaluated the evidence for its credibility and reliability , ' and that its assessment of taylor 's criminal responsibility and liability was in accordance with international laws . the appeals judges also dismissed defense claims that taylor was not given a fair trial . the defense also argued that the 50-year sentence handed down was manifestly unreasonable , ' while the prosecution had argued that it should be increased to 80 years to adequately reflect the gravity of his crimes . the appeals judges dismissed both claims , saying the sentence was fair and reasonable . rights group amnesty international welcomed the ruling , saying it sent a clear message to leaders around the world . the court 's landmark ruling underlines that no one is above the law , ' said stephanie barbour , head of amnesty international 's centre for international justice in the hague . the conviction of those responsible for crimes committed during sierra leone 's conflict has brought some measure of justice for the tens of thousands of victims . the conviction of charles taylor must pave the way for further prosecutions . ' role in atrocities taylor was the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes since the nuremberg trials that followed world war ii . the trial chamber heard that rebels from the revolutionary united front , which the former president backed , committed horrendous crimes against sierra leone civilians , including children . some were enslaved to mine the diamonds used to fund the rebels'fight . the presiding trial judge described taylor as responsible for aiding and abetting as well as planning some of the most heinous and brutal crimes recorded in human history . ' but taylor said during his sentencing hearing in may 2012 that his role in the conflict was much different than represented . i pushed the peace process hard , contrary to how i have been portrayed in this court , ' he said . a pivotal figure in liberian politics for decades , he became president in 1997 and was forced out of office under international pressure in 2003 . he fled to nigeria , where border guards arrested him three years later as he was attempting to cross into chad . the united nations and the sierra leone government jointly set up the special tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities . the court was moved to the netherlands from sierra leone , where emotions about the civil war still run high . opinion : do war crimes trials really help victims ? cnn 's david mckenzie contributed to this report . | court in the hague upholds charles taylor 's conviction and 50-year sentence |
la pirogue <tsp> the glitz of cannes on the french riviera is a world removed from the hellish conditions endured by the hundreds of illegal immigrants smuggled from africa to europe every year . but senegalese director moussa toure is confronting attendees of the world 's leading film festival with their story of desperation in la pirogue , ' his first feature film in 14 years . la pirogue ' -- a pirogue being a type of flat-bottomed boat commonly used for fishing in west africa -- tells the story of baye laye , a boat captain who hails from a fishing village outside dakar . it follows his ordeal after he agrees to take a pirogue containing 30 men to spain 's canary islands in search of a better life in europe . toure said the film was inspired by the fact that , in his experience , virtually every senegalese family had a member who had left by boat for europe . it 's an everyday reality in my country , ' he told cnn , in french . in dakar , young people attempt these journeys practically every day because they have no hope for their future in senegal . they are often educated young people with qualifications , and they pay a lot of money to be smuggled out of the country , because they have no choice . ' according to unhcr figures , there were 5443 irregular arrivals ' from north and west africa by sea in spain in 2011 -- down from 32,000 in 2006 . with the vessels poorly equipped for the arduous journeys of hundreds of kilometers , fatalities are commonplace . when toure discovered his young mechanic was among those who had made the voyage , lasting two months in europe before being discovered by authorities and sent home , the director pressed him for his experiences , which subsequently informed the film . see also : beat goes on for senegal 's octogenarian star the film was shot over two months in senegal . many of the actors , just like their characters , could not swim , making for some tense moments , said toure . we had dangerous moments because we were filming at the mouth of the saloum river and this is where it meets the sea . i was secretly terrified that we would capsize like often happens in real life . i was especially scared for those ( the actors ) who could not swim . ' moussa , a former electrician who shot his first short film in 1987 , has been focusing on documentaries for the past decade . working on la pirogue , ' his third feature , was deeply affecting , he said , and the result had made his wife cry like i 've never seen her cry before ' . the film , a french-senegalese co-production , is one of 20 films selected for the un certain regard ' ( a particular outlook ) section of the festival , designated for original and innovative movies seeking international recognition . see also : african big cats caught on film toure 's film is the only sub-saharan african movie in competition this year , but african films -- particularly those from senegal and burkina faso -- have fared well at the festival , especially over the past decade . in 2008 , the french-liberian co-production johnny mad dog ' won the prize of hope at the festival , for its depiction of child soldiers at the end of the second liberian civil war . it was based on the novel johnny chien mechant ' by congolese author emmanuel dongala . in 2005 , delwende , ' directed by burkina faso 's s. pierre yameogo , won the same prize when it was screened . it told the story of a woman accused of being a soul eater ' and subjected to trial by a council of elders after a child died in her village . the year previous , moolaade , ' by the late senegalese writer and director ousmane sembene won the prix un certain regard , ' while in 1990 , burkina faso 's idrissa ouedraogo won the jury grand prize for his film tilai . ' african cinema also has a strong presence at cannes with south african and nigerian delegations at the festival 's film market . their attendance is intended to showcase both countries'film industries and the investment opportunities they represent . nigeria boasts one of the world 's biggest film industries -- affectionately known as nollywood ' -- alongside hollywood and bombay 's bollywood . ' see also : nollywood 's julia roberts most of its output consists of pacey and vibrant video-format b-movies , which have immense popularity across the continent despite their shoe-string budgets . but recently a new generation of filmmakers has been seeking to elevate the industry through a movement they call new nigeria cinema , ' involving stronger story lines , higher production values and a more authentic depiction of african experience . toure is no stranger to film festivals ; last year he was president of the documentary film jury at africa 's largest film festival , fespaco ( the pan-african film festival of ouagadougou , in burkina faso ) . he said he was optimistic about the future of african cinema . i think there are great stories coming out of africa and there are many people who are talented . those who govern us do not get involved and leave cinema at the mercy of filmmakers , ' he said . follow the inside africa team on twitter : @ cnninsideafrica , presenter errol barnett : @ errolcnn , online producer : @ stephaniebusari , writer : @ tim_hume | senegalese film la pirogue ' is the only film from sub-saharan africa selected for cannes |
chinese <tsp> ( cnn ) a chinese newspaper has come under fire for taking photos of the body of yao beina , a popular singer , at a hospital morgue after her death from breast cancer . the shenzhen evening news issued an apology on sunday on their official sina weibo account , a widely used chinese social media site , confirming the incident . we sincerely apologize for the disturbance and discomfort we have caused to yao 's family , fans and netizens , ' the statement read . the newspaper admitted to taking photos of the 33-year-old 's body during a cornea removal surgery in a operating room after her death on friday evening at a shenzhen hospital . she had agreed to donate her corneas after her death . according to the statement , the photos were deleted immediately after family members objected . yao is a pop star known for singing the chinese version of let it go ' from disney 's blockbuster ' frozen . ' she first rose to fame in china 's hit reality television singing competition , the voice ' , in 2013 . allegations of the incident surfaced on social media a day after the news of the 33-year-old 's death broke . a widely shared post on weibo under the user name entertainment whistleblower ' said that three journalists from the shenzhen evening news pretended to be medical staff assisting in the surgery , and sneaked into the morgue to take photographs of the deceased singer 's body . the statement from the newspaper did not say how many journalists were involved or detail exactly how the photos were obtained . cnn contacted the hospital about the allegations , but they had no comment on the incident . the allegations unleashed a storm of criticism about media ethics on social media . where is your humanity ? ' commented one weibo user , referring to the newspaper . a simple apology online and that 's all you 're going to do about an incident that seriously oversteps ethical borders ? ' said another . cnn 's intern sherry ju contributed to this report . | a chinese newspaper has come under fire for taking photos of the body of yao beina , a popular singer , after her death |
yoshimasa hayashi <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- japan will never stop its annual hunt for whales , a government minister has reportedly said , amid recent clashes on the high seas between environmental activists and japanese whaling ships . i do n't think there will be any kind of an end for whaling by japan , ' yoshimasa hayashi , the japanese minister for agriculture , forestry and fisheries , said in an interview with the french news service agence france-presse on tuesday . his comments came after a u.s. judge described sea shepherd , the conservationist group that has sought to physically block the japanese whale hunts , as pirates . ' arguing that japan has a long tradition and culture of whaling , ' hayashi , the secretary-general of a pro-whaling group in the governing liberal democratic party , pointed out other countries'eating habits that may not have universal approval . in some countries they eat dogs , like korea . in australia they eat kangaroos , ' he was cited as saying . we do n't eat those animals , but we do n't stop them from doing that because we understand that 's their culture . ' the japanese ministry of agriculture , forestry and fisheries confirmed that hayashi gave the interview to afp on tuesday , but it declined to comment on the content of the article . recent clashes the interview took place the same week that sea shepherd and japanese whaling authorities reported fresh clashes in antarctic waters , with each side accusing the other of causing dangerous collisions between ships . japan 's institute of cetacean research ( icr ) -- which conducts whaling activities under the authority of the ministry of agriculture , forestry and fisheries -- accused sea shepherd ships of sabotage , ' saying they rammed into a japanese whaling vessel while it was trying to refuel on monday . but sea shepherd 's australian division countered with a different version of events , saying that the japanese ship had caused the collisions . no injuries were reported . the two sides had exchanged angry claims about a previous clash last week , all part of drama that plays out each year in the chilly antarctic waters . japan annually hunts whales despite a worldwide moratorium , utilizing a loophole in the law that allows for killing the mammals for scientific research . whale meat is commonly available for consumption in japan . environmental groups such as sea shepherd face off with the japanese hunters , an approach that has resulted in collisions of ships , the detaining of activists and smoke bombs fired back and forth between the groups . legal battles sea shepherd says the japanese ships have intruded into australian territorial waters and breached international and australian law . the australian government has been one of the most vocal critics of japanese whaling and is currently pursuing international legal action to try to stop the hunting . but the icr says its ships'activities are perfectly legal , noting that a u.s. court has banned sea shepherd from threatening whaling ships'operations or sailing within 500 yards of them . a u.s. judge in seattle used strong words in a ruling monday that overturned a previous decision from a district court that had denied an injunction requested by the icr and its claims of piracy against portland-based sea shepherd . you do n't need a peg leg or an eye patch , ' chief judge alex kozinski of the ninth circuit u.s. court of appeals said in his opinion . when you ram ships ; hurl glass containers of acid ; drag metal-reinforced ropes in the water to damage propellers and rudders ; launch smoke bombs and flares with hooks ; and point high-powered lasers at other ships , you are , without a doubt , a pirate , no matter how high-minded you believe your purpose to be , ' the judge said . all of those acts , according to kozinski , are part of sea shepherd 's tactics . he said the icr has a permit issued by japan under the international convention for the regulation of whaling and noted that neither the united states nor japan recognizes australia 's jurisdiction over any portion of the southern ocean . ' cnn 's yoko wakatsuki in tokyo contributed to this report . | yoshimasa hayashi cites japan 's long tradition and culture of whaling ' |
olafur stefansson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- even if olafur stefansson dressed up as santa claus this christmas , he would still have one of the most recognizable faces in iceland . he may not rival bjork when it comes to fame on the international stage but , just like the singing icon , he is a big name in iceland 's popular culture . stefansson is a handball hero -- and handball is the second-most popular sport in iceland after soccer . when the iceland men 's team matches are televised , a whopping 80 % of the nordic island 's population of 322,000 tunes in . with that kind of coverage alone , it 's no wonder stefansson is a household name , but that 's not all . an olympic silver medalist and four times voted iceland 's sports personality of the year , at his peak he was rated as one of the best players in the global game . after more than 20 years at the top , stefansson retired in 2013 and is now handing down his knowledge to the next generation of icelandic handball hopefuls . the 40-year-old has come home to the capital city of reykjavik to coach a group of young athletes at the valur club , where his own career began . it 's full circle , ' ponders stefansson , who now distinguishes himself from the players buzzing around him by donning a fluorescent coaching bib and yellow whistle . it 's one thing being a player and another being a coach . as a player , if i was not in the mood i could just do my thing 100 % , did n't have to relate to the guys or anything . as a coach you do n't have that option . you have to vibrate , you have to be happier than those guys , you have to show passion , show urgency , show that you believe in what you 're doing . it 's a great thing -- it takes you further as a person . ' stefansson , who represented iceland in 330 matches , wants to ingrain a similar understanding of going beyond the boundaries to his valur charges . the wooden floors of the handball court spring with a squeak as the players move through the technical drills and handball skills that stefansson describes as a player 's arsenal , but he is trying to teach them something more esoteric . what i 'm focusing on -- and what is usually the most neglected factor in all team sports -- is the sense of the game , ' he told cnn 's human to hero series . you have to decide in split seconds between maybe five possibilities , and so you have to choose the best one . if you have this skill , then you have everything . ' this sixth sense on the court only comes through learned experience . like most children in iceland , stefansson started playing handball at school , but even then he had his own spin on the game . me and my best friend , we just put our socks together and made a ball out of it , ' he explained . one of us stood in the doorway -- and that was the goal -- while the other one tried to score . ' stefansson squeezed in as much practice as he could , counting down his remaining time to play with the chimes of the bells from the church next door to his school . but it was while at university that he made the switch from a vocational career in medicine to becoming a full-time student of the game . the national team was really strong in iceland and they needed a left-handed player , ' stefansson explained . so , i took it on . the best thing that happened to me was that i did n't get through medicine the first time , so i had all spring to train like a professional . that happened twice -- those were the best springs of my life ! then i studied philosophy , just went on some courses and trained for handball like never before . after that , i got offers to play abroad . met some good characters , met some bad , but from everybody i learned something . ' stefansson 's international career took him to european and world championships as well as three olympic games . he also spent 17 years on the road as a peripatetic player for leading clubs in denmark , germany , spain and , most recently , qatar . along the way , he amassed a series of domestic and five european club titles but each destination also provided new opportunities to learn . he described his six months living in qatar , as the first international player to stay in the arab state on a long-term deal , as a great time . ' there were some restrictions . great extremes between rich and poor , but they are great people , ' he said . i also picked up the language . i had to drive an hour every day to training so i had ( a cd ) of arabic in my ears . ' there was also an enduring lesson to be learned at his debut olympic games in athens , where the icelandic men 's team failed to get out of the initial group stages . we did n't have much chance , ' stefansson recalled . but i took it all the way , i dreamed about the medal , i wrote down before and after games things that i should have done better . we finished ninth but in having done that , i had all those sketches in diaries . when i came back four years later i knew what i had done wrong and what not . ' in 2008 , stefansson was captain of iceland for the beijing olympics and he led the team to a brilliant silver medal . france snatched gold by six points in the final . we won the silver so that was great , ' he said . then in london i wanted to take it even further , so probably a month after winning the silver i started thinking about gold . ' iceland arguably had a stronger team at the 2012 london olympics but , after tuning up with bronze at the european championships in 2010 , stefansson 's men lost to hungary by an agonizing single point in the quarterfinals . the man they nickname the falcon ' retired from the international game in june 2013 , but in looking back at his career it was those lessons learned in beijing that he draws on the most . the silver medal was good , ' stefansson reflected . but the classic saying is that it 's a road not a destination . what i enjoy about handball is this forgetfulness that you get in the game ; you just forget yourself , your worries . now i 'm just trying to wake up happy every day , do some good stuff , be joyful , and affect others in a good way . when i achieve those states -- that would be my greatest achievement . ' for now , the next part of that journey begins where it all began , with the hopeful handball players at valur . it 's my second home , ' smiles stefansson , surveying the scene . a place full of lights , you know , and full of warmth . ' | olafur stefansson is regarded as iceland 's most famous handball player |
bapu <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a hindu holy man castrated himself in india wednesday following the arrest of popular preacher asaram bapu , revered by millions across the country for his sermons on enlightenment . police have charged the 72-year old guru with raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl at one of his ashrams , or religious centers , in august . authorities in the northern indian state of uttar pradesh found baba premdas , a 60-year old follower of bapu , bleeding at his home in amethi from apparently self-inflicted wounds , city police chief alankrita singh told cnn . premdas was admitted to a local hospital and then taken to a bigger health facility for surgery where his condition is stable ' , said singh . asked whether his act was related to the arrest of asaram bapu , singh added , we have heard such things , but all this is unconfirmed . ' some say it was because of bapu 's arrest , ' said singh to afp earlier , some say it was because he feared ending up in bapu 's situation . no one knows . ' bapu has denied the sexual assault allegations leveled by the teenage girl and her parents , both devotees of the guru . the elderly preacher has also claimed he is physically incapable of rape but police say medical tests show him to be in good shape . the team of doctors is saying he is perfectly , medically , mentally and physically fit , ' said ajayal lamba , deputy commissioner of police in jodhpur . bapu , also referred to as the godman ' in local indian media , is currently in jail awaiting trial after a court rejected his bail plea earlier this week , public prosecutor anand purohit told cnn . the prosecution plans to present a detailed dossier of the charges in the trial soon , he said . this month 's unfolding rape case against bapu is just the latest in a series of sexual assault incidents in india since late 2012 that have gained high-profile attention both for their frequency and ferocity . it was the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in new delhi last december that galvanized indian society and the media in particular , to examine the pervasive incidence of rape and other forms of violence against women . the barbarity of the crime ignited a wide-ranging discussion across all levels of the indian media and prompted multiple debates in the national and regional assemblies . stung into action by public outrage , the government instituted new laws and crucially stricter punishments , which includes the death penalty when victims are killed or left in a vegetative state . furthermore in a sharp departure with previous practice , predatory behavior such as voyeurism , stalking and groping can now lead to arrest and punishment . india 's court system is now making greater use of fast-track trials to prosecute the most heinous and high-profile crimes against women . local and national media have maintained their spotlight on sexual assaults and other violence against women , leading to a torrent of disturbing reports following last december 's horrific rape incident . in march , at least five men from a local tribe gang-raped a swiss woman camping with her husband in a forest in india 's datia district . a court convicted six men to life in prison four months later . in april , a 4-year-old indian girl was raped by a 35-year-old man in india 's central maharashtra state . the girl suffered brain damage and was in a coma for two weeks before dying from cardiac arrest . and in june , at least three men gang-raped a 31-year-old american tourist in northern india after she visited the vashishth temple after midnight . she accepted a ride from the group after failing to find a taxi . they drove her to a wooded area where they assaulted her . while such incidents have been covered extensively by international news media , an even larger number of cases are only reported in domestic indian news outlets -- and an unknown number simply go unreported . just this week in local media , the times of india reported two men gang-raped a 27-year-old woman who had gone to a local dairy in northern uttar pradesh state , the hindustan times reported at least six to seven girls were lured to and raped at a deserted steel mill south of mumbai over the past half year , and the indian express reported the story of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by two people over several months in western gujarat state . villagers discovered the girl was pregnant but later miscarried twin babies . according to india 's national crime records bureau , the country recorded 24,923 cases of reported rape in 2012 -- a 57 % rise in reported cases since 2003 . this number is widely considered to be extremely underreported for a country of more than 1 billion people . the united states , with a population of more than 310 million , recorded 270,000 cases of rape in 2010 , the most recent year for which national rape statistics are available . cnn 's harmeet singh and lonzo cook contributed to this article from new delhi . | bapu follower , baba premdas , castrates self , found bleeding in home |
bapu <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a hindu holy man castrated himself in india wednesday following the arrest of popular preacher asaram bapu , revered by millions across the country for his sermons on enlightenment . police have charged the 72-year old guru with raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl at one of his ashrams , or religious centers , in august . authorities in the northern indian state of uttar pradesh found baba premdas , a 60-year old follower of bapu , bleeding at his home in amethi from apparently self-inflicted wounds , city police chief alankrita singh told cnn . premdas was admitted to a local hospital and then taken to a bigger health facility for surgery where his condition is stable ' , said singh . asked whether his act was related to the arrest of asaram bapu , singh added , we have heard such things , but all this is unconfirmed . ' some say it was because of bapu 's arrest , ' said singh to afp earlier , some say it was because he feared ending up in bapu 's situation . no one knows . ' bapu has denied the sexual assault allegations leveled by the teenage girl and her parents , both devotees of the guru . the elderly preacher has also claimed he is physically incapable of rape but police say medical tests show him to be in good shape . the team of doctors is saying he is perfectly , medically , mentally and physically fit , ' said ajayal lamba , deputy commissioner of police in jodhpur . bapu , also referred to as the godman ' in local indian media , is currently in jail awaiting trial after a court rejected his bail plea earlier this week , public prosecutor anand purohit told cnn . the prosecution plans to present a detailed dossier of the charges in the trial soon , he said . this month 's unfolding rape case against bapu is just the latest in a series of sexual assault incidents in india since late 2012 that have gained high-profile attention both for their frequency and ferocity . it was the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in new delhi last december that galvanized indian society and the media in particular , to examine the pervasive incidence of rape and other forms of violence against women . the barbarity of the crime ignited a wide-ranging discussion across all levels of the indian media and prompted multiple debates in the national and regional assemblies . stung into action by public outrage , the government instituted new laws and crucially stricter punishments , which includes the death penalty when victims are killed or left in a vegetative state . furthermore in a sharp departure with previous practice , predatory behavior such as voyeurism , stalking and groping can now lead to arrest and punishment . india 's court system is now making greater use of fast-track trials to prosecute the most heinous and high-profile crimes against women . local and national media have maintained their spotlight on sexual assaults and other violence against women , leading to a torrent of disturbing reports following last december 's horrific rape incident . in march , at least five men from a local tribe gang-raped a swiss woman camping with her husband in a forest in india 's datia district . a court convicted six men to life in prison four months later . in april , a 4-year-old indian girl was raped by a 35-year-old man in india 's central maharashtra state . the girl suffered brain damage and was in a coma for two weeks before dying from cardiac arrest . and in june , at least three men gang-raped a 31-year-old american tourist in northern india after she visited the vashishth temple after midnight . she accepted a ride from the group after failing to find a taxi . they drove her to a wooded area where they assaulted her . while such incidents have been covered extensively by international news media , an even larger number of cases are only reported in domestic indian news outlets -- and an unknown number simply go unreported . just this week in local media , the times of india reported two men gang-raped a 27-year-old woman who had gone to a local dairy in northern uttar pradesh state , the hindustan times reported at least six to seven girls were lured to and raped at a deserted steel mill south of mumbai over the past half year , and the indian express reported the story of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by two people over several months in western gujarat state . villagers discovered the girl was pregnant but later miscarried twin babies . according to india 's national crime records bureau , the country recorded 24,923 cases of reported rape in 2012 -- a 57 % rise in reported cases since 2003 . this number is widely considered to be extremely underreported for a country of more than 1 billion people . the united states , with a population of more than 310 million , recorded 270,000 cases of rape in 2010 , the most recent year for which national rape statistics are available . cnn 's harmeet singh and lonzo cook contributed to this article from new delhi . | bapu has denied all sexual assault allegations |
bapu <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a hindu holy man castrated himself in india wednesday following the arrest of popular preacher asaram bapu , revered by millions across the country for his sermons on enlightenment . police have charged the 72-year old guru with raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl at one of his ashrams , or religious centers , in august . authorities in the northern indian state of uttar pradesh found baba premdas , a 60-year old follower of bapu , bleeding at his home in amethi from apparently self-inflicted wounds , city police chief alankrita singh told cnn . premdas was admitted to a local hospital and then taken to a bigger health facility for surgery where his condition is stable ' , said singh . asked whether his act was related to the arrest of asaram bapu , singh added , we have heard such things , but all this is unconfirmed . ' some say it was because of bapu 's arrest , ' said singh to afp earlier , some say it was because he feared ending up in bapu 's situation . no one knows . ' bapu has denied the sexual assault allegations leveled by the teenage girl and her parents , both devotees of the guru . the elderly preacher has also claimed he is physically incapable of rape but police say medical tests show him to be in good shape . the team of doctors is saying he is perfectly , medically , mentally and physically fit , ' said ajayal lamba , deputy commissioner of police in jodhpur . bapu , also referred to as the godman ' in local indian media , is currently in jail awaiting trial after a court rejected his bail plea earlier this week , public prosecutor anand purohit told cnn . the prosecution plans to present a detailed dossier of the charges in the trial soon , he said . this month 's unfolding rape case against bapu is just the latest in a series of sexual assault incidents in india since late 2012 that have gained high-profile attention both for their frequency and ferocity . it was the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in new delhi last december that galvanized indian society and the media in particular , to examine the pervasive incidence of rape and other forms of violence against women . the barbarity of the crime ignited a wide-ranging discussion across all levels of the indian media and prompted multiple debates in the national and regional assemblies . stung into action by public outrage , the government instituted new laws and crucially stricter punishments , which includes the death penalty when victims are killed or left in a vegetative state . furthermore in a sharp departure with previous practice , predatory behavior such as voyeurism , stalking and groping can now lead to arrest and punishment . india 's court system is now making greater use of fast-track trials to prosecute the most heinous and high-profile crimes against women . local and national media have maintained their spotlight on sexual assaults and other violence against women , leading to a torrent of disturbing reports following last december 's horrific rape incident . in march , at least five men from a local tribe gang-raped a swiss woman camping with her husband in a forest in india 's datia district . a court convicted six men to life in prison four months later . in april , a 4-year-old indian girl was raped by a 35-year-old man in india 's central maharashtra state . the girl suffered brain damage and was in a coma for two weeks before dying from cardiac arrest . and in june , at least three men gang-raped a 31-year-old american tourist in northern india after she visited the vashishth temple after midnight . she accepted a ride from the group after failing to find a taxi . they drove her to a wooded area where they assaulted her . while such incidents have been covered extensively by international news media , an even larger number of cases are only reported in domestic indian news outlets -- and an unknown number simply go unreported . just this week in local media , the times of india reported two men gang-raped a 27-year-old woman who had gone to a local dairy in northern uttar pradesh state , the hindustan times reported at least six to seven girls were lured to and raped at a deserted steel mill south of mumbai over the past half year , and the indian express reported the story of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by two people over several months in western gujarat state . villagers discovered the girl was pregnant but later miscarried twin babies . according to india 's national crime records bureau , the country recorded 24,923 cases of reported rape in 2012 -- a 57 % rise in reported cases since 2003 . this number is widely considered to be extremely underreported for a country of more than 1 billion people . the united states , with a population of more than 310 million , recorded 270,000 cases of rape in 2010 , the most recent year for which national rape statistics are available . cnn 's harmeet singh and lonzo cook contributed to this article from new delhi . | indian guru asaram bapu , 72 , charged with raping 16-year-old school girl |
