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farc <tsp> bogota , colombia ( cnn ) -- members of a colombian leftist rebel group released two more longtime prisoners wednesday afternoon , bringing the total released since february 9 to six , the international committee of the red cross said . the revolutionary armed forces of colombia , known by the spanish acronym farc , freed police maj. guillermo solorzano and army cpl . salin antonio sanmiguel valderrama on wednesday afternoon in a rural area located in the departments of cauca and valley of the cauca in southwest colombia , the red cross said in a news release . solorzano had spent three years and eight months in captivity ; sanmiguel had been held for two years and eight months , it said . both men were handed over to former sen. piedad cordoba , icrc representatives and a member of the group colombian men and women for peace , the red cross said . the freed men were being taken to the city of cali in a helicopter donated by the government of brazil . from there , they were to travel to bogota to reunite with their families . it pleases us that the relatives can be with their loved ones whom they have been waiting for for a long time , ' said christophe beney , the international red cross 's chief in colombia . we are very satisfied that , in the end , the agreements assumed by the sides , as much by the colombian government as by the farc , have been carried out . ' with the handover , the number of people freed by the farc since february 9 rises to six , the red cross said . the releases came three days after an initial attempt to retrieve the hostages failed when coordinates for their location proved to be inaccurate . solorzano , sanmiguel , and police patrolman carlos alberto ocampo were to have be released sunday , but only ocampo was freed . colombian authorities were upset at what they said were wrong coordinates given by the marxist guerrilla group . in december , the farc pledged to release five hostages as a humanitarian gesture . wednesday 's releases surpassed that number by one . some have suggested the hostage releases could fuel renewed negotiations between colombia 's government and the rebels . one of the freed hostages called for dialogue between the government and insurgents . humanitarian exchange is the first step toward a friendly understanding , which permits the return of our brothers deprived of their liberty , ' politician armando acuna said last week after his release . but colombian president juan manuel santos has sharply criticized the farc , accusing the group of having a double standard ' and creating an absurd media show ' in order to draw sympathy to its cause . he said last week that he was tempted to call off the rescue mission after learning that two workers from the carton de colombia company had been kidnapped the night before in southwestern colombia . | farc 's releases bring to six the number of hostages freed since february 9 |
olympic park legacy company <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the stadium at the heart of the 2012 london olympics is set to be transformed into a football ground once the games have finished , after english premier league side west ham were named as the preferred future residents of the venue on friday . the 80,000 capacity stadium will replace nearby upton park as west ham 's home but will retain its capability to host athletics events thanks to a commitment from the east london club to keep the running track in place . the decision ends a period of jostling between west ham and -- premier league and london rivals -- tottenham hotspur , who were also hoping to relocate to the arena after the olympics . spurs proposed rebuilding a 60,000-seater , football-only venue on the same site but the plan failed to convince the olympic park legacy company ( oplc ) who decide on the future use of the location . we have made a unanimous recommendation to back west ham as the long-term tenant , ' oplc chairwoman margaret ford said at a press conference . this represents the very best legacy for the stadium and for the communities of east london , and is a really good outcome for sport , ' she added . the british government still have to finalise the confirmation of west ham as tenants , but it is expected that they will do do in the coming weeks . the soccer club maintained it was their promise , to retain the stadium 's running track in line with the policy of 2012 organizers to leave an athletic legacy in the area , that helped clinch the decision . today is a momentous day . we are proud to have been passed the olympic torch and fully embrace the responsibility we have for keeping the flame alive , ' the club 's vice chairman karen brady told their official website . we have been working on this project for some time now and are just at the starting line of the race to make this a stadium that will really make the nation proud . ' the news is a blow for fifth-placed top flight side tottenham , who had wished to expand beyond their current facilities at white hart lane , with the financial help of american entertainment firm aeg . the olympic stadium site is an essential element in the creation of a viable olympic park and we know that we provided a first class proposal to support the sustainability of the whole project , ' a statement on their website read . should the move become official , however , it is not the first time a premier league club will have taken over an athletics stadium . manchester city moved from their maine road ground to the city of manchester stadium -- the venue for the 2002 commonwealth games -- to capitalise on its 48,000 all-seater facilities . elsewhere in europe , barcelona 's 1992 olympic stadium was la liga side espanyol 's home ground from 1997 to 2009 , while serie a club 's lazio and roma share the use of rome 's 1960 stadio olympico . and in berlin the 74 , 500 capacity olympicstadion -- built for the olympics held in the city in 1936 -- is home to german second division side hertha bsc . it also played host to matches in the 1974 and 2006 world cups . | decision is made by olympic park legacy company in uk capital on friday |
siri <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when siri , the voice assistant ' on the iphone , made its debut in 2011 , it was welcomed as futuristic way to interact with our gadgets . you could ask it simple questions , banter and flirt , or launch applications with one push of a button and without slogging through touchscreen menus . two years later , apple is giving siri a major overhaul as part of wednesday 's upgrade to its ios 7 mobile operating system , and it 's marking the occasion by finally dropping siri 's beta ' label . ( calling software beta usually means it is still a work in progress and that the company is ironing out any bugs . ) what else has changed in the full-fledged , non-beta siri ? the most obvious update is that it has added an option for a male voice . iphone owners in the uk already had a male siri voice , but this is the first time it will be available in american english and german , with more languages expected to get their own male versions in the near future . hands-on impressions of the new iphones the voice gender can be swapped on the phone by going to settings > general > siri . the female voice has also been improved to sound a little more natural . though siri 's new male voice is a few octaves lower , the words and answers seem to stay the same . guy siri still has the same canned responses to joke questions like what are you wearing ? ' ( aluminosilicate glass and aluminum . nice , huh ? ' ) and the phrasing of its answers to real questions does n't seem to change between the male and female settings . visually , siri has been overhauled so its design on the phone 's screen is more in line with ios 7 's flattened look . instead of a dark gray background sliding up from the bottom , it throws a translucent blurred background over whatever screen is on your phone when you launch siri . it shows a single wavy line that moves as it registers your voice . siri has added twitter and wikipedia integration , so you can ask to see recent tweets about a hot news story or see the wikipedia entry for something specific without leaving the siri interface . you can ask to see what 's trending on twitter , tweets for a specific hashtag , or simply , what 's going on ? ' new iphone hardware , software a boon for gamers siri has also expanded its powers to include control of common iphone settings , something that was noticeably missing in beta siri . you can now turn settings like bluetooth and wi-fi on and off , change your screen brightness , turn on do not disturb or view a specific app 's settings . if you use the new itunes radio feature , you can vocally express your enthusiasm or displeasure with specific songs to customize music stations . one of the biggest challenges facing new siri is some serious competition from google . slowly and with less fanfare , google has been building up its own powerful natural-language voice search in recent years . although it lacks a catchy anthropomorphic name , google voice search takes on many of the same tasks as siri . in addition to typical google search results , it pulls answers from gmail , google calendar and other google accounts the way siri does from the e-mail , contacts and calendar apps on the iphone . google voice search is less chatty , but by cutting out extra words it is sometimes faster to return an answer . it can not be used to control phone settings or launch applications on an iphone , but if you are a google account user it is a legitimate alternative for tasks like calendaring . the competition between the two companies helps explain the new siri 's most unfortunate change . siri has dropped google as its default search engine of choice and switched to microsoft 's bing . when a question ca n't be answered by siri itself or a wikipedia entry , it will pull up web results from bing directly in siri . unlike in safari , there 's no way to switch the default search engine to google . keeping answers in siri does save time , however . previously a siri web search would launch google in safari , requiring you to unlock the phone . but do n't dismay , google fans . you can still ask siri to google ' something , and it will launch safari and do a regular google search . opinion : give apple your fingerprint ? it 's your call | siri faces stiff competition from google 's voice search , which can also be used on the iphone |
siri <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when siri , the voice assistant ' on the iphone , made its debut in 2011 , it was welcomed as futuristic way to interact with our gadgets . you could ask it simple questions , banter and flirt , or launch applications with one push of a button and without slogging through touchscreen menus . two years later , apple is giving siri a major overhaul as part of wednesday 's upgrade to its ios 7 mobile operating system , and it 's marking the occasion by finally dropping siri 's beta ' label . ( calling software beta usually means it is still a work in progress and that the company is ironing out any bugs . ) what else has changed in the full-fledged , non-beta siri ? the most obvious update is that it has added an option for a male voice . iphone owners in the uk already had a male siri voice , but this is the first time it will be available in american english and german , with more languages expected to get their own male versions in the near future . hands-on impressions of the new iphones the voice gender can be swapped on the phone by going to settings > general > siri . the female voice has also been improved to sound a little more natural . though siri 's new male voice is a few octaves lower , the words and answers seem to stay the same . guy siri still has the same canned responses to joke questions like what are you wearing ? ' ( aluminosilicate glass and aluminum . nice , huh ? ' ) and the phrasing of its answers to real questions does n't seem to change between the male and female settings . visually , siri has been overhauled so its design on the phone 's screen is more in line with ios 7 's flattened look . instead of a dark gray background sliding up from the bottom , it throws a translucent blurred background over whatever screen is on your phone when you launch siri . it shows a single wavy line that moves as it registers your voice . siri has added twitter and wikipedia integration , so you can ask to see recent tweets about a hot news story or see the wikipedia entry for something specific without leaving the siri interface . you can ask to see what 's trending on twitter , tweets for a specific hashtag , or simply , what 's going on ? ' new iphone hardware , software a boon for gamers siri has also expanded its powers to include control of common iphone settings , something that was noticeably missing in beta siri . you can now turn settings like bluetooth and wi-fi on and off , change your screen brightness , turn on do not disturb or view a specific app 's settings . if you use the new itunes radio feature , you can vocally express your enthusiasm or displeasure with specific songs to customize music stations . one of the biggest challenges facing new siri is some serious competition from google . slowly and with less fanfare , google has been building up its own powerful natural-language voice search in recent years . although it lacks a catchy anthropomorphic name , google voice search takes on many of the same tasks as siri . in addition to typical google search results , it pulls answers from gmail , google calendar and other google accounts the way siri does from the e-mail , contacts and calendar apps on the iphone . google voice search is less chatty , but by cutting out extra words it is sometimes faster to return an answer . it can not be used to control phone settings or launch applications on an iphone , but if you are a google account user it is a legitimate alternative for tasks like calendaring . the competition between the two companies helps explain the new siri 's most unfortunate change . siri has dropped google as its default search engine of choice and switched to microsoft 's bing . when a question ca n't be answered by siri itself or a wikipedia entry , it will pull up web results from bing directly in siri . unlike in safari , there 's no way to switch the default search engine to google . keeping answers in siri does save time , however . previously a siri web search would launch google in safari , requiring you to unlock the phone . but do n't dismay , google fans . you can still ask siri to google ' something , and it will launch safari and do a regular google search . opinion : give apple your fingerprint ? it 's your call | apple is updating its siri voice assistant feature on wednesday |