miami <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he earns millions of dollars every year , but basketball star lebron james wants investors to splash out up to $ 500,000 each to sponsor his lavish 26th birthday celebrations . the miami heat player has hired a marketing firm to find backers willing to help fund his december 30 party , dubbed the full court birthday celebration . ' james , who earned a reported $ 14.5 million in salary this year , enlisted sa global plus -- whose website shows slides from a presentation given to potential investors . the sponsorship opportunities range from $ 10,000 for a single event on his 11-stop lebron james dinner party tour ' to $ 500,000 for a season package . next week 's a-list party will take place at the coco de ville lounge in miami beach 's gansevoort hotel , and the presentation promises an array of stars including athletes , musicians and political figures who reinvent and set the tone for a chic lifestyle . ' the celebrity bash is royal themed fitting for a birthday celebration of a king , channeling an ambience of extravagant court life . ' click here to see sa global plus'12-slide presentation potential sponsors will have further chances to catch a glimpse of the self-styled king ' as his celebrations -- which started in new york this month -- keep going until the final date in atlanta on april 10 . but for someone who pays so much attention to the finer details , his name is spelled lebron ' throughout the presentation -- at odds with his own website 's preference . it is not the first time the former cleveland cavaliers guard , who calls himself king james ' on his twitter account , has attracted attention away from the basketball court . the six-time nba all-star ended months of speculation about his future in july , when he announced he would be joining the heat on a live television special called the decision . ' the broadcast , which led to james becoming a pariah among cavaliers fans , attracted a reported 10 million viewers . the heat will take on two-time defending nba champions the lakers in los angeles in saturday 's high-profile christmas clash . | the miami bash will boast a-list celebrities according to marketing firm he hired |
miami <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he earns millions of dollars every year , but basketball star lebron james wants investors to splash out up to $ 500,000 each to sponsor his lavish 26th birthday celebrations . the miami heat player has hired a marketing firm to find backers willing to help fund his december 30 party , dubbed the full court birthday celebration . ' james , who earned a reported $ 14.5 million in salary this year , enlisted sa global plus -- whose website shows slides from a presentation given to potential investors . the sponsorship opportunities range from $ 10,000 for a single event on his 11-stop lebron james dinner party tour ' to $ 500,000 for a season package . next week 's a-list party will take place at the coco de ville lounge in miami beach 's gansevoort hotel , and the presentation promises an array of stars including athletes , musicians and political figures who reinvent and set the tone for a chic lifestyle . ' the celebrity bash is royal themed fitting for a birthday celebration of a king , channeling an ambience of extravagant court life . ' click here to see sa global plus'12-slide presentation potential sponsors will have further chances to catch a glimpse of the self-styled king ' as his celebrations -- which started in new york this month -- keep going until the final date in atlanta on april 10 . but for someone who pays so much attention to the finer details , his name is spelled lebron ' throughout the presentation -- at odds with his own website 's preference . it is not the first time the former cleveland cavaliers guard , who calls himself king james ' on his twitter account , has attracted attention away from the basketball court . the six-time nba all-star ended months of speculation about his future in july , when he announced he would be joining the heat on a live television special called the decision . ' the broadcast , which led to james becoming a pariah among cavaliers fans , attracted a reported 10 million viewers . the heat will take on two-time defending nba champions the lakers in los angeles in saturday 's high-profile christmas clash . | miami heat 's lebron james is looking for sponsors for his 26th birthday party |
kobe bryant <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 1992 barcelona olympics mark the first games in which team usa included nba athletes . it was called the dream team . ' the dream team comprised a coterie of nba legends , including magic johnson , larry bird , charles barkley , john stockton , and of course , his airness ' michael jordan . its claim to the title of best basketball team ever has remained virtually unchallenged for two decades . that is , until last week , when lakers guard kobe bryant suggested this year 's olympic team , featuring himself along with nba superstars lebron james and kevin durant , could beat the heralded dream team . suffice it to say , bryant 's assertion shook up the sports world . the vigorous responses on espn , talk radio and in cyberspace are fierce rebukes directed at the five-time champion for declaring what many commentators , bloggers and pundits deem blasphemous . michael jordan laughed when recalling bryant 's statement , telling reporters that his dream team was too smart and too good to lose to this current contingent of nba youngsters . similarly , charles barkley chided bryant , arguing that kevin , lebron and kobe are the only team usa players good enough to have made the 1992 dream team roster . the general consensus appears to side with jordan and barkley . in informal online polls , an overwhelming majority of the public favored the dream team over our current olympic team in a hypothetical matchup . judging by the polls , pundits and prognostications on the issue , few seem to be taking kobe 's sacrilege seriously . but i do . in fact , i believe kobe bryant 's team would not only win , but also win comfortably . what makes this social scientist so sure ? there is a general principle within elite performance systems , including everything from scripps national spelling bee championships to world-class modern dance companies , scientific research communities and professional sports . in competitive systems that offer participants great incentives , peak levels of performance progressively elevate . hln : kobe 's right : better dream team ...'92 or'12 ? simply put , spelling bee finalists , elite dancers , noted scientists , and superstar athletes get better and better over time . for example , alvin ailey , the founder of the prestigious alvin ailey american dance theater , and judith jamison , the dancing legend who elevated the company to world-class status , would not have been strong and athletic enough to secure spots in the same company if transported a few decades into the future while still in their primes . as decades passed , the physicality of the dancers in their company progressed far beyond ailey 's and jamison 's capabilities . the sports world is no different from the elite world of modern dance in that a whole lot can happen in just a few decades . sports science advances , training regiments improve , coaching schemes gain sophistication , conditioning capabilities increase and practice procedures progress . as a result of these cumulative advances , athletes become bigger , stronger , faster and better . in 1972 , mark spitz was the greatest swimmer in the world , winning seven gold medals in the munich olympics . but 20 years later , all of spitz 's record times were not just broken , but shattered . in fact , 1992 medalist matt biondi 's best time in the 100-meters freestyle ( long course ) was almost three seconds faster than spitz 's 1972 mark of 51.2 seconds , a world of difference in the event . biondi 's record was broken by cã©sar cielo from brazil , who holds the long-course record with a time of 46.91 seconds . in figure skating , a quadruple jump , or toe loop , was inconceivable in the 1970s . by the 1988 world championships , canada 's kurt browning landed the first valid quad toe loop . twenty years after browning 's pioneer landing , the difficult move is part of the repertoires of most male olympic figure skaters . today 's swimmers , sprinters , pole vaulters , shot putters , divers and long-jumpers are considerably better than their 1992 predecessors . few , if any , athletic records last more than a decade before better athletes break them , and then in the next decade shatter them as a new breed of competitor emerges . some records appear unbreakable in certain sports , but the progression in ability can explain why . transport steffi graf from the 1990s into today 's tennis circuit . could her startling feat of maintaining world no . 1 ranking for 377 weeks happen today , when many more women detonate blistering service games , discharge powerful forehands and display dazzling speed and footwork ? to put this into perspective , graf 's fastest serve was 112 mph . venus williams'fastest serve is 127 mph . similarly , transport joe dimaggio a few decades into the future and his record 56-game hitting streak would have to be accomplished pitted against better defenses , fresh relief pitchers at the end of games , harder fastballs , slicker sliders and increased baseball knowledge . the possibility that graf and dimaggio 's records may never be broken only speaks to how much competition in tennis and baseball has strengthened . although swimmers and sprinters face no resistance beyond water and air , peak-performance feats in other sports must face strong defenses , which only improve as each sport gains sophistication . wilt chamberlain scoring 100 points in the era of bill russell is different from chamberlain having a 100-point game in the era of patrick ewing , david robinson and shaquille o'neal . today 's nfl safeties , linebackers and defensive ends are undoubtedly faster and stronger than their 1992 counterparts . football 's all-time leading wide-receiver jerry rice would struggle to get open for a pass when running routes against today 's speedy cornerbacks , just as few nfl teams would draft joe namath and roger staubach if the two hall of fame quarterbacks were transported into the 1990s while in their primes . transport any nba legend 20 years into the future and he would have to compete against a new breed of athlete . which means we can presume that : walt clyde ' frazier , willis reed and phil jackson , players on the 1973 knicks championship team , would be too slow in their positions to help any nba team win a championship in 1993 . john havlicek would not steal the ball in game 7 of the 1985 eastern conference championship like he did in 1965 because he is comfortably seated on the bench . oscar robertson in the 1960s is an indomitable force ; the same oscar robertson in the 1980s would be a serviceable journeyman . magic johnson in his prime would be too slow to play point guard in today 's locomotive landscape , just as larry bird would be too slow to guard any of today 's elite small forwards . can you imagine magic chasing after team usa 's speedy guard russell westbrook , or bird trying to contain carmelo anthony ? it would n't be pretty . so there you have it . the new breed trumps the old . today 's scripps national spelling bee winner would crush the 1992 winner in a spell-off . today 's alvin ailey dancers dance like superhumans compared with 1992 ailey . even today 's competitive eaters vaporize hot dogs far faster than yesteryear 's carnivores . this year , joey chestnut downed 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes , crushing takeru kobayashi 's 2002 mark by almost 20 dogs , and two minutes faster at that . transport this year 's team usa back to 1992 and the heralded dream team loses to kobe 's kinetic crew by a wide margin . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of shayne lee . | kobe bryant suggests the 2012 olympic basketball team would beat 1992 's dream team |
mong kok <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- after jarring clashes between pro-democracy protesters and opponents in hong kong 's densely populated mong kok district friday , student leaders called off talks with the government , accusing police of allowing the violence to happen . the path of conversation should be put aside now . the government is not honoring its promise and it should be held accountable first , ' the hong kong federation of students said in a statement . pro-democracy activists accuse beijing of exerting too much influence on hong kong and are demanding the right to directly choose candidates for elected office -- rather than the newly instituted policy giving the central government veto power over eligible candidates -- and other reforms . students had hoped to meet with the no . 2 official in hong kong 's government , chief secretary carrie lam , in an effort to resolve the political crisis that has gripped the semiautonomous chinese territory for a week . protester edward tsoi said that after some students had been beaten and others sexually molested as police stood by and watched , they had lost all faith in government officials . the government and the police have done nothing to stop them , ' he told cnn . a police spokesman rejected the protesters'claims , saying police had tried to fairly and neutrally manage a chaotic situation . at least 12 people were injured in the clashes in mong kok , including six officers , according to the police . ( in the seven days of protest , 148 people have been injured . ) police official kong man-keung told reporters friday that police were struggling to deal with a quickly developing situation and did their best . he reiterated requests for protesters to disperse , but protest leaders said they would do nothing of the sort . now , the government is declaring that it will stand firm in clearing the occupied areas , ' the student federation said in its statement . and we ask hong kong people to come and protest all these areas and we will fight to the end and we 're not going to succumb . ' demonstrators on both sides of debate the clashes broke out friday in mong kok , a tightly packed neighborhood of shops and residences where protesters have occupied one of the city 's busiest intersections . witness jessica cheung told cnn the trouble began around noon when a 30-something-year-old man ' began causing a scene . ' after him came a bunch of middle-aged men ' who burst into the area saying , ' you 're in my way , i have to go to work , i have to make a living .' the men , who did not appear to be from the area , tried to tear down protesters'tents and got into scuffles with them , cheung and other protesters said . another activist , wilson wong , called the crowd encircling the protesters intimidating . we just want a peaceful dialogue , but we 're scared because they 're using violence , ' he said . we 're very nervous and our hands are shaking , even as we hold on to each other . ' the crowds opposing the protesters in mong kok expressed anger about the disruption posed by the demonstrations , which have choked one of the busiest intersections in hong kong . they 've been here for nearly a week . they need to clear out . it 's ruining our economy , they just need to leave , ' said one of them , joe lee . a similarly minded crowd gathered saturday at the police headquarters , though there were no clashes with protesters in this case . we need order . we know what they want . why do they still stay ? ' said one of them , retired police officer yan pak yu . go to the park . go the playground . do n't obstruct the daily operations of hong kong . ' crowds grow'exponentially'after clashes meet the 17-year-old student agitating for change at least 20 people arrested at the protest were suspected of crimes , including fighting in public places , unlawful assembly and assault , police said . hong kong 's police superintendent warned that demonstrators should clear the busy mong kok intersection or face arrest . police will begin dismantling protest barriers , and anyone remaining at the site could be arrested , superintendent mok hing-wing said at a news conference broadcast by hong kong media . despite the warnings , the crowd at the site grew exponentially ' after the clashes , kong said . on saturday morning , things had calmed down considerably , but a couple hundred protesters remained at the scene . the protesters are employing a strategy to call other students over if they perceive a possible threat . hong kong protests : what 's next ? earlier , hong kong chief executive c.y . leung said there was no current plan to clear the remaining protesters , their numbers significantly reduced from the massive crowds that turned out on public holidays the previous two days . currently , we do not have any plan , but as i ... said , nowhere else in the world would tolerate protesters surrounding government headquarters indefinitely , ' he told reporters . protest demands demonstrators are upset with a recently enacted policy giving beijing veto power on who can run as a candidate for the chief executive role in the 2017 election . a new electoral system will , for the first time , let the city 's 5 million eligible voters pick a winner , rather than a 1,200-member committee stacked with beijing loyalists that has chosen past leaders . critics argue that the right to vote is pointless if the candidates are handpicked by beijing . they complain the chinese government is encroaching too much on the affairs of hong kong , a semiautonomous chinese territory ruled according to the one country , two systems ' policy since the 1997 handover from britain . leung 's steadfastness against the protesters'demands has led them to call for his resignation . but he 's had support in beijing , with a high-ranking chinese official has denounced the protests as illegal acts ' while reiterating china 's view that what happens in the special administrative region is purely a domestic matter . how tear gas united hong kongers it remains unclear how long the protests can maintain support and continue to draw the numbers that have so far clogged main arteries . the crowds are getting smaller during the daytime when most of the protesters go home to shower and refresh . if the students drag this on for a really long time , they 're going to start losing some of their support , ' david zweig , a professor at the hong kong university of science and technology , said as he stood at the main protest site . cnn 's michael pearson , elizabeth joseph , madison park , euan mckirdy , ray sanchez , esther pang , anjali tsui , jethro mullen , greg botelho and laura smith-spark contributed to this report . | friday clashes in mong kok district leave 12 injured |
beijing <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- when shaun rein drives to shanghai 's pudong international airport , about 10 minutes outside the airfield , he begins to notice a line of cars -- including rolls royces and bentleys -- parked along the side of the highway . why ? it 's because these people , who can spend a million dollars on a car , do n't want to spend $ 2 on parking at the garage , ' said rein , managing director at china market research group . for chinese leaders , the nation 's newfound wealth represents a bumpy road as they try to steer the economy on a new path . the ruling communist party ( ccp ) continues meetings this week for the 18th party congress , where it is expected to select xi jinping and li keqiang to become the president and premier , respectively , of china for the next decade . hu warns of corruption as congress begins one of the great challenges the new leadership faces is to move the economy -- currently driven by exports and investment -- toward a more sustainable course led by domestic consumer spending . while domestic consumption is rising , it still makes up just over one-third of the china 's total economy . american consumers , by comparison , power more than two-thirds of the u.s. economy . much has been made of china 's growing group of super rich which has spurred record sales for luxury goods makers such as chanel , louis vuitton and prada . the nation has an estimated one million people with a net worth of $ 1 million or more , and that is expected to grow 2.5 times in the next three years , rein said . but much of the hope of the rising domestic spending rests with china 's growing middle class . there are an estimated 350 million people in china 's middle class , which are households that earn between $ 6,000 and $ 15,000 , rein said . a government think tank predicted last week that by 2020 there will be 600 million chinese earning middle-class incomes . but they are not really middle class in the american sense . in the u.s. , you 're born a blue collar worker , your parents were blue collar , your grandparents -- and you 're proud of that , you have that identity . and you like to shop at macy 's on special occasions , ' rein said . in china , you do n't have that -- that does n't really exist . everyone here says they 're going to be rich , ' he added . china business :'mao is not coming back' that growth represents eye-popping opportunities for foreign multinationals and domestic companies . chinese consumers prefer overseas brands for consumer electronics yet favor domestic companies for personal care or household items , according to a recent report by mckinsey & company . and foreign companies that got into the market early -- such as general motors -- are now raking in record profits . but as outgoing president hu jintao noted last week , concerns remain . he set an ambitious target for 2020 to double per capita income in china from 2010 levels for both rural and urban dwellers to address the rising wealth disparity . china 's per capita income was $ 4,423 in 2010 , according to the international monetary fund . unbalanced , uncoordinated and unsustainable development remains a big problem , ' hu said in his speech at the party congress . i think what 's more alarming or more worrisome is how big is it going to get ? will it continue to grow and drive economic growth not only in china but for the world ? or will it stagnate under a mountain of new debt -- debt from expensive housing to the cost of educating your kids to health care costs ? ' said karl gerth , author of as china goes , so goes the world : how chinese consumers are transforming everything . ' these are all things that the government is trying to address by reinstituting some semblance of a social safety net , so instead of saving 40 or 50 % of their disposable incomes , people can start to spend it , ' adds gerth , who teaches at merton college of the university of oxford . photos : china 's top leaders meet for foreign companies , there are mounting worries of roadblocks from beijing to prevent access to the growing chinese domestic market . last summer , a report from the european union chamber of commerce showed that more than 40 % of members said they think government policies for multinational companies are less fair than two years ago , and 22 % say they may move investments out of the country as a result . as time 's michael shuman recently wrote , a new chinese great wall -- constructed of regulations and restrictions -- are making it harder for foreign companies to compete with domestic players in the chinese consumer market . things that were easy are less easy , ' michael dunne , president of the hong kong-based auto consultancy dunne & co. , told time , adding that carmakers have to work harder to get what they want . free access is not part of the equation . ' still , more cash is trickling down to chinese laborers . more than half of the country 's growth last year has come from domestic consumption , and it 's really because the government is pushing for more money to go into the pocket of everyday chinese -- 21 of china 's 31 provinces increased the minimum wage by 22 % , ' rein said . so what you 're seeing is chinese are getting wealthier , they 're starting to spend more , ' he said . that 's why you saw retail sales growth of 14.2 % last month . ' complete coverage : china 's leadership change cnn 's kristie lu stout contributed to this report | beijing 's new leaders trying to steer economy toward domestic spending rather than exports and investment |
webber <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ferrari 's fernando alonso won an incident-packed korean grand prix sunday to take over the lead in the f1 world title race as his red bull rivals mark webber and sebastian vettel failed to finish . the two-time champion took the checkered flag from mclaren 's lewis hamilton , with his ferrari teammate felipe massa in third place . it leaves the spaniard with an 11-point lead in the championship from webber , with 2008 champion hamilton 21 points adrift . vettel , who had looked set to lead the championship , is fourth 25 points behind , with two races to go . but the story of the race , held in appalling conditions on the new korea international circuit and yeongam , was the demise of the red bulls . australian webber held a 14-point advantage going into the inaugural korean gp and had started second on the grid behind his teammate vettel . rain had meant the early laps of the race were behind the safety car , but when it pulled off webber made a mistake on lap 19 and collided with the unfortunate nico rosberg , who had been making a strong challenge in his mercedes . totally my my fault , i got on the kerb , ' the australian told bbc sport . it left vettel in the lead while alonso and hamilton exchanged second position in a close battle , but on lap 46 of 55 the engine on the german 's red bull gave up in a sea of smoke , oil and shattered parts . alonso could scarcely believe his good fortune , but he had produced a peerless drive in the conditions to capitalize . despite his delight , he told the post-race press conference that the championship battle was still wide open . we know with the new points system everything can change in one race - if you do n't score , you lose 25 points to your opponents . here it was bad luck for mark and sebastian . anything can happen in the next two races . as we repeat many times , being consistent is very important , we can not forget we need to be on the podium and fighting for the victory in the last two races . ' hamilton , whose teammate and reigning champion jenson button could only manage 12th after battling tire and grip problems , was delighted to keep revive his slender title chances . my tires were shot at the end , so it was just about trying to get the car home , ' he admitted . seven-time world champion michael schumacher finished fourth for mercedes in one of his best drives since his comeback to formula one this season with pole robert kubica fifth in the improving renault . vitantonio liuzzi was sixth for force india with rubens barrichello in seventh in the williams . the two saubers of kamui kobayashi and nick heidfeld were eighth and ninth , respectively while nico hulkenberg claimed the final points scoring position in 10th . red bull maintain their lead in the constructors'championship , with a lead of 27 points over mclaren , despite their misfortunes in korea . the charging ferrari team is a further 25 points adrift . | webber held a 14-point advantage going into the inaugural korean gp |
xi jinping <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a personal envoy to north korea 's leader indicated kim jung un was open to restarting nuclear disarmament talks , a move that came as china 's leader delivered a blunt message to pyongyang to return to the negotiating table , chinese state-run media reported friday . kim 's personal envoy , who was on a three-day visit to china , hand-delivered a letter from kim to president xi jinping at a meeting in beijing before returning to north korea on friday , according to state media . while the contents of the letter were not released by the government , the envoy -- choe ryong-hae -- told chinese officials that his country is willing to take positive actions to solve problems through dialogue , the state-run china daily reported . choe did not offer any details on when or how it would jumpstart the so-called six-party talks . the talks , which include the united states and china , fell apart in 2008 when pyongyang pulled out over disagreements over proposed nuclear inspections . most observers agree that pyongyang is unlikely to return to talks where there are pre-conditions that it rid itself of nuclear weapons . north korea is believed to have a limited nuclear ballistic missile capability , but with a low reliability . choe said kim 's goal with sending the letter is to improve , consolidate and develop ' relations between north korea and china , state news agency xinhua reported . during the meeting , xi told choe that north korea needed to stick to solving problems through dialogue and consultation , ' according to china daily and cctv . xi 's demand comes just two weeks before he is scheduled to meet with u.s. president barack obama in california . in another meeting , chinese gen . fan changlong told choe that recent tensions have jeopardized the peace and stability of the peninsula , ' xinhua reported . tensions between pyongyang , beijing and washington spiked this year amid a flurry of fiery north korean threats against the united states and south korea . the angry rhetoric appeared to be fueled by tougher u.n. sanctions against the north after it carried out its third underground nuclear test in february , as well as by annual military drills in the region by the united states and south korea . the intensity of the north 's rhetoric appears to have subsided in recent weeks , and the u.s.-south korean drills finished at the end of april . this month , north korea test-fired rockets after criticizing the presence of a u.s. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at a south korean port and its reported participation in joint naval drills .'living history'- north korean border town opens to western tourists | stick to solving problems through dialogue and consultation , ' xi jinping says |
soaries <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it can not be denied that african-americans have made tremendous progress -- and one of the most significant factors that contributed to black success and survival has been our faith in god . the manifestation of that faith is the religious community , which consists mostly of christian churches that have produced positive spiritual , social , economic and political results for black america . the question is whether black churches can continue to be the instruments of empowerment that they historically have been . perhaps an understanding of the emergence and prominence of the african- american church will offer some insight to the potential that these churches still possess . eighty-seven percent of african-americans report they are affiliated with a particular religious group , and 95 percent of those claim to be christians , according to the 2007 u.s . religious landscape study conducted by the pew research center . belief in god , regular prayer , worship attendance and belief in life after death are some of the core beliefs of a large majority of african-americans . although the expressions of faith and religious practices might differ , religious faith itself is a constant in black america . the african-american religious experience is a result of a convergence of african culture , biblical hermeneutic and social resistance , woven into institutions . the common threads among the culturally diverse african slaves in north america were communal living , extended families , cultural leadership and a deeply rooted appreciation for spirituality . enslaved africans were exposed to the literature of the christian bible , and they found comfort and direction in the same book that was used to justify their enslavement . slaves met the indignities and injustices that denied them their humanity with the same resistance that humans throughout history have shown oppression . religion in general and christianity in particular became an answer to the mysteries of the cosmos and a way to cope : only a belief in an unseen power and a faith in a divine advocate could sustain a people who faced such daunting circumstances . when the highest court in the land relegates one 's race to subhuman status as a matter of law -- which the supreme court did in the dred scott decision of 1857 -- people need a source of authenticity for their identity . that source for african-americans was the god of the bible , who had sent moses to lead the slaves out of slavery and who had sent his son to preach good news to the poor and set the captives free . ' but that cultural background within christianity translated into an ecclesiology that not only nurtured the development of the black churches , but also conferred upon black clergy a status that has been akin to royalty . although the role of professional clergy in the protestant church at large was viewed as a vocation , african-americans tended to treat their clergy as more than just employees of the church -- they were royal tribal leaders for the community . so the separation between the sacred and the secular , the religious and the political , has not been as distinct among african- americans . the clergy had to be advocates for justice , arbiters of internal disputes within the community and managers of sacramental affairs , all in one . and the churches themselves had to be more than places to learn about and worship god . in a segregated society , church was the place where people fulfilled their human potential , developed their god-given talents , made corporate decisions , voted for their officers , owned property , created benevolent societies , raised money for schools and scholarships , celebrated their marriages , blessed their babies , mourned their loved ones'deaths and even learned how to read . when states passed laws making it illegal to teach black people to read , many learned in church . even people with little faith had great respect and admiration for the church , if for no other reason than it was a surrogate world ' for black people , as e. franklin frazier noted in his book , the negro church in america , ' in 1963 . the worship styles , doctrinal distinctions and organizational structures are so diverse that it is really a misnomer to refer to the ' black church . many black churches make up the black religious experience . what is irrefutable is that without a deep and authentic faith and a passion for the institutional development of that faith , african-americans could have never sustained the fortitude necessary to survive and succeed in the american experience . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the rev . deforest soaries , jr . | deforest soaries : churches helped blacks'political , cultural , spiritual progress |
soaries <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it can not be denied that african-americans have made tremendous progress -- and one of the most significant factors that contributed to black success and survival has been our faith in god . the manifestation of that faith is the religious community , which consists mostly of christian churches that have produced positive spiritual , social , economic and political results for black america . the question is whether black churches can continue to be the instruments of empowerment that they historically have been . perhaps an understanding of the emergence and prominence of the african- american church will offer some insight to the potential that these churches still possess . eighty-seven percent of african-americans report they are affiliated with a particular religious group , and 95 percent of those claim to be christians , according to the 2007 u.s . religious landscape study conducted by the pew research center . belief in god , regular prayer , worship attendance and belief in life after death are some of the core beliefs of a large majority of african-americans . although the expressions of faith and religious practices might differ , religious faith itself is a constant in black america . the african-american religious experience is a result of a convergence of african culture , biblical hermeneutic and social resistance , woven into institutions . the common threads among the culturally diverse african slaves in north america were communal living , extended families , cultural leadership and a deeply rooted appreciation for spirituality . enslaved africans were exposed to the literature of the christian bible , and they found comfort and direction in the same book that was used to justify their enslavement . slaves met the indignities and injustices that denied them their humanity with the same resistance that humans throughout history have shown oppression . religion in general and christianity in particular became an answer to the mysteries of the cosmos and a way to cope : only a belief in an unseen power and a faith in a divine advocate could sustain a people who faced such daunting circumstances . when the highest court in the land relegates one 's race to subhuman status as a matter of law -- which the supreme court did in the dred scott decision of 1857 -- people need a source of authenticity for their identity . that source for african-americans was the god of the bible , who had sent moses to lead the slaves out of slavery and who had sent his son to preach good news to the poor and set the captives free . ' but that cultural background within christianity translated into an ecclesiology that not only nurtured the development of the black churches , but also conferred upon black clergy a status that has been akin to royalty . although the role of professional clergy in the protestant church at large was viewed as a vocation , african-americans tended to treat their clergy as more than just employees of the church -- they were royal tribal leaders for the community . so the separation between the sacred and the secular , the religious and the political , has not been as distinct among african- americans . the clergy had to be advocates for justice , arbiters of internal disputes within the community and managers of sacramental affairs , all in one . and the churches themselves had to be more than places to learn about and worship god . in a segregated society , church was the place where people fulfilled their human potential , developed their god-given talents , made corporate decisions , voted for their officers , owned property , created benevolent societies , raised money for schools and scholarships , celebrated their marriages , blessed their babies , mourned their loved ones'deaths and even learned how to read . when states passed laws making it illegal to teach black people to read , many learned in church . even people with little faith had great respect and admiration for the church , if for no other reason than it was a surrogate world ' for black people , as e. franklin frazier noted in his book , the negro church in america , ' in 1963 . the worship styles , doctrinal distinctions and organizational structures are so diverse that it is really a misnomer to refer to the ' black church . many black churches make up the black religious experience . what is irrefutable is that without a deep and authentic faith and a passion for the institutional development of that faith , african-americans could have never sustained the fortitude necessary to survive and succeed in the american experience . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the rev . deforest soaries , jr . | more than place of a worship , soaries says . people fulfilled potential there |
james <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the grand scheme of things , lebron james 's answer to cnn 's soledad o'brien regarding whether race played a role in the backlash to his the decision ' special -- i think so , at times . it 's always , you know , a race factor . ' -- was n't much . this was n't isiah thomas supporting then-teammate dennis rodman 's assertion that , if larry bird was black , he 'd be just another good guy . ' yet here we are . for those of you who may have missed it , james chose to announce he was leaving his home state cleveland cavaliers via the decision , ' an hourlong , prime-time special aired on espn . this was not the best decision anyone has ever made . in fact , in the annals of nba-related tv decisions , it may rank just above magic johnson 's deciding he 'd make a good late-night talk show host and just below everything else . when at the end of the hour james announced -- finally -- that he was taking his talents to south beach ' ( making him sound more like a particularly driven hooters waitress than an elite professional athlete ) , the sports world could stop holding its collective breath . many used that very next breath to refer to james as some sort of selfish expletive . this was the equivalent of a breakup via jumbotron times a million . the fact that the advertising revenue -- some $ 3 million -- went to the boys & girls club did n't make it any less self-serving and egotistical and misguided . lebron probably keeps that much on his starbucks card . somewhere along the line , though , the self-righteousness of the backlash eclipsed the selfishness of the initial announcement . and with that one innocuous comment on cnn , the backlash actually became the story itself . noted good decision-maker and tnt analyst charles barkley stated on philadelphia radio that james 's continued decisions were like watching a movie -- just when you think it could n't get any stupider , it gets more stupid . ' barkley was 100 percent correct ; just not in the way he intended . some things worth noting : • james did n't bring up the racial element , o'brien -- who previously anchored a cnn special entitled black in america ' -- did . his statement was in response to the question , do you think there 's a role that race plays in this ? ' what was he supposed to say ? no ' ? • just because we elected barack obama , a black man , to the presidency , does not mean we immediately moved on to some sort of utopian post-racial society . sorry . • james did n't say all the backlash was racial in nature . he did n't even say that most of it was . he did n't call anyone a racist . heck , he did n't really say anything at all . he did n't play the race card ' as much as quickly drop it face-down in the discard pile . • james was 100 percent correct . • even lebron 's closest advisor , maverick carter 's less nuanced follow-up : it definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media , things that were written for sure ' seemed true enough after , well , things that were written . there was n't anything particularly overt , except for ( mostly white ) sportswriters lamenting lebron 's sense of entitlement while displaying an absolutely shocking amount of their own . in the prologue to his 2006 book , forty million dollar slaves , ' william rhoden wrote : today 's generation of pro athletes may be wealthy , but they are simultaneously cheered and resented -- a tension that ca n't last forever . ' we like our greatest athletes to stick to a time-worn script , to stay where they are and persevere until mountains are climbed , hurdles are hurdled , bullies are vanquished and championships are won . we 're able to overlook the staggering salaries and outrageous ticket prices in hopes of seeing another michael , another magic , another bird . we like our sports stories to build like fairy tales , to end with jack vanquishing the giant , with cinderella going to the ball , with and they all lived happily ever after . ' and when a superstar departs from this storyline , we feel betrayed . how could you do this to us ? to claim that such reactions do n't split at least partially on racial lines is to be either irrationally optimistic or willfully blindered . even the numbers support a division . according to a q scores popularity poll taken after the decision , ' james 's negative q rating amongst nonblacks went from 24 percent to 44 , while among blacks it only gained one point , from 14 percent to 15 . those numbers ca n't be explained away , or attributed to some sort of polling error . to deny the racial aspect of the backlash entirely -- well , just when you think it ca n't get any stupider , it gets more stupid . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of russ bengston . | lebron james said race played a role in backlash to the decision ' |
james <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the grand scheme of things , lebron james 's answer to cnn 's soledad o'brien regarding whether race played a role in the backlash to his the decision ' special -- i think so , at times . it 's always , you know , a race factor . ' -- was n't much . this was n't isiah thomas supporting then-teammate dennis rodman 's assertion that , if larry bird was black , he 'd be just another good guy . ' yet here we are . for those of you who may have missed it , james chose to announce he was leaving his home state cleveland cavaliers via the decision , ' an hourlong , prime-time special aired on espn . this was not the best decision anyone has ever made . in fact , in the annals of nba-related tv decisions , it may rank just above magic johnson 's deciding he 'd make a good late-night talk show host and just below everything else . when at the end of the hour james announced -- finally -- that he was taking his talents to south beach ' ( making him sound more like a particularly driven hooters waitress than an elite professional athlete ) , the sports world could stop holding its collective breath . many used that very next breath to refer to james as some sort of selfish expletive . this was the equivalent of a breakup via jumbotron times a million . the fact that the advertising revenue -- some $ 3 million -- went to the boys & girls club did n't make it any less self-serving and egotistical and misguided . lebron probably keeps that much on his starbucks card . somewhere along the line , though , the self-righteousness of the backlash eclipsed the selfishness of the initial announcement . and with that one innocuous comment on cnn , the backlash actually became the story itself . noted good decision-maker and tnt analyst charles barkley stated on philadelphia radio that james 's continued decisions were like watching a movie -- just when you think it could n't get any stupider , it gets more stupid . ' barkley was 100 percent correct ; just not in the way he intended . some things worth noting : • james did n't bring up the racial element , o'brien -- who previously anchored a cnn special entitled black in america ' -- did . his statement was in response to the question , do you think there 's a role that race plays in this ? ' what was he supposed to say ? no ' ? • just because we elected barack obama , a black man , to the presidency , does not mean we immediately moved on to some sort of utopian post-racial society . sorry . • james did n't say all the backlash was racial in nature . he did n't even say that most of it was . he did n't call anyone a racist . heck , he did n't really say anything at all . he did n't play the race card ' as much as quickly drop it face-down in the discard pile . • james was 100 percent correct . • even lebron 's closest advisor , maverick carter 's less nuanced follow-up : it definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media , things that were written for sure ' seemed true enough after , well , things that were written . there was n't anything particularly overt , except for ( mostly white ) sportswriters lamenting lebron 's sense of entitlement while displaying an absolutely shocking amount of their own . in the prologue to his 2006 book , forty million dollar slaves , ' william rhoden wrote : today 's generation of pro athletes may be wealthy , but they are simultaneously cheered and resented -- a tension that ca n't last forever . ' we like our greatest athletes to stick to a time-worn script , to stay where they are and persevere until mountains are climbed , hurdles are hurdled , bullies are vanquished and championships are won . we 're able to overlook the staggering salaries and outrageous ticket prices in hopes of seeing another michael , another magic , another bird . we like our sports stories to build like fairy tales , to end with jack vanquishing the giant , with cinderella going to the ball , with and they all lived happily ever after . ' and when a superstar departs from this storyline , we feel betrayed . how could you do this to us ? to claim that such reactions do n't split at least partially on racial lines is to be either irrationally optimistic or willfully blindered . even the numbers support a division . according to a q scores popularity poll taken after the decision , ' james 's negative q rating amongst nonblacks went from 24 percent to 44 , while among blacks it only gained one point , from 14 percent to 15 . those numbers ca n't be explained away , or attributed to some sort of polling error . to deny the racial aspect of the backlash entirely -- well , just when you think it ca n't get any stupider , it gets more stupid . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of russ bengston . | he says james was asked about race factor , and never said anyone was being a racist |
jalalabad <tsp> ( cnn ) a u.s. army soldier was killed wednesday in an attack in eastern afghanistan by an afghan national army gunman , a u.s. military official told cnn , shortly after an american official met with a provincial governor . a u.s. defense official did n't provide details about the attack in the city of jalalabad . but an afghan police chief told cnn that an afghan national army soldier shot at u.s. soldiers at a provincial governor 's compound in jalalabad on wednesday . the afghan soldier opened fire on the u.s. troops as they were leaving a meeting at the compound , said fazal ahmad shirzad , police chief of nangarhar province . an afghan soldier was killed and another was injured in a subsequent exchange of gunfire , shirzad said . it was n't immediately clear whether the assailant was among them . a senior u.s. official had just held a meeting with nangarhar 's governor at the compound when gunfire erupted , a u.s. embassy representative said . the embassy representative did n't identify the official but said that all diplomatic personnel had been accounted for after the incident . the u.s. military official did n't know yet what motivated the shooting . other troops were injured in the attack , the u.s. defense official said , speaking on condition of anonymity . those troops belong to the nato-led resolute support mission meant to train and support afghan troops . the defense official did not provide the nationalities of the injured resolute support troops . most of the troops involved with resolute support are with the u.s. military . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said that despite wednesday 's incident , instances of green-on-blue ' attacks are declining overall for several reasons . first , there are far fewer us soldiers in afghanistan , ' bergen said . second more counterintelligence resources were devoted to countering the threat and third , an attempt was made to better vet afghan army recruits . ' cnn 's masoud popalzai and jim sciutto contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan . | gunfire erupts after senior u.s. official meets with afghan governor in jalalabad , u.s. embassy says |
embassy <tsp> ( cnn ) a u.s. army soldier was killed wednesday in an attack in eastern afghanistan by an afghan national army gunman , a u.s. military official told cnn , shortly after an american official met with a provincial governor . a u.s. defense official did n't provide details about the attack in the city of jalalabad . but an afghan police chief told cnn that an afghan national army soldier shot at u.s. soldiers at a provincial governor 's compound in jalalabad on wednesday . the afghan soldier opened fire on the u.s. troops as they were leaving a meeting at the compound , said fazal ahmad shirzad , police chief of nangarhar province . an afghan soldier was killed and another was injured in a subsequent exchange of gunfire , shirzad said . it was n't immediately clear whether the assailant was among them . a senior u.s. official had just held a meeting with nangarhar 's governor at the compound when gunfire erupted , a u.s. embassy representative said . the embassy representative did n't identify the official but said that all diplomatic personnel had been accounted for after the incident . the u.s. military official did n't know yet what motivated the shooting . other troops were injured in the attack , the u.s. defense official said , speaking on condition of anonymity . those troops belong to the nato-led resolute support mission meant to train and support afghan troops . the defense official did not provide the nationalities of the injured resolute support troops . most of the troops involved with resolute support are with the u.s. military . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said that despite wednesday 's incident , instances of green-on-blue ' attacks are declining overall for several reasons . first , there are far fewer us soldiers in afghanistan , ' bergen said . second more counterintelligence resources were devoted to countering the threat and third , an attempt was made to better vet afghan army recruits . ' cnn 's masoud popalzai and jim sciutto contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan . | gunfire erupts after senior u.s. official meets with afghan governor in jalalabad , u.s. embassy says |
afghan <tsp> ( cnn ) a u.s. army soldier was killed wednesday in an attack in eastern afghanistan by an afghan national army gunman , a u.s. military official told cnn , shortly after an american official met with a provincial governor . a u.s. defense official did n't provide details about the attack in the city of jalalabad . but an afghan police chief told cnn that an afghan national army soldier shot at u.s. soldiers at a provincial governor 's compound in jalalabad on wednesday . the afghan soldier opened fire on the u.s. troops as they were leaving a meeting at the compound , said fazal ahmad shirzad , police chief of nangarhar province . an afghan soldier was killed and another was injured in a subsequent exchange of gunfire , shirzad said . it was n't immediately clear whether the assailant was among them . a senior u.s. official had just held a meeting with nangarhar 's governor at the compound when gunfire erupted , a u.s. embassy representative said . the embassy representative did n't identify the official but said that all diplomatic personnel had been accounted for after the incident . the u.s. military official did n't know yet what motivated the shooting . other troops were injured in the attack , the u.s. defense official said , speaking on condition of anonymity . those troops belong to the nato-led resolute support mission meant to train and support afghan troops . the defense official did not provide the nationalities of the injured resolute support troops . most of the troops involved with resolute support are with the u.s. military . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said that despite wednesday 's incident , instances of green-on-blue ' attacks are declining overall for several reasons . first , there are far fewer us soldiers in afghanistan , ' bergen said . second more counterintelligence resources were devoted to countering the threat and third , an attempt was made to better vet afghan army recruits . ' cnn 's masoud popalzai and jim sciutto contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan . | gunfire erupts after senior u.s. official meets with afghan governor in jalalabad , u.s. embassy says |
afghan <tsp> ( cnn ) a u.s. army soldier was killed wednesday in an attack in eastern afghanistan by an afghan national army gunman , a u.s. military official told cnn , shortly after an american official met with a provincial governor . a u.s. defense official did n't provide details about the attack in the city of jalalabad . but an afghan police chief told cnn that an afghan national army soldier shot at u.s. soldiers at a provincial governor 's compound in jalalabad on wednesday . the afghan soldier opened fire on the u.s. troops as they were leaving a meeting at the compound , said fazal ahmad shirzad , police chief of nangarhar province . an afghan soldier was killed and another was injured in a subsequent exchange of gunfire , shirzad said . it was n't immediately clear whether the assailant was among them . a senior u.s. official had just held a meeting with nangarhar 's governor at the compound when gunfire erupted , a u.s. embassy representative said . the embassy representative did n't identify the official but said that all diplomatic personnel had been accounted for after the incident . the u.s. military official did n't know yet what motivated the shooting . other troops were injured in the attack , the u.s. defense official said , speaking on condition of anonymity . those troops belong to the nato-led resolute support mission meant to train and support afghan troops . the defense official did not provide the nationalities of the injured resolute support troops . most of the troops involved with resolute support are with the u.s. military . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said that despite wednesday 's incident , instances of green-on-blue ' attacks are declining overall for several reasons . first , there are far fewer us soldiers in afghanistan , ' bergen said . second more counterintelligence resources were devoted to countering the threat and third , an attempt was made to better vet afghan army recruits . ' cnn 's masoud popalzai and jim sciutto contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan . | afghan soldier fires at u.s. troops , afghan police official says |
court <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an international court cleared the way tuesday to try a former politician and militia leader for crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder , rape and pillaging . the international criminal court ( icc ) in the hague , netherlands , knocked down an appeal by jean-pierre bemba gombo , ruling that the court may admit his case to trial . bemba 's defense challenged his case 's admissibility on the grounds that the central african republic ( car ) -- the country the alleged crimes occurred in -- investigated the case and made a decision not to prosecute . ' the icc decided that the car 's action does not prohibit the case from being tried , according to a news release issued by the court tuesday . bemba , a former vice president in the democratic republic of congo , is accused of leading his militia in attacks on civilians in the car for almost five months , according to the international federation for human rights ( ifhr ) . under his leadership his movement for the liberation of congo ( mlc ) allegedly murdered , raped and pillaged in the neighboring country during the period approximately between 26 october 2002 and 15 march , 2003 ' , according to the icc . | court rejects appeal by bemba |
bemba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an international court cleared the way tuesday to try a former politician and militia leader for crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder , rape and pillaging . the international criminal court ( icc ) in the hague , netherlands , knocked down an appeal by jean-pierre bemba gombo , ruling that the court may admit his case to trial . bemba 's defense challenged his case 's admissibility on the grounds that the central african republic ( car ) -- the country the alleged crimes occurred in -- investigated the case and made a decision not to prosecute . ' the icc decided that the car 's action does not prohibit the case from being tried , according to a news release issued by the court tuesday . bemba , a former vice president in the democratic republic of congo , is accused of leading his militia in attacks on civilians in the car for almost five months , according to the international federation for human rights ( ifhr ) . under his leadership his movement for the liberation of congo ( mlc ) allegedly murdered , raped and pillaged in the neighboring country during the period approximately between 26 october 2002 and 15 march , 2003 ' , according to the icc . | court rejects appeal by bemba |
fifty shades of grey <tsp> with the book fifty shades of grey ' still flying off the shelves , women are discovering the power of sexual fantasy , some for the first time . according to neuroscientists ogi ogas and sai gaddam , authors of a billion wicked thoughts , ' while men tend to have visually driven fantasies , women prefer to fantasize about what a man might do to them . for example , the top five female fantasies involve having sex with a stranger , being worshipped in bed , being ravaged in bed , being watched by others and enjoying a threesome . in other words , women tend to fantasize about being the object of desire . erotica is wonderful , but you do n't need a book to feel sexy . in fact , indulging in a little bit of fantasy on your own may be even more effective at spurring both sexual desire and arousal , according to a recent study . 4 ways to rev up your post-baby sex life researchers at the university of michigan have shown that different forms of sexual fantasy may have a real impact on arousal and desire , particularly for women . for their study , published in the journal of sexual medicine , katherine goldey and sari van anders randomly assigned 128 women and 98 men to one of four groups , or arousal conditions . ' one group completed an imagined social situation exercise in which they imagined a positive sexual encounter and then answered open-ended questions about it . the others engaged in typical unstructured fantasy ( imagining sexual situations but not writing about them ) , while others read an erotic story of the researchers'choice or took part in a neutral exercise ( writing about the room they were in ) . then they rated their perceived genital arousal ( how they felt physically ) , as well as their state ' desire ( whether they wanted to have sex ) . the results : the first three groups all reported experiencing increased genital and psychological arousal , as well as higher state ' desire , compared with the neutral group . the group who engaged in unstructured fantasy had the greatest arousal . interestingly , though , the researchers also measured trait ' desire -- sort of a person 's general set point for sexual desire , once believed to be unchangeable -- and discovered that the imagined social situation exercise group , the ones imagining a positive sexual situation , reported significantly higher trait desire after that exercise . sex or money : what makes you happier ? that 's great news for all of us , but particularly for women , who often tend to experience sexual desire in response to the sex they 're already having . in other words , you may not feel quite so into ' sex in the beginning , but your desire and arousal grow as the interlude progresses . indeed , female sexual response is typically characterized by responsive desire , ' while male sexual response is more likely characterized by spontaneous desire , ' says sex educator emily nagoski , author of the good in bed guide to female orgasms . ' 'responsive desire'is when motivation to have sex begins after sexual behavior has started : you 're doing something else when your partner comes over and starts kissing you , and you think ,'oh yeah ! that 's a good idea ,'' she explains . 'spontaneous ' desire , more typical of male sexuality , works more like this : you 're walking down the street and for no immediately obvious reason you think , hm . i 'd like to have sex ! ' as the new study suggests , actively fantasizing about sex is n't just a way to pass the time . it can create real changes in your body , moving you from thinking about sex in the abstract to fueling real desire and arousal . fantasy is also a sign of a healthy sex life , and sharing those fantasies with your partner does n't just have the potential to spice things up in the bedroom . it also means that you feel secure and confident in your relationship . it 's often been said that the brain is our biggest sex organ , and this study only confirms that . so , give your brain a workout with a fantasy or two . you might be surprised where it leads you . beyond'fifty shades': sex experts share their favorite books | fifty shades of grey ' may have helped women discover the power of fantasy |
obama <tsp> having willfully avoided direct military involvement in syria for the past two years , barack obama may not be so lucky over the next two . reports that bashar al-assad 's forces may have used chemical weapons will almost certainly force the president 's hand into a course of action that takes the u.s. beyond the humanitarian assistance to refugees and the non-lethal aid and training it 's provided to the rebels . what obama does on syria flows directly from what he wants to achieve , or more to the point , what he wants to avoid . and in this case , that means a slippery slide toward military involvement in syria that incrementally sucks america in without a clear sense of an end game . indeed , it 's been the president 's inability to see that end state that has been the single greatest constraint on his willingness to become more involved . and because that 's no clearer today , obama will look for the least risky and encumbering course of action in syria , and that probably means arming the opposition . sadly , this is unlikely to significantly accelerate the demise of the al-assads . in march , the president said that al-assad 's use of chemical weapons would be a game-changer , a red line . tuesday , he said he needs more evidence before acting . when i am making decisions about american national security and the potential for taking additional action in response to chemical weapons use , i have to make sure i have the facts , ' he said . paradoxically , the chemical weapons issue is n't so much a revolutionary departure point for the president as much as it is the impetus for another incremental move in a complicated calculus of how obama tries to find a way to stay out of syria . and who could blame him ? despite the moral , humanitarian and strategic arguments for intervention , syria is a trap that threatens to suck external powers in and shackle them with responsibility for war-making , peacekeeping and a reconstruction effort that could eventually involve thousands of boots on the ground and billions of dollars in assistance . and it 's been clear from the beginning that obama has no intention of getting stuck with the check . his calculations are pretty obvious ones . having laid the groundwork for taking america out of wars that have been the two longest and among the most profitless in its history , obama has no intention of getting america into new ones . syria is n't libya , a country without serious defenses , allies and chemical weapons that represents low-hanging fruit for any military planner . and obama 's priorities reflect the desires of the american people , which run to fixing america 's own broken house , not chasing around the world looking for others to repair . and while 's there 's no evidence to prove this , obama 's cautious calculation on syria is probably also driven by iran . this is n't the conventional notion banging around washington that the best way to weaken the mullahs is to push al-assad out but the president 's sense that when the moment of decision comes on iran , he 'll need russian and chinese support and as much flexibility as possible if he needs to launch military strikes . he knows he wo n't get russian support on syria and iran . and he does n't want to be engaged in military campaigns on two fronts ( and in afghanistan ) if he 's going to war with the mullahs . all of obama 's calculations have now been challenged by what appears to be al-assad 's use of chemicals . and he 's now forced to consider violating his own red line on military action in syria . the chemical weapons issue challenges him in three ways : first , it undermines his personal credibility . if obama declared that the use of chemical weapons would be a game-changer and nothing happens , america 's credibility is lost in the yawning gap between the president 's words and deeds . the red line turns pink ; once again , america 's street cred is undermined in a region where power is respected . second , if obama does n't impose some cost on the regime , al-assad may use chemicals again , perhaps this time in a more expansive way . the syrians have introduced more muscular military tactics against the opposition gradually : first artillery , then air power and then surface-to-surface missiles . the alleged use of sarin gas may well be part of that pattern . obama must try to break it . and third , the world is watching . if the president ca n't enforce his own red line on chemicals , what do you think our adversaries ( north korea and iran ) and friends ( israel and saudi arabia ) will conclude on the nuclear issue ? so the question is not whether to act but how . and the answer from obama 's perspective is to identify the least risky option . if the president wanted to bring down the regime more quickly , he 'd develop a three-pronged strategy to create offensive no-fly zones protecting rebel sanctuaries near the turkish and jordanian borders using patriot missile batteries ; proactively suppress syrian air defenses ; and then launch air and cruise missile strikes against syrian military assets and even leadership targets . shock and awe the syrians for several weeks . but that 's not his inclination or that of his military advisers . as recently as tuesday , gen. martin dempsey , chairman of the joint chiefs , was still being super cautious on a no-fly zone . what obama is likely to do -- and the signals from the white house are clearer than ever -- is to begin providing lethal assistance to opposition elements that have been carefully vetted and covert assistance to coordinate delivery and training . help the rebels to help themselves and avoid , at least for now , direct u.s. military intervention . the real question is whether the administration is prepared to provide even those koshered ' rebel groups , those without ties to sunni extremists and an inclusive approach to the new syria , with the manpads ' : portable surface-to-air missiles and anti-armor weapons in sufficient quantities that might be effective against al-assad 's air and armor . there 's a real risk that weapons could end up in the wrong hands , used against americans or other syrian opposition groups in the ongoing struggle for syria and between sunnis and shiites . the fact is , obama has no good options . he 'll pick the least worst one , providing some kind of weapons to the rebels . that will make us feel better , neutralize the liberal interventionists and conservative republicans who 've been blasting him and respond to those who say he 's backing away from his red line . it wo n't turn the tide in syria or necessarily prevent al-assad from using chemical weapons . the other alternatives -- do nothing or design a proactive and comprehensive military strategy to take out the al-assads -- are n't in the cards . but make no mistake : sooner rather than later , the president will likely be faced with another decision point along the slippery slope of u.s. military intervention in syria . | miller : obama rightly wants to avoid the risks , bloodshed , cost of another war |