siri <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when siri , the voice assistant ' on the iphone , made its debut in 2011 , it was welcomed as futuristic way to interact with our gadgets . you could ask it simple questions , banter and flirt , or launch applications with one push of a button and without slogging through touchscreen menus . two years later , apple is giving siri a major overhaul as part of wednesday 's upgrade to its ios 7 mobile operating system , and it 's marking the occasion by finally dropping siri 's beta ' label . ( calling software beta usually means it is still a work in progress and that the company is ironing out any bugs . ) what else has changed in the full-fledged , non-beta siri ? the most obvious update is that it has added an option for a male voice . iphone owners in the uk already had a male siri voice , but this is the first time it will be available in american english and german , with more languages expected to get their own male versions in the near future . hands-on impressions of the new iphones the voice gender can be swapped on the phone by going to settings > general > siri . the female voice has also been improved to sound a little more natural . though siri 's new male voice is a few octaves lower , the words and answers seem to stay the same . guy siri still has the same canned responses to joke questions like what are you wearing ? ' ( aluminosilicate glass and aluminum . nice , huh ? ' ) and the phrasing of its answers to real questions does n't seem to change between the male and female settings . visually , siri has been overhauled so its design on the phone 's screen is more in line with ios 7 's flattened look . instead of a dark gray background sliding up from the bottom , it throws a translucent blurred background over whatever screen is on your phone when you launch siri . it shows a single wavy line that moves as it registers your voice . siri has added twitter and wikipedia integration , so you can ask to see recent tweets about a hot news story or see the wikipedia entry for something specific without leaving the siri interface . you can ask to see what 's trending on twitter , tweets for a specific hashtag , or simply , what 's going on ? ' new iphone hardware , software a boon for gamers siri has also expanded its powers to include control of common iphone settings , something that was noticeably missing in beta siri . you can now turn settings like bluetooth and wi-fi on and off , change your screen brightness , turn on do not disturb or view a specific app 's settings . if you use the new itunes radio feature , you can vocally express your enthusiasm or displeasure with specific songs to customize music stations . one of the biggest challenges facing new siri is some serious competition from google . slowly and with less fanfare , google has been building up its own powerful natural-language voice search in recent years . although it lacks a catchy anthropomorphic name , google voice search takes on many of the same tasks as siri . in addition to typical google search results , it pulls answers from gmail , google calendar and other google accounts the way siri does from the e-mail , contacts and calendar apps on the iphone . google voice search is less chatty , but by cutting out extra words it is sometimes faster to return an answer . it can not be used to control phone settings or launch applications on an iphone , but if you are a google account user it is a legitimate alternative for tasks like calendaring . the competition between the two companies helps explain the new siri 's most unfortunate change . siri has dropped google as its default search engine of choice and switched to microsoft 's bing . when a question ca n't be answered by siri itself or a wikipedia entry , it will pull up web results from bing directly in siri . unlike in safari , there 's no way to switch the default search engine to google . keeping answers in siri does save time , however . previously a siri web search would launch google in safari , requiring you to unlock the phone . but do n't dismay , google fans . you can still ask siri to google ' something , and it will launch safari and do a regular google search . opinion : give apple your fingerprint ? it 's your call | as part of the overhaul , siri is no longer labeled a beta ' product |
siri <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when siri , the voice assistant ' on the iphone , made its debut in 2011 , it was welcomed as futuristic way to interact with our gadgets . you could ask it simple questions , banter and flirt , or launch applications with one push of a button and without slogging through touchscreen menus . two years later , apple is giving siri a major overhaul as part of wednesday 's upgrade to its ios 7 mobile operating system , and it 's marking the occasion by finally dropping siri 's beta ' label . ( calling software beta usually means it is still a work in progress and that the company is ironing out any bugs . ) what else has changed in the full-fledged , non-beta siri ? the most obvious update is that it has added an option for a male voice . iphone owners in the uk already had a male siri voice , but this is the first time it will be available in american english and german , with more languages expected to get their own male versions in the near future . hands-on impressions of the new iphones the voice gender can be swapped on the phone by going to settings > general > siri . the female voice has also been improved to sound a little more natural . though siri 's new male voice is a few octaves lower , the words and answers seem to stay the same . guy siri still has the same canned responses to joke questions like what are you wearing ? ' ( aluminosilicate glass and aluminum . nice , huh ? ' ) and the phrasing of its answers to real questions does n't seem to change between the male and female settings . visually , siri has been overhauled so its design on the phone 's screen is more in line with ios 7 's flattened look . instead of a dark gray background sliding up from the bottom , it throws a translucent blurred background over whatever screen is on your phone when you launch siri . it shows a single wavy line that moves as it registers your voice . siri has added twitter and wikipedia integration , so you can ask to see recent tweets about a hot news story or see the wikipedia entry for something specific without leaving the siri interface . you can ask to see what 's trending on twitter , tweets for a specific hashtag , or simply , what 's going on ? ' new iphone hardware , software a boon for gamers siri has also expanded its powers to include control of common iphone settings , something that was noticeably missing in beta siri . you can now turn settings like bluetooth and wi-fi on and off , change your screen brightness , turn on do not disturb or view a specific app 's settings . if you use the new itunes radio feature , you can vocally express your enthusiasm or displeasure with specific songs to customize music stations . one of the biggest challenges facing new siri is some serious competition from google . slowly and with less fanfare , google has been building up its own powerful natural-language voice search in recent years . although it lacks a catchy anthropomorphic name , google voice search takes on many of the same tasks as siri . in addition to typical google search results , it pulls answers from gmail , google calendar and other google accounts the way siri does from the e-mail , contacts and calendar apps on the iphone . google voice search is less chatty , but by cutting out extra words it is sometimes faster to return an answer . it can not be used to control phone settings or launch applications on an iphone , but if you are a google account user it is a legitimate alternative for tasks like calendaring . the competition between the two companies helps explain the new siri 's most unfortunate change . siri has dropped google as its default search engine of choice and switched to microsoft 's bing . when a question ca n't be answered by siri itself or a wikipedia entry , it will pull up web results from bing directly in siri . unlike in safari , there 's no way to switch the default search engine to google . keeping answers in siri does save time , however . previously a siri web search would launch google in safari , requiring you to unlock the phone . but do n't dismay , google fans . you can still ask siri to google ' something , and it will launch safari and do a regular google search . opinion : give apple your fingerprint ? it 's your call | siri will get an optional male voice and will integrate twitter and wikipedia results |
iphone <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when siri , the voice assistant ' on the iphone , made its debut in 2011 , it was welcomed as futuristic way to interact with our gadgets . you could ask it simple questions , banter and flirt , or launch applications with one push of a button and without slogging through touchscreen menus . two years later , apple is giving siri a major overhaul as part of wednesday 's upgrade to its ios 7 mobile operating system , and it 's marking the occasion by finally dropping siri 's beta ' label . ( calling software beta usually means it is still a work in progress and that the company is ironing out any bugs . ) what else has changed in the full-fledged , non-beta siri ? the most obvious update is that it has added an option for a male voice . iphone owners in the uk already had a male siri voice , but this is the first time it will be available in american english and german , with more languages expected to get their own male versions in the near future . hands-on impressions of the new iphones the voice gender can be swapped on the phone by going to settings > general > siri . the female voice has also been improved to sound a little more natural . though siri 's new male voice is a few octaves lower , the words and answers seem to stay the same . guy siri still has the same canned responses to joke questions like what are you wearing ? ' ( aluminosilicate glass and aluminum . nice , huh ? ' ) and the phrasing of its answers to real questions does n't seem to change between the male and female settings . visually , siri has been overhauled so its design on the phone 's screen is more in line with ios 7 's flattened look . instead of a dark gray background sliding up from the bottom , it throws a translucent blurred background over whatever screen is on your phone when you launch siri . it shows a single wavy line that moves as it registers your voice . siri has added twitter and wikipedia integration , so you can ask to see recent tweets about a hot news story or see the wikipedia entry for something specific without leaving the siri interface . you can ask to see what 's trending on twitter , tweets for a specific hashtag , or simply , what 's going on ? ' new iphone hardware , software a boon for gamers siri has also expanded its powers to include control of common iphone settings , something that was noticeably missing in beta siri . you can now turn settings like bluetooth and wi-fi on and off , change your screen brightness , turn on do not disturb or view a specific app 's settings . if you use the new itunes radio feature , you can vocally express your enthusiasm or displeasure with specific songs to customize music stations . one of the biggest challenges facing new siri is some serious competition from google . slowly and with less fanfare , google has been building up its own powerful natural-language voice search in recent years . although it lacks a catchy anthropomorphic name , google voice search takes on many of the same tasks as siri . in addition to typical google search results , it pulls answers from gmail , google calendar and other google accounts the way siri does from the e-mail , contacts and calendar apps on the iphone . google voice search is less chatty , but by cutting out extra words it is sometimes faster to return an answer . it can not be used to control phone settings or launch applications on an iphone , but if you are a google account user it is a legitimate alternative for tasks like calendaring . the competition between the two companies helps explain the new siri 's most unfortunate change . siri has dropped google as its default search engine of choice and switched to microsoft 's bing . when a question ca n't be answered by siri itself or a wikipedia entry , it will pull up web results from bing directly in siri . unlike in safari , there 's no way to switch the default search engine to google . keeping answers in siri does save time , however . previously a siri web search would launch google in safari , requiring you to unlock the phone . but do n't dismay , google fans . you can still ask siri to google ' something , and it will launch safari and do a regular google search . opinion : give apple your fingerprint ? it 's your call | siri faces stiff competition from google 's voice search , which can also be used on the iphone |
wikipedia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when siri , the voice assistant ' on the iphone , made its debut in 2011 , it was welcomed as futuristic way to interact with our gadgets . you could ask it simple questions , banter and flirt , or launch applications with one push of a button and without slogging through touchscreen menus . two years later , apple is giving siri a major overhaul as part of wednesday 's upgrade to its ios 7 mobile operating system , and it 's marking the occasion by finally dropping siri 's beta ' label . ( calling software beta usually means it is still a work in progress and that the company is ironing out any bugs . ) what else has changed in the full-fledged , non-beta siri ? the most obvious update is that it has added an option for a male voice . iphone owners in the uk already had a male siri voice , but this is the first time it will be available in american english and german , with more languages expected to get their own male versions in the near future . hands-on impressions of the new iphones the voice gender can be swapped on the phone by going to settings > general > siri . the female voice has also been improved to sound a little more natural . though siri 's new male voice is a few octaves lower , the words and answers seem to stay the same . guy siri still has the same canned responses to joke questions like what are you wearing ? ' ( aluminosilicate glass and aluminum . nice , huh ? ' ) and the phrasing of its answers to real questions does n't seem to change between the male and female settings . visually , siri has been overhauled so its design on the phone 's screen is more in line with ios 7 's flattened look . instead of a dark gray background sliding up from the bottom , it throws a translucent blurred background over whatever screen is on your phone when you launch siri . it shows a single wavy line that moves as it registers your voice . siri has added twitter and wikipedia integration , so you can ask to see recent tweets about a hot news story or see the wikipedia entry for something specific without leaving the siri interface . you can ask to see what 's trending on twitter , tweets for a specific hashtag , or simply , what 's going on ? ' new iphone hardware , software a boon for gamers siri has also expanded its powers to include control of common iphone settings , something that was noticeably missing in beta siri . you can now turn settings like bluetooth and wi-fi on and off , change your screen brightness , turn on do not disturb or view a specific app 's settings . if you use the new itunes radio feature , you can vocally express your enthusiasm or displeasure with specific songs to customize music stations . one of the biggest challenges facing new siri is some serious competition from google . slowly and with less fanfare , google has been building up its own powerful natural-language voice search in recent years . although it lacks a catchy anthropomorphic name , google voice search takes on many of the same tasks as siri . in addition to typical google search results , it pulls answers from gmail , google calendar and other google accounts the way siri does from the e-mail , contacts and calendar apps on the iphone . google voice search is less chatty , but by cutting out extra words it is sometimes faster to return an answer . it can not be used to control phone settings or launch applications on an iphone , but if you are a google account user it is a legitimate alternative for tasks like calendaring . the competition between the two companies helps explain the new siri 's most unfortunate change . siri has dropped google as its default search engine of choice and switched to microsoft 's bing . when a question ca n't be answered by siri itself or a wikipedia entry , it will pull up web results from bing directly in siri . unlike in safari , there 's no way to switch the default search engine to google . keeping answers in siri does save time , however . previously a siri web search would launch google in safari , requiring you to unlock the phone . but do n't dismay , google fans . you can still ask siri to google ' something , and it will launch safari and do a regular google search . opinion : give apple your fingerprint ? it 's your call | siri will get an optional male voice and will integrate twitter and wikipedia results |
steve mansfield <tsp> tokyo , japan ( cnn ) -- even in the midst of japan 's deepest economic recession since world war ii , the country 's love hotel industry is thriving . the style a hotel in tokyo offers amenities . i 'd hate to use the term recession-proof , ' but it 's certainly proven very resilient over the last six to nine months , ' said steve mansfield , ceo of new perspectives , which operates six love , or leisure , ' hotels in japan . one of them , the bonita hotel in isawa , boasts a 257 percent occupancy rate . rooms can be rented for three to 24 hours . mansfield 's company estimates the industry in japan pulls in $ 40 billion a year in revenue . it 's a natural human desire . even these days , on the weekend , every love hotel is full of people -- it 's hard to get in . you can never stop sexual desire , ' said a woman with her boyfriend in tokyo , who laughed in embarrassment when asked for her name . love hotels fill a need for privacy in a country where high population density often means couples have little time alone . rooms offer a broad assortment of features , including karaoke machines , playstation game consoles , dvd players , a variety of cosmetics , customized condoms and indoor-outdoor jacuzzis . watch morgan neill 's report from inside a love hotel » though required by law to have a front desk , most can be rented and entered without talking to a clerk . the days of japanese being ashamed to enter love hotels are coming to an end , though , mansfield said . seventy-five percent of our guests are members of our points program , ' he said . they carry our points cards , they collect points and they receive gifts . that 's something people are very comfortable with , and i think that reflects the customers that we attract . ' takashi yamamoto , who designs love hotels in tokyo , agreed . the bad image that love hotels had has faded over time . also , customers started to raise their voices and became more selective about choosing hotels . in response , management has improved . ' the flashiest love hotels are found in osaka , including a hello kitty-themed hotel and one with a room featuring a merry-go-round . tokyo hotels tend to be tamer , focused on winning customers with amenities . the style a hotel , for example , offers a suite for $ 190 that includes a full-size jacuzzi and a private sauna . though young couples make up the majority of customers , they are not the only ones . one man , who declined to be named , said : i go to love hotels when i 'm drunk and do n't feel like going home . ' whatever the reasons , the hotels have been doing well enough that mansfield recently went to london , seeking investors to expand . the industry has 25,000 hotels , and through our research we 've worked out that 90 percent of owners have five or fewer hotels , ' he said . that fragmentation is a structural inefficiency in the market , he said , one he would like to help correct . | industry has 25,000 hotels , says steve mansfield , ceo of a love hotel operator |