obama <tsp> having willfully avoided direct military involvement in syria for the past two years , barack obama may not be so lucky over the next two . reports that bashar al-assad 's forces may have used chemical weapons will almost certainly force the president 's hand into a course of action that takes the u.s. beyond the humanitarian assistance to refugees and the non-lethal aid and training it 's provided to the rebels . what obama does on syria flows directly from what he wants to achieve , or more to the point , what he wants to avoid . and in this case , that means a slippery slide toward military involvement in syria that incrementally sucks america in without a clear sense of an end game . indeed , it 's been the president 's inability to see that end state that has been the single greatest constraint on his willingness to become more involved . and because that 's no clearer today , obama will look for the least risky and encumbering course of action in syria , and that probably means arming the opposition . sadly , this is unlikely to significantly accelerate the demise of the al-assads . in march , the president said that al-assad 's use of chemical weapons would be a game-changer , a red line . tuesday , he said he needs more evidence before acting . when i am making decisions about american national security and the potential for taking additional action in response to chemical weapons use , i have to make sure i have the facts , ' he said . paradoxically , the chemical weapons issue is n't so much a revolutionary departure point for the president as much as it is the impetus for another incremental move in a complicated calculus of how obama tries to find a way to stay out of syria . and who could blame him ? despite the moral , humanitarian and strategic arguments for intervention , syria is a trap that threatens to suck external powers in and shackle them with responsibility for war-making , peacekeeping and a reconstruction effort that could eventually involve thousands of boots on the ground and billions of dollars in assistance . and it 's been clear from the beginning that obama has no intention of getting stuck with the check . his calculations are pretty obvious ones . having laid the groundwork for taking america out of wars that have been the two longest and among the most profitless in its history , obama has no intention of getting america into new ones . syria is n't libya , a country without serious defenses , allies and chemical weapons that represents low-hanging fruit for any military planner . and obama 's priorities reflect the desires of the american people , which run to fixing america 's own broken house , not chasing around the world looking for others to repair . and while 's there 's no evidence to prove this , obama 's cautious calculation on syria is probably also driven by iran . this is n't the conventional notion banging around washington that the best way to weaken the mullahs is to push al-assad out but the president 's sense that when the moment of decision comes on iran , he 'll need russian and chinese support and as much flexibility as possible if he needs to launch military strikes . he knows he wo n't get russian support on syria and iran . and he does n't want to be engaged in military campaigns on two fronts ( and in afghanistan ) if he 's going to war with the mullahs . all of obama 's calculations have now been challenged by what appears to be al-assad 's use of chemicals . and he 's now forced to consider violating his own red line on military action in syria . the chemical weapons issue challenges him in three ways : first , it undermines his personal credibility . if obama declared that the use of chemical weapons would be a game-changer and nothing happens , america 's credibility is lost in the yawning gap between the president 's words and deeds . the red line turns pink ; once again , america 's street cred is undermined in a region where power is respected . second , if obama does n't impose some cost on the regime , al-assad may use chemicals again , perhaps this time in a more expansive way . the syrians have introduced more muscular military tactics against the opposition gradually : first artillery , then air power and then surface-to-surface missiles . the alleged use of sarin gas may well be part of that pattern . obama must try to break it . and third , the world is watching . if the president ca n't enforce his own red line on chemicals , what do you think our adversaries ( north korea and iran ) and friends ( israel and saudi arabia ) will conclude on the nuclear issue ? so the question is not whether to act but how . and the answer from obama 's perspective is to identify the least risky option . if the president wanted to bring down the regime more quickly , he 'd develop a three-pronged strategy to create offensive no-fly zones protecting rebel sanctuaries near the turkish and jordanian borders using patriot missile batteries ; proactively suppress syrian air defenses ; and then launch air and cruise missile strikes against syrian military assets and even leadership targets . shock and awe the syrians for several weeks . but that 's not his inclination or that of his military advisers . as recently as tuesday , gen. martin dempsey , chairman of the joint chiefs , was still being super cautious on a no-fly zone . what obama is likely to do -- and the signals from the white house are clearer than ever -- is to begin providing lethal assistance to opposition elements that have been carefully vetted and covert assistance to coordinate delivery and training . help the rebels to help themselves and avoid , at least for now , direct u.s. military intervention . the real question is whether the administration is prepared to provide even those koshered ' rebel groups , those without ties to sunni extremists and an inclusive approach to the new syria , with the manpads ' : portable surface-to-air missiles and anti-armor weapons in sufficient quantities that might be effective against al-assad 's air and armor . there 's a real risk that weapons could end up in the wrong hands , used against americans or other syrian opposition groups in the ongoing struggle for syria and between sunnis and shiites . the fact is , obama has no good options . he 'll pick the least worst one , providing some kind of weapons to the rebels . that will make us feel better , neutralize the liberal interventionists and conservative republicans who 've been blasting him and respond to those who say he 's backing away from his red line . it wo n't turn the tide in syria or necessarily prevent al-assad from using chemical weapons . the other alternatives -- do nothing or design a proactive and comprehensive military strategy to take out the al-assads -- are n't in the cards . but make no mistake : sooner rather than later , the president will likely be faced with another decision point along the slippery slope of u.s. military intervention in syria . | aaron miller says president obama has no good choices on syria |
steven soderberg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the oscar-winner and hollywood a-lister , family takes priority over career goals . a recent brief trip to hong kong to film contagion ' directed by steven soderberg fitted in well with how she wants her life to be : an enjoyable cultural experience then back home to be with her family and continue her other projects that include charity work and the website goop ' . i am never away from [ my children ] for longer than five days , a week at the most .... i do one film a year , and then i do the rest of my stuff at home , ' she told cnn . it is a balance . sometimes i have to not do something that sounds really appealing , but it just does n't work for my family . you ca n't have it all . ' despite recent roles in big budget hollywood films like the iron man ' movies , and being in the luxurious position of being able to pick and choose what roles she wants , she refutes her star status . i mean technically i 'm really not a movie star , you know i kind of do more independent movies . i mean sometimes i 'm in movies that make a lot of money , but i do n't think that 's my niche . ' married to british musician chris martin since 2005 , she has skillfully taken herself away from the flashbulbs of the paparazzi as much as she can . yet she was once the subject to fevered media gossip , especially when she was engaged to brad pitt in the mid-1990s . but media intrusion is much worse now , she says . the funny thing about it is , when i look back now , it 's nothing compared to what people go through now with the tabloids . i think it 's ramped up to a whole other level . it was strange to be followed around and photographed , ' she said . but in the ensuing 15 years or whatever it has got a hundred times worse . when i see high profile relationships now , i think ,'oh my god'even though i 'm technically in one . but we sort of do n't do anything public , we try to keep it behind the scenes as possible . because it just generates more interest , and more paparazzi and being followed , and it just undermines the quality of your life . it 's just unnecessary to be a public couple , and to have your couple-dom or whatever be its own entity , it does n't make sense to have that in the public world . ' however she did make public her struggle to cope with postpartum depression after the birth of her second child moses in 2006 . it was personally shocking and she felt it was an issue that needed more public attention . i had n't heard anyone say ,'i 'm having a very hard time connecting to this baby'so i could say ,'me too'. i just thought'i am a terrible mother , i 'm a terrible person , how has this happened , what 's wrong with me , i just do n't feel well .'and luckily , after about four months , i started to really come out of it , because some women experience it for much , much longer , ' she said . but i think that it 's so important for women to know that it happens , it 's common , and there 's nothing wrong with them , and they 're not a bad mother , and to seek help if they need it or at least a support group . ' | gwyneth paltrow was in hong kong filming'contagion', steven soderberg 's new film |
german <tsp> berlin ( cnn ) -- insurers in germany are not obligated to pay for viagra or other sexual performance enhancing drugs , the country 's federal social court has ruled . the decision tuesday stemmed from the case of a man with multiple sclerosis who insisted his insurance company reimburse him for the cost of treating his erectile dysfunction , a potential side effect of the neurological disease . but the court ruled that insurers have no responsibility to pay for any quality of life ' drugs and that an insurer 's refusal to do so was in no way discriminatory , even if the person in question suffered from an incurable disease . during the proceedings , defendants cited reforms to the country 's health care system that were pushed through in 2004 , under which insurance companies were exempt from paying for medication that primarily treated quality of life ' conditions . the list included medicines for treating impotence . | german health reforms in 2004 said insurers do n't have to pay for quality of life ' medications |
leslie <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- basketball star lisa leslie battled her way from the courts of inglewood , california , to the upper echelons of the wnba to become one of the most popular women 's basketball players of all time . after retiring from play , leslie finds herself in a new fight -- to gain respect for her beloved sport . it 's a constant battle , ' she says . i feel like i 'm an activist for women in sports . ' marking its 17th season this year , the women 's national basketball association is the country 's longest-running professional women 's sports league . but the quest for fans , sponsors and exposure in a sports world dominated by men can be slow , and tough . the league will celebrate the 27th annual national girls and women in sports day on wednesday , with several community events across the country . the occasion will honor female achievement in sports . but some say u.s. attitudes have a long way to go . how women cracked tennis'glass ceiling leslie was one of the pioneer players in the league . during her 12 seasons in the wnba , she won three most valuable player trophies -- not to mention four olympic gold medals . she also scored her place in women 's basketball history when she became the first professional player to slam dunk during a game back in 2002 . now , as co-owner of her former team , the los angeles sparks , she is looking for a slam dunk in the form of financial support . it 's difficult to get corporate sponsors to really buy in and spend some of those corporate dollars on women 's sports , ' she says . the wnba says that team sponsorships rose more than 10 percent in 2012 from the prior season . still , leslie calls her task tough , even with support from the nba . leslie says the women 's league is growing , but it would be nice to get more fans supporting the wnba and more women supporting women in sports . ' top player tina charles says there is an unfair attitude toward women 's sports in the united states . i do n't think we get a lot of media coverage the way that i wish we could , ' she says . the center for the connecticut sun was the wnba 's mvp last season . still , speaking to cnn from krakow , poland , where she is playing in the offseason , she says she is pleased with the wnba 's progress , and that playing for the league has been a dream come true . i think we have a lot to show with the way we play , ' she says . ... how hard we play , how competitive we are , just to show that there is another avenue for girls , another outlet for girls . ' but building a fan base and profitability takes time . it also takes canny leadership . we are in no way resting on our laurels , ' says wnba president laurel richie , who came to the league in 2011 from girl scouts of the usa , where she was chief marketing officer . but we do take some comfort in the fact that it takes a while to get a league and all teams up and running and to profitability . ' expanding exposure is another challenge . richie points to espn2 's plan to broadcast the wnba draft in prime time this year . last year marked the first time espn televised the draft lottery at all . experts agree that watching women play in a professional arena is inspiring for girls . and it helps convince them to play sports themselves -- a huge benefit for their development . it 's really stunning , ' says nancy hogshead-makar , senior director of advocacy for the women 's sports foundation . the changes are profound for the rest of [ a girl 's ] life . ' hogshead-makar , who won three gold medals as an olympic swimmer , says playing sports teaches girls about winning and losing , belonging to a team , and postponing short-term gratification for long-term rewards . she says that those skills translate directly into tangible educational gains , and economic gains . ' sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development . lisa leslie credits basketball with shaping her character , as well as her career . analysis : 40 years after title ix , more women in high school sports she started playing for a simple reason , she says : i wanted to be popular . ' but impressing her classmates was hardly the only benefit . i found playing basketball really became the most important aspect of who i am today , ' leslie says . when you play sports , you 're more likely not to do drugs , you 're more likely not to have early pregnancy . ' wnba players and executives alike see community outreach as part of the league 's mandate . tina charles donated $ 32,000 of her own money to help build a school in mali . kelly loeffler , co-owner and co-chairman of the atlanta dream , says she was drawn to the league when she first saw a game . she thought there was a tremendous product , without the recognition it deserved . it was the opportunity to solve that business challenge , ' loeffler says , ... while being a part of the growing movement towards growth in professional women 's sports . ' she credits her players with filling key roles in the community and helping to win fans among girls , and boys . by building awareness , women 's sports fans hope to create more support for women on the court . one of the most famous female athletes in the country , jackie joyner-kersee , credits title ix , a 1972 law barring discrimination in school sports , for creating equal opportunities for girls . with title ix , the opportunity for girls in sports is such a blessing , ' says joyner-kersee . i can never imagine the women who came before me , who did n't have the same opportunities that i had . ' she broke records with her olympic heptathlon performances . now , she reaches out to young people through grassroots programs , like the triple play wellness program through the boys and girls clubs . experts agree the race is n't over for equality in sports , particularly in the coaching industry . hogshead-makar says women are locked out of jobs that would have them coaching men at the university and professional levels . it 's probably the most sex-segregated industry out there , ' she says . the industry of coaching men . it 's less than 2 % . ' still , she 's optimistic about the future . ( with ) those numbers ? ' she says . you can only go up . ' | in its 17th year , the wnba still struggles for fans and sponsorship , says lisa leslie |
leslie <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- basketball star lisa leslie battled her way from the courts of inglewood , california , to the upper echelons of the wnba to become one of the most popular women 's basketball players of all time . after retiring from play , leslie finds herself in a new fight -- to gain respect for her beloved sport . it 's a constant battle , ' she says . i feel like i 'm an activist for women in sports . ' marking its 17th season this year , the women 's national basketball association is the country 's longest-running professional women 's sports league . but the quest for fans , sponsors and exposure in a sports world dominated by men can be slow , and tough . the league will celebrate the 27th annual national girls and women in sports day on wednesday , with several community events across the country . the occasion will honor female achievement in sports . but some say u.s. attitudes have a long way to go . how women cracked tennis'glass ceiling leslie was one of the pioneer players in the league . during her 12 seasons in the wnba , she won three most valuable player trophies -- not to mention four olympic gold medals . she also scored her place in women 's basketball history when she became the first professional player to slam dunk during a game back in 2002 . now , as co-owner of her former team , the los angeles sparks , she is looking for a slam dunk in the form of financial support . it 's difficult to get corporate sponsors to really buy in and spend some of those corporate dollars on women 's sports , ' she says . the wnba says that team sponsorships rose more than 10 percent in 2012 from the prior season . still , leslie calls her task tough , even with support from the nba . leslie says the women 's league is growing , but it would be nice to get more fans supporting the wnba and more women supporting women in sports . ' top player tina charles says there is an unfair attitude toward women 's sports in the united states . i do n't think we get a lot of media coverage the way that i wish we could , ' she says . the center for the connecticut sun was the wnba 's mvp last season . still , speaking to cnn from krakow , poland , where she is playing in the offseason , she says she is pleased with the wnba 's progress , and that playing for the league has been a dream come true . i think we have a lot to show with the way we play , ' she says . ... how hard we play , how competitive we are , just to show that there is another avenue for girls , another outlet for girls . ' but building a fan base and profitability takes time . it also takes canny leadership . we are in no way resting on our laurels , ' says wnba president laurel richie , who came to the league in 2011 from girl scouts of the usa , where she was chief marketing officer . but we do take some comfort in the fact that it takes a while to get a league and all teams up and running and to profitability . ' expanding exposure is another challenge . richie points to espn2 's plan to broadcast the wnba draft in prime time this year . last year marked the first time espn televised the draft lottery at all . experts agree that watching women play in a professional arena is inspiring for girls . and it helps convince them to play sports themselves -- a huge benefit for their development . it 's really stunning , ' says nancy hogshead-makar , senior director of advocacy for the women 's sports foundation . the changes are profound for the rest of [ a girl 's ] life . ' hogshead-makar , who won three gold medals as an olympic swimmer , says playing sports teaches girls about winning and losing , belonging to a team , and postponing short-term gratification for long-term rewards . she says that those skills translate directly into tangible educational gains , and economic gains . ' sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development . lisa leslie credits basketball with shaping her character , as well as her career . analysis : 40 years after title ix , more women in high school sports she started playing for a simple reason , she says : i wanted to be popular . ' but impressing her classmates was hardly the only benefit . i found playing basketball really became the most important aspect of who i am today , ' leslie says . when you play sports , you 're more likely not to do drugs , you 're more likely not to have early pregnancy . ' wnba players and executives alike see community outreach as part of the league 's mandate . tina charles donated $ 32,000 of her own money to help build a school in mali . kelly loeffler , co-owner and co-chairman of the atlanta dream , says she was drawn to the league when she first saw a game . she thought there was a tremendous product , without the recognition it deserved . it was the opportunity to solve that business challenge , ' loeffler says , ... while being a part of the growing movement towards growth in professional women 's sports . ' she credits her players with filling key roles in the community and helping to win fans among girls , and boys . by building awareness , women 's sports fans hope to create more support for women on the court . one of the most famous female athletes in the country , jackie joyner-kersee , credits title ix , a 1972 law barring discrimination in school sports , for creating equal opportunities for girls . with title ix , the opportunity for girls in sports is such a blessing , ' says joyner-kersee . i can never imagine the women who came before me , who did n't have the same opportunities that i had . ' she broke records with her olympic heptathlon performances . now , she reaches out to young people through grassroots programs , like the triple play wellness program through the boys and girls clubs . experts agree the race is n't over for equality in sports , particularly in the coaching industry . hogshead-makar says women are locked out of jobs that would have them coaching men at the university and professional levels . it 's probably the most sex-segregated industry out there , ' she says . the industry of coaching men . it 's less than 2 % . ' still , she 's optimistic about the future . ( with ) those numbers ? ' she says . you can only go up . ' | leslie contends playing sports can help deter girls from early pregnancy and drugs |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's military occupation of ukrainian territory on the crimean peninsula constitutes a blatant violation of the commitments that moscow undertook in the 1994 budapest memorandum on security assurances for ukraine . the united states and united kingdom , the other two signatories , now have an obligation to support ukraine and penalize russia . when the soviet union collapsed in 1991 , ukraine found itself holding the world 's third largest nuclear arsenal , including some 1,900 strategic nuclear warheads that had been designed to attack the united states . working in a trilateral dialogue with ukrainian and russian negotiators , american diplomats helped to broker a deal —the january 1994 trilateral statement — under which ukraine agreed to transfer all of the strategic nuclear warheads to russia for elimination and to dismantle all of the strategic delivery systems on its territory . kiev did this on the condition that it receive security guarantees or assurances . the budapest memorandum , signed on december 5 , 1994 , by the leaders of ukraine , russia , the united states and the united kingdom ( the latter three being the depositary states of the non-proliferation treaty , that is , the states that receive the accession documents of other countries that join the treaty ) ) laid out a set of assurances for ukraine . these included commitments to respect ukraine 's independence , sovereignty and existing borders ; to refrain from the threat or use of force against ukraine 's territorial integrity and independence ; and to refrain from economic coercion against ukraine . rubio , cotton : congress must act quickly to punish putin the memorandum bundled together a set of assurances that ukraine already held from the conference on security and cooperation in europe ( csce ) final act , united nations charter and non-proliferation treaty . the ukrainian government nevertheless found it politically valuable to have these assurances in a ukraine-specific document . words matter , and a big question at the time arose over whether to use the term guarantees ' or assurances ' in the memorandum . the united states provides guarantees to allies , such as nato member states ; the term implies a military commitment . in the early 1990s , neither the george h. w. bush administration nor the clinton administration was prepared to extend a military commitment to ukraine— and both felt that , even if they wanted to , the senate would not produce the needed two-thirds vote for consent to ratification of such a treaty . the budapest memorandum thus was negotiated as a political agreement . it refers to assurances , not defined , but less than a military guarantee . u.s. negotiators —myself among them — discussed this point in detail with ukrainian counterparts so that there would be no misunderstanding . what is taking place today in crimea can only be described as a russian military occupation . the russian black sea fleet and its associated units have had bases in crimea since 1991 , by agreement with ukraine . but the agreement does not allow for the russian military , which has poured thousands of additional troops onto the peninsula over the past several days , to take control of crimea . opinion : putin 's ukranian endgame these russian actions are in blatant violation of the budapest memorandum , as well as russia 's commitments under the csce final act and a 1997 bilateral ukraine-russia treaty . as signatories , the united states and united kingdom have an obligation to respond , even if they are not obligated to respond with military force . washington and london should act in two ways . first , they should work with other european union member states to support ukraine . that means political engagement , such as secretary of state john kerry 's visit today to kiev . they should also assemble a financial package with the international monetary fund to extend credits to ukraine . that can give the country some breathing room as it undertakes critical reforms to put its economic house in order . second , washington and london should work with the european union and others to impose political , diplomatic and economic sanctions on moscow unless and until russia ceases its violation of ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . this has begun . on sunday , the united states , united kingdom , germany , france , italy , canada and japan announced they were suspending preparations to take part in the g8 summit to be hosted in june in sochi by russian president vladimir putin . other steps have been taken , and still others are being planned . the west should aim to impose significant costs on russia that will lead putin to rethink his actions . that likely will prove difficult , but there can be no business as usual with moscow . opinion : how putin carries out power grab a strong response is important for settling ukraine 's current crisis . it also matters for the cause of nuclear nonproliferation . security assurances were key to bringing kiev to agree to get rid of its nuclear arms . if washington and london do not stand by the budapest memorandum now , it would discredit the idea of such assurances . that would be unfortunate , as security assurances could play a role in defusing nuclear proliferation cases , such as iran . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of steven pifer . | pifer : failure to support ukraine could delegitimize future nuke deals , like with iran |
russia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's military occupation of ukrainian territory on the crimean peninsula constitutes a blatant violation of the commitments that moscow undertook in the 1994 budapest memorandum on security assurances for ukraine . the united states and united kingdom , the other two signatories , now have an obligation to support ukraine and penalize russia . when the soviet union collapsed in 1991 , ukraine found itself holding the world 's third largest nuclear arsenal , including some 1,900 strategic nuclear warheads that had been designed to attack the united states . working in a trilateral dialogue with ukrainian and russian negotiators , american diplomats helped to broker a deal —the january 1994 trilateral statement — under which ukraine agreed to transfer all of the strategic nuclear warheads to russia for elimination and to dismantle all of the strategic delivery systems on its territory . kiev did this on the condition that it receive security guarantees or assurances . the budapest memorandum , signed on december 5 , 1994 , by the leaders of ukraine , russia , the united states and the united kingdom ( the latter three being the depositary states of the non-proliferation treaty , that is , the states that receive the accession documents of other countries that join the treaty ) ) laid out a set of assurances for ukraine . these included commitments to respect ukraine 's independence , sovereignty and existing borders ; to refrain from the threat or use of force against ukraine 's territorial integrity and independence ; and to refrain from economic coercion against ukraine . rubio , cotton : congress must act quickly to punish putin the memorandum bundled together a set of assurances that ukraine already held from the conference on security and cooperation in europe ( csce ) final act , united nations charter and non-proliferation treaty . the ukrainian government nevertheless found it politically valuable to have these assurances in a ukraine-specific document . words matter , and a big question at the time arose over whether to use the term guarantees ' or assurances ' in the memorandum . the united states provides guarantees to allies , such as nato member states ; the term implies a military commitment . in the early 1990s , neither the george h. w. bush administration nor the clinton administration was prepared to extend a military commitment to ukraine— and both felt that , even if they wanted to , the senate would not produce the needed two-thirds vote for consent to ratification of such a treaty . the budapest memorandum thus was negotiated as a political agreement . it refers to assurances , not defined , but less than a military guarantee . u.s. negotiators —myself among them — discussed this point in detail with ukrainian counterparts so that there would be no misunderstanding . what is taking place today in crimea can only be described as a russian military occupation . the russian black sea fleet and its associated units have had bases in crimea since 1991 , by agreement with ukraine . but the agreement does not allow for the russian military , which has poured thousands of additional troops onto the peninsula over the past several days , to take control of crimea . opinion : putin 's ukranian endgame these russian actions are in blatant violation of the budapest memorandum , as well as russia 's commitments under the csce final act and a 1997 bilateral ukraine-russia treaty . as signatories , the united states and united kingdom have an obligation to respond , even if they are not obligated to respond with military force . washington and london should act in two ways . first , they should work with other european union member states to support ukraine . that means political engagement , such as secretary of state john kerry 's visit today to kiev . they should also assemble a financial package with the international monetary fund to extend credits to ukraine . that can give the country some breathing room as it undertakes critical reforms to put its economic house in order . second , washington and london should work with the european union and others to impose political , diplomatic and economic sanctions on moscow unless and until russia ceases its violation of ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . this has begun . on sunday , the united states , united kingdom , germany , france , italy , canada and japan announced they were suspending preparations to take part in the g8 summit to be hosted in june in sochi by russian president vladimir putin . other steps have been taken , and still others are being planned . the west should aim to impose significant costs on russia that will lead putin to rethink his actions . that likely will prove difficult , but there can be no business as usual with moscow . opinion : how putin carries out power grab a strong response is important for settling ukraine 's current crisis . it also matters for the cause of nuclear nonproliferation . security assurances were key to bringing kiev to agree to get rid of its nuclear arms . if washington and london do not stand by the budapest memorandum now , it would discredit the idea of such assurances . that would be unfortunate , as security assurances could play a role in defusing nuclear proliferation cases , such as iran . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of steven pifer . | u.s. , russia , uk , ukraine signed . russia now reneging . west must penalize it , he says |
russia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's military occupation of ukrainian territory on the crimean peninsula constitutes a blatant violation of the commitments that moscow undertook in the 1994 budapest memorandum on security assurances for ukraine . the united states and united kingdom , the other two signatories , now have an obligation to support ukraine and penalize russia . when the soviet union collapsed in 1991 , ukraine found itself holding the world 's third largest nuclear arsenal , including some 1,900 strategic nuclear warheads that had been designed to attack the united states . working in a trilateral dialogue with ukrainian and russian negotiators , american diplomats helped to broker a deal —the january 1994 trilateral statement — under which ukraine agreed to transfer all of the strategic nuclear warheads to russia for elimination and to dismantle all of the strategic delivery systems on its territory . kiev did this on the condition that it receive security guarantees or assurances . the budapest memorandum , signed on december 5 , 1994 , by the leaders of ukraine , russia , the united states and the united kingdom ( the latter three being the depositary states of the non-proliferation treaty , that is , the states that receive the accession documents of other countries that join the treaty ) ) laid out a set of assurances for ukraine . these included commitments to respect ukraine 's independence , sovereignty and existing borders ; to refrain from the threat or use of force against ukraine 's territorial integrity and independence ; and to refrain from economic coercion against ukraine . rubio , cotton : congress must act quickly to punish putin the memorandum bundled together a set of assurances that ukraine already held from the conference on security and cooperation in europe ( csce ) final act , united nations charter and non-proliferation treaty . the ukrainian government nevertheless found it politically valuable to have these assurances in a ukraine-specific document . words matter , and a big question at the time arose over whether to use the term guarantees ' or assurances ' in the memorandum . the united states provides guarantees to allies , such as nato member states ; the term implies a military commitment . in the early 1990s , neither the george h. w. bush administration nor the clinton administration was prepared to extend a military commitment to ukraine— and both felt that , even if they wanted to , the senate would not produce the needed two-thirds vote for consent to ratification of such a treaty . the budapest memorandum thus was negotiated as a political agreement . it refers to assurances , not defined , but less than a military guarantee . u.s. negotiators —myself among them — discussed this point in detail with ukrainian counterparts so that there would be no misunderstanding . what is taking place today in crimea can only be described as a russian military occupation . the russian black sea fleet and its associated units have had bases in crimea since 1991 , by agreement with ukraine . but the agreement does not allow for the russian military , which has poured thousands of additional troops onto the peninsula over the past several days , to take control of crimea . opinion : putin 's ukranian endgame these russian actions are in blatant violation of the budapest memorandum , as well as russia 's commitments under the csce final act and a 1997 bilateral ukraine-russia treaty . as signatories , the united states and united kingdom have an obligation to respond , even if they are not obligated to respond with military force . washington and london should act in two ways . first , they should work with other european union member states to support ukraine . that means political engagement , such as secretary of state john kerry 's visit today to kiev . they should also assemble a financial package with the international monetary fund to extend credits to ukraine . that can give the country some breathing room as it undertakes critical reforms to put its economic house in order . second , washington and london should work with the european union and others to impose political , diplomatic and economic sanctions on moscow unless and until russia ceases its violation of ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity . this has begun . on sunday , the united states , united kingdom , germany , france , italy , canada and japan announced they were suspending preparations to take part in the g8 summit to be hosted in june in sochi by russian president vladimir putin . other steps have been taken , and still others are being planned . the west should aim to impose significant costs on russia that will lead putin to rethink his actions . that likely will prove difficult , but there can be no business as usual with moscow . opinion : how putin carries out power grab a strong response is important for settling ukraine 's current crisis . it also matters for the cause of nuclear nonproliferation . security assurances were key to bringing kiev to agree to get rid of its nuclear arms . if washington and london do not stand by the budapest memorandum now , it would discredit the idea of such assurances . that would be unfortunate , as security assurances could play a role in defusing nuclear proliferation cases , such as iran . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of steven pifer . | steven pifer : in ukraine occupation , russia reneging on 1994 deal to leave it alone |
williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at times it was almost painful to watch . at one end of the court the world 's no . 1 female tennis star playing well within herself ; at the other her sister , a long way away from regaining that form and status . venus has had a great week , and honestly , if she had n't had to play so many matches , it would have been a much tougher match , ' serena williams said after comfortably beating her older sibling on saturday to reach the final of the family circle cup in charleston . the 31-year-old was slightly overstating the rigors of the competition in south carolina , a tournament that heralded the formation of the women 's tour back in 1973 but has this week attracted just two of the world 's top-10 players . serena is one , and the other -- 10th-ranked caroline wozniacki -- crashed out in the quarterfinals on friday against swiss no . 63 stefanie vogele . both williams sisters won two matches on friday to set up their first meeting since 2009 , but it was defending champion serena who looked the least affected as she won 6-1 6-2 in just 54 minutes . she 'll never admit it , but i do n't think she was 100 % , ' serena said of her sister , who was diagnosed with a debilitating autoimmune disease before the 2011 u.s. open -- a grand slam she has won twice , along with her five wimbledons . but you will never get that out of her . and quite frankly , three matches for her is much tougher than three matches for me . it 's definitely not easy -- because i 'm struggling , and i ca n't imagine what she must be feeling . ' venus , seeded fifth this week and ranked 24th , brushed off suggestions that her health issues had hindered her . i felt pretty good actually -- it would have been nicer to have more space between the matches , but it did not work out , ' the 32-year-old american said . but i played under the same circumstances as everyone else , at least in the top half of the draw . i had a chance to win the match . we both had rackets . but i did n't take advantage of my chances . i was controlling the points , but then i would miss . i have to improve my game . i have to get in these situations more often . i 've been off balance for a long time ; i 'm trying to regain my balance . ' serena extended her career record over venus to 14-10 , and has now won 70 of her past 74 matches as she seeks to win the tournament -- played on green clay -- for the third time . i love playing on this court , ' said williams , whose only defeat in her past 22 games on clay came in the first round of last year 's french open . i love this tournament . i think it 's a good clay court . sometimes you play on certain clay courts and they 're not good , and they 're funny , and you ca n't really slide , or it 's just weird . but this one is a really good one , particularly the last two years . ' she will next face former world no . 1 jelena jankovic , who ended vogele 's dream run with a hard-fought victory . the serbian ninth seed , ranked 18th , triumphed 6-4 6-7 ( 6-8 ) 6-2 in two hours eight minutes . jankovic also reached the semifinals in miami last week before losing to maria sharapova , who williams beat in the final for her record sixth title at key biscayne . meanwhile , in the men 's davis cup teams competition , the titleholding czech republic missed the chance to wrap up a semifinal place after losing in saturday 's doubles against kazakhstan . andrey golubev and yuriy schukin beat jan hajek and radek stepanek 7-6 ( 7-2 ) 6-4 6-3 to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and give the hosts hope ahead of sunday 's reverse singles in astana . argentina took a 2-1 lead at home to france , as david nalbandian and horacio zeballos defeated julien benneteau and michael llodra 3-6 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 7-5 6-3 in buenos aires . | williams will next play former top-ranked player jelena jankovic |
williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at times it was almost painful to watch . at one end of the court the world 's no . 1 female tennis star playing well within herself ; at the other her sister , a long way away from regaining that form and status . venus has had a great week , and honestly , if she had n't had to play so many matches , it would have been a much tougher match , ' serena williams said after comfortably beating her older sibling on saturday to reach the final of the family circle cup in charleston . the 31-year-old was slightly overstating the rigors of the competition in south carolina , a tournament that heralded the formation of the women 's tour back in 1973 but has this week attracted just two of the world 's top-10 players . serena is one , and the other -- 10th-ranked caroline wozniacki -- crashed out in the quarterfinals on friday against swiss no . 63 stefanie vogele . both williams sisters won two matches on friday to set up their first meeting since 2009 , but it was defending champion serena who looked the least affected as she won 6-1 6-2 in just 54 minutes . she 'll never admit it , but i do n't think she was 100 % , ' serena said of her sister , who was diagnosed with a debilitating autoimmune disease before the 2011 u.s. open -- a grand slam she has won twice , along with her five wimbledons . but you will never get that out of her . and quite frankly , three matches for her is much tougher than three matches for me . it 's definitely not easy -- because i 'm struggling , and i ca n't imagine what she must be feeling . ' venus , seeded fifth this week and ranked 24th , brushed off suggestions that her health issues had hindered her . i felt pretty good actually -- it would have been nicer to have more space between the matches , but it did not work out , ' the 32-year-old american said . but i played under the same circumstances as everyone else , at least in the top half of the draw . i had a chance to win the match . we both had rackets . but i did n't take advantage of my chances . i was controlling the points , but then i would miss . i have to improve my game . i have to get in these situations more often . i 've been off balance for a long time ; i 'm trying to regain my balance . ' serena extended her career record over venus to 14-10 , and has now won 70 of her past 74 matches as she seeks to win the tournament -- played on green clay -- for the third time . i love playing on this court , ' said williams , whose only defeat in her past 22 games on clay came in the first round of last year 's french open . i love this tournament . i think it 's a good clay court . sometimes you play on certain clay courts and they 're not good , and they 're funny , and you ca n't really slide , or it 's just weird . but this one is a really good one , particularly the last two years . ' she will next face former world no . 1 jelena jankovic , who ended vogele 's dream run with a hard-fought victory . the serbian ninth seed , ranked 18th , triumphed 6-4 6-7 ( 6-8 ) 6-2 in two hours eight minutes . jankovic also reached the semifinals in miami last week before losing to maria sharapova , who williams beat in the final for her record sixth title at key biscayne . meanwhile , in the men 's davis cup teams competition , the titleholding czech republic missed the chance to wrap up a semifinal place after losing in saturday 's doubles against kazakhstan . andrey golubev and yuriy schukin beat jan hajek and radek stepanek 7-6 ( 7-2 ) 6-4 6-3 to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and give the hosts hope ahead of sunday 's reverse singles in astana . argentina took a 2-1 lead at home to france , as david nalbandian and horacio zeballos defeated julien benneteau and michael llodra 3-6 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 7-5 6-3 in buenos aires . | serena williams beats older sister venus to reach family circle cup final |
kylie jenner <tsp> ( cnn ) it was a busy week for trending stories . if you were n't online much , here 's some of the best of what you missed : after the new york area received a large amount of rain , four rainbows appeared to stretch across the early morning sky on tuesday . amanda curtis , ceo of a fashion company , snapped the lucky shot . in rural china , hiring exotic dancers to perform at wakes is an increasingly common practice . until now . families will have to find a new way to cheer up mourners , because the strippers are the latest focus of the country 's crackdown on vice . rdj grew increasingly agitated as a channel 4 interviewer from the uk asked about his private life on tuesday . oh , those kardashians . they seem to spawn a new trend every other week . the latest : lip plumping . by sucking on a jar . to look like kylie jenner . seriously . it even has a hashtag : # kyliejennerchallenge . with help from some filmmakers , 102-year-old alice barker went back in time . a prom-posal that referenced bombs ? one school would n't have it , but the prom-poser accuses administrators of racism . ewan mcgregor to play lumiere in'beauty and the beast' this cast continues to draw lots of interest on social media . johnny depp is nearly unrecognizable in the'black mass'trailer this chameleon strikes again . here 's one way to announce you 're pregnant : reference the fresh prince of bel-air . ' and a military dad photobombs his son ? kudos for originality this week . | what do funeral strippers , a quadruple rainbow and kylie jenner have in common ? they all trended this week ! |
jonathan kaplan <tsp> ( mashable ) -- what would you do after cisco killed your beloved product ? for jonathan kaplan , the inventor of the flip video camera , the answer was simple : start a venture-backed nationwide chain of grilled cheese sandwich joints . that may sound like kaplan has lost his marbles , but bear with us . kaplan 's genius , as shown in the highly popular flip , is creating super-easy , mass-produced technology . with his new business , the melt , he 's done that twice over . buy a grilled cheese on your smartphone , and you get a qr code to swipe in store when you arrive . the back-end software ensures that you get a piping hot grilled cheese in your hands within 60 seconds of checking in . kaplan has also invested a lot of effort on making his grilled cheese hardware easy and effective . he tapped european appliance giant electrolux to create a brand-new grill with a built-in microwave . it nukes the cheese for 15 seconds , then toasts the bread for another 30 seconds . we can confirm that the resulting sandwiches , doing the rounds here at the d9 conference , were uniformly tasty . win or lose , you ca n't deny that kaplan has put a lot of thought into this scheme . he found a breadmaker in chicago whose bread was kneaded in such a way that it created air bubbles for the cheese to fill . he 's pairing different kinds of bread with different kinds of cheese , as well as simple but tasty soups ( the melt 's only other sale item , apart from crackerjacks ) . sandwiches will go for $ 5 apiece , or $ 8 with soup . we 're selling nostalgia and happiness , ' kaplan told mashable . grilled cheese makes people happy . ' evidently , his backers at sequoia capital agreed . kaplan wo n't say how much funding he received , but he plans to start more than 500 melt locations in the next four years . each store will cost between $ 500,000 and $ 1 million . you do the math . famed vc michael moritz is sitting on the board , as is apple retail head ron johnson , and the first handful of stores will open in san francisco in august . some will stay open as late as 2 a.m. , a big deal in a town that largely shuts down at 10 p.m. another reason the whole melt concept might work out better than expected ? one word : calories . put a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of soup next to just about any other fast food option , and it 's going to look like a plate of greens . chipotle may be able to offer you online ordering ( and chipotle , by the way , is a $ 9 billion business ) , but good luck working off the 500-odd extra calories a burrito is going to give you compared to the melt 's offerings . are you buying it ? is america ready for high-tech grilled cheese ? let us know in the comments . see the original article on mashable.com © 2010 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | jonathan kaplan , inventor of the flip video camera , launche new business the melt |
chinese <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- when china 's new leader xi jinping spoke to the media last week , one sound bite struck me as especially noteworthy . the chinese people love life , he said , and they wish for better education , more stable jobs , better medical care -- in short , more comfortable living conditions and a more beautiful environment . ' this , he said , is the goal that china must strive for , one that is surely shared by many chinese . to achieve that , however , china needs to square the circle : to grow fast while mitigating the degradation of its environment and ecology , especially its air and water . read more : protest stops china sewage pipeline project china , for one , has a drinking problem . i discussed this topic with a group of experts in a fortune magazine forum recently held in beijing . china 's water crisis looks grim , the panelists agreed . the united nations says china is one of 13 countries with extreme water shortages . the problem is partly demographic -- it hosts 20 % of the world 's population yet only holds six percent of the world 's water resources -- but is also exacerbated by rapid and short-sighted development . read more : taking a swim ? app lets users check water 's cleanliness first strong economic growth has turned the country into the world 's second largest economy but at the expense of the environment . the yangtze river , once the lifeblood of the country , now flows a foreboding blood red , possibly due to industrial pollution , experts said . chronic droughts plague important agricultural regions like shandong province , which produces most of china 's grain . for guo peiyuan , general manager at syntao , a beijing-based corporate sustainability consulting firm , the problem is close and personal . i was born in a farmer 's family in southern china , and there are a lot of rivers there , ' he recalled . when i was a child we could swim in the river . but as i grew up in the 1990s , a lot of factories came in . one summer vacation i went to my hometown , and my mother told me that the local farmers would not use the water for the crops because water was polluted , and the vegetables would die . ' read more : river in china turns red stories like guo 's are common . citizens lodge not-in-my-background public protests amid fears of industrial pollution . in october , for instance , thousands of residents protested in ningbo , a thriving coastal city , and forced local officials to shelve plans to expand a chemical plant . such successes are still rare , and experts worry the water crisis is going to worsen in years . china 's water demand will reach 818 billion cubic meters , experts say , and yet there 's only 616 billion cubic meters available . beijing has about 100 cubic meters of water available per person , well below the u.n. standard of 1,000 cubic meters per person , a threshold used to measure chronic water shortage . read more : conocophillips to pay $ 191 million more to china over oil spill debra tan , a specialist at china water risk , a hong kong-based non-profit group , suggested a way to visualize the crisis . imagine , she said , that china has 25 bathtubs of water per person . the u.s. will have the equivalent of 125 bathtubs . polluted water is both deadly and costly . china now has around 300 million people with no access to potable water , resulting in some 66,000 deaths per year , according to the world bank . it estimates the cost of water pollution to china at $ 22 billion , roughly 1.1 percent of the country 's gdp . the chinese government recognizes the problem and is seeking to cut water consumption by 30 % . read more : experts detail 5 challenges for china but that target , experts said , is hard to reach . because of population growth , because of distribution of populations , there 's even greater demand . there 's an expected increase of up to 10 % demand in the agricultural spaces in northern china . this increase is going to put ever increasing stress on those already stressed water systems , ' said matthew durnin , director of science programs in asia for the nature conservancy . read more : why booming china needs to learn the three r's china 's rapacious water consumption is in part boosted by an illogical scenario : water , while scarce , is unusually cheap . in china , water really should be three to five times more expensive , ' said tan of china water risk . one way to reduce consumption , she said , will be to keep raising water prices , a step china has been taking since 2009 . tan believes the solution lies in targeting industry and agriculture , the largest users and polluters . ' they use about 85 % of the water in china , she said , and should face higher disincentives and harsher punishments . ma jun , who runs the non-profit institute of public and environmental affairs in beijing , seeks pollution control , especially of water resources , by blacklisting notorious violators . read more : china 's famed pearl river under denim threat ma , one of china 's most tenacious green warriors , ' has made some headway but said environmental litigation is nearly impossible because enforcement of existing environmental laws is weak . we need to bring in more stakeholders and apply public pressure , like putting these companies on a list of polluters , ' he said . pressure , shaming and wish to make amends , he said , is changing behavior . so far we have some 720 companies on our list coming to our ngos to figure out what they did wrong and how they can fix their problems . ' read more : red river brings cancer , chinese villagers say ordinary chinese consumers need to change consumption habits , too , experts said , just like those in developed countries . america ca n't be america anymore , ' explained durnin of the nature conservancy . the rest of the world ca n't be like the developed world . we ca n't keep saying that we want everyone to rise up to the same standard because that is an unsustainable standard . ' durnin proposed a simple step for china and other countries to take : fix leaky pipes . there 's a lot of waste in urban environments , in the transfer of water in the pipes . there 's literally hundreds of millions of miles of pipe laid around the world that are leaking and wasting water . these are some simple fixes that we could do right away . ' cnn 's rebecca chao contributed to this report . | pollution needs to be cut , but ordinary chinese must also reduce consumption : experts |
brawley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after 26 years , tawana brawley has finally begun paying damages to steven pagones , a man she falsely accused of being among a group of men who raped her in 1987 . brawley 's payment comes in the form of nearly $ 3,800 in wage garnishments , pagones told cnn sunday . brawley still owes pagones more than $ 400,000 in defamation damages . in fall 1987 , brawley , who is african-american , was found disheveled inside a trash bag with racial slurs written across her body in wappingers falls , new york . brawley , then 15 , claimed she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a group of white men . in one of his first mainstream cases , activist al sharpton became brawley 's spokesman , staging rallies and calling for justice on her behalf . sharpton fights different'wars' when the case was brought before a grand jury , it concluded that brawley had falsified the entire account . pagones , who was an assistant district attorney , filed a civil suit that named brawley , sharpton and brawley 's lawyers as defendants . sharpton has since paid his debt to pagones . but brawley , now 41 and a nurse living in virginia , still owes pagones more than $ 431,000 . pagones says he will forgive the debt if brawley issues a personal apology and finally clears his name of all wrongdoing . just tell the truth . that 's all i 'm looking for here . i have been battling this since day one , and it 's really all about telling the truth , ' pagones said . calls to brawley were not returned . cnn 's julia lull contributed to this report . | tawana brawley claimed that steven pagones and others raped her in 1987 |
brawley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after 26 years , tawana brawley has finally begun paying damages to steven pagones , a man she falsely accused of being among a group of men who raped her in 1987 . brawley 's payment comes in the form of nearly $ 3,800 in wage garnishments , pagones told cnn sunday . brawley still owes pagones more than $ 400,000 in defamation damages . in fall 1987 , brawley , who is african-american , was found disheveled inside a trash bag with racial slurs written across her body in wappingers falls , new york . brawley , then 15 , claimed she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a group of white men . in one of his first mainstream cases , activist al sharpton became brawley 's spokesman , staging rallies and calling for justice on her behalf . sharpton fights different'wars' when the case was brought before a grand jury , it concluded that brawley had falsified the entire account . pagones , who was an assistant district attorney , filed a civil suit that named brawley , sharpton and brawley 's lawyers as defendants . sharpton has since paid his debt to pagones . but brawley , now 41 and a nurse living in virginia , still owes pagones more than $ 431,000 . pagones says he will forgive the debt if brawley issues a personal apology and finally clears his name of all wrongdoing . just tell the truth . that 's all i 'm looking for here . i have been battling this since day one , and it 's really all about telling the truth , ' pagones said . calls to brawley were not returned . cnn 's julia lull contributed to this report . | brawley started paying pagones monies owed from a defamation lawsuit |
brawley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after 26 years , tawana brawley has finally begun paying damages to steven pagones , a man she falsely accused of being among a group of men who raped her in 1987 . brawley 's payment comes in the form of nearly $ 3,800 in wage garnishments , pagones told cnn sunday . brawley still owes pagones more than $ 400,000 in defamation damages . in fall 1987 , brawley , who is african-american , was found disheveled inside a trash bag with racial slurs written across her body in wappingers falls , new york . brawley , then 15 , claimed she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a group of white men . in one of his first mainstream cases , activist al sharpton became brawley 's spokesman , staging rallies and calling for justice on her behalf . sharpton fights different'wars' when the case was brought before a grand jury , it concluded that brawley had falsified the entire account . pagones , who was an assistant district attorney , filed a civil suit that named brawley , sharpton and brawley 's lawyers as defendants . sharpton has since paid his debt to pagones . but brawley , now 41 and a nurse living in virginia , still owes pagones more than $ 431,000 . pagones says he will forgive the debt if brawley issues a personal apology and finally clears his name of all wrongdoing . just tell the truth . that 's all i 'm looking for here . i have been battling this since day one , and it 's really all about telling the truth , ' pagones said . calls to brawley were not returned . cnn 's julia lull contributed to this report . | brawley , who is black , said the white men wrote racial slurs on her body |
al sharpton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after 26 years , tawana brawley has finally begun paying damages to steven pagones , a man she falsely accused of being among a group of men who raped her in 1987 . brawley 's payment comes in the form of nearly $ 3,800 in wage garnishments , pagones told cnn sunday . brawley still owes pagones more than $ 400,000 in defamation damages . in fall 1987 , brawley , who is african-american , was found disheveled inside a trash bag with racial slurs written across her body in wappingers falls , new york . brawley , then 15 , claimed she was kidnapped and repeatedly raped by a group of white men . in one of his first mainstream cases , activist al sharpton became brawley 's spokesman , staging rallies and calling for justice on her behalf . sharpton fights different'wars' when the case was brought before a grand jury , it concluded that brawley had falsified the entire account . pagones , who was an assistant district attorney , filed a civil suit that named brawley , sharpton and brawley 's lawyers as defendants . sharpton has since paid his debt to pagones . but brawley , now 41 and a nurse living in virginia , still owes pagones more than $ 431,000 . pagones says he will forgive the debt if brawley issues a personal apology and finally clears his name of all wrongdoing . just tell the truth . that 's all i 'm looking for here . i have been battling this since day one , and it 's really all about telling the truth , ' pagones said . calls to brawley were not returned . cnn 's julia lull contributed to this report . | al sharpton took up her cause , which a grand jury later found to be false |
fda <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- four former officials of the now-closed peanut corporation of america were indicted thursday on charges related to salmonella-tainted peanuts and peanut products , the justice department said . a 2009 salmonella outbreak that prompted a massive recall of peanut goods led to nine deaths and more than 700 illnesses in more than 40 states , according to the centers for disease control and prevention . the 76-count indictment , unsealed in georgia , alleged mail and wire fraud , the introduction of adulterated and misbranded food into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead , and conspiracy . a plant in blakely , georgia , roasted and processed raw peanuts . its peanut paste was sold to customers nationwide and used in crackers , cookies , and other items . the food and drug administration ( fda ) said the company shipped tainted product it knew had tested positive for bacteria linked to the salmonella outbreak . u.s. attorney michael moore of macon said the accused are expected to appear in court in albany next week . the defendants were identified as stewart parnell , 58 , of lynchburg , virginia ; michael parnell , 54 , of midlothian , virginia ; samuel lightsey , 48 , of blakely ; and mary wilkerson , 39 , of edison , georgia . three of the four were also charged with obstruction of justice , justice department officials said . authorities said daniel kilgore , 44 , of blakely pleaded guilty to similar counts this week . food recalls are common , but criminal indictments around them are not . charges in this case appear to have been prompted , in part , by the defendants'alleged knowledge of the salmonella-tainted product shipment and an alleged cover-up . those charged could face stiff jail terms , if convicted . | new : fda said plant shipped tainted peanut paste that wound up in crackers , other foods |
australia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a 22-year-old american woman has become an unlikely cricketing celebrity in england and australia because her twitter name happens to be @ the ashes . ' ashley kerekes , a babysitter from massachusetts , has been inundated with thousands of messages from cricket fans thinking her account relates to the test series played between australia and england known as the ashes . a bemused kerekes responded by tweeting : i am not a freaking cricket match ! ! ! . ' in another post she asked : what the hell is cricket ? ' far from deterring people , her outbursts have made her a celebrity on twitter , with australian carrier qantas even offering to fly her to australia to watch the famous cricket contest after a campaign by other users called # gettheashestotheashes . ' cricket : moral victory for england the airline tweeted monday : qantas wants to see @ theashes in australia . we 'll fly her from new york to oz for the ashes ! ' as for the origins of her twitter name , kerekes told brisbanetimes.com.au : my boyfriend gave me the nickname years ago , maybe because of the cricket tournament . we do n't remember . he 's been calling me the ashes forever . ' kerekes had fewer than 300 followers at the start of the first test match at the gabba cricket ground in brisbane , queensland on november 25 . by monday this had risen to almost 6,000 . i was out christmas shopping with my aunt and i got a twitter [ direct message ] from a friend of mine telling me that some guy was trying to get information about me , ' she told brisbanetimes.com.au . i 'd turned off notifications on my phone right after my first outburst so i had no idea . after that i went looking around and found that i had hundreds , maybe thousands , of messages about the ashes . ' kerekes , who usually tweets about young babies in her care or her favorite movies , now seems to have embraced her new-found fame , selling t-shirts bearing the logo i am not a freaking cricket match . ' she has yet to confirm whether she 'll take up the offer from qantas . england face the australians in the second test in adelaide on december 3 . the first match at the gabba was drawn . | qantas offer to fly her to australia to watch the ashes after a twitter campaign |
apple <tsp> ( mashable ) -- android smartphone market share trails iphone market share by a scant 9 percentage points in a recent study from analysis giant nielsen . according to statistics on overall u.s. market share , android is the single fastest-growing mobile platform . by contrast , apple 's ios shows an ever-so-slight decline . other operating systems , including blackberry and windows mobile , show sharp declines over the past quarter . still , blackberry is the top mobile os by the numbers , with around 30 percent of the total market share . last month , nielsen 's stats showed that android was the preferred platform of new smartphone buyers , suggesting that big-budget marketing campaigns for devices such as the droid lineup and htc 's evo were paying off . in fact , androids outsold iphones for the first time ever in the first half of 2010 . nevertheless , these stats still show ios devices as the leading smartphones in the android-versus-iphone battle . today , android has 19 percent of the mobile os market , while apple 's ios smartphones have 28 percent . age also plays a role in which device a given smartphone user is likely to choose . members of the under-35 crowd were more likely to be seen with an android than were older folks . and blackberry held sway with users over 45 . apple dominated when it came to smartphone users ages 44 and under . based on these trends , we fully expect blackberry devices to sink below iphones in popularity within the next quarter . and we 're sure it wo n't be too long before android and ios are neck-and-neck in competing for smartphone dominance . do you think the consumer actions behind these trends are based more on device performance and facts or more on personal bias and marketing ? we 'd love to get your opinions in the comments . © 2010 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | apple 's ios shows an ever-so-slight decline |
mushaimaa <tsp> manama , bahrain ( cnn ) -- bahrain 's king ordered the release of a number of prisoners and closed cases against several shia leaders accused of plotting against the kingdom , the country 's state news agency said early tuesday . king hamad ibn isa al khalifa named the leaders during a national unity speech last year , leading to the arrest of several of them and the exile of several others who were out of the country at the time . the announcement clears the way for the return of hassan mushaimaa , leader of bahrain 's largest opposition party , the haq movement . mushaimaa said he planned to arrive in manama tuesday evening -- amid early speculation that he would be arrested . i know that thousands will be waiting for me , ' said mushaimaa , who said he planned to give a speech in bahrain on tuesday about the importance of national unity . thousands more people moved into pearl roundabout on monday , a presence that has taken on an air of permanence since government forces retreated on saturday and demonstrators reoccupied the symbolic location . tents , some of them outfitted with furniture and occupied by entire families , dot the square . the mass protests planned for tuesday in support of calls for political reforms and other concessions and coincided with mushaimaa 's return .. ' if the people want a new system in a constitutional kingdom , i will be with them , ' he said . if the people just want to change the regime , i will also be standing beside them . ' mushaimaa , who has been living abroad , had previously been detained by the government for campaigning for more democratic rights in the island monarchy . in september , bahrain said it requested interpol -- the world 's largest international police organization -- to help in arresting mushaimaa , who the government accused of a terrorist plot to destroy state buildings and of planning a coup . but the king 's decision closed the books on the case against mushaimaa , giving him the freedom to return without fear of arrest . meanwhile , fallout from last week 's violent protests continues . a 20-year-old protester in bahrain , who was shot in the head on friday , has died , hospital sources said monday . ridha mohammed was advancing toward the pearl roundabout with other demonstrators when security forces opened fire . prior to mohammed 's death , about 10 protesters were thought to have died in five days of protests , but opposition activists say dozens more are unaccounted for . bahrain canceled its participation in a grand prix auto race that had been scheduled to begin march 11 . testing for the race had been scheduled to start march 3 , and protest organizers had threatened to disrupt the event . the race apparently will be rescheduled , but no date has been selected , race officials said . in announcing the decision , crown prince salman said , we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of bahrain 's formula 1 race to a later date . ' the country hopes to host the race in the very near future , according to zayed r. alzayani , chairman of the bahrain international circuit . state television on monday broadcast images of pro-government demonstrators who gathered near a mosque in the capital city , holding flags and chanting slogans including long live the king . ' also on monday , standard & poor 's downgraded bahrain 's credit rating by one step and advised investors that it believes continued protests could result in a further degradation of the country 's ability to meet its financial obligations . we expect the demonstrations that have taken place over the past month will persist , ' the agency wrote . protesters initially took to the streets of manama last week to demand reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy . but some are now calling for the removal of the royal family , which has led the persian gulf state since the 18th century . young members of the country 's shiite muslim majority have staged violent protests in recent years to complain about discrimination , unemployment and corruption , issues they say the country 's sunni rulers have done little to address . the bahrain center for human rights says authorities launched a clampdown on dissent in late 2010 . it accused the government of torturing some human rights activists . | i know that thousands will be waiting for me , ' says mushaimaa |