mercedes-benz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as the car industry suffers declining sales and excess production , luxury brand mercedes-benz is making a billion dollar bet on a niche slice of the market . mercedes-benz , the luxury car brand owned by daimler , is increasing its production of premium compact cars by investing in a state-of-the-art plant in hungary . mercedes-benz is battling its luxury brand competitors , bmw and audi , for market share of the chic , small , car market -- a style which appeals to a younger demographic . the company 's kecskemet plant , an hour from budapest , has been rolling out production of its b-class compact car since march . frank klein , the plant manager in kecskemet , said the move was a reaction to a change in the customer base : it has become younger and they want more sporty , more attractive cars , ' he said . with this model i think we can meet all the demands that the customer expects from a premium brand . ' mercedes-benz set up in hungary after looking at locations where it could increase its capacity but keep costs down . there was a long evaluation process at the beginning of this project phase , ' klein said . we had 15 different sites to select from and there were a lot of different criteria , including the logistics costs and the availability of a qualified workforce . ' mercedes-benz follows volkswagen 's audi unit , which opened its first car plant in hungary in 1994 . the country 's appeal lies in its skilled labor and low costs . research from professor ferdinand dudenhoffer , head of the centre automotive research unit at the university of duisburg-essen , shows car plant workers in hungary are paid a fifth of their german neighbors . hungary also has cheaper taxes and less regulation than its neighbor , according to dudenhoffer . he estimates the cost of making a mercedes-benz b-class in hungary is around $ 2500 cheaper than making it in germany . according to daimler , these savings per car could be even higher , with klein estimating overall production costs at 30 % less in the hungarian plant . michael tyndall , an auto analyst and director of research at barclays capital , is unsurprised at mercedez-benz 's move . the main failing of the european industry is it has n't really adjusted its production footprint to the underlying financial or economics of the industry , ' he said . consumers are getting cars cheaper in real terms and getting cars with more content , but at the same time labor costs and raw materials are going up , so somewhere something has to be squeezed -- and at the moment that is the bottom line for the car makers , ' he added . daimler 's hope is that the plant will reduce production costs but also -- given new innovations and technologies -- improve productivity and efficiency . michael tyndall believes it 's a good strategy for saving on production costs , but the actual success of it is contingent on the success of the cars , ' he said . it 's about what the consumer wants , and the consumer wants smaller premium cars , so in that sense mercedes is definitely doing the right thing . ' cnn 's anna 's stewart contributed to this story | since march the company 's plant near budapest has been rolling out production of the mercedes-benz b-class car |
mercedes-benz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as the car industry suffers declining sales and excess production , luxury brand mercedes-benz is making a billion dollar bet on a niche slice of the market . mercedes-benz , the luxury car brand owned by daimler , is increasing its production of premium compact cars by investing in a state-of-the-art plant in hungary . mercedes-benz is battling its luxury brand competitors , bmw and audi , for market share of the chic , small , car market -- a style which appeals to a younger demographic . the company 's kecskemet plant , an hour from budapest , has been rolling out production of its b-class compact car since march . frank klein , the plant manager in kecskemet , said the move was a reaction to a change in the customer base : it has become younger and they want more sporty , more attractive cars , ' he said . with this model i think we can meet all the demands that the customer expects from a premium brand . ' mercedes-benz set up in hungary after looking at locations where it could increase its capacity but keep costs down . there was a long evaluation process at the beginning of this project phase , ' klein said . we had 15 different sites to select from and there were a lot of different criteria , including the logistics costs and the availability of a qualified workforce . ' mercedes-benz follows volkswagen 's audi unit , which opened its first car plant in hungary in 1994 . the country 's appeal lies in its skilled labor and low costs . research from professor ferdinand dudenhoffer , head of the centre automotive research unit at the university of duisburg-essen , shows car plant workers in hungary are paid a fifth of their german neighbors . hungary also has cheaper taxes and less regulation than its neighbor , according to dudenhoffer . he estimates the cost of making a mercedes-benz b-class in hungary is around $ 2500 cheaper than making it in germany . according to daimler , these savings per car could be even higher , with klein estimating overall production costs at 30 % less in the hungarian plant . michael tyndall , an auto analyst and director of research at barclays capital , is unsurprised at mercedez-benz 's move . the main failing of the european industry is it has n't really adjusted its production footprint to the underlying financial or economics of the industry , ' he said . consumers are getting cars cheaper in real terms and getting cars with more content , but at the same time labor costs and raw materials are going up , so somewhere something has to be squeezed -- and at the moment that is the bottom line for the car makers , ' he added . daimler 's hope is that the plant will reduce production costs but also -- given new innovations and technologies -- improve productivity and efficiency . michael tyndall believes it 's a good strategy for saving on production costs , but the actual success of it is contingent on the success of the cars , ' he said . it 's about what the consumer wants , and the consumer wants smaller premium cars , so in that sense mercedes is definitely doing the right thing . ' cnn 's anna 's stewart contributed to this story | mercedes-benz is investing in a state-of-the-art plant in hungary |
afghan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a u.s. soldier accused of killing civilians in afghanistan will face a court-martial on murder and other charges , as recommended by an army officer . the document approving the recommendation for the court-martial of spc . jeremy morlock was signed by the officer in charge friday . it was obtained by cnn , along with other documents , that summarize last week 's hearing at an army-air force installation outside tacoma , washington , where prosecutors presented evidence against against morlock . base officials would not confirm the authenticity of the document , which has not been publicly released . morlock is one of five members of the army 's 5th stryker brigade who is accused of premeditated murder in a series of incidents between january and may . he has been charged with three counts of premeditated murder and several other charges , including obstruction of justice , assault and using drugs . morlock 's attorneys argued during last week 's hearing that he was operating at diminished mental capacity ' because of the use of drugs , including hashish and pain medication . but the recommendation from the investigating officer found no evidence that the accused was behaving in an erratic , impaired or irrational manner ' at the time of the killings . in addition to the five men charged with murder , seven other soldiers from the same unit face charges ranging from conspiracy and interfering in a military investigation to drug use -- specifically hashish -- while in afghanistan . | morlock is one of 5 soldiers charged with murdering afghan civilians |
sandy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- giant natural disasters have a way of putting everything in perspective . when it comes to politics , they sometimes put it all in the wrong perspective . with nature suddenly grabbing our attention with both hands and reminding us we have much less control over our world and our lives than we believed , everything else moves to the background . like a diagnosis of a deadly disease or another personal tragedy , when the earth itself has unleashed its wrath , we look at all that transpires around us through the lens of the new overpowering reality . in the aftermath of a natural disaster , opinions about politicians , about leaders , can change . covering natural disasters and politics around the world , i have seen people change political opinions . and then wish they had not . politics : will you be able to vote on election day ? a country 's leader will receive the credit or the blame for what comes during and after the event , somehow blinding many voters to all they knew about him or her before . of course , the chief executive does bear responsibility . and the response to a major crisis should be used as one gauge of leadership . but there is a tendency to suffer temporary amnesia : nothing matters but the reality of the moment . everything else is clouded in a fog of temporary irrelevance . there are plenty of examples of a temporary surge of emotion following a disaster , which later receded into regret . each country is different and no circumstances are identical . but it 's worth noting the experiences of other voters . will sandy affect your vote ? i arrived in thailand not long after the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated asia in december of 2004 . thai voters were scheduled to go to the polls just a few weeks later . prime minister thaksin shinawatra rolled up his sleeves and got to work on the crisis . he traveled to the regions wiped away by the tidal wave , he visited the survivors , showed himself on television leading the rescue and recovery effort , giving instructions to local officials , refusing international aid , declaring proudly that thailand could take care of itself . the voters ate it up . amid the devastation , anxiety and uncertainty , it was reassuring to see a man in charge . and the response was , for the most part , quite good . his approval ratings soared . before the storm , thaksin 's party was losing ground . but when the february elections came , voters turned out in droves for the prime minister 's party , giving him a landslide victory . the seeming consensus did not last long . thaksin was eventually deposed and charged with corruption . he lives in exile . the japanese earthquake , tsunami , and nuclear meltdown last year threw a political lifeline to then-prime minister naoto kan . the prime minister , wearing worker 's clothes , appeared to be in control of the situation . but as time passed and the japanese started questioning the government 's response to the disaster , his approval ratings collapsed and he ended up resigning . in 2007 , a violent earthquake shook peru . president alan garcia moved his presidential offices to the disaster zone . he brought his cabinet with him and personally managed -- some say micro-managed -- the response . his political advisers were delighted with the impact . polls showed 76 % of peruvians approved of his handling of the crisis . his personal approval rating soared . after the crisis , the polls started sliding again , dropping to dismal levels , as if the earthquake and his heroic efforts had never happened . in chile in 2010 , one of the world 's strongest earthquakes came just after an election . the outgoing government was criticized for failing on many fronts . the newly elected sebastian piã±era benefited from the disaster . the businessman-turned-politician was praised for his effective management style , and he used it to give himself a lower baseline from which to be judged . this calamity is much deeper , much more damaging and much more serious than we thought , ' he said . as others , his approval ratings were bolstered by his competent response to the disaster . but they later collapsed like a ramshackle building in an earthquake . voters discovered there was more to a good presidency than an impressive display of post-earthquake leadership . when the response is ineffectual and it fits in with a particular narrative , however , the impact can be indelible . that was the case with george w. bush and katrina . the heck of a job , brownie ' cluelessness matched an impression of carelessness and incompetence . natural disasters , like violent storms , can reshape the political landscape . sometimes the topography returns to its previous state . sometimes it is changed forever . when a major calamity strikes just before an election , it is a test for politicians , as many have observed . that 's why in the united states , with just a week to go before the presidential election , both camps are handling the aftermath of hurricane sandy with excruciating political care . that 's the politicians'challenge . opinion : sandy debunks'nanny state' there is also an important -- an even more important -- challenge for voters . this is a time of maximum manipulation . it is a time when political operators will seek to mold perceptions to craft a political outcome ; to score votes . voters must make a superhuman effort to not let the storm carry any more weight than it deserves in their judgment of politicians ; not to let the storm wash away the knowledge about the candidates and their ideas accumulated over a much longer period . the storm and its aftermath do matter . we want a president who is competent and capable , able to guide the country through a crisis . but there is more . a presidency is more than crisis management . the storm has indeed given us useful information . it has reminded us of topics ignored during the campaign , such as climate change . it has cast a spotlight on the need to have a strong enough government to handle huge , sudden challenges . and it has put an interesting twist on the idea of privatizing emergency disaster operations . we should keep in mind that much of what we see the candidates doing at this very moment amounts to political theater . as american voters see images and hear stories of death and destruction , of water gushing into subway tunnels , of ferocious winds toppling construction cranes , of homes burning , of hospital workers carrying critical patients down emergency stairs , and of brave efforts to recover , it 's crucial to remember this is an important moment , but it is not the only moment , not the only test to determine who should be the next president . because choosing the wrong president could prove an even greater disaster . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis . | ghitis : both political camps are handling the aftermath of sandy with exact care |
android <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the gulf between smartphones and cameras is getting smaller , thanks to a new point-and-shoot camera from nikon that 's powered by the android operating system . the 16-megapixel coolpix s800c camera , announced wednesday , will be the first camera running android on the market when it hits shelves in september . the addition of android brings a few much-needed features to the point-and-shoot . users can download mobile apps from the google play store and share images over cellular networks by tethering to a nearby smartphone or tablet . pinterest releases new ipad and android apps when phone makers first started adding tiny , low-resolution cameras to their devices , the camera industry was not terribly threatened . they had glorious digital slr cameras with interchangeable lenses , sleek pocket cameras with large sensors and manual controls , and features like high-iso for low-light shooting , megazoom , and rugged bodies for the outdoors . anyone who loved photos would certainly prefer the high-quality shots captured on real ' cameras , right ? but the camera companies underestimated just how important convenience was to consumers , and the public 's appetite for sharing photos of moments right when they happened . the resulting cellphone images were low-quality , but nothing a little sepia-filter could n't fix . the iphone was not the first phone to have a camera , but it made sharing images online , over its cellular connection , a snap . in 2011 , more than a quarter of photos and videos were captured using a smartphone , according to a study from research company npd group . that number is only getting larger . the $ 350 coolpix s800c is bringing some of what has made those smartphones so popular to a camera . it does n't have a cellular connection , but it does have wi-fi . wireless connections have been around for a while on cameras , but the addition of android means the camera can tether to a smartphone or tablet running android when there 's no wi-fi network handy . the 3.5-inch touchscreen display gives users access to the google play store , where photogs can go to download more apps for their camera , including editing tools and social networks , such as twitter , facebook and , of course , instagram . the camera can also run all the regular smartphone apps , allowing users to send e-mail , browse the internet , listen to music and play games . like apple 's ipod touch , it draws the line at making phone calls , however . the camera has 10x zoom , can shoot 1080p video , and includes gps and maps for tagging images with locations . there are no manual controls . the s800c is running android 2.3 , known as gingerbread , which is not the most recent version of the operating system . that nikon is the first to bring an android camera to market is a surprise , since competitors sony and samsung already make android devices and were in a better position to combine the two products . polaroid showed off a demo camera running android at the consumer electronics show in january , the sc1630 , but it is n't yet available . nikon 's android camera may be a first in the camera industry , but it 's still playing catch-up to the real competitors : smartphones with increasingly higher-quality cameras . | nikon 's new point-and-shoot camera is powered by the android operating system |
bloomberg <tsp> the national rifle association will weigh in on three of this year 's key senate races with a multimillion dollar ad buy beginning wednesday . the nra effort is aimed at boosting republican senate challengers in arkansas , colorado and north carolina -- the outcomes of which could likely determine which party controls the chamber . the group 's campaign is expected to top $ 4 million in these states , spokesman andrew arulanandam confirmed to cnn . it will spend $ 1.4 million to boost north carolina house speaker thom tillis , who is running against incumbent democrat sen. kay hagan . our second amendment rights are under attack by the obama administration , and we need leaders like thom tillis in the senate to fight back , ' states the ad . the group will also spend about $ 1.4 million to run similar ads for rep. tom cotton , r-arkansas , who is challenging incumbent democrat sen. mark pryor and about $ 1 million in colorado on behalf of rep. cory gardner , running against sen. mark udall . the group also last month launched several multimillion dollar ad campaigns -- one pushing republican ed gillespie , who is up against democrat sen. mark warner . the other one talks about issues beyond gun rights , trying to reach those who believe the country is on the wrong track as it highlights such issues as the irs targeting scandal and nsa surveillance . the group also has run ads attacking former new york mayor michael bloomberg , who has vowed to spend $ 50 million of his own money this year pushing for more gun control as he and his group everytown gun safety tries to counter the political influence of the nra . | nra has run ads attacking ex-n.y. mayor bloomberg and his everytown gun safety group |
british horseracing authority <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the trainer at the center of a major horse doping scandal has been charged with multiple breaches of the rules by the british horseracing authority . employed by the ruler of dubai 's prestigious godolphin operation -- sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum -- trainer mahmood al zarooni has been summoned to attend a disciplinary hearing in central london on thursday . testers from the bha found anabolic steroids -- ethylestranol and stanozolol -- in 11 samples taken from 45 horses from godolphin 's newmarket stable in eastern england . sheikh mohammed said he was locking down ' the stables with immediate effect and ordering an internal review . anabolic steroids work on horses as they do on humans -- helping to build strength and muscle . al zarooni , who has admitted using the banned substances in error , faces charges relating to the use of prohibited substances , keeping medication records and conduct prejudicial to horse racing ' . in addition to the 11 horses that tested positive on april 9 , al zarooni in co-operating with the investigating officers also admitted that he had given steroids to four more horses . that quartet were not subjected to testing . as these additional horses were not tested and no positive samples exist , no charges are brought in relation to them ( prohibited substances ) and as such the trainer remains facing the original 11 counts of this charge at this stage , ' said the bha . however , it is appropriate to charge the trainer with breaches of the rules related to medication records and conduct prejudicial to horse racing related to these horses , and therefore the trainer now faces 15 counts of these charges . earlier this week al zarooni said , in a statement by godolphin , that he had a made a catastrophic error . ' he added : i deeply regret what has happened because the horses involved were not racing at the time , i did not realize that what i was doing was in breach of the rules of racing . i can only apologize for the damage this will cause to godolphin and to racing generally . ' godolphin is one of the world 's most successful stables , with more than 2,000 race wins since it was formed in 1992 . it has been named champion british owner eight times , including last year , while dubai ruler sheikh mohammed and his family have also taken the title on multiple occasions going back to the 1980s . meanwhile sheikh mohammed pledged to lock down ' goldophin 's moulton paddocks stables and test every horse at its newmarket operation . i was appalled and angered to learn that one of our stables in newmarket has violated godolphin 's ethical standards and the rules of british racing , ' he said . stable lockdown ' i have been involved in british horse racing for 30 years and have deep respect for its traditions and rules . there can be no excuse for any deliberate violation . godolphin is fully cooperating with the british horseracing authority to get to the bottom of this matter and take any appropriate disciplinary action . i have ordered the godolphin management to undertake an immediate review of our internal procedures and controls to ensure to prevent any reoccurrence of this type of activity in any stables of mine . we will be locking down the moulton paddocks stables with immediate effect , and i have instructed that i want a full round of blood samples , and dope testing done on every single horse on that premises . i can assure the racing public that no horse will run from that yard this season until i have been absolutely assured by my team that the entire yard is completely clean . ' zarooni joined godolphin in march 2010 and won the st. leger , one of britain 's five classics , in his first season . but the sanctions now facing the 37-year-old at the disciplinary hearing include substantial fines , the withdrawal of his training licence or a suspension from the sport . stanozolol was still legal as recently as 2008 , when big brown won the kentucky derby and the preakness stakes in the u.s. after having regular injections . his trainer 's admission , and the subsequent outcry , led to the drug being widely banned . the bha said there has only been one other case of anabolic steroids being found in a tested horse in recent years , which was when british trainer howard johnson allowed horses to run under the substances in 2008 and 2009 . the use of anabolic steroids is now prohibited at all times for any horse registered as in training ' under the care of a trainer licensed by the bha . however , it is still legal for out-of-competition use in australia , such as helping to overcome injuries . the bha carries out testing during race meetings and while horses are in training . in 2012 , the organization tested 7,182 samples from a total of 90,174 runners -- 14 of which returned positive results . the bha conducted between 600-700 tests in 2012 while horses were in training . | he will face a british horseracing authority hearing in london on thursday |
amata <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he is one of nollywood 's most popular film directors , hailing from a famous family of movie stars that have shaped nigeria 's entertainment industry for decades . yet jeta amata had other career plans while growing up . i wanted to be a pilot , ' says the award-winning filmmaker . i was about six and i was intrigued with the fact that something could fly up there and that some man could control it ; i wanted to control the plane . ' but amata 's dreams to conquer the skies were put aside as his family genes kicked in . instead , amata went on to reach great heights with his feature films , winning international acclaim and carving out a career as one of nigeria 's most prominent directors . read this : netflix of africa'brings nollywood to world for his latest film , black november , ' amata broke new ground working with both hollywood and nollywood talent . an impressive roster of american film stars , including mickey rourke , kim basinger , vivica foxx , michael madsen and tom sizemore , as well as musicians akon and wyclef jean , is joined by famous nigerian actors hakeem kae-kazim and enyinna nwigwe . amata 's family is also part of the star-studded cast . along with amata 's father , fred , the film stars his wife , mbong amata , as the female lead . spotlight on niger delta ' black november ' is a drama about nigeria 's niger delta region -- a part of nigeria still struggling to overcome a past history of rebel violence . the area is the world 's third-largest wetland but decades of oil drilling had turned it into one of the most oil-polluted places on earth . for years now i 've been wanting to make something on niger delta , ' says amata . i wrote three scripts over the past maybe eight years about the niger delta and as things kept escalating it became almost more difficult to make but i got to the point where i knew it just has to be now . ' amata , who grew up in the niger delta , titled his film black november ' after the month when local environmental activist ken saro-wiwa was killed . in 1995 , nigerian writer and nobel peace prize nominee saro-wiwa was one of nine environmentalists arrested and executed by the then military regime . the news provoked international outrage and nigeria was suspended from the british commonwealth until 1999 . read this : veteran director reveals secrets of nollywood 's success many of the delta protests led by saro-wiwa targeted oil giant royal dutch shell , which was sued by families of the activists , who accused the company of complicity in the deaths . the company said it never advocated any act of violence against the activists and tried to persuade the government to grant clemency . in 2009 , the company agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the families , paying them $ 15.5 million . amata , who had once met saro-wiwa through his father , says he was affected by the activist 's death . i have always wanted to tell a part of his story , ' he says . most of the politics in his story i did n't want to get into . i wanted to get to the human part of his story . what excites me about people 's stories are the human parts of them , not necessarily the politics . even in'black november'i know i touch on politics a bit but i 'm more concerned about the feelings of the people , about what they 've been through and where they are going through . ' amata says his goal is for viewers to realize what people in the region have been through over the past few decades . we want the world to stand with us , ' he says . we are not trying to fight the government , trying to fight the oil companies , no -- we are trying to repair what has been damaged , ' adds amata . we can change the niger delta of nigeria . ' nigeria 's booming film industry nollywood , the term coined for nigeria 's mega film industry , has grown in recent years into a mighty movie-making machine , capturing audiences with its universal themes and arresting stories of urban culture . the booming industry has been notorious for churning out over 1,000 films a year which often struggle with shoe-string budgets and low production values . amata , who is often praised for the high production values and strong narratives of his movies , says he initially disliked the nollywood name , which sounded like not-hollywood . ' read this : nollywood thriller campaigns for safer skies yet , today he passionately defends the industry , rejecting claims that his movies are not part of nigeria 's movie-making movement . if i make a couple of hollywood films its not going to change who i am and where i come from , ' he says . i built nollywood with people out there , ' he adds . i was one of the first few people to make films . i worked hard for the market . i learned like all the nollywood directors how to pull a camera apart and how to put it together . i am not going to lose that title , never . i do n't care what people say , or what they think , or how they say it is really not nollywood , i am nollywood . ' | amata comes from a family of nollywood stars |