mushaimaa <tsp> manama , bahrain ( cnn ) -- bahrain 's king ordered the release of a number of prisoners and closed cases against several shia leaders accused of plotting against the kingdom , the country 's state news agency said early tuesday . king hamad ibn isa al khalifa named the leaders during a national unity speech last year , leading to the arrest of several of them and the exile of several others who were out of the country at the time . the announcement clears the way for the return of hassan mushaimaa , leader of bahrain 's largest opposition party , the haq movement . mushaimaa said he planned to arrive in manama tuesday evening -- amid early speculation that he would be arrested . i know that thousands will be waiting for me , ' said mushaimaa , who said he planned to give a speech in bahrain on tuesday about the importance of national unity . thousands more people moved into pearl roundabout on monday , a presence that has taken on an air of permanence since government forces retreated on saturday and demonstrators reoccupied the symbolic location . tents , some of them outfitted with furniture and occupied by entire families , dot the square . the mass protests planned for tuesday in support of calls for political reforms and other concessions and coincided with mushaimaa 's return .. ' if the people want a new system in a constitutional kingdom , i will be with them , ' he said . if the people just want to change the regime , i will also be standing beside them . ' mushaimaa , who has been living abroad , had previously been detained by the government for campaigning for more democratic rights in the island monarchy . in september , bahrain said it requested interpol -- the world 's largest international police organization -- to help in arresting mushaimaa , who the government accused of a terrorist plot to destroy state buildings and of planning a coup . but the king 's decision closed the books on the case against mushaimaa , giving him the freedom to return without fear of arrest . meanwhile , fallout from last week 's violent protests continues . a 20-year-old protester in bahrain , who was shot in the head on friday , has died , hospital sources said monday . ridha mohammed was advancing toward the pearl roundabout with other demonstrators when security forces opened fire . prior to mohammed 's death , about 10 protesters were thought to have died in five days of protests , but opposition activists say dozens more are unaccounted for . bahrain canceled its participation in a grand prix auto race that had been scheduled to begin march 11 . testing for the race had been scheduled to start march 3 , and protest organizers had threatened to disrupt the event . the race apparently will be rescheduled , but no date has been selected , race officials said . in announcing the decision , crown prince salman said , we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of bahrain 's formula 1 race to a later date . ' the country hopes to host the race in the very near future , according to zayed r. alzayani , chairman of the bahrain international circuit . state television on monday broadcast images of pro-government demonstrators who gathered near a mosque in the capital city , holding flags and chanting slogans including long live the king . ' also on monday , standard & poor 's downgraded bahrain 's credit rating by one step and advised investors that it believes continued protests could result in a further degradation of the country 's ability to meet its financial obligations . we expect the demonstrations that have taken place over the past month will persist , ' the agency wrote . protesters initially took to the streets of manama last week to demand reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy . but some are now calling for the removal of the royal family , which has led the persian gulf state since the 18th century . young members of the country 's shiite muslim majority have staged violent protests in recent years to complain about discrimination , unemployment and corruption , issues they say the country 's sunni rulers have done little to address . the bahrain center for human rights says authorities launched a clampdown on dissent in late 2010 . it accused the government of torturing some human rights activists . | bahrain had requested interpol to help in arresting mushaimaa in september |
interpol <tsp> manama , bahrain ( cnn ) -- bahrain 's king ordered the release of a number of prisoners and closed cases against several shia leaders accused of plotting against the kingdom , the country 's state news agency said early tuesday . king hamad ibn isa al khalifa named the leaders during a national unity speech last year , leading to the arrest of several of them and the exile of several others who were out of the country at the time . the announcement clears the way for the return of hassan mushaimaa , leader of bahrain 's largest opposition party , the haq movement . mushaimaa said he planned to arrive in manama tuesday evening -- amid early speculation that he would be arrested . i know that thousands will be waiting for me , ' said mushaimaa , who said he planned to give a speech in bahrain on tuesday about the importance of national unity . thousands more people moved into pearl roundabout on monday , a presence that has taken on an air of permanence since government forces retreated on saturday and demonstrators reoccupied the symbolic location . tents , some of them outfitted with furniture and occupied by entire families , dot the square . the mass protests planned for tuesday in support of calls for political reforms and other concessions and coincided with mushaimaa 's return .. ' if the people want a new system in a constitutional kingdom , i will be with them , ' he said . if the people just want to change the regime , i will also be standing beside them . ' mushaimaa , who has been living abroad , had previously been detained by the government for campaigning for more democratic rights in the island monarchy . in september , bahrain said it requested interpol -- the world 's largest international police organization -- to help in arresting mushaimaa , who the government accused of a terrorist plot to destroy state buildings and of planning a coup . but the king 's decision closed the books on the case against mushaimaa , giving him the freedom to return without fear of arrest . meanwhile , fallout from last week 's violent protests continues . a 20-year-old protester in bahrain , who was shot in the head on friday , has died , hospital sources said monday . ridha mohammed was advancing toward the pearl roundabout with other demonstrators when security forces opened fire . prior to mohammed 's death , about 10 protesters were thought to have died in five days of protests , but opposition activists say dozens more are unaccounted for . bahrain canceled its participation in a grand prix auto race that had been scheduled to begin march 11 . testing for the race had been scheduled to start march 3 , and protest organizers had threatened to disrupt the event . the race apparently will be rescheduled , but no date has been selected , race officials said . in announcing the decision , crown prince salman said , we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of bahrain 's formula 1 race to a later date . ' the country hopes to host the race in the very near future , according to zayed r. alzayani , chairman of the bahrain international circuit . state television on monday broadcast images of pro-government demonstrators who gathered near a mosque in the capital city , holding flags and chanting slogans including long live the king . ' also on monday , standard & poor 's downgraded bahrain 's credit rating by one step and advised investors that it believes continued protests could result in a further degradation of the country 's ability to meet its financial obligations . we expect the demonstrations that have taken place over the past month will persist , ' the agency wrote . protesters initially took to the streets of manama last week to demand reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy . but some are now calling for the removal of the royal family , which has led the persian gulf state since the 18th century . young members of the country 's shiite muslim majority have staged violent protests in recent years to complain about discrimination , unemployment and corruption , issues they say the country 's sunni rulers have done little to address . the bahrain center for human rights says authorities launched a clampdown on dissent in late 2010 . it accused the government of torturing some human rights activists . | bahrain had requested interpol to help in arresting mushaimaa in september |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president obama 's favorite television shows include house of cards ' and mad men . ' one can imagine that when his russian counterpart vladimir putin wants to kick back and relax , all he will need to do is turn on the nightly news and watch the latest reports from the nato summit in wales . putin can listen as nato leaders roll out the latest iteration of their bold responses to his annexation of crimea and his invasion of ukraine . imagine how he 'll be tickled as nato leaders fall all over themselves trying to find ways to refer to his sending russian troops into a neighboring country without actually calling it an invasion . imagine him , no doubt lying shirtless on a polar bear skin that he single-handedly separated from its original owner , laughing as nato unveils the stockpile of strong adjectives that have been its principle weapons in containing the kremlin 's aggression . then , as nato 's secretary general anders fogh rasmussen rolls out what they call in the political biz the big deliverable ' of the summit -- a readiness action plan that will make 4,000 troops available within two days of a russian incursion into a member state -- one can only hope that kremlin doctors are standing by , because putin could injure himself laughing . first of all , nato members are already supposed to be guaranteed protection by virtue of their very membership . one would imagine that each had in mind something considerably more robust and more rapid than this middling unit the alliance has dreamed up . this is little more than a tepid response gesture , a sign not of strength , but one that shows how the world 's most powerful alliance is now utterly adrift . there will be many speeches suggesting that nato is re-energized by putin 's threat . there will be lots of self-congratulations on the effectiveness of economic sanctions levied against the russians . there will be talk of new mega-sanctions that will really keep them in line . but putin will sit there watching , perhaps munching on pieces of deep fried siberian tiger that he killed with his bare hands , as he contemplates that everything he wanted he got , and that all he wants he can get -- at a low , low price . no one even discusses whether putin can keep crimea , which he claimed without a shot being fired . whether he ultimately annexes eastern ukraine or simply drives home the message that it has deep ties to russia and that moscow will expect to be consulted regarding its fate , he knows he is in the negotiating position of strength . he knows for two reasons . first , he sees that neither the united states nor its european allies have much appetite to stand up to him . time after time as he tested them -- in georgia , in ukraine , in syria -- they grumbled and then blinked . they are too self-absorbed and caught up in domestic problems . and frankly , they do n't care that much about georgia or ukraine or syria . also , he has discovered that nato and the west are designed to confront extreme threats , not the moderate , incremental , creeping gains he has achieved . nato effectively has two settings when it comes to aggression in europe 's east : off and global thermonuclear war . he has worked the middle ground and the lack of resolve of his opponents with considerable skill . he also knows the truth . he is merely toying at the periphery of nato and frankly , rhetoric aside , he is no threat to regions deeper into europe . putin is a distraction with which nato is ill-prepared to deal . it faces much greater threats : the spread of islamic extremism is destabilizing the world from africa to asia . although nato is equally ill at ease in confronting that deepening crisis , with extremist foreign fighters passing through or hailing from nato member states , it faces an even bigger crisis from within : a leadership void . the european union lacks the will , the culture and the institutional mechanisms to make real unified foreign policy . the united states is in a moment of seeming confusion about its role in the world . the revitalization of the alliance everyone is calling for is a good idea , urgently needed , but there are few signs it is really on the horizon . as a consequence , putin can watch the nato show and enjoy it for what it is : a diversion . the rhetoric might get heated . some might suggest that he , for all his cool calculation and his so far effective gambits , is the mad man in this scenario . but watching the current version of this superannuated , divided , leaderless alliance , he knows that when it comes to standing up to him in ukraine , nato is the house of cards . | david rothkopf : vladimir putin will be entertained watching the nato summit |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president obama 's favorite television shows include house of cards ' and mad men . ' one can imagine that when his russian counterpart vladimir putin wants to kick back and relax , all he will need to do is turn on the nightly news and watch the latest reports from the nato summit in wales . putin can listen as nato leaders roll out the latest iteration of their bold responses to his annexation of crimea and his invasion of ukraine . imagine how he 'll be tickled as nato leaders fall all over themselves trying to find ways to refer to his sending russian troops into a neighboring country without actually calling it an invasion . imagine him , no doubt lying shirtless on a polar bear skin that he single-handedly separated from its original owner , laughing as nato unveils the stockpile of strong adjectives that have been its principle weapons in containing the kremlin 's aggression . then , as nato 's secretary general anders fogh rasmussen rolls out what they call in the political biz the big deliverable ' of the summit -- a readiness action plan that will make 4,000 troops available within two days of a russian incursion into a member state -- one can only hope that kremlin doctors are standing by , because putin could injure himself laughing . first of all , nato members are already supposed to be guaranteed protection by virtue of their very membership . one would imagine that each had in mind something considerably more robust and more rapid than this middling unit the alliance has dreamed up . this is little more than a tepid response gesture , a sign not of strength , but one that shows how the world 's most powerful alliance is now utterly adrift . there will be many speeches suggesting that nato is re-energized by putin 's threat . there will be lots of self-congratulations on the effectiveness of economic sanctions levied against the russians . there will be talk of new mega-sanctions that will really keep them in line . but putin will sit there watching , perhaps munching on pieces of deep fried siberian tiger that he killed with his bare hands , as he contemplates that everything he wanted he got , and that all he wants he can get -- at a low , low price . no one even discusses whether putin can keep crimea , which he claimed without a shot being fired . whether he ultimately annexes eastern ukraine or simply drives home the message that it has deep ties to russia and that moscow will expect to be consulted regarding its fate , he knows he is in the negotiating position of strength . he knows for two reasons . first , he sees that neither the united states nor its european allies have much appetite to stand up to him . time after time as he tested them -- in georgia , in ukraine , in syria -- they grumbled and then blinked . they are too self-absorbed and caught up in domestic problems . and frankly , they do n't care that much about georgia or ukraine or syria . also , he has discovered that nato and the west are designed to confront extreme threats , not the moderate , incremental , creeping gains he has achieved . nato effectively has two settings when it comes to aggression in europe 's east : off and global thermonuclear war . he has worked the middle ground and the lack of resolve of his opponents with considerable skill . he also knows the truth . he is merely toying at the periphery of nato and frankly , rhetoric aside , he is no threat to regions deeper into europe . putin is a distraction with which nato is ill-prepared to deal . it faces much greater threats : the spread of islamic extremism is destabilizing the world from africa to asia . although nato is equally ill at ease in confronting that deepening crisis , with extremist foreign fighters passing through or hailing from nato member states , it faces an even bigger crisis from within : a leadership void . the european union lacks the will , the culture and the institutional mechanisms to make real unified foreign policy . the united states is in a moment of seeming confusion about its role in the world . the revitalization of the alliance everyone is calling for is a good idea , urgently needed , but there are few signs it is really on the horizon . as a consequence , putin can watch the nato show and enjoy it for what it is : a diversion . the rhetoric might get heated . some might suggest that he , for all his cool calculation and his so far effective gambits , is the mad man in this scenario . but watching the current version of this superannuated , divided , leaderless alliance , he knows that when it comes to standing up to him in ukraine , nato is the house of cards . | nato 's rhetoric has been its only weapon against russian aggression |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president obama 's favorite television shows include house of cards ' and mad men . ' one can imagine that when his russian counterpart vladimir putin wants to kick back and relax , all he will need to do is turn on the nightly news and watch the latest reports from the nato summit in wales . putin can listen as nato leaders roll out the latest iteration of their bold responses to his annexation of crimea and his invasion of ukraine . imagine how he 'll be tickled as nato leaders fall all over themselves trying to find ways to refer to his sending russian troops into a neighboring country without actually calling it an invasion . imagine him , no doubt lying shirtless on a polar bear skin that he single-handedly separated from its original owner , laughing as nato unveils the stockpile of strong adjectives that have been its principle weapons in containing the kremlin 's aggression . then , as nato 's secretary general anders fogh rasmussen rolls out what they call in the political biz the big deliverable ' of the summit -- a readiness action plan that will make 4,000 troops available within two days of a russian incursion into a member state -- one can only hope that kremlin doctors are standing by , because putin could injure himself laughing . first of all , nato members are already supposed to be guaranteed protection by virtue of their very membership . one would imagine that each had in mind something considerably more robust and more rapid than this middling unit the alliance has dreamed up . this is little more than a tepid response gesture , a sign not of strength , but one that shows how the world 's most powerful alliance is now utterly adrift . there will be many speeches suggesting that nato is re-energized by putin 's threat . there will be lots of self-congratulations on the effectiveness of economic sanctions levied against the russians . there will be talk of new mega-sanctions that will really keep them in line . but putin will sit there watching , perhaps munching on pieces of deep fried siberian tiger that he killed with his bare hands , as he contemplates that everything he wanted he got , and that all he wants he can get -- at a low , low price . no one even discusses whether putin can keep crimea , which he claimed without a shot being fired . whether he ultimately annexes eastern ukraine or simply drives home the message that it has deep ties to russia and that moscow will expect to be consulted regarding its fate , he knows he is in the negotiating position of strength . he knows for two reasons . first , he sees that neither the united states nor its european allies have much appetite to stand up to him . time after time as he tested them -- in georgia , in ukraine , in syria -- they grumbled and then blinked . they are too self-absorbed and caught up in domestic problems . and frankly , they do n't care that much about georgia or ukraine or syria . also , he has discovered that nato and the west are designed to confront extreme threats , not the moderate , incremental , creeping gains he has achieved . nato effectively has two settings when it comes to aggression in europe 's east : off and global thermonuclear war . he has worked the middle ground and the lack of resolve of his opponents with considerable skill . he also knows the truth . he is merely toying at the periphery of nato and frankly , rhetoric aside , he is no threat to regions deeper into europe . putin is a distraction with which nato is ill-prepared to deal . it faces much greater threats : the spread of islamic extremism is destabilizing the world from africa to asia . although nato is equally ill at ease in confronting that deepening crisis , with extremist foreign fighters passing through or hailing from nato member states , it faces an even bigger crisis from within : a leadership void . the european union lacks the will , the culture and the institutional mechanisms to make real unified foreign policy . the united states is in a moment of seeming confusion about its role in the world . the revitalization of the alliance everyone is calling for is a good idea , urgently needed , but there are few signs it is really on the horizon . as a consequence , putin can watch the nato show and enjoy it for what it is : a diversion . the rhetoric might get heated . some might suggest that he , for all his cool calculation and his so far effective gambits , is the mad man in this scenario . but watching the current version of this superannuated , divided , leaderless alliance , he knows that when it comes to standing up to him in ukraine , nato is the house of cards . | nato is not designed to respond to putin 's style of incremental takeovers |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president obama 's favorite television shows include house of cards ' and mad men . ' one can imagine that when his russian counterpart vladimir putin wants to kick back and relax , all he will need to do is turn on the nightly news and watch the latest reports from the nato summit in wales . putin can listen as nato leaders roll out the latest iteration of their bold responses to his annexation of crimea and his invasion of ukraine . imagine how he 'll be tickled as nato leaders fall all over themselves trying to find ways to refer to his sending russian troops into a neighboring country without actually calling it an invasion . imagine him , no doubt lying shirtless on a polar bear skin that he single-handedly separated from its original owner , laughing as nato unveils the stockpile of strong adjectives that have been its principle weapons in containing the kremlin 's aggression . then , as nato 's secretary general anders fogh rasmussen rolls out what they call in the political biz the big deliverable ' of the summit -- a readiness action plan that will make 4,000 troops available within two days of a russian incursion into a member state -- one can only hope that kremlin doctors are standing by , because putin could injure himself laughing . first of all , nato members are already supposed to be guaranteed protection by virtue of their very membership . one would imagine that each had in mind something considerably more robust and more rapid than this middling unit the alliance has dreamed up . this is little more than a tepid response gesture , a sign not of strength , but one that shows how the world 's most powerful alliance is now utterly adrift . there will be many speeches suggesting that nato is re-energized by putin 's threat . there will be lots of self-congratulations on the effectiveness of economic sanctions levied against the russians . there will be talk of new mega-sanctions that will really keep them in line . but putin will sit there watching , perhaps munching on pieces of deep fried siberian tiger that he killed with his bare hands , as he contemplates that everything he wanted he got , and that all he wants he can get -- at a low , low price . no one even discusses whether putin can keep crimea , which he claimed without a shot being fired . whether he ultimately annexes eastern ukraine or simply drives home the message that it has deep ties to russia and that moscow will expect to be consulted regarding its fate , he knows he is in the negotiating position of strength . he knows for two reasons . first , he sees that neither the united states nor its european allies have much appetite to stand up to him . time after time as he tested them -- in georgia , in ukraine , in syria -- they grumbled and then blinked . they are too self-absorbed and caught up in domestic problems . and frankly , they do n't care that much about georgia or ukraine or syria . also , he has discovered that nato and the west are designed to confront extreme threats , not the moderate , incremental , creeping gains he has achieved . nato effectively has two settings when it comes to aggression in europe 's east : off and global thermonuclear war . he has worked the middle ground and the lack of resolve of his opponents with considerable skill . he also knows the truth . he is merely toying at the periphery of nato and frankly , rhetoric aside , he is no threat to regions deeper into europe . putin is a distraction with which nato is ill-prepared to deal . it faces much greater threats : the spread of islamic extremism is destabilizing the world from africa to asia . although nato is equally ill at ease in confronting that deepening crisis , with extremist foreign fighters passing through or hailing from nato member states , it faces an even bigger crisis from within : a leadership void . the european union lacks the will , the culture and the institutional mechanisms to make real unified foreign policy . the united states is in a moment of seeming confusion about its role in the world . the revitalization of the alliance everyone is calling for is a good idea , urgently needed , but there are few signs it is really on the horizon . as a consequence , putin can watch the nato show and enjoy it for what it is : a diversion . the rhetoric might get heated . some might suggest that he , for all his cool calculation and his so far effective gambits , is the mad man in this scenario . but watching the current version of this superannuated , divided , leaderless alliance , he knows that when it comes to standing up to him in ukraine , nato is the house of cards . | nato , u.s. absorbed with fighting islamic extremism and solving domestic issues |
united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former manchester united defender gary neville believes sunday 's trip to arsenal on sunday is the most difficult ' away game of the season for the english premier league leaders . alex ferguson 's united team lead third-placed arsenal by nine points after javier hernandez 's late goal earned a 1-0 win over everton on saturday , while arsene wenger 's side slipped to a 2-1 defeat at bolton wanderers 24 hours later . defeat at the emirates stadium would end arsenal 's hopes of securing the epl title and a first major honor since victory over united in the 2005 fa cup final . victory would put the red devils within touching distance of a record 19th english league title . has time run out for arsene wenger ? going to arsenal is probably the most difficult game , and has been for many , many years , ' neville , who announced his retirement in february aged 35 , told cnn . along with liverpool and chelsea , those games you can never tell if you 're going to win . anything can happen and , while we 've had some good results there in the last couple of years , we 've some bad experiences down there as well . ' former team captain neville won eight league championships during a 19-year career with united , and the 85-cap england international said a draw against arsenal would represent a good result for ferguson 's side . i think if we can get a point on sunday , come out of there with something , it would be really important for us . ' neville , who was part of the 1999 european champions league-winning squad and also won the fa cup on three occasions , claimed the midfield area could be where the match is won or lost . the key battle against arsenal is midfield . we 've always gone into the games over the last five or six years making sure we dominate midfield . it 's arsenal 's strongest area , ' he said . we always make sure we pack our midfield with strength , power and make sure we can get physical against them . if you let arsenal play , they are the best football team in the country playing through midfield . if you win that battle , towards the end of the game you can start to show your strength . ' hernandez , also known as chicarito , ' has enjoyed a successful debut season in england after arriving in manchester from mexican side guadalajara . the mexico striker has hit 12 goals in 24 league matches , and neville has been impressed with the form shown by the 22-year-old . i do n't think anyone had heard of him when we signed him at the end of last season . but then he played for mexico at the world cup and everyone started to think'this kid does n't look bad .' i think you 'll see that united are developing a new young team , with the likes of rafael ( da silva ) , fabio ( da silva ) , darron gibson , jonathan evans , chicarito , chris smalling ... that 's what the manager does , he integrates young players . he lets them get the hunger for winning , see the work ethic , and i think chicarito is an unbelievable example of how that 's happened . someone who cost $ 11.5 million and looks like one of the best center-forwards in the league . ' | gary neville has described manchester united 's trip to arsenal as their toughest test |
united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former manchester united defender gary neville believes sunday 's trip to arsenal on sunday is the most difficult ' away game of the season for the english premier league leaders . alex ferguson 's united team lead third-placed arsenal by nine points after javier hernandez 's late goal earned a 1-0 win over everton on saturday , while arsene wenger 's side slipped to a 2-1 defeat at bolton wanderers 24 hours later . defeat at the emirates stadium would end arsenal 's hopes of securing the epl title and a first major honor since victory over united in the 2005 fa cup final . victory would put the red devils within touching distance of a record 19th english league title . has time run out for arsene wenger ? going to arsenal is probably the most difficult game , and has been for many , many years , ' neville , who announced his retirement in february aged 35 , told cnn . along with liverpool and chelsea , those games you can never tell if you 're going to win . anything can happen and , while we 've had some good results there in the last couple of years , we 've some bad experiences down there as well . ' former team captain neville won eight league championships during a 19-year career with united , and the 85-cap england international said a draw against arsenal would represent a good result for ferguson 's side . i think if we can get a point on sunday , come out of there with something , it would be really important for us . ' neville , who was part of the 1999 european champions league-winning squad and also won the fa cup on three occasions , claimed the midfield area could be where the match is won or lost . the key battle against arsenal is midfield . we 've always gone into the games over the last five or six years making sure we dominate midfield . it 's arsenal 's strongest area , ' he said . we always make sure we pack our midfield with strength , power and make sure we can get physical against them . if you let arsenal play , they are the best football team in the country playing through midfield . if you win that battle , towards the end of the game you can start to show your strength . ' hernandez , also known as chicarito , ' has enjoyed a successful debut season in england after arriving in manchester from mexican side guadalajara . the mexico striker has hit 12 goals in 24 league matches , and neville has been impressed with the form shown by the 22-year-old . i do n't think anyone had heard of him when we signed him at the end of last season . but then he played for mexico at the world cup and everyone started to think'this kid does n't look bad .' i think you 'll see that united are developing a new young team , with the likes of rafael ( da silva ) , fabio ( da silva ) , darron gibson , jonathan evans , chicarito , chris smalling ... that 's what the manager does , he integrates young players . he lets them get the hunger for winning , see the work ethic , and i think chicarito is an unbelievable example of how that 's happened . someone who cost $ 11.5 million and looks like one of the best center-forwards in the league . ' | the former united defender is confident ferguson 's team can secure at least a draw |
united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former manchester united defender gary neville believes sunday 's trip to arsenal on sunday is the most difficult ' away game of the season for the english premier league leaders . alex ferguson 's united team lead third-placed arsenal by nine points after javier hernandez 's late goal earned a 1-0 win over everton on saturday , while arsene wenger 's side slipped to a 2-1 defeat at bolton wanderers 24 hours later . defeat at the emirates stadium would end arsenal 's hopes of securing the epl title and a first major honor since victory over united in the 2005 fa cup final . victory would put the red devils within touching distance of a record 19th english league title . has time run out for arsene wenger ? going to arsenal is probably the most difficult game , and has been for many , many years , ' neville , who announced his retirement in february aged 35 , told cnn . along with liverpool and chelsea , those games you can never tell if you 're going to win . anything can happen and , while we 've had some good results there in the last couple of years , we 've some bad experiences down there as well . ' former team captain neville won eight league championships during a 19-year career with united , and the 85-cap england international said a draw against arsenal would represent a good result for ferguson 's side . i think if we can get a point on sunday , come out of there with something , it would be really important for us . ' neville , who was part of the 1999 european champions league-winning squad and also won the fa cup on three occasions , claimed the midfield area could be where the match is won or lost . the key battle against arsenal is midfield . we 've always gone into the games over the last five or six years making sure we dominate midfield . it 's arsenal 's strongest area , ' he said . we always make sure we pack our midfield with strength , power and make sure we can get physical against them . if you let arsenal play , they are the best football team in the country playing through midfield . if you win that battle , towards the end of the game you can start to show your strength . ' hernandez , also known as chicarito , ' has enjoyed a successful debut season in england after arriving in manchester from mexican side guadalajara . the mexico striker has hit 12 goals in 24 league matches , and neville has been impressed with the form shown by the 22-year-old . i do n't think anyone had heard of him when we signed him at the end of last season . but then he played for mexico at the world cup and everyone started to think'this kid does n't look bad .' i think you 'll see that united are developing a new young team , with the likes of rafael ( da silva ) , fabio ( da silva ) , darron gibson , jonathan evans , chicarito , chris smalling ... that 's what the manager does , he integrates young players . he lets them get the hunger for winning , see the work ethic , and i think chicarito is an unbelievable example of how that 's happened . someone who cost $ 11.5 million and looks like one of the best center-forwards in the league . ' | neville has also hailed the form of united 's mexican striker javier hernandez |
house <tsp> the pro-russian government of ukraine 's southeastern crimean region declared independence tuesday ahead of a scheduled referendum on whether to join russia , ignoring international warnings that the vote wo n't be recognized . in the regional capital simferopol , pro-russian militiamen guarded the airport and train station , some wearing armbands that proclaimed their allegiance to the autonomous republic of crimea . ' flights into the region from ukraine 's capital , kiev , were canceled tuesday , while flights from moscow appeared to be landing as scheduled . a guard at the railway station told cnn that he and his comrades were looking out for weapons being shipped in from the rest of ukraine . tuesday 's declaration from the crimean parliament announced that if its population votes in favor of joining russia on sunday , it will ask the russian federation if it can join with moscow . almost immediately afterward , the russian parliament announced it would debate whether to accept crimea as part of the country on march 21 . ukraine 's interim government , backed by the united states and european powers , has said the upcoming vote is illegitimate . and from russia , ousted ukrainian president viktor yanukovych -- run out of his country in a revolt that triggered the current crisis -- insisted he was still the legitimate leader and vowed to return to kiev as soon as the circumstances allow . ' yanukovych fled kiev on february 22 , after three months of protests against his decision to scrap a trade deal with the european union and embrace closer ties with russia . less than a week later , armed men seized the crimean parliament building in simferopol and raised the russian flag above it . ukrainian government forces in crimea have been surrounded in their bases by well-equipped troops wearing uniforms with no insignia -- troops western countries say are russian but whom moscow calls local self-defense ' forces . the move has effectively severed the strategic peninsula , which has an ethnic russian majority , from the rest of ukraine . u.s. and western diplomats have urged russia to enter into talks with ukraine , but russian officials have shown little interest . while the west is preparing sanctions against russia over the standoff , u.s. secretary of state john kerry has told his russian counterpart , foreign minister sergey lavrov , that there is an off-ramp here , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki told reporters in washington . any discussion about the future of crimea needs to take place with the new government of ukraine at the table , engaged in it , participating in that conversation , ' psaki said . the united states understands that russia has interests in crimea , but those interests in no way justify military intervention or the use of force , ' she added . the u.s. house of representatives tuesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning russia for its military intervention in ukraine and urging economic and other sanctions in response . in a 402-7 vote , lawmakers approved a nonbinding resolution stating that russia 's action poses a threat to international peace and security ' and calling on russia to remove all of its military forces from ukraine 's crimean peninsula ' other than those that are there in accordance with an agreement on operations of russia 's black sea fleet . the resolution urges the obama administration to work with our european allies and other countries to impose visa , financial , trade , and other sanctions on senior russian federation officials , majority state-owned banks and commercial organizations , and other state agencies , as appropriate . ' lavrov said monday that kerry had postponed a face-to-face meeting with russian president vladimir putin to discuss u.s. proposals , which moscow has effectively rejected . the meeting would have marked the highest-level contact between the two countries since russian troops took up positions in crimea . the head of the organization for security and co-operation in europe also said the referendum would be illegal . swiss foreign minister didier burkhalter , the osce 's current chairman , said holding the referendum without everyone affected being on board would provoke tensions instead of leading to sustainable solutions . ' osce monitors have been denied entry into crimea by armed men several times since the crisis began . in a statement issued tuesday evening , russia 's foreign ministry cited kosovo 's secession from serbia -- a move recognized by western governments over bitter opposition from serbia and its historical allies in moscow -- as precedent for the absolutely legitimate ' crimean vote . the russian federation will respect the results of the free vote of crimea 's people during the referendum , ' it said . amid tensions over ukraine , space cooperation goes on lavrov and kerry spoke on the phone tuesday , both sides reported . during the conversation , lavrov said russia emphasized the need to respect the rights of all ukrainians and all regions while looking for ways of solving the crisis , and the need to respect the rights of crimea 's citizens to determine their destiny by themselves in accordance with the international law , ' the foreign ministry said . french foreign minister laurent fabius also called the referendum illegal , tweeting on his official account tuesday that sanctions against russia over its intervention in crimea could come as soon as this week . sanctions would include asset freezes and visa suspensions , he said . we have a firm position , but still we are seeking a political solution , ' fabius tweeted . the only legitimate vote in ukraine will be may 25 , the upcoming presidential election . ' and german foreign minister frank-walter steinmeier said his government 's current relationship with russia can not continue unless the country heeds calls to calm the situation . we are not only deeply worried , but we believe what is intended by russia in view of the crimea is completely unacceptable , ' steinmeier said during a visit to the former soviet republic of estonia , now a nato ally and european union member . steinmeier said germany and estonia agree that we will stand up to further escalations united and determined . ' but in crimea , pro-russian forces were in firm control and warning loudly against fascists ' they claimed had seized power in kiev . ruslan dudkin , a volunteer at a militia camp in simferopol , compared the protesters who rallied in kiev 's maidan square to topple yanukovych to cockroaches . ' the people on the maidan would soil and sleep and eat in the same place , it was worse than tramps , ' he said . meanwhile , a commander of the notorious berkut riot police -- disbanded after yanukovych was ousted but celebrated as heroes in crimea -- denounced the february revolt in kiev . the maidan was a provocation from start to finish , ' said vladimir krashevsky , whose forces appeared to have close ties to the militia . there was no democracy , and no real indignation from the people . it was a paid-for event . ' and pro-russian billboards portray sunday 's choice as one between a free russia and a ukraine under the swastika . former u.s. secretary of state madeleine albright called that one of the more outrageous placards i have ever seen . ' there are probably good-willed people who are concerned that their slavic brothers and sisters are all of a sudden being subjected to fascism or naziism , because that is what russian tv is putting out , ' albright told cnn 's amanpour ' program . there are a lot of older people who probably remember world war ii and the tragedies that took place in ukraine , and so this is just pure , unadulterated scare tactics , ' albright added . and fabius defended ukraine 's new government tuesday , saying it was legitimately installed by the ukrainian parliament ' and that the extreme right is not represented . ' yanukovych , meanwhile , made what was only his second public appearance since leaving ukraine on tuesday to insist he was still the country 's rightful leader . speaking in rostov-on-don in southwestern russia , yanukovych slammed the interim government in kiev as a gang of ultranationalists and fascists . ' yanukovych , who spoke backed by the yellow-and-blue flag of ukraine , insisted he is still the lawful leader of his country and will return to kiev as soon as the circumstances allow . ' i 'm not just the legitimate president , but i am also the head of the military . i 've not stopped my responsibilities , i 'm alive , i 've not been left without my powers , ' he said . moscow has denounced the events that led to yanukovych 's ouster as an illegitimate coup and has refused to recognize the new ukrainian authorities , putting the two countries on a collision course over control of crimea . the black sea peninsula has been part of ukraine since 1954 but has strong cultural and historical ties to russia , which has a large , strategically important naval base in the crimean port of sevastopol . putin has said his government has the right to protect ethnic russians living there . interactive : comparing ukraine and russia 's military forces | u.s. house approves resolution condemning russia , urging sanctions |
burma <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there may be no bigger revolutionary rock star than aung san suu kyi . so it only makes sense that the 67-year-old myanmar democracy activist and nobel peace prize winner would tour the united states in a way reflecting that . on tuesday , suu kyi was photographed laughing with u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton . the two sat on couches next to each other at the state department in clinton 's private office and chatted . clinton told suu kyi about the bucolic scenes she could expect to see when she went to southern part of the u.s. ' you 're going out to one of the horse farms . those are beautiful places . they 're called bluegrass the way it looks across the field , ' clinton said to a smiling suu kyi . you 'll find that quite beautiful . ' that scene , historic and high profile , was just day one of the next 17 days on suu kyi 's calendar on her first visit to america . she 's slated to talk with high-level washington officials and democracy activists in the capital . the white house said she will meet with president obama at 5 p.m. wednesday , a day she 's already expected to receive the congressional gold medal . then it 's on to new york to speak at a university and at a museum . next week , she 'll be a guest of the u.s. sen. mitch mcconnell in kentucky and visit california . it 's a lot of travel for a person who spent most of the past 20 years under house arrest imposed by her country 's ruling military junta . during her confinement , she lost her husband to cancer -- unable to see him because he was forbidden from entering myanmar to be with her . she also went without seeing her two sons . suu kyi was released from detention in november 2010 and this year was finally able to pick up the nobel peace prize she won in 1991 but could n't receive in person . profile : suu kyi , peaceful freedom fighter suu kyi is expected to meet with refugees who left myanmar ( also known as burma ) and relocated in the united states , many who fought for the same democratic freedoms that she paid for so dearly . we have this plan throughout the country that when refugees come we try and find sponsors , ' clinton told suu kyi on tuesday . i 'm looking forward to visiting fort wayne , ' suu kyi replied . there 's all sorts of interesting things happening in fort wayne . ' as part of suu kyi 's u.s. tour , she will visit the indiana city , home to one the united states'largest populations of burmese expatriots . since the early 1990s , some 5,000 burmese have carved out a life in its burmatown . ' and many there are expecting a lot from suu kyi . we are excited for suu kyi in fort wayne , but we also hope that it is more that a single visit . we want it to mean more . she symbolizes experience for us and burma in the long term , ' said minn myint nan tin , the executive director of the burmese advocacy center in fort wayne , which helps refugees find jobs and navigate everyday life . the young people here want to be part of the burma of tomorrow . this tomorrow is one that is open and free , ' said nan tin . we know that more has to happen outside of her . ' nan tin fled myanmar in the 1990s , she said . she and many of the burmese who she works avidly follow world events . we always keep up on what is happening , and we are very aware of what has happened in the past few years about suu kyi , ' she said . thawing u.s.-myanmar relations last year , clinton met with suu kyi in yangon , the myanmar capital . the two were photographed embracing , even though such signs of affection are not normally acceptable in the nation . the meeting was a sign that relations between myanmar and the united states were softening . it had been icy for some time . clinton was the first secretary of state to visit myanmar in 50 years . in january , suu kyi announced she was running for parliament . she won in a landslide in april . suu kyi is now the leading the pro-democracy opposition in her country . myanmar 's president , thein sein , who took control in april 2011 , will visit the united states next week to attend the united nations general assembly 's annual gathering of world leaders in new york . this week at least 58 political detainees were among hundreds released in myanmar as part of an amnesty announced on monday , a prisoner rights group said . earlier this summer , the country removed suu kyi 's two sons'names from a blacklist . on the world scene , suu kyi is both a politician and a symbol of promise , said robert lieberman , a filmmaker who interviewed suu kyi in myanmar and had spent a lot of time in the country . his film they call it myanmar ' will be shown in new york and los angeles and other cities , including fort wayne on september 23 . see a nationwide screening schedule ' it 's important to keep in mind what 's motivating sein . he wants an easing of sanctions against his country , ' said lieberman . ( suu kyi ) is walking a tightrope . ' he said suu kyi now must concede as much as any politician to get something accomplished , but she must also stand firm in her beliefs , the ideals that kept her sane and focused during her years in detention and have elevated her as a moral leader to much of the world . in july , the obama administration began allowing u.s. companies to invest in burma . several lawmakers have voiced their support for a relaxation of sanctions . in may , republican sen. john mccain said washington should temporarily lift economic sanctions but keep in place an arms embargo against the burmese military and those who have violated human rights , according to foreign policy . next generation 's obstacles lieberman cautioned against what he views as overly optimistic headlines lauding suu kyi 's u.s. visit as a harbinger of immediate change on the ground in myanmar . he said that kind of change can not come solely from the president or suu kyi . it 's important to keep in mind that the military still has a tremendous amount of control , at least according to the nation 's constitution . it still guarantees the military 25 percent of the legislature , he pointed out . suu kyi is stunning , strong , articulate , mesmerizing . but she is also 67 . she 'll be 70 when the next national election comes around in 2015 , ' he said . so that 's a factor as well . i think it will come down to whether a younger generation will get behind what she stands for , and will they be able to follow through . ' and in that , he said , there 's perhaps another obstacle . it 's cultural . lieberman wonders if young people -- especially those in her own party -- will challenge suu kyi honestly and directly when they disagree with her . there 's something called'anade'in burma there which means you respect your elders , you do n't give them a bad message , ' he said . i asked her ,'how do you get information ?'and she said ,'everybody knows they can tell me what they want and they wo n't get ( fired ) .' she probably believes that , ' he said . but i just doubt it because there 's such love for her , i do n't see someone questioning her . ' nan tin , in fort wayne , said she hopes they will . we have to be able to say what we think . the people have high expectations , ' she said . if nan tin has a few moments with suu kyi , she will use the opportunity not to demand anything , though . we know she is only one person , ' she said . i would tell her that we are with her , no matter what . ' | expert : change in burma has to come from multiple sources , not just suu kyi |
artpop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after staging a vomit as art ' performance and facing lackluster sales for her latest album , lady gaga is ready to speak her piece . on the today ' show friday , the 27-year-old singer defended her commitment to the weird and spectacular ( and sometimes the spectacularly weird ) , explaining that she 'd be doing the same outlandish things whether she 'd found the fame ' or not . there 's a perception that what i 'm doing is all a big show , and i really truly feel that it 's really just part of who i am . every moment of my life is devoted to my music and my fans , and it 's really , truly me , ' she said . i 'd just be doing it on the lower east side , it 'd be the same show , the same act . ' that act has appeared to take a stumble . her newest album , artpop , ' reached no . 1 with just 258,000 copies sold upon its release in november . her previous album , born this way , ' notched the same spot in 2011 with 1.1 million copies snapped up in its first week . industry observers are quick to note the caveats here : born this way ' did have an amazon.com special attached to it , where fans could buy born ' for 99 cents for a limited period of time . and compared with other singers with big releases in the fall of 2013 , gaga is still playing in the same league : katy perry 's prism ' pushed 286,000 copies in its first week , according to billboard , while miley cyrus' bangerz ' hit 270,000 . but album sales have become just a slice of gaga 's dwindling perception among an ambivalent public . her latest effort is a mash-up of high art and pop music that met with mixed reviews from critics who were n't sure what to make of her more avant-garde direction . ( as pop , the album is a well-executed and entertaining tour of gaga 's tried-and-true tricks , ' entertainment weekly said . but as art , it falls short when it comes to one basic function : making an impression . ' ) and somewhere along the way , gaga 's usual outrageous behavior -- think meat dresses , arriving at awards shows encased in egg-like structures -- has soured from entertaining to off-putting . at the south by southwest music festival last week , gaga invited vomit artist ' millie brown to join her onstage to do what brown does best : swill brightly colored goos and then regurgitate them in the name of art . so while gaga sang the artpop ' track swine , ' brown participated in the performance by sticking her fingers down her throat and vomiting green and black paint all over the pop star . both brown and gaga have been accused of everything from crossing a line of general decency to glamorizing eating disorders , which both artists have said was not their intent . for her part , brown explained to elle magazine that she came up with the idea of vomit art ' because she wanted to use my body to create a performance that was about the beauty from inside out . i came up with the idea of actually vomiting a rainbow using my body as a tool to create paintings . ... my performance is not a statement about eating disorders in any way . i think the whole bulimia thing -- it 's important for people to know that i 'm not trying to promote it . ' and on today ' on friday , gaga stood behind brown 's view of her work . ( the artist ) millie brown and i know that not everyone 's going to love that performance , but we both really believe in artistic expression and strong identities and i support her and what she does .'artpop'is about bringing music and art together in the spirit of creative rebellion , and for us that performance was art in its purest form , ' the singer said . ( controversy ) does n't matter . we do n't make things for any intention in particular other than in the spirit of entertaining the crowd and really for the moment . it was meant for a club performance in austin , and it was a great time . ' gaga appeared undaunted by any criticism , explaining that she 's charging ahead and at work writing new music . if her appearance at sxsw is any indication , we can expect the singer to continue pointing her arrow more in the same direction . i refuse to compromise and allow my talents to be monetized to the point that i do n't want to be here anymore , ' gaga said during a keynote address at the texas festival . i will stop . i will quit . i will retire from the commercial market if i have to do something other than be myself because if i ca n't be myself in this moment ( then ) everything i have said to my friends since the beginning will be a total lie . ... no , i 'll be myself till they f * * * ing close the coffin . ' | lady gaga has appeared to struggle since the release of her album artpop ' |
smith <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ohio has executed its second inmate using a new one-drug method , officials said thursday . vernon smith , 37 , was pronounced dead at 10:28 a.m. , according to a statement from the ohio department of rehabilitation and correction . smith was convicted of killing toledo , ohio , store owner sohail darwish during a robbery in 1993 . according to court documents , darwish did not resist smith 's orders to open the cash register and hand over his wallet , but smith shot him anyway , saying he moved too slow . ' darwish bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the chest , the documents said . darwish , a 28-year-old from saudi arabia , had a year-old daughter , and his wife was pregnant with another daughter , the columbus dispatch newspaper reported thursday . the execution was ohio 's second using the one-drug method . kenneth biros , 51 , was put to death in december . it was ohio 's first execution since september , when gov . ted strickland and federal courts halted capital punishment in the state after a botched attempt to execute another prisoner , romell broom . the prison staff could not find a suitable vein for broom 's lethal injections . the one-drug method used on biros had never been tried on u.s. death row inmates . it relies on a single dose of sodium thiopental injected into a vein . a separate two-drug muscle injection was available as a backup , officials said . the one-drug method has been used to euthanize animals . the same drug , sodium thiopental -- but at a much lower dosage -- is the first ingredient in the three-drug method previously used in ohio , as well as in all but one of the other 34 states with the death penalty . cnn 's ashley hayes contributed to this report . | vernon smith , 37 , put to death with large dose of sodium thiopental |
smith <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ohio has executed its second inmate using a new one-drug method , officials said thursday . vernon smith , 37 , was pronounced dead at 10:28 a.m. , according to a statement from the ohio department of rehabilitation and correction . smith was convicted of killing toledo , ohio , store owner sohail darwish during a robbery in 1993 . according to court documents , darwish did not resist smith 's orders to open the cash register and hand over his wallet , but smith shot him anyway , saying he moved too slow . ' darwish bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the chest , the documents said . darwish , a 28-year-old from saudi arabia , had a year-old daughter , and his wife was pregnant with another daughter , the columbus dispatch newspaper reported thursday . the execution was ohio 's second using the one-drug method . kenneth biros , 51 , was put to death in december . it was ohio 's first execution since september , when gov . ted strickland and federal courts halted capital punishment in the state after a botched attempt to execute another prisoner , romell broom . the prison staff could not find a suitable vein for broom 's lethal injections . the one-drug method used on biros had never been tried on u.s. death row inmates . it relies on a single dose of sodium thiopental injected into a vein . a separate two-drug muscle injection was available as a backup , officials said . the one-drug method has been used to euthanize animals . the same drug , sodium thiopental -- but at a much lower dosage -- is the first ingredient in the three-drug method previously used in ohio , as well as in all but one of the other 34 states with the death penalty . cnn 's ashley hayes contributed to this report . | smith was convicted of killing convenience store clerk in 1993 |
cory remsburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- his wounds as an army ranger in afghanistan in 2009 left him in the fight of his life -- a fight for his life , for sheer survival . and when his story was told by the president of the united states , that story brought a packed house in the u.s. capitol to its feet for a standing ovation . cory remsburg never gives up , and he does not quit , ' president barack obama declared to the nation in his state of the union address in january . being singled out for presidential recognition made remsburg overnight the most recognizable veteran in the country , a position he 's not entirely comfortable with . but he says he 's ok with the attention as long as it brings attention to all wounded veterans . there are other people who would have quit a long time ago and would have been happy in their wheelchair . me ? oh , no , ' he said in an interview on cnn 's new day ' that aired thursday . it 's incredibly poignant when he makes such statements . his speech is labored and a little slurred . every word and movement clearly takes great effort . but it is effort he makes without complaint , without flinching . before the accident remsburg joined the army when he was 18 years old . he wanted to join sooner , but his father , craig , would not let him . he went through the rigorous , specialized training to become an elite army ranger , deploying to iraq and afghanistan 10 times . he spent a total of 39 months in combat , and was eventually made leader of his company 's heavy weapons squad . in june 2009 , he participated in ceremony for the 65th anniversary of d-day , parachuting in on the shores of omaha beach in normandy , france , as part of a ceremony president obama attended . afterward , the two met briefly . what remsburg did n't know then was that he would meet the president again just a year later , under very different circumstances . on october 1 , 2009 , remsburg and his platoon hit a roadside bomb in kandahar , afghanistan , and the immediate explosion nearly killed him . he was found face down in a pool of water , shrapnel lodged in his brain . his father still remembers the phone call . i immediately went into the mode of saying ,'hey cory , how are you doing ?' he said . and there was silence . and that 's when the officer identified himself as cory 's company commander and said cory 's been injured . ' remsburg was in a coma for more than three months . he 's undergone dozens of surgeries , is still blind in his right eye and is partially paralyzed on his left side . but he 's come a long way from those first few months . an unseen , personal battle at the state of the union recovery after years of rehabilitation centers and hospitals , remsburg now lives at home with a full-time caregiver in phoenix , arizona . this week , remsburg returned to casa colina centers for rehabilitation in pomona , california , where he lived for 16 months going through intensive daily therapy to regain his ability to walk and talk . this was his first time back since leaving 10 months ago . everyone there -- doctors , nurses and patients -- all came up to say hi , give him a hug and ask how he 's doing . meeting an american hero remsburg acknowledges that his recovery would not have been possible without the support of his family . his stepmother , annie , left her job for more than a year and a half to stay with him full-time at a hospital in florida . and his father 's employer has allowed him the flexibility to be at his son 's side whenever necessary . his parents are also grateful to all the charities that have supported their son 's recovery over the past five years . remsburg clearly has been through a lot , but one thing he has not lost is his sense of humor . during a speech therapy session that tested articulation and memory , he had to name something from a category -- his favorite baseball team , a color , a state , a street name -- followed by a card number from a deck . when asked to name a news website , he said , fox news , ' but then remembered who was in the room with him , and quickly corrected himself by saying , or , cnn . oops . ' meetings with the president remsburg met president obama for the second time in 2010 , shortly after coming out of his coma . the president happened to be visiting walter reed medical center outside washington , and realized he knew the young man once he saw the photo of their first meeting hanging on the wall near his bed . remsburg is the only known wounded veteran to have met the president both before and after his injury . their third meeting was about a year ago , when president obama made a stop in phoenix and requested to see how remsburg was doing . when obama arrived , remsburg did something that shocked even his father . cory got up , saluted him , then got up with a walker and walked across the floor , ' craig said . for cory , the gesture was to prove a point : to show the president that this is what happens when you do n't quit . ' bipartisan outpouring for wounded war hero at state of the union what 's next on wednesday , remsburg turned 31 . to celebrate his birthday , he took a tandem skydiving jump ; his first since his injury . he 's also working with a therapy dog that will help him do some of the things he can no longer do for himself . he says his heroes are his army ranger buddies who gave their lives serving their country . he wears a bracelet engraved with their names as a reminder of their ultimate sacrifice . his long-term goals are to go to college , get married and have children , to live a full life , just like anyone else . opinion : veterans should n't politicize the honoring of a fellow vet watch new day weekdays at 6am-9am et . for the latest on new day click here | president obama told the nation about cory remsburg during the state of the union address |
cory remsburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- his wounds as an army ranger in afghanistan in 2009 left him in the fight of his life -- a fight for his life , for sheer survival . and when his story was told by the president of the united states , that story brought a packed house in the u.s. capitol to its feet for a standing ovation . cory remsburg never gives up , and he does not quit , ' president barack obama declared to the nation in his state of the union address in january . being singled out for presidential recognition made remsburg overnight the most recognizable veteran in the country , a position he 's not entirely comfortable with . but he says he 's ok with the attention as long as it brings attention to all wounded veterans . there are other people who would have quit a long time ago and would have been happy in their wheelchair . me ? oh , no , ' he said in an interview on cnn 's new day ' that aired thursday . it 's incredibly poignant when he makes such statements . his speech is labored and a little slurred . every word and movement clearly takes great effort . but it is effort he makes without complaint , without flinching . before the accident remsburg joined the army when he was 18 years old . he wanted to join sooner , but his father , craig , would not let him . he went through the rigorous , specialized training to become an elite army ranger , deploying to iraq and afghanistan 10 times . he spent a total of 39 months in combat , and was eventually made leader of his company 's heavy weapons squad . in june 2009 , he participated in ceremony for the 65th anniversary of d-day , parachuting in on the shores of omaha beach in normandy , france , as part of a ceremony president obama attended . afterward , the two met briefly . what remsburg did n't know then was that he would meet the president again just a year later , under very different circumstances . on october 1 , 2009 , remsburg and his platoon hit a roadside bomb in kandahar , afghanistan , and the immediate explosion nearly killed him . he was found face down in a pool of water , shrapnel lodged in his brain . his father still remembers the phone call . i immediately went into the mode of saying ,'hey cory , how are you doing ?' he said . and there was silence . and that 's when the officer identified himself as cory 's company commander and said cory 's been injured . ' remsburg was in a coma for more than three months . he 's undergone dozens of surgeries , is still blind in his right eye and is partially paralyzed on his left side . but he 's come a long way from those first few months . an unseen , personal battle at the state of the union recovery after years of rehabilitation centers and hospitals , remsburg now lives at home with a full-time caregiver in phoenix , arizona . this week , remsburg returned to casa colina centers for rehabilitation in pomona , california , where he lived for 16 months going through intensive daily therapy to regain his ability to walk and talk . this was his first time back since leaving 10 months ago . everyone there -- doctors , nurses and patients -- all came up to say hi , give him a hug and ask how he 's doing . meeting an american hero remsburg acknowledges that his recovery would not have been possible without the support of his family . his stepmother , annie , left her job for more than a year and a half to stay with him full-time at a hospital in florida . and his father 's employer has allowed him the flexibility to be at his son 's side whenever necessary . his parents are also grateful to all the charities that have supported their son 's recovery over the past five years . remsburg clearly has been through a lot , but one thing he has not lost is his sense of humor . during a speech therapy session that tested articulation and memory , he had to name something from a category -- his favorite baseball team , a color , a state , a street name -- followed by a card number from a deck . when asked to name a news website , he said , fox news , ' but then remembered who was in the room with him , and quickly corrected himself by saying , or , cnn . oops . ' meetings with the president remsburg met president obama for the second time in 2010 , shortly after coming out of his coma . the president happened to be visiting walter reed medical center outside washington , and realized he knew the young man once he saw the photo of their first meeting hanging on the wall near his bed . remsburg is the only known wounded veteran to have met the president both before and after his injury . their third meeting was about a year ago , when president obama made a stop in phoenix and requested to see how remsburg was doing . when obama arrived , remsburg did something that shocked even his father . cory got up , saluted him , then got up with a walker and walked across the floor , ' craig said . for cory , the gesture was to prove a point : to show the president that this is what happens when you do n't quit . ' bipartisan outpouring for wounded war hero at state of the union what 's next on wednesday , remsburg turned 31 . to celebrate his birthday , he took a tandem skydiving jump ; his first since his injury . he 's also working with a therapy dog that will help him do some of the things he can no longer do for himself . he says his heroes are his army ranger buddies who gave their lives serving their country . he wears a bracelet engraved with their names as a reminder of their ultimate sacrifice . his long-term goals are to go to college , get married and have children , to live a full life , just like anyone else . opinion : veterans should n't politicize the honoring of a fellow vet watch new day weekdays at 6am-9am et . for the latest on new day click here | cory remsburg never gives up , and he does not quit , ' obama said |