amata <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he is one of nollywood 's most popular film directors , hailing from a famous family of movie stars that have shaped nigeria 's entertainment industry for decades . yet jeta amata had other career plans while growing up . i wanted to be a pilot , ' says the award-winning filmmaker . i was about six and i was intrigued with the fact that something could fly up there and that some man could control it ; i wanted to control the plane . ' but amata 's dreams to conquer the skies were put aside as his family genes kicked in . instead , amata went on to reach great heights with his feature films , winning international acclaim and carving out a career as one of nigeria 's most prominent directors . read this : netflix of africa'brings nollywood to world for his latest film , black november , ' amata broke new ground working with both hollywood and nollywood talent . an impressive roster of american film stars , including mickey rourke , kim basinger , vivica foxx , michael madsen and tom sizemore , as well as musicians akon and wyclef jean , is joined by famous nigerian actors hakeem kae-kazim and enyinna nwigwe . amata 's family is also part of the star-studded cast . along with amata 's father , fred , the film stars his wife , mbong amata , as the female lead . spotlight on niger delta ' black november ' is a drama about nigeria 's niger delta region -- a part of nigeria still struggling to overcome a past history of rebel violence . the area is the world 's third-largest wetland but decades of oil drilling had turned it into one of the most oil-polluted places on earth . for years now i 've been wanting to make something on niger delta , ' says amata . i wrote three scripts over the past maybe eight years about the niger delta and as things kept escalating it became almost more difficult to make but i got to the point where i knew it just has to be now . ' amata , who grew up in the niger delta , titled his film black november ' after the month when local environmental activist ken saro-wiwa was killed . in 1995 , nigerian writer and nobel peace prize nominee saro-wiwa was one of nine environmentalists arrested and executed by the then military regime . the news provoked international outrage and nigeria was suspended from the british commonwealth until 1999 . read this : veteran director reveals secrets of nollywood 's success many of the delta protests led by saro-wiwa targeted oil giant royal dutch shell , which was sued by families of the activists , who accused the company of complicity in the deaths . the company said it never advocated any act of violence against the activists and tried to persuade the government to grant clemency . in 2009 , the company agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the families , paying them $ 15.5 million . amata , who had once met saro-wiwa through his father , says he was affected by the activist 's death . i have always wanted to tell a part of his story , ' he says . most of the politics in his story i did n't want to get into . i wanted to get to the human part of his story . what excites me about people 's stories are the human parts of them , not necessarily the politics . even in'black november'i know i touch on politics a bit but i 'm more concerned about the feelings of the people , about what they 've been through and where they are going through . ' amata says his goal is for viewers to realize what people in the region have been through over the past few decades . we want the world to stand with us , ' he says . we are not trying to fight the government , trying to fight the oil companies , no -- we are trying to repair what has been damaged , ' adds amata . we can change the niger delta of nigeria . ' nigeria 's booming film industry nollywood , the term coined for nigeria 's mega film industry , has grown in recent years into a mighty movie-making machine , capturing audiences with its universal themes and arresting stories of urban culture . the booming industry has been notorious for churning out over 1,000 films a year which often struggle with shoe-string budgets and low production values . amata , who is often praised for the high production values and strong narratives of his movies , says he initially disliked the nollywood name , which sounded like not-hollywood . ' read this : nollywood thriller campaigns for safer skies yet , today he passionately defends the industry , rejecting claims that his movies are not part of nigeria 's movie-making movement . if i make a couple of hollywood films its not going to change who i am and where i come from , ' he says . i built nollywood with people out there , ' he adds . i was one of the first few people to make films . i worked hard for the market . i learned like all the nollywood directors how to pull a camera apart and how to put it together . i am not going to lose that title , never . i do n't care what people say , or what they think , or how they say it is really not nollywood , i am nollywood . ' | jeta amata is one of nigeria 's most prominent film directors |
david beckham <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- it 's fair to say david beckham may be seeing more green off the football pitch than he does on it . reason to smile : david beckham is the highest-earning footballer in the world , according to forbes despite a difficult and expensive period negotiating an extended release from his la galaxy club -- beckham has been named as the world 's highest-earning footballer by forbes magazine . the magazine has ranked the top 20 top-paid footballers in the world -- a list that includes many of today 's top players and some ageing heroes who are still rolling in cash . the 33-year-old beckham , currently on loan with italian club ac milan as part of an extended deal from la galaxy , earned an estimated $ 46 million last year , according to forbes . it calculates that the briton has earned $ 95m in the past two years -- $ 66m of which has come from endorsement contracts . although his long-running deal with pepsi ended in december last year , his currently resurgent career is likely to provide a boost for the coming few seasons . behind beckham in the forbes list is his brazilian ac milan team-mate , ronaldinho , who earned an estimated $ 33m in 2008 . rounding out the top five places are ( respectively ) ; thierry henry , kaka and last year 's fifa world player of the year , cristiano ronaldo . see our gallery of the top twenty highest-paid footballers in the world , according to forbes » ronaldo 's earnings of $ 21 million came primarily from his manchester united wages ( $ 12m ) , while endorsements from companies such as nike and coca-cola made up the remaining $ 9m . the portugal player 's namesake -- brazilian ronaldo -- is still on the list at number 12 , having earned $ 15m despite being sidelined for much of the year with a serious knee injury and returning to his homeland to play club football . partner in the sports business group at deloitte , dan jones , told cnn that only a tiny percentage ' of footballers earned more from product endorsements than they do from their player wages . it 's only the very , very top . for the vast majority of footballers , the wages they earn from their clubs will be their greatest source of income . ' jones said beckham 's continuing popularity beyond the world of football in both the u.s. and in europe would likely ensure he remains around the top of the rich list for a few years to come . he is now a grand icon that in some sense transcends what he does on the football field , ' jones said . however , jones added he was impressed with the way beckham had made strong efforts to reinstate his image as being primarily a footballer over the last 18 months . what do you think of the top earners ? are there players that deserve to be earning more than these 20 ? share your thoughts in the sound off box below . | david beckham is the highest-paid footballer according to forbes |
serbian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- defending champion jelena jankovic will face fellow serbian player ana ivanovic in the last 16 at indian wells , after both eased through the third round . world no . 6 jankovic defeated 32nd-ranked julia goerges of germany 6-2 6-4 on sunday , while 19th-ranked ivanovic eased past czech barbora zahlavova strycova 6-2 6-2 . when they meet in tuesday 's fourth round , it will be the 10th time the two former world no . 1 's have played each other on the wta tour . the 23-year-old ivanovic -- winner at indian wells in 2008 -- leads the head to head 6-3 , but jankovic has claimed victory in their last two meetings . i just want to continue to play my tennis and really focus on my game and not really worry about my opponent who is across other side of the net , ' 26-year-old jankovic told the official wta tour website . it 's gon na be another match , and i just want to play . i want to enjoy my tennis like i 've been doing . ' world no . 2 kim clijsters was knocked out of the tournament in the third round in 2010 , and almost suffered the same feat this year as she dropped the second set to italy 's sara errani . after throwing away four consecutive service games to allow the world no . 40 to level the game at one set all , the belgian bounced back in the decider to win 6-3 2-6 6-4 . i was still able to win without being close to coming to my best level , ' clijsters said . that 's the positive thing . i also know that for my next match everything will have to be a lot better . ' the australian open champion will face 15th-ranked marion bartoli of france for a place in the last eight , after the former wimbledon finalist defeated andrea petkovic of germany 6-4 6-2 . reigning french open champion and world no . 5 francesca schiavone was not troubled in her 6-2 6-3 win over french qualifier alize cornet and will next play israel 's shahar peer , after the world no . 12 battled past russia 's anastasia pavlyuchenkova 2-6 6-3 7-5 . however , world no . 3 and 2010 wimbledon and u.s. open finalist vera zvonareva did not make the fourth round , after the russian was beaten by dominika cibulkova of slovakia 5-7 7-6 ( 4 ) 6-4 . | serbian duo jelena jankovic and ana ivanovic will play for a place in quarterfinals |
facebook <tsp> monday was supposed to be michael brown 's first day at technical college . instead , his parents were planning his funeral . the 18-year-old was shot by a police officer in a st. louis suburb on saturday , sparking a federal civil rights inquiry , local protests and national debate . one side says the african-american teenager was surrendering , his hands in the air to show he was unarmed , when the officer opened fire . authorities counter that brown had attacked the officer in his car and tried to take his gun . his parents and their lawyer say they do n't believe the police account of what happened . they describe brown as someone who steered clear of violence . he was funny , silly . he would make you laugh . any problems that were going on or any situation , there was n't nothing he could n't solve . he 'd bring people back together , ' his father , michael brown sr. , told reporters . family members nicknamed him the gentle giant . ' for teachers , he was a student who loomed large and did n't cause trouble , ' the st. louis post-dispatch reported . friends and family said the teenager was ecstatic about starting classes at vatterott college . he looked forward to it so much . you did n't have to tell him ,'make sure you get to school .'he was ready , ' mother lesley mcspadden told cnn . and he was proud to be setting an example for his younger siblings . he was a leader . he knew what he wanted out of life , ' his father said . he was a good kid . ' he hoped to become a heating and cooling engineer , working on air conditioning , attorney benjamin crump , who 's representing the teen 's family , told reporters . everyone else wanted to be a football player , a basketball player , ' friend gerard fuller told the post-dispatch . he wanted to own his own business . he 'd say ,'let 's make something out of nothing .'' just a credit shy of graduating high school in may , he earned his diploma on august 1 . on graduation day , he told friends he was relieved , according to the newspaper . he said he was n't going to end up like some people on the streets . he was going to get an education , ' hershel johnson , a friend of brown 's , told the post-dispatch . he was going to make his life a whole lot better . ' on facebook , brown said he liked the st. louis rams , kanye west 's music and comedies including house party ' and scary movie ii . ' now a message from a friend posted on facebook describes brown as a someone who was always there for anybody he knew . ' in a facebook message to a friend last week , brown wrote : if i leave this earth today , at least you 'll know i care about others more than i cared about my damn self . ' brown had been spending the summer with his grandmother , desuirea harris . he was a good kid . he did n't live around here , ' she told cnn affiliate kmov . he came to visit me and they did that to him for no reason . ' crump said brown was doing the right things , finishing high school and planning for his career ahead . his parents were planning to drop him off at college on monday . and instead of celebrating his future , they are having to plan his funeral and talk to attorney ( anthony ) gray and i about second autopsies , ' crump said . at a press conference on monday , the teenager 's parents tearfully described their son to reporters , holding up a photograph showing him as a toddler . he was a good boy , ' his father said . he did n't deserve none of this . ' they asked for supporters to remain peaceful -- something they said their son would have wanted . no violence , ' mcspadden said . just justice . ' what we know about the shooting | on facebook , michael brown said he liked the st. louis rams and kanye west |
thailand <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the violent clashes between anti-government protesters and government troops in bangkok follows years of political instability and unrest in thailand : september 2006 : military seizes power in a bloodless coup while then-prime minister thaksin shinawatra is out of the country december 2007 : thaksin 's allies win democratic elections under the people power party banner . may 2008 : anti-thaksin protesters , known as the yellow shirts , stage protests for several months november 2008 : yellow shirts occupy two airports , stranding thousands of passengers as flights are canceled december 2008 : thailand 's constitutional court dissolves the ruling party after finding the party committed electoral fraud ; parliament chooses abhisit vejjajiva as the country 's new prime minister while red shirts protest outside april 2009 : two people are killed and at least 135 wounded in riots when anti-government protesters clash with demonstrators supporting the government . february 2010 : thai supreme court finds thaksin guilty of abuse of power and votes to seize his assets march 12 , 2010 : red shirt protesters take to the streets of bangkok , demanding new elections and saying abhisit was not democratically elected march 14 , 2010 : tens of thousands of red shirt protesters pour into the center of bangkok , bringing the city to a virtual standstill in an effort to topple the thai government . march 16 , 2010 : red shirts organize a blood drive and spatter donated blood on government buildings and the prime minister 's residence march 28 , 2010 : abhisit meets with red shirt leaders , but no agreement is reached april 7 , 2010 : abhisit declares a state of emergency in bangkok and nearby provinces after anti-government demonstrators stormed into the country 's parliament april 10 , 2010 : military and police forces use tear gas and rubber bullets to contain protesters who are trying to break into military barracks ; the clashes injure more than 850 people and kill 25 april 16 , 2010 : abhisit hands security operations over to the military after three red shirt leaders escape from a hotel surrounded by security forces april 18 , 2010 : thai military stations about 1,500 troops along a bangkok road as red shirt protesters occupy a downtown shopping district and threaten to expand into they city 's financial center april 22 , 2010 : a series of grenade attacks at protests kill one person and wound dozens april 28 , 2010 : troops fire on anti-government protesters gathering on a major highway ; one soldier is killed may 3 , 2010 : government offers to hold elections in november if red shirts end protest in commercial center may 7-8 , 2010 : two thai police officers are killed and eight people are injured in overnight violence in areas where red shirt protesters are camped out may 12 , 2010 : government says it will shut off power , cut supplies and seal off the central bangkok intersection where red shirt protesters have amassed after demonstrators disregard an ultimatum from abhisit to vacate the area may 13 , 2010 : militant anti-government faction leader maj. gen. khattiya sawasdiphol -- a renegade general better known as seh daeng , which means red commander -- is shot in the head while talking to reporters , sparking clashes that kill one person may 14 , 2010 : troops and protesters continue to clash ; at least seven are killed may 15 , 2010 : in his weekly televised address , abhisit says extremist protesters are trying to foment civil war ; standoff continues , with at least 16 more killed may 16 , 2010 : intense gunbattle breaks out in bangkok 's lumpini park , where red shirt protesters have amassed by the thousands ; hospital officials say one soldier is among the 11 killed in sunday 's fighting may 17 , 2010 : hospital officials announce that khattiya has died ; government orders protesters to leave the demonstration area by 3 p.m. , warning that those who do not will face a maximum sentence of two year 's imprisonment for violating the order may 18 , 2010 : protesters hold their ground even as some are arrested ; the u.n. pushes for negotiations but the government says it will only talk when opposition ends protests may 19 , 2010 : security forces surge into lumpini park in the largest offensive on protesters since demonstrations began ; at least 2 people , including an italian , are among the dead , prompting some red shirts leaders to talk about ending the protests | thailand has been sporadically crippled by unrest since 2006 coup |
house <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- rep. tom lantos , the democratic chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs , died monday due to complications from cancer , his office said . lantos was 80 . rep. tom lantos represented his northern california district for 14 terms . he died at the national naval medical center in bethesda , maryland , surrounded by his wife , annette , daughters annette and katrina and many of his 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren , according to his office . lantos'life was defined by courage , optimism , and unwavering dedication to his principles and to his family , ' said his wife , annette , his childhood sweetheart , in a statement the house of representatives released . secretary of state condoleezza rice said monday that she was quite devastated ' by the death of her dear , dear friend . ' she called him a true american hero ' and the genuine article . ' he 's going to be really , really missed , ' she said . rice described lantos as the embodiment of what it meant to have one 's freedom denied and then to find it and to insist that americans stand for spreading the benefits of freedom and prosperity to others . ' lantos , who was serving his 14th term in the house , was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in december . he announced last month that he would not seek a new term . it is only in the united states that a penniless survivor of the holocaust and a fighter in the anti-nazi underground could have received an education , raised a family and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of congress , ' lantos said in a statement at the time . i will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country . ' watch senate majority leader harry reid remember lantos » the lawmaker is the only holocaust survivor to have served in congress . the hungarian-born lantos came to the united states in 1947 after surviving a forced-labor camp in his nazi-allied homeland . he escaped and was sheltered in a budapest safe house set up by swedish diplomat raoul wallenberg , who was credited with saving tens of thousands of hungarian jews during world war ii . he arrived in the united states after being awarded an academic scholarship to study , according to his congressional web site . he received bachelor 's and master 's degrees in economics from the university of washington in seattle and later earned a doctorate in economics from the university of california , berkeley , the site said . as a lawmaker , lantos was an outspoken human rights advocate . he supported the 2002 congressional resolution that authorized president bush to launch the invasion of iraq but later became an outspoken critic of the conflict . he was the latest of more than a dozen members to announce plans to leave the house at the end of the year , most of them republicans . his san francisco-area district is solidly democratic , and he won re-election with more than three-quarters of the vote in 2006 . chairman lantos will be remembered as a man of uncommon integrity and sincere moral conviction -- and a public servant who never wavered in his pursuit of a better , freer and more religiously tolerant world , ' house republican whip roy blunt of missouri said in a statement . e-mail to a friend | lantos had said he would not seek re-election to 15th term in house |
california <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- rep. tom lantos , the democratic chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs , died monday due to complications from cancer , his office said . lantos was 80 . rep. tom lantos represented his northern california district for 14 terms . he died at the national naval medical center in bethesda , maryland , surrounded by his wife , annette , daughters annette and katrina and many of his 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren , according to his office . lantos'life was defined by courage , optimism , and unwavering dedication to his principles and to his family , ' said his wife , annette , his childhood sweetheart , in a statement the house of representatives released . secretary of state condoleezza rice said monday that she was quite devastated ' by the death of her dear , dear friend . ' she called him a true american hero ' and the genuine article . ' he 's going to be really , really missed , ' she said . rice described lantos as the embodiment of what it meant to have one 's freedom denied and then to find it and to insist that americans stand for spreading the benefits of freedom and prosperity to others . ' lantos , who was serving his 14th term in the house , was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in december . he announced last month that he would not seek a new term . it is only in the united states that a penniless survivor of the holocaust and a fighter in the anti-nazi underground could have received an education , raised a family and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of congress , ' lantos said in a statement at the time . i will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country . ' watch senate majority leader harry reid remember lantos » the lawmaker is the only holocaust survivor to have served in congress . the hungarian-born lantos came to the united states in 1947 after surviving a forced-labor camp in his nazi-allied homeland . he escaped and was sheltered in a budapest safe house set up by swedish diplomat raoul wallenberg , who was credited with saving tens of thousands of hungarian jews during world war ii . he arrived in the united states after being awarded an academic scholarship to study , according to his congressional web site . he received bachelor 's and master 's degrees in economics from the university of washington in seattle and later earned a doctorate in economics from the university of california , berkeley , the site said . as a lawmaker , lantos was an outspoken human rights advocate . he supported the 2002 congressional resolution that authorized president bush to launch the invasion of iraq but later became an outspoken critic of the conflict . he was the latest of more than a dozen members to announce plans to leave the house at the end of the year , most of them republicans . his san francisco-area district is solidly democratic , and he won re-election with more than three-quarters of the vote in 2006 . chairman lantos will be remembered as a man of uncommon integrity and sincere moral conviction -- and a public servant who never wavered in his pursuit of a better , freer and more religiously tolerant world , ' house republican whip roy blunt of missouri said in a statement . e-mail to a friend | california congressman disclosed last month he was suffering from cancer |
american <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- rep. tom lantos , the democratic chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs , died monday due to complications from cancer , his office said . lantos was 80 . rep. tom lantos represented his northern california district for 14 terms . he died at the national naval medical center in bethesda , maryland , surrounded by his wife , annette , daughters annette and katrina and many of his 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren , according to his office . lantos'life was defined by courage , optimism , and unwavering dedication to his principles and to his family , ' said his wife , annette , his childhood sweetheart , in a statement the house of representatives released . secretary of state condoleezza rice said monday that she was quite devastated ' by the death of her dear , dear friend . ' she called him a true american hero ' and the genuine article . ' he 's going to be really , really missed , ' she said . rice described lantos as the embodiment of what it meant to have one 's freedom denied and then to find it and to insist that americans stand for spreading the benefits of freedom and prosperity to others . ' lantos , who was serving his 14th term in the house , was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in december . he announced last month that he would not seek a new term . it is only in the united states that a penniless survivor of the holocaust and a fighter in the anti-nazi underground could have received an education , raised a family and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of congress , ' lantos said in a statement at the time . i will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country . ' watch senate majority leader harry reid remember lantos » the lawmaker is the only holocaust survivor to have served in congress . the hungarian-born lantos came to the united states in 1947 after surviving a forced-labor camp in his nazi-allied homeland . he escaped and was sheltered in a budapest safe house set up by swedish diplomat raoul wallenberg , who was credited with saving tens of thousands of hungarian jews during world war ii . he arrived in the united states after being awarded an academic scholarship to study , according to his congressional web site . he received bachelor 's and master 's degrees in economics from the university of washington in seattle and later earned a doctorate in economics from the university of california , berkeley , the site said . as a lawmaker , lantos was an outspoken human rights advocate . he supported the 2002 congressional resolution that authorized president bush to launch the invasion of iraq but later became an outspoken critic of the conflict . he was the latest of more than a dozen members to announce plans to leave the house at the end of the year , most of them republicans . his san francisco-area district is solidly democratic , and he won re-election with more than three-quarters of the vote in 2006 . chairman lantos will be remembered as a man of uncommon integrity and sincere moral conviction -- and a public servant who never wavered in his pursuit of a better , freer and more religiously tolerant world , ' house republican whip roy blunt of missouri said in a statement . e-mail to a friend | new : secretary of state calls rep. tom lantos a true american hero ' |
heigl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if watching katherine heigl 's romantic comedies made you want to swear off movies , you 've got company : the actress herself . the former grey 's anatomy ' star , who went from 27 dresses ' to the ugly truth ' to life as we know it ' to new year 's eve , ' admits she indulged a little too heavily in the frothy films -- enough to make her consider quitting acting . i had an amazing time . i love romantic comedies , ' the actress , 35 , told marie claire uk in its august issue . but maybe i hit it a little too hard . i could n't say no . i stopped challenging myself . ' it got so bad , heigl said , that she took time on a utah ranch to contemplate a different career . i had a moment where , i do n't know , i was thinking ,'maybe open a knitting store , get my money out of retirement accounts and live off that , live off the land .'i had my moment where it all seemed so complicated and all i wanted to do was simplify , ' she told the magazine . of course , heigl has had ups and downs even without the film choices . she told marie claire that her best friend turned on ' her , and she 's made some enemies in hollywood with her blunt talk , criticizing grey 's anatomy ' plotlines and knocking knocked up , ' the hit film she starred in , as a little sexist . ' heigl is returning to television in november as the star of nbc 's state of affairs , ' a drama about a cia analyst who advises the president . she 's ready for the new challenge , she told marie claire . there 's a part of me that 's a hollywood animal as well . i ca n't wait to get into the writer 's room and see how we do this , ' she said . i feel like i 'm finally rolling into the next phase of my adulthood . ' | katherine heigl says she could n't say no ' to rom-coms |
heigl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if watching katherine heigl 's romantic comedies made you want to swear off movies , you 've got company : the actress herself . the former grey 's anatomy ' star , who went from 27 dresses ' to the ugly truth ' to life as we know it ' to new year 's eve , ' admits she indulged a little too heavily in the frothy films -- enough to make her consider quitting acting . i had an amazing time . i love romantic comedies , ' the actress , 35 , told marie claire uk in its august issue . but maybe i hit it a little too hard . i could n't say no . i stopped challenging myself . ' it got so bad , heigl said , that she took time on a utah ranch to contemplate a different career . i had a moment where , i do n't know , i was thinking ,'maybe open a knitting store , get my money out of retirement accounts and live off that , live off the land .'i had my moment where it all seemed so complicated and all i wanted to do was simplify , ' she told the magazine . of course , heigl has had ups and downs even without the film choices . she told marie claire that her best friend turned on ' her , and she 's made some enemies in hollywood with her blunt talk , criticizing grey 's anatomy ' plotlines and knocking knocked up , ' the hit film she starred in , as a little sexist . ' heigl is returning to television in november as the star of nbc 's state of affairs , ' a drama about a cia analyst who advises the president . she 's ready for the new challenge , she told marie claire . there 's a part of me that 's a hollywood animal as well . i ca n't wait to get into the writer 's room and see how we do this , ' she said . i feel like i 'm finally rolling into the next phase of my adulthood . ' | heigl tells magazine she considered opening a knitting store |
safwat hegazy <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- egypt 's interim military government tuesday added two more key figures to its list of muslim brotherhood leaders under arrest : mohamed badie , the group 's spiritual leader , and safwat hegazy , a preacher and hardline supporter of the movement . they were among about 100 members of the muslim brotherhood taken into custody tuesday . the brotherhood -- locked in a deadly battle with the military for control of egypt -- slammed the interim government 's ongoing bloody military coup . ' in a statement , the group 's freedom and justice party described the charges against badie as trumped up ' and political . ' it is well-known that all the charges brought against the leaders of the muslim brotherhood and its affiliated political party , the freedom and justice party ( fjp ) as well as the leaders of the anti-coup , pro-democracy national alliance are implausible fabricated charges with no legally acceptable evidence . what they are facing are nothing but political trumped up charges thinly painted with criminal colors , ' ali kamal , a lawyer for the muslim brotherhood , said in the statement . badie was taken in a dawn raid at a residential apartment in cairo 's nasr city neighborhood , the ministry of interior said . arresting badie is not the end of the group , which will remain in the hearts of millions of egyptians , ' said ahmed arif , spokesman for the muslim brotherhood . badie will be detained for 15 days for investigation on accusations of inciting violence and killing protesters , the ministry of interior said . the detention could be extended , as has been done with ousted president mohamed morsy . mahmoud ezzat , badie 's deputy , was named supreme guide on a temporary basis . later , hegazy was arrested in nasr city as well , according to state-run broadcaster al-masriya . opinion : can anyone save egypt from the brink ? the military has been arresting numerous key figures in the muslim brotherhood , including mohamed mahdi akef , the former supreme guide ; his deputy , khairat al-shater ; saad al-katatni , chairman of the freedom and justice party ; his deputy , rashad al-bayoumi ; and sheikh hazem salah abo ismael . armed fighters holed up in school facility , military says badie was with syed abdul rahim abdel naby , a teacher from the islamic dawa school in beni suef , when he was arrested at dawn , the ministry of interior said in its statement . defterios : egypt 's cycle of violence threatens to destroy its economy security forces then searched the school and arrested 38 members of the muslim brotherhood who were hiding ' in the facility and had numerous weapons , including a rifle , pistols , and molotov cocktails , the statement said . some of the equipment belonged to the administration of the civil protection unit in beni suef , which had been stormed , robbed and set on fire , the statement said . both sides in the conflict have insisted they reject violence , but fighting has raged . the muslim brotherhood changed its profile image on facebook on tuesday to an image of badie , with a quote saying , our peaceful movement is mightier than their tanks . ' nationwide arrests security forces also arrested 56 administrative leaders of the muslim brotherhood in various provinces , the ministry of interior said . the arrests came a day after 25 soldiers were killed in a sinai ambush and onetime ruler hosni mubarak won acquittal on a corruption charge . the soldiers were killed when suspected militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades struck two buses carrying security forces monday in the city of rafah , on the border between egypt and gaza , nile tv reported . interim president adly mansour declared three days of national mourning following the attack , nile tv said . the sinai peninsula is a lawless area that was the site of frequent attacks even before egypt 's latest round of turmoil . in may , for example , seven egyptian solders were kidnapped and held for six days there , a spokesman for egypt 's armed forces said . but the attack adds to the persistent tension across the country since the military ousted the democratically elected morsy in a coup . over the past week , about 900 people -- security personnel as well as citizens -- have been killed . deaths occurred when the military used force to clear two pro-morsy sit-in sites in cairo on wednesday and violence raged after pro-morsy supporters staged demonstrations friday . billions in aid on the line : what will the u.s. do about egypt ? cnn 's saad abedin reported from cairo ; cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq , ali younes , schams elwazer , ian lee , reza sayah , hamdi alkhshali , slma shelbayah , and holly yan contributed to this report . | another prominent muslim brotherhood figure , safwat hegazy , is arrested |