state of the union <tsp> ( cnn ) -- his wounds as an army ranger in afghanistan in 2009 left him in the fight of his life -- a fight for his life , for sheer survival . and when his story was told by the president of the united states , that story brought a packed house in the u.s. capitol to its feet for a standing ovation . cory remsburg never gives up , and he does not quit , ' president barack obama declared to the nation in his state of the union address in january . being singled out for presidential recognition made remsburg overnight the most recognizable veteran in the country , a position he 's not entirely comfortable with . but he says he 's ok with the attention as long as it brings attention to all wounded veterans . there are other people who would have quit a long time ago and would have been happy in their wheelchair . me ? oh , no , ' he said in an interview on cnn 's new day ' that aired thursday . it 's incredibly poignant when he makes such statements . his speech is labored and a little slurred . every word and movement clearly takes great effort . but it is effort he makes without complaint , without flinching . before the accident remsburg joined the army when he was 18 years old . he wanted to join sooner , but his father , craig , would not let him . he went through the rigorous , specialized training to become an elite army ranger , deploying to iraq and afghanistan 10 times . he spent a total of 39 months in combat , and was eventually made leader of his company 's heavy weapons squad . in june 2009 , he participated in ceremony for the 65th anniversary of d-day , parachuting in on the shores of omaha beach in normandy , france , as part of a ceremony president obama attended . afterward , the two met briefly . what remsburg did n't know then was that he would meet the president again just a year later , under very different circumstances . on october 1 , 2009 , remsburg and his platoon hit a roadside bomb in kandahar , afghanistan , and the immediate explosion nearly killed him . he was found face down in a pool of water , shrapnel lodged in his brain . his father still remembers the phone call . i immediately went into the mode of saying ,'hey cory , how are you doing ?' he said . and there was silence . and that 's when the officer identified himself as cory 's company commander and said cory 's been injured . ' remsburg was in a coma for more than three months . he 's undergone dozens of surgeries , is still blind in his right eye and is partially paralyzed on his left side . but he 's come a long way from those first few months . an unseen , personal battle at the state of the union recovery after years of rehabilitation centers and hospitals , remsburg now lives at home with a full-time caregiver in phoenix , arizona . this week , remsburg returned to casa colina centers for rehabilitation in pomona , california , where he lived for 16 months going through intensive daily therapy to regain his ability to walk and talk . this was his first time back since leaving 10 months ago . everyone there -- doctors , nurses and patients -- all came up to say hi , give him a hug and ask how he 's doing . meeting an american hero remsburg acknowledges that his recovery would not have been possible without the support of his family . his stepmother , annie , left her job for more than a year and a half to stay with him full-time at a hospital in florida . and his father 's employer has allowed him the flexibility to be at his son 's side whenever necessary . his parents are also grateful to all the charities that have supported their son 's recovery over the past five years . remsburg clearly has been through a lot , but one thing he has not lost is his sense of humor . during a speech therapy session that tested articulation and memory , he had to name something from a category -- his favorite baseball team , a color , a state , a street name -- followed by a card number from a deck . when asked to name a news website , he said , fox news , ' but then remembered who was in the room with him , and quickly corrected himself by saying , or , cnn . oops . ' meetings with the president remsburg met president obama for the second time in 2010 , shortly after coming out of his coma . the president happened to be visiting walter reed medical center outside washington , and realized he knew the young man once he saw the photo of their first meeting hanging on the wall near his bed . remsburg is the only known wounded veteran to have met the president both before and after his injury . their third meeting was about a year ago , when president obama made a stop in phoenix and requested to see how remsburg was doing . when obama arrived , remsburg did something that shocked even his father . cory got up , saluted him , then got up with a walker and walked across the floor , ' craig said . for cory , the gesture was to prove a point : to show the president that this is what happens when you do n't quit . ' bipartisan outpouring for wounded war hero at state of the union what 's next on wednesday , remsburg turned 31 . to celebrate his birthday , he took a tandem skydiving jump ; his first since his injury . he 's also working with a therapy dog that will help him do some of the things he can no longer do for himself . he says his heroes are his army ranger buddies who gave their lives serving their country . he wears a bracelet engraved with their names as a reminder of their ultimate sacrifice . his long-term goals are to go to college , get married and have children , to live a full life , just like anyone else . opinion : veterans should n't politicize the honoring of a fellow vet watch new day weekdays at 6am-9am et . for the latest on new day click here | president obama told the nation about cory remsburg during the state of the union address |
new day <tsp> ( cnn ) -- his wounds as an army ranger in afghanistan in 2009 left him in the fight of his life -- a fight for his life , for sheer survival . and when his story was told by the president of the united states , that story brought a packed house in the u.s. capitol to its feet for a standing ovation . cory remsburg never gives up , and he does not quit , ' president barack obama declared to the nation in his state of the union address in january . being singled out for presidential recognition made remsburg overnight the most recognizable veteran in the country , a position he 's not entirely comfortable with . but he says he 's ok with the attention as long as it brings attention to all wounded veterans . there are other people who would have quit a long time ago and would have been happy in their wheelchair . me ? oh , no , ' he said in an interview on cnn 's new day ' that aired thursday . it 's incredibly poignant when he makes such statements . his speech is labored and a little slurred . every word and movement clearly takes great effort . but it is effort he makes without complaint , without flinching . before the accident remsburg joined the army when he was 18 years old . he wanted to join sooner , but his father , craig , would not let him . he went through the rigorous , specialized training to become an elite army ranger , deploying to iraq and afghanistan 10 times . he spent a total of 39 months in combat , and was eventually made leader of his company 's heavy weapons squad . in june 2009 , he participated in ceremony for the 65th anniversary of d-day , parachuting in on the shores of omaha beach in normandy , france , as part of a ceremony president obama attended . afterward , the two met briefly . what remsburg did n't know then was that he would meet the president again just a year later , under very different circumstances . on october 1 , 2009 , remsburg and his platoon hit a roadside bomb in kandahar , afghanistan , and the immediate explosion nearly killed him . he was found face down in a pool of water , shrapnel lodged in his brain . his father still remembers the phone call . i immediately went into the mode of saying ,'hey cory , how are you doing ?' he said . and there was silence . and that 's when the officer identified himself as cory 's company commander and said cory 's been injured . ' remsburg was in a coma for more than three months . he 's undergone dozens of surgeries , is still blind in his right eye and is partially paralyzed on his left side . but he 's come a long way from those first few months . an unseen , personal battle at the state of the union recovery after years of rehabilitation centers and hospitals , remsburg now lives at home with a full-time caregiver in phoenix , arizona . this week , remsburg returned to casa colina centers for rehabilitation in pomona , california , where he lived for 16 months going through intensive daily therapy to regain his ability to walk and talk . this was his first time back since leaving 10 months ago . everyone there -- doctors , nurses and patients -- all came up to say hi , give him a hug and ask how he 's doing . meeting an american hero remsburg acknowledges that his recovery would not have been possible without the support of his family . his stepmother , annie , left her job for more than a year and a half to stay with him full-time at a hospital in florida . and his father 's employer has allowed him the flexibility to be at his son 's side whenever necessary . his parents are also grateful to all the charities that have supported their son 's recovery over the past five years . remsburg clearly has been through a lot , but one thing he has not lost is his sense of humor . during a speech therapy session that tested articulation and memory , he had to name something from a category -- his favorite baseball team , a color , a state , a street name -- followed by a card number from a deck . when asked to name a news website , he said , fox news , ' but then remembered who was in the room with him , and quickly corrected himself by saying , or , cnn . oops . ' meetings with the president remsburg met president obama for the second time in 2010 , shortly after coming out of his coma . the president happened to be visiting walter reed medical center outside washington , and realized he knew the young man once he saw the photo of their first meeting hanging on the wall near his bed . remsburg is the only known wounded veteran to have met the president both before and after his injury . their third meeting was about a year ago , when president obama made a stop in phoenix and requested to see how remsburg was doing . when obama arrived , remsburg did something that shocked even his father . cory got up , saluted him , then got up with a walker and walked across the floor , ' craig said . for cory , the gesture was to prove a point : to show the president that this is what happens when you do n't quit . ' bipartisan outpouring for wounded war hero at state of the union what 's next on wednesday , remsburg turned 31 . to celebrate his birthday , he took a tandem skydiving jump ; his first since his injury . he 's also working with a therapy dog that will help him do some of the things he can no longer do for himself . he says his heroes are his army ranger buddies who gave their lives serving their country . he wears a bracelet engraved with their names as a reminder of their ultimate sacrifice . his long-term goals are to go to college , get married and have children , to live a full life , just like anyone else . opinion : veterans should n't politicize the honoring of a fellow vet watch new day weekdays at 6am-9am et . for the latest on new day click here | now , remsburg talks to cnn 's new day ' |
united nations <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at least 158 people have been killed since fighting broke out earlier this month between separatist rebels and soldiers in the philippines , state news reported wednesday . the majority of those killed , 125 , were militants from the moro national liberation front ( mnlf ) , the government-run philippines news agency ( pna ) said . also among the reported dead were 15 members of the military , five from police , and 13 civilians . the lengthy crisis in zamboanga city began when large numbers of rebels from the muslim militant group came ashore more than two weeks ago . they took roughly 180 people hostage in coastal areas of the city . after attempts to negotiate the hostages'release failed , security forces moved in , resulting in intense bursts of fighting . the vast majority of the captives have now been freed , but authorities believe the rebels are still holding around five people , lt. col. ramon zagala , a military spokesman , said wednesday . the unrest has fueled fears of increased instability in a region where the central government is pursuing a new peace plan after decades of violence . more than 109,000 people have been displaced in zamboanga city and close to 19,000 are displaced in basilan province , according to the united nations , which described the situation wednesday as a humanitarian crisis . zamboanga city , on the southwestern tip of mindanao , is a mainly christian city . we are increasingly alarmed by the situation and the growing needs of people caught up with violence , ' said luiza carvalho , u.n. resident and humanitarian coordinator in the philippines . we are particularly concerned for the most vulnerable , especially the well-being of women and children . ' hundreds of houses have caught fire during the fighting . authorities have accused the rebels of deliberately starting the fires . the rebels are a faction of the mnlf , a separatist movement founded in 1971 by nur misuari with the aim of establishing an autonomous region for muslims in the mainly catholic philippines . the mnlf signed a peace deal with the central government in manila in 1996 , but some of its members have broken away to continue a violent campaign . last month , misuari issued a declaration of independence ' for the moro nation -- referring to mindanao 's indigenous muslim population -- after complaining that the mnlf had been left out of a recent wealth-sharing agreement with another insurgent group , the moro islamic liberation front , which has fought for decades to set up an independent islamic state on resource-rich mindanao . cnn 's tim schwarz , kathy quiano and jethro mullen contributed to this report . | united nations : the unrest has displaced more than 100,000 people |
muslim <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at least 158 people have been killed since fighting broke out earlier this month between separatist rebels and soldiers in the philippines , state news reported wednesday . the majority of those killed , 125 , were militants from the moro national liberation front ( mnlf ) , the government-run philippines news agency ( pna ) said . also among the reported dead were 15 members of the military , five from police , and 13 civilians . the lengthy crisis in zamboanga city began when large numbers of rebels from the muslim militant group came ashore more than two weeks ago . they took roughly 180 people hostage in coastal areas of the city . after attempts to negotiate the hostages'release failed , security forces moved in , resulting in intense bursts of fighting . the vast majority of the captives have now been freed , but authorities believe the rebels are still holding around five people , lt. col. ramon zagala , a military spokesman , said wednesday . the unrest has fueled fears of increased instability in a region where the central government is pursuing a new peace plan after decades of violence . more than 109,000 people have been displaced in zamboanga city and close to 19,000 are displaced in basilan province , according to the united nations , which described the situation wednesday as a humanitarian crisis . zamboanga city , on the southwestern tip of mindanao , is a mainly christian city . we are increasingly alarmed by the situation and the growing needs of people caught up with violence , ' said luiza carvalho , u.n. resident and humanitarian coordinator in the philippines . we are particularly concerned for the most vulnerable , especially the well-being of women and children . ' hundreds of houses have caught fire during the fighting . authorities have accused the rebels of deliberately starting the fires . the rebels are a faction of the mnlf , a separatist movement founded in 1971 by nur misuari with the aim of establishing an autonomous region for muslims in the mainly catholic philippines . the mnlf signed a peace deal with the central government in manila in 1996 , but some of its members have broken away to continue a violent campaign . last month , misuari issued a declaration of independence ' for the moro nation -- referring to mindanao 's indigenous muslim population -- after complaining that the mnlf had been left out of a recent wealth-sharing agreement with another insurgent group , the moro islamic liberation front , which has fought for decades to set up an independent islamic state on resource-rich mindanao . cnn 's tim schwarz , kathy quiano and jethro mullen contributed to this report . | fighting has raged between muslim rebels and soldiers in zamboanga city |
kosovo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the terror group isis ( islamic state in iraq and syria ) which has shortened its name to islamic state ' or is ' , led by abu bakr al-baghdadi , its self-proclaimed caliph , has hit a new low . having spread across huge swathes of iraq and syria , leaving absolute devastation in its wake , its latest offensive has brought it to sinjar , a city in the north western region of nineveh in iraq and home to at least 200,000 of the world 's 700,000 members of the yazidi faith isis has always worn its love for sectarianism on its sleeve , and its vicious hatred for yazidis has been no mystery . repeatedly , disturbing videos have been circulated on social media depicting yazidis held in tiny cells being cruelly taunted by isis prison guards . on top of this , is ' propagandists have continuously warned of their intention to execute or enslave the adherents of this ancient zoroastrian-linked religion , whom they view as devil worshippers ' on account of their revering a fallen angel . therefore , it should come as no surprise that , when it seemed that isis were about to sweep into sinjar last week , thousands upon thousands of yazidis fled from their homes . tragically , alongside the local yazidis that fled were others who had taken refuge in sinjar the month before , when isis captured tal afar , a neighboring city . everyone 's fears proved to be rightly placed , with isis fiercely battling and soon routing the kurdish peshmerga , leaving them in control of sinjar and many of its surroundings . while most fled to refugee camps in semi-autonomous iraqi kurdistan , some 30,000 families ended up on mount sinjar , where they are now stranded , surrounded by jihadists . they are forced to sleep in caves , faced with temperatures of over 50 degrees celsius ( 122 degrees fahrenheit ) and have no food or water , let alone arms to defend themselves with . initially , they could contact the outside world using mobile phones . now , though , most of these have run out of battery and there is no telling how critical the situation has become . what is for certain is that their prospects for escape are minimal . this is yet another instance of the appalling brutality of is ' , a group that has consistently abused the most basic human rights of the people it has forced itself upon . over the last two months , it has committed countless mass summary executions of shiite soldiers and tortured and shot hundreds of sunni tribespeople who resisted its rule before taking to social media to boast about their actions . likewise , it recently gave the entire christian population of mosul a choice -- either they leave their homes and livelihoods , or they pay a tax to is on the basis of their religion . those who refused to do either faced death . the list of human rights offenses goes on . these jihadists are making a mockery of international law . it is becoming increasingly clear that they will not stop committing these criminal acts unless they are forced to stop . unfortunately , the prospects for this are becoming more remote by the day , as isis fighters continue from strength to strength , capturing most of north-west syria 's largest military facilities and repelling all counter attacks by the iraqi armed forces ( iaf ) . we , the international community , must not turn a blind eye to what 's happening in on mount sinjar like we did in the wake of the expulsion of mosuli christians or the mass executions of shiite soldiers . what 's transpiring now is a new kosovo , an ethno-religious cleansing on a huge scale . that it is taking place at the hands of a jihadist group too extreme for al qaeda , a group that has repeatedly shown that it has internationalist ambitions , is all the more worrying . it is ludicrous that no one has acted against it already when it is clear that neither the iaf nor the peshmerga is capable of shutting it down alone . isis has acted with impunity in the region for far too long . it has been allowed to take control of an area larger than the united kingdom , commandeer hundreds of thousands of dollars of u.s.-made weaponry and subjugate nearly 6 million people . the international community needs to step up to this most troubling challenge . it must provide substantial and coordinated humanitarian assistance to all refugees and internally displaced people -- of any faith or ethnicity -- in the region . furthermore , diplomatic pressure must be exerted on turkey , the only military power in the region that stands a chance of crushing this false caliphate . ankara must be ready to bury its differences with the kurds and extend all the assistance it can to them on a human rights basis , even if this means military support . lastly , it is imperative that states across the world reaffirm their absolute commitment to article 18 of the universal declaration of human rights , which establishes the right to free thought , conscience and belief . if we do not stand by our principles , who will ? it is not enough to just condemn something with rhetoric ; the world must react robustly and directly to these reprehensible developments . the views expressed in this commentary are solely maajid nawaz 's . | maajid nawaz says isis'hatred of the yazidis is clear and a new kosovo ' is transpiring |
african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the italian navy said it rescued more than 1,000 migrants from several overcrowded boats in the mediterranean between tuesday and wednesday morning . the migrants , who included women and children , had set off from the north african coast and were not equipped with life jackets , the navy said . they are now being taken by ship to the port of augusta , on italy 's mediterranean island of sicily . on tuesday , three other navy ships disembarked 1,049 more migrants rescued since monday in the ports of augusta and pozzallo , also in sicily , the navy said . italy is a major gateway into europe for migrants who come by sea from north africa in hope of reaching eu soil . shipwrecks off the shores of sicily and the tiny island of lampedusa are common , thanks to the frequent use of overcrowded and barely seaworthy vessels . but despite the dangers , migrants keep coming . some are from african nations , particularly eritrea and somalia , while others have fled war-torn syria , officials say . according to the european border agency frontex , more than 12,000 illegal migrants were detected off sicily and 8,000 off lampedusa in the third quarter of last year . many of those arriving on italy 's shores have set sail from libya , the agency said . cnn 's lindsay isaac contributed to this report . | some migrants come from african nations , others from war-torn countries like syria |
ferguson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on the night the ferguson grand jury 's decision broke , a friend sent me an email : ' something was clearly broken in the ferguson community long before michael brown died . time and energy needs to be spent on figuring out what went wrong and how you begin again to build trust -- because it will have to be rebuilt . ' i agree . justice to be credible and accepted has to have trust as its foundation . ferguson does not stand alone . every day , in cities and towns across america , african-americans experience weighted scales of justice . this reality is an accepted part of life for too many . that must change . it 's also important to realize that having problems based on race does not mean we 've backslid . president obama is right when he says race relations in this nation are improving , and are much better than in years past . we have traveled a long , hard road to a better america . it is an ongoing journey requiring constant vigilance . when i was growing up , our nation was partitioned : blacks were segregated by law in the south and largely by custom in the north , though it too had segregation laws . our best universities had quota systems . many white communities had real estate covenants to keep nonwhites out . segregationist gov . george wallace won michigan and maryland -- not just the deep south -- in his bid for the democratic party 's presidential nomination . it was a crime in the south for blacks and white to sit together on a bus . north and south , it was prohibited for blacks and whites to marry . despite this wide racial gulf , most americans showed a deep commitment to fairness . this contrasted and contested sharply with sanctioned -- sometimes officially , sometimes unofficially -- vigilante hangings and bombings , fire hoses , police dogs , and congressional filibusters . as the civil rights struggle progressed , americans responded to the justice of the cause , shedding layers of the crusty armor that shielded the white majority from contact with its large black minority . there are layers left . it feels so much better to be on good terms with one another . i remember when sen. john stennis of mississippi , a vigorous opponent of civil rights legislation , voted for an extension of the voting rights act in 1983 . i did n't want to go back to all the days of misunderstanding , ' he said afterward . i did n't want to turn around and go back , ' he said . we have gone forward . we also know america is n't shangri-la . when cities burn in the night , parents weep in silent anguish , thousands march in protest , and a ferguson prosecutor willingly undercuts his own case , we have a distance to travel . today , we need a national commission on justice . one that is more than a fact-finding commission . one whose purpose is reconciliation . this one should be modeled after south africa 's truth and reconciliation commission , chaired by bishop desmond tutu . there was an emphasis in that commission on reconciliation . there was a marked effort to forgive . tutu wrote , when i talk of forgiveness i mean the belief that you can come out the other side ... a better person than the one being consumed by anger and hatred . remaining in that state locks you in a state of victimhood , making you almost dependent on the perpetrator . if you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained to the perpetrator . you can move on . ' bishop tutu added a but . ' but the process of forgiveness also requires acknowledgment on the part of the perpetrator that they have committed an offense . ' the grand jury system , not just in ferguson , but nationwide , needs a hard look . millions feel that officers who are trigger-happy are handed a license to shoot -- based not on facts , but on stereotypes the officers carry . millions feel stereotypes explain why a lone 12-year-old with a toy gun was instantly , and fatally shot in daylight by cleveland police , but why a white mass-murderer , shooting in a darkened theater , was apprehended unharmed . citizen grievances must be gathered , studied and addressed . acknowledgment of wrongdoing , where appropriate , must be made . changes must come . forgiveness must follow . but we can not ignore this problem , or pretend it does n't exist . i share the pain of the americans who wrote these tweets : from joelie @ joeelleeee if you 're not angry , you 're not paying attention . ' and petty labelle @ d_sassy1ne who tweeted , my 7 year old son just said : do n't worry mom . if we want to live , we just have to stay home ' . i 'm turning off my tv . my heart just broke . ' let us start by addressing these issues , work together to find ways to rebuild trust between citizens and those who are paid to protect us from violence . | donna brazile : after ferguson decision , trust among black community has to be rebuilt |
americans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on the night the ferguson grand jury 's decision broke , a friend sent me an email : ' something was clearly broken in the ferguson community long before michael brown died . time and energy needs to be spent on figuring out what went wrong and how you begin again to build trust -- because it will have to be rebuilt . ' i agree . justice to be credible and accepted has to have trust as its foundation . ferguson does not stand alone . every day , in cities and towns across america , african-americans experience weighted scales of justice . this reality is an accepted part of life for too many . that must change . it 's also important to realize that having problems based on race does not mean we 've backslid . president obama is right when he says race relations in this nation are improving , and are much better than in years past . we have traveled a long , hard road to a better america . it is an ongoing journey requiring constant vigilance . when i was growing up , our nation was partitioned : blacks were segregated by law in the south and largely by custom in the north , though it too had segregation laws . our best universities had quota systems . many white communities had real estate covenants to keep nonwhites out . segregationist gov . george wallace won michigan and maryland -- not just the deep south -- in his bid for the democratic party 's presidential nomination . it was a crime in the south for blacks and white to sit together on a bus . north and south , it was prohibited for blacks and whites to marry . despite this wide racial gulf , most americans showed a deep commitment to fairness . this contrasted and contested sharply with sanctioned -- sometimes officially , sometimes unofficially -- vigilante hangings and bombings , fire hoses , police dogs , and congressional filibusters . as the civil rights struggle progressed , americans responded to the justice of the cause , shedding layers of the crusty armor that shielded the white majority from contact with its large black minority . there are layers left . it feels so much better to be on good terms with one another . i remember when sen. john stennis of mississippi , a vigorous opponent of civil rights legislation , voted for an extension of the voting rights act in 1983 . i did n't want to go back to all the days of misunderstanding , ' he said afterward . i did n't want to turn around and go back , ' he said . we have gone forward . we also know america is n't shangri-la . when cities burn in the night , parents weep in silent anguish , thousands march in protest , and a ferguson prosecutor willingly undercuts his own case , we have a distance to travel . today , we need a national commission on justice . one that is more than a fact-finding commission . one whose purpose is reconciliation . this one should be modeled after south africa 's truth and reconciliation commission , chaired by bishop desmond tutu . there was an emphasis in that commission on reconciliation . there was a marked effort to forgive . tutu wrote , when i talk of forgiveness i mean the belief that you can come out the other side ... a better person than the one being consumed by anger and hatred . remaining in that state locks you in a state of victimhood , making you almost dependent on the perpetrator . if you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained to the perpetrator . you can move on . ' bishop tutu added a but . ' but the process of forgiveness also requires acknowledgment on the part of the perpetrator that they have committed an offense . ' the grand jury system , not just in ferguson , but nationwide , needs a hard look . millions feel that officers who are trigger-happy are handed a license to shoot -- based not on facts , but on stereotypes the officers carry . millions feel stereotypes explain why a lone 12-year-old with a toy gun was instantly , and fatally shot in daylight by cleveland police , but why a white mass-murderer , shooting in a darkened theater , was apprehended unharmed . citizen grievances must be gathered , studied and addressed . acknowledgment of wrongdoing , where appropriate , must be made . changes must come . forgiveness must follow . but we can not ignore this problem , or pretend it does n't exist . i share the pain of the americans who wrote these tweets : from joelie @ joeelleeee if you 're not angry , you 're not paying attention . ' and petty labelle @ d_sassy1ne who tweeted , my 7 year old son just said : do n't worry mom . if we want to live , we just have to stay home ' . i 'm turning off my tv . my heart just broke . ' let us start by addressing these issues , work together to find ways to rebuild trust between citizens and those who are paid to protect us from violence . | she says americans want fairness . we need national commission on justice |
stern <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- howard k. stern and two doctors entered not guilty ' pleas to charges of conspiring to provide drugs to anna nicole smith before her fatal overdose in 2007 . howard k. stern , anna nicole smith 's longtime confidant , arrives at los angeles criminal courts on wednesday . stern -- smith 's longtime partner and attorney -- appeared before a los angeles judge wednesday morning for formal arraignment , along with co-defendants dr. khristine eroshevich and dr. sandeep kapoor . the three are charged in california with several felonies , including conspiring to furnish controlled substances , unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and obtaining fraudulent prescriptions from june 2004 through january 2007 -- only weeks before smith 's death . california attorney general jerry brown , when he announced the case in march , said the doctors and stern devised a plan to use fake names so smith could be prescribed thousands of pills . ' smith , the former playboy playmate and reality tv star , was drugged almost to the point of stupefaction , ' brown said . stern defense lawyer steve sadow has called the charges baseless and accused brown of using smith 's death for his own political purposes . bottom line is that howard k. stern did not commit a criminal act , period , and you can ask me that all day long and i 'll still tell you he did not commit a criminal act , ' sadow said after wednesday 's hearing . smith , 39 , was pronounced dead february 8 , 2007 , after being discovered unconscious in her hotel room at the seminole hard rock hotel and casino near hollywood , florida . a coroner said she died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs . florida prosecutors said in march they were taking a new look at smith 's death to see if evidence california investigators had gathered recently might cause them to open an inquiry . the broward county , florida , state attorney 's office never opened a probe into smith 's death but did assist the seminole police department in its investigation in the days afterward . | stern defense lawyer calls charges baseless |
stern <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- howard k. stern and two doctors entered not guilty ' pleas to charges of conspiring to provide drugs to anna nicole smith before her fatal overdose in 2007 . howard k. stern , anna nicole smith 's longtime confidant , arrives at los angeles criminal courts on wednesday . stern -- smith 's longtime partner and attorney -- appeared before a los angeles judge wednesday morning for formal arraignment , along with co-defendants dr. khristine eroshevich and dr. sandeep kapoor . the three are charged in california with several felonies , including conspiring to furnish controlled substances , unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and obtaining fraudulent prescriptions from june 2004 through january 2007 -- only weeks before smith 's death . california attorney general jerry brown , when he announced the case in march , said the doctors and stern devised a plan to use fake names so smith could be prescribed thousands of pills . ' smith , the former playboy playmate and reality tv star , was drugged almost to the point of stupefaction , ' brown said . stern defense lawyer steve sadow has called the charges baseless and accused brown of using smith 's death for his own political purposes . bottom line is that howard k. stern did not commit a criminal act , period , and you can ask me that all day long and i 'll still tell you he did not commit a criminal act , ' sadow said after wednesday 's hearing . smith , 39 , was pronounced dead february 8 , 2007 , after being discovered unconscious in her hotel room at the seminole hard rock hotel and casino near hollywood , florida . a coroner said she died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs . florida prosecutors said in march they were taking a new look at smith 's death to see if evidence california investigators had gathered recently might cause them to open an inquiry . the broward county , florida , state attorney 's office never opened a probe into smith 's death but did assist the seminole police department in its investigation in the days afterward . | smith 's boyfriend howard stern , two doctors charged with providing drugs |
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