muslim brotherhood <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- egypt 's interim military government tuesday added two more key figures to its list of muslim brotherhood leaders under arrest : mohamed badie , the group 's spiritual leader , and safwat hegazy , a preacher and hardline supporter of the movement . they were among about 100 members of the muslim brotherhood taken into custody tuesday . the brotherhood -- locked in a deadly battle with the military for control of egypt -- slammed the interim government 's ongoing bloody military coup . ' in a statement , the group 's freedom and justice party described the charges against badie as trumped up ' and political . ' it is well-known that all the charges brought against the leaders of the muslim brotherhood and its affiliated political party , the freedom and justice party ( fjp ) as well as the leaders of the anti-coup , pro-democracy national alliance are implausible fabricated charges with no legally acceptable evidence . what they are facing are nothing but political trumped up charges thinly painted with criminal colors , ' ali kamal , a lawyer for the muslim brotherhood , said in the statement . badie was taken in a dawn raid at a residential apartment in cairo 's nasr city neighborhood , the ministry of interior said . arresting badie is not the end of the group , which will remain in the hearts of millions of egyptians , ' said ahmed arif , spokesman for the muslim brotherhood . badie will be detained for 15 days for investigation on accusations of inciting violence and killing protesters , the ministry of interior said . the detention could be extended , as has been done with ousted president mohamed morsy . mahmoud ezzat , badie 's deputy , was named supreme guide on a temporary basis . later , hegazy was arrested in nasr city as well , according to state-run broadcaster al-masriya . opinion : can anyone save egypt from the brink ? the military has been arresting numerous key figures in the muslim brotherhood , including mohamed mahdi akef , the former supreme guide ; his deputy , khairat al-shater ; saad al-katatni , chairman of the freedom and justice party ; his deputy , rashad al-bayoumi ; and sheikh hazem salah abo ismael . armed fighters holed up in school facility , military says badie was with syed abdul rahim abdel naby , a teacher from the islamic dawa school in beni suef , when he was arrested at dawn , the ministry of interior said in its statement . defterios : egypt 's cycle of violence threatens to destroy its economy security forces then searched the school and arrested 38 members of the muslim brotherhood who were hiding ' in the facility and had numerous weapons , including a rifle , pistols , and molotov cocktails , the statement said . some of the equipment belonged to the administration of the civil protection unit in beni suef , which had been stormed , robbed and set on fire , the statement said . both sides in the conflict have insisted they reject violence , but fighting has raged . the muslim brotherhood changed its profile image on facebook on tuesday to an image of badie , with a quote saying , our peaceful movement is mightier than their tanks . ' nationwide arrests security forces also arrested 56 administrative leaders of the muslim brotherhood in various provinces , the ministry of interior said . the arrests came a day after 25 soldiers were killed in a sinai ambush and onetime ruler hosni mubarak won acquittal on a corruption charge . the soldiers were killed when suspected militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades struck two buses carrying security forces monday in the city of rafah , on the border between egypt and gaza , nile tv reported . interim president adly mansour declared three days of national mourning following the attack , nile tv said . the sinai peninsula is a lawless area that was the site of frequent attacks even before egypt 's latest round of turmoil . in may , for example , seven egyptian solders were kidnapped and held for six days there , a spokesman for egypt 's armed forces said . but the attack adds to the persistent tension across the country since the military ousted the democratically elected morsy in a coup . over the past week , about 900 people -- security personnel as well as citizens -- have been killed . deaths occurred when the military used force to clear two pro-morsy sit-in sites in cairo on wednesday and violence raged after pro-morsy supporters staged demonstrations friday . billions in aid on the line : what will the u.s. do about egypt ? cnn 's saad abedin reported from cairo ; cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq , ali younes , schams elwazer , ian lee , reza sayah , hamdi alkhshali , slma shelbayah , and holly yan contributed to this report . | about 100 people with the muslim brotherhood were arrested tuesday |
muslim brotherhood <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- egypt 's interim military government tuesday added two more key figures to its list of muslim brotherhood leaders under arrest : mohamed badie , the group 's spiritual leader , and safwat hegazy , a preacher and hardline supporter of the movement . they were among about 100 members of the muslim brotherhood taken into custody tuesday . the brotherhood -- locked in a deadly battle with the military for control of egypt -- slammed the interim government 's ongoing bloody military coup . ' in a statement , the group 's freedom and justice party described the charges against badie as trumped up ' and political . ' it is well-known that all the charges brought against the leaders of the muslim brotherhood and its affiliated political party , the freedom and justice party ( fjp ) as well as the leaders of the anti-coup , pro-democracy national alliance are implausible fabricated charges with no legally acceptable evidence . what they are facing are nothing but political trumped up charges thinly painted with criminal colors , ' ali kamal , a lawyer for the muslim brotherhood , said in the statement . badie was taken in a dawn raid at a residential apartment in cairo 's nasr city neighborhood , the ministry of interior said . arresting badie is not the end of the group , which will remain in the hearts of millions of egyptians , ' said ahmed arif , spokesman for the muslim brotherhood . badie will be detained for 15 days for investigation on accusations of inciting violence and killing protesters , the ministry of interior said . the detention could be extended , as has been done with ousted president mohamed morsy . mahmoud ezzat , badie 's deputy , was named supreme guide on a temporary basis . later , hegazy was arrested in nasr city as well , according to state-run broadcaster al-masriya . opinion : can anyone save egypt from the brink ? the military has been arresting numerous key figures in the muslim brotherhood , including mohamed mahdi akef , the former supreme guide ; his deputy , khairat al-shater ; saad al-katatni , chairman of the freedom and justice party ; his deputy , rashad al-bayoumi ; and sheikh hazem salah abo ismael . armed fighters holed up in school facility , military says badie was with syed abdul rahim abdel naby , a teacher from the islamic dawa school in beni suef , when he was arrested at dawn , the ministry of interior said in its statement . defterios : egypt 's cycle of violence threatens to destroy its economy security forces then searched the school and arrested 38 members of the muslim brotherhood who were hiding ' in the facility and had numerous weapons , including a rifle , pistols , and molotov cocktails , the statement said . some of the equipment belonged to the administration of the civil protection unit in beni suef , which had been stormed , robbed and set on fire , the statement said . both sides in the conflict have insisted they reject violence , but fighting has raged . the muslim brotherhood changed its profile image on facebook on tuesday to an image of badie , with a quote saying , our peaceful movement is mightier than their tanks . ' nationwide arrests security forces also arrested 56 administrative leaders of the muslim brotherhood in various provinces , the ministry of interior said . the arrests came a day after 25 soldiers were killed in a sinai ambush and onetime ruler hosni mubarak won acquittal on a corruption charge . the soldiers were killed when suspected militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades struck two buses carrying security forces monday in the city of rafah , on the border between egypt and gaza , nile tv reported . interim president adly mansour declared three days of national mourning following the attack , nile tv said . the sinai peninsula is a lawless area that was the site of frequent attacks even before egypt 's latest round of turmoil . in may , for example , seven egyptian solders were kidnapped and held for six days there , a spokesman for egypt 's armed forces said . but the attack adds to the persistent tension across the country since the military ousted the democratically elected morsy in a coup . over the past week , about 900 people -- security personnel as well as citizens -- have been killed . deaths occurred when the military used force to clear two pro-morsy sit-in sites in cairo on wednesday and violence raged after pro-morsy supporters staged demonstrations friday . billions in aid on the line : what will the u.s. do about egypt ? cnn 's saad abedin reported from cairo ; cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq , ali younes , schams elwazer , ian lee , reza sayah , hamdi alkhshali , slma shelbayah , and holly yan contributed to this report . | another prominent muslim brotherhood figure , safwat hegazy , is arrested |
muslim brotherhood <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- egypt 's interim military government tuesday added two more key figures to its list of muslim brotherhood leaders under arrest : mohamed badie , the group 's spiritual leader , and safwat hegazy , a preacher and hardline supporter of the movement . they were among about 100 members of the muslim brotherhood taken into custody tuesday . the brotherhood -- locked in a deadly battle with the military for control of egypt -- slammed the interim government 's ongoing bloody military coup . ' in a statement , the group 's freedom and justice party described the charges against badie as trumped up ' and political . ' it is well-known that all the charges brought against the leaders of the muslim brotherhood and its affiliated political party , the freedom and justice party ( fjp ) as well as the leaders of the anti-coup , pro-democracy national alliance are implausible fabricated charges with no legally acceptable evidence . what they are facing are nothing but political trumped up charges thinly painted with criminal colors , ' ali kamal , a lawyer for the muslim brotherhood , said in the statement . badie was taken in a dawn raid at a residential apartment in cairo 's nasr city neighborhood , the ministry of interior said . arresting badie is not the end of the group , which will remain in the hearts of millions of egyptians , ' said ahmed arif , spokesman for the muslim brotherhood . badie will be detained for 15 days for investigation on accusations of inciting violence and killing protesters , the ministry of interior said . the detention could be extended , as has been done with ousted president mohamed morsy . mahmoud ezzat , badie 's deputy , was named supreme guide on a temporary basis . later , hegazy was arrested in nasr city as well , according to state-run broadcaster al-masriya . opinion : can anyone save egypt from the brink ? the military has been arresting numerous key figures in the muslim brotherhood , including mohamed mahdi akef , the former supreme guide ; his deputy , khairat al-shater ; saad al-katatni , chairman of the freedom and justice party ; his deputy , rashad al-bayoumi ; and sheikh hazem salah abo ismael . armed fighters holed up in school facility , military says badie was with syed abdul rahim abdel naby , a teacher from the islamic dawa school in beni suef , when he was arrested at dawn , the ministry of interior said in its statement . defterios : egypt 's cycle of violence threatens to destroy its economy security forces then searched the school and arrested 38 members of the muslim brotherhood who were hiding ' in the facility and had numerous weapons , including a rifle , pistols , and molotov cocktails , the statement said . some of the equipment belonged to the administration of the civil protection unit in beni suef , which had been stormed , robbed and set on fire , the statement said . both sides in the conflict have insisted they reject violence , but fighting has raged . the muslim brotherhood changed its profile image on facebook on tuesday to an image of badie , with a quote saying , our peaceful movement is mightier than their tanks . ' nationwide arrests security forces also arrested 56 administrative leaders of the muslim brotherhood in various provinces , the ministry of interior said . the arrests came a day after 25 soldiers were killed in a sinai ambush and onetime ruler hosni mubarak won acquittal on a corruption charge . the soldiers were killed when suspected militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades struck two buses carrying security forces monday in the city of rafah , on the border between egypt and gaza , nile tv reported . interim president adly mansour declared three days of national mourning following the attack , nile tv said . the sinai peninsula is a lawless area that was the site of frequent attacks even before egypt 's latest round of turmoil . in may , for example , seven egyptian solders were kidnapped and held for six days there , a spokesman for egypt 's armed forces said . but the attack adds to the persistent tension across the country since the military ousted the democratically elected morsy in a coup . over the past week , about 900 people -- security personnel as well as citizens -- have been killed . deaths occurred when the military used force to clear two pro-morsy sit-in sites in cairo on wednesday and violence raged after pro-morsy supporters staged demonstrations friday . billions in aid on the line : what will the u.s. do about egypt ? cnn 's saad abedin reported from cairo ; cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq , ali younes , schams elwazer , ian lee , reza sayah , hamdi alkhshali , slma shelbayah , and holly yan contributed to this report . | new : the muslim brotherhood describes charges as trumped up ' and political ' |
beijing <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- after a deal was hammered out by european union leaders last week on a joint plan to help bail out greece and bolster european banks , the world looked to china to help pick up the check . in a historical context , it 's a remarkable turn of events for china , which inside a generation has rocketed from isolation and poverty to become the world 's second largest economy behind the united states . but as chinese president hu jintao arrived in europe to meet with other g-20 leaders in cannes , it became increasingly clear that beijing was n't coming into town wearing a white hat to rescue debt-ridden eurozone nations . why is the eu turning to china ? simply put , beijing has the money . the tumult in greece is over austerity moves that would cut greek services , reduce payback to greek bondholders by as much 50 % and bolster loans to help athens in $ 178 billion deal . the end goal of these measures would leave greece with debt equaling 120 % of its total economic output by 2020 . china , by contrast , is the largest holder of foreign currency reserves in the world with more than $ 3 trillion in its coffers and an economy whose annual growth rate hovers near 10 % . european leaders are hoping beijing will be a substantial contributor to the european financial stability fund , which under the deal hammered out last week would increase from 440 billion euros to 1 trillion euros ( $ 1.36 trillion ) . but chinese vice finance minister zhu guangyao told reporters gathering in cannes ahead of the summit that it was too soon ' for beijing to say whether it would contribute to the fund . the fund has not established details of its investment options so we still ca n't talk about the issue of investing , ' he said . what 's in it for china ? the bloc of 17 nations united under the euro currency is china 's largest trading partner , the destination for nearly 20 % of chinese goods exported in 2010 ; by comparison , 18 % of chinese exports were sent to the u.s , according to 2010 world trade organization figures . in july , eurozone trade to china surpassed the u.s. for the first time to become the eu 's largest trading partner , according to eurostat . so an unstable europe would undoubtedly hurt the fortunes of exporters here . still , any help would likely come with strings attached . though u.s. lawmakers have led complaints that china unfairly manipulates the value of its currency , similar shouts have been heard from european officials . no doubt beijing would like to see those calls silenced . moreover , china wants the eu to give it market economy status , which would reduce the tariffs for chinese products sold in the eurozone . china is scheduled to get market economy status by the world trade organization in 2016 , and observers say it 's likely the eu will wait until then . since eruption of the global financial crisis and the debt crisis in europe , china has offered help to europe . for instance , china sent several delegations to europe to purchase huge amounts of goods and services in 2009 , aiming to boost europe 's economy . since last year , china has purchased bonds of several european countries , trying to save nations deep in a debt crisis , ' a commentary in china 's state-run xinhua said last month arguing for market economy status . by contrast , it is a pity that the eu side still shows no sincerity on the issue of recognizing china 's market economy status , ' it said . why is china reluctant to help ? there appears to be little domestic enthusiasm in china to run to the eu 's aid . they keep pushing the anti-dumping thing and bullying china , and now we are helping them ? ' one beijing man told cnn , referring to allegations that china dumps ' products in markets with unfair pricing . i say we should not save them . ' chinese perceive their currency reserve as a nest egg built on the back of 30 years hard work building its economy , said patrick chovanec of tsinghua university . it 's a sensitive issue because beijing ca n't be seen to be just investing this money willy-nilly , ' chovanec said . they need to make a case that they 're going to earn a reliable return . ' economist andy xie in shanghai argues it 's not in beijing 's political , economic or strategic interest ' to come to the eu 's aid . while some have argued a handout would be a way for china to increase its soft power ' abroad , xie thinks such a move would backfire . look at greece -- they complain their country is being taken over by german bankers , ' he said . how do you think they will feel if china steps in ? the average person would n't look at this as aid , but as china coming in and taking us over . ' and a slowdown in the eu would hurt china , it would n't raise the specter of widespread unemployment , he added . china 's labor market is fully employed ... there are widespread shortages of manual labor . any economic slowdown ( from reduced eu demand ) is not likely to see widespread unemployment . ' even more of a signal that beijing will let the eu solve its own problems . how china can really help others say that china 's real opportunity to help is n't through bailing out europe , but investing in the eu and boosting domestic consumption of european products . what the europeans lack is n't money , what they lack is growth , ' said chovanec . china can play an important role in saving europe but not in the way that most people think . most people think the europeans are coming to china hat in hand hoping for bailout funds . really the way that china can help europe is not by continuing to run surpluses and turn around to use the proceeds to lend it back to europe to keep them on life support . the real way chinese can help europe is by using some of that money , the $ 3 trillion worth of reserves they 've piled up to stimulate consumption ... and help create jobs , earnings and opportunity in europe , ' chovanec said . cnn 's alexis lai contributed to this story | beijing is reluctant to spend the reserves for fear of public backlash |
california <tsp> ( cnn ) -- california may be known for its earthquakes , but so far this year it has been surpassed by an unlikely state : oklahoma . experts say wastewater wells are likely linked to the big increase in the number of quakes recorded in oklahoma . between 1978 and 2008 , oklahoma experienced an average of just two quakes of 3.0 magnitude of greater . in 2014 , as of thursday , there have been about 207 such quakes recorded in the state , according to the u.s. geological survey . the upward trend started in 2009 , with 20 quakes of 3.0 magnitude or greater , then 43 the following year , and jumping every year with the exception of 2012 . oklahoma has now surpassed california in quakes , and seismologists see no end in sight , cnn meteorologist chad myers said . california has recorded about 140 3.0-magnitude quakes or greater , compared to 207 in oklahoma . the oil and gas industry 's injection of wastewater deep into the earth apparently is linked to the shift in seismic activity in oklahoma , myers said . the fracturing fluid seems to be lubricating existing faults that have not moved in recent years , he said . the fracturing process is not creating new faults , but are exposing faults that already exist , he said . on wednesday , at least seven earthquakes were recorded in oklahoma , according to the usgs . there were no reports of significant damage , but that does n't mean that these quakes are not of concern to scientists . the fact that the number of earthquakes in oklahoma is even comparable to california is unusual , ' usgs geophysicist rob williams said . we 've seen swarms of earthquakes over the interior of the u.s. , but this is on a completely different scale , for the area where all the earthquakes are occurring is bigger than any previous swarm , ' he added . it 's not really a swarm , it 's really a collection of swarms . ' it can not be ruled out that the spike in earthquakes is a once-every-10,000-years thing , but scientists do n't know and a surprised by the numbers . given the rate of earthquakes over the last six months , it 's concerning enough to be worried about a larger , damaging earthquake happening , let alone what might happen in the future , ' williams said . many of these quakes are being linked to wastewater injection , he said . some earthquakes have been linked to hydraulic fracturing , or fracking , but for the most part , the oklahoma earthquakes are linked to wastewater wells , williams said . geophysicists have not been able to gather data to pin down the certain set of wastewater wells that are causing the earthquake problem , but they 're hopeful to learn more about the problematic wells in the future . research into the links between the wastewater wells and quakes started about four years ago , williams said . to better gauge the increased quakes , usgs and oklahoma officials have added monitoring stations , which now stand at 15 permanent facilities and 17 temporary stations . the oklahoma independent petroleum association last month urged a wait-and-see approach in judging the usgs 's assertions on links between wastewater disposal and earthquakes . because crude oil and natural gas is produced in 70 of oklahoma 's 77 counties , any seismic activity within the state is likely to occur near oil and natural gas activity . the oipa and the oil and gas industry as a whole support the continued study of oklahoma 's increased seismic activity , but a rush to judgment provides no clear understanding of the causes , ' the industry group said . measuring the magnitude of earthquakes what to know about earthquakes the place where two earthquakes hit every hour feds : energy mining 's disposal wells may have role in oklahoma 's earthquakes cnn 's shawn nottingham and michael martinez contributed to this report . | so far this year , there have been more quakes in oklahoma than california |
occupy wall street <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- in the spirit of spring rebirth , the occupy movement is ramping up activities as warm weather blankets the country . but while the season is typified by a reawakening of life outdoors , demonstrators are using sleep to get their points across . they call it sleepful protest . ' the sleeping bags started appearing on the corner of wall and broad streets across from the new york stock exchange on april 9 . a civil rights attorney sympathetic to the occupy movement provided the legal justification for the move in the form of a court ruling from 2000 . a federal district court judge said people can sleep on sidewalks as a form of political expression as long as they take up no more than half of the sidewalk and do n't block any doors . occupy organizers declared a month ago that the movement would be planning a comeback in the spring and summer . some city and state governments , armed with new ordinances aimed at the occupy movements , are ready to prevent demonstrators from re-establishing encampments . for the past few nights , dozens of occupy wall street protesters have slept on a patch of concrete a stone 's throw away from the traders and stock brokers who are the targets of their message . the goal here is to not violate the law and not give the police a reason to move the group , ' said ted schulman , who has taken part in occupy demonstrations for several months . every morning , they talk about income inequality and the role of big money in politics as commuters pass by on their way to jobs in the financial district . most people who work in the area seem indifferent . they just do n't understand how things work , ' said wayne kaufman , chief market analyst at john thomas financial . they have fantasy ideas . but , they 're entitled to their opinions . ' while police have occasionally forced the protesters to move so the sidewalk could be cleaned , and a few have been arrested , occupy protester lauren digioia is not deterred . we 're not afraid anymore . i mean , we 've been through so much . all of us have been to jail , ' said digioia , a 27-year-old with hair dyed neon blue . we know we 're doing the right thing . ' what are occupiers really fighting for ? so-called sleepful protests have popped up elsewhere in the country with varying degrees of success . in washington , police have been less accommodating , while in los angeles , protesters have taken to sleeping outside bank of america branches , a frequent target of the occupy movement . similar sidewalk sleep-ins are taking place in boston and atlanta . the protesters on wall street do n't expect their sleep-in to grow into an encampment like the one that became home to hundreds of people at nearby zuccotti park . i view this as the pre-campaign . i certainly doubt that this will still be here may 1st when the big rallies start , ' schulman said . my guess is by that point , they 'll have taken control of this space again . ' occupy organizers are calling for large-scale demonstrations across the country on may 1 in conjunction with the labor movement 's international workers day . | the occupy wall street movement is ramping up its activities |
helmand <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- violence flared in southern afghanistan , with a nato-led service member killed saturday and 20 suspected insurgents slain in helmand province friday , authorities said . u.s. marines fire a 120mm mortar on a suspected taliban position friday in helmand province , afghanistan . the violence comes as nato members meet in europe to discuss the fight against the taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan . nato 's international security assistance force said the service member died after being wounded by a roadside bomb . it did not specify the province where it happened or the victim 's nationality . on behalf of isaf , i offer our condolences to the loved ones of this brave service member , ' said brig . gen. richard blanchette , isaf spokesman . we can not lessen their pain , but we can , and do commit ourselves to honoring this sacrifice as we strive to bring security to the afghan people . ' the u.s. military said the 20 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes with afghan soldiers and coalition forces on friday in the kajaki district of helmand province . the combined forces were conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in a known taliban stronghold in order to deny insurgents'freedom of movement when they were ambushed by numerous armed insurgents with mortar and small-arms fire , ' the military said . the fighting in helmand 's kajaki district happened during operations targeting suspected taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan , suspected of bomb-making , weapons smuggling , drug activity and attacks on afghan and coalition soldiers , the u.s. military said in a statement . | nato-led service member killed saturday in helmand province , south afghanistan |
afghan <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- violence flared in southern afghanistan , with a nato-led service member killed saturday and 20 suspected insurgents slain in helmand province friday , authorities said . u.s. marines fire a 120mm mortar on a suspected taliban position friday in helmand province , afghanistan . the violence comes as nato members meet in europe to discuss the fight against the taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan . nato 's international security assistance force said the service member died after being wounded by a roadside bomb . it did not specify the province where it happened or the victim 's nationality . on behalf of isaf , i offer our condolences to the loved ones of this brave service member , ' said brig . gen. richard blanchette , isaf spokesman . we can not lessen their pain , but we can , and do commit ourselves to honoring this sacrifice as we strive to bring security to the afghan people . ' the u.s. military said the 20 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes with afghan soldiers and coalition forces on friday in the kajaki district of helmand province . the combined forces were conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in a known taliban stronghold in order to deny insurgents'freedom of movement when they were ambushed by numerous armed insurgents with mortar and small-arms fire , ' the military said . the fighting in helmand 's kajaki district happened during operations targeting suspected taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan , suspected of bomb-making , weapons smuggling , drug activity and attacks on afghan and coalition soldiers , the u.s. military said in a statement . | afghan , coalition soldiers in region targeting bombmakers , weapons smugglers |
afghan <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- violence flared in southern afghanistan , with a nato-led service member killed saturday and 20 suspected insurgents slain in helmand province friday , authorities said . u.s. marines fire a 120mm mortar on a suspected taliban position friday in helmand province , afghanistan . the violence comes as nato members meet in europe to discuss the fight against the taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan . nato 's international security assistance force said the service member died after being wounded by a roadside bomb . it did not specify the province where it happened or the victim 's nationality . on behalf of isaf , i offer our condolences to the loved ones of this brave service member , ' said brig . gen. richard blanchette , isaf spokesman . we can not lessen their pain , but we can , and do commit ourselves to honoring this sacrifice as we strive to bring security to the afghan people . ' the u.s. military said the 20 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes with afghan soldiers and coalition forces on friday in the kajaki district of helmand province . the combined forces were conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in a known taliban stronghold in order to deny insurgents'freedom of movement when they were ambushed by numerous armed insurgents with mortar and small-arms fire , ' the military said . the fighting in helmand 's kajaki district happened during operations targeting suspected taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan , suspected of bomb-making , weapons smuggling , drug activity and attacks on afghan and coalition soldiers , the u.s. military said in a statement . | twenty insurgents died friday in clashes with afghan soldiers , coalition forces |
mubarak <tsp> egyptian prosecutors say they will appeal after former ruler hosni mubarak was cleared of charges linking him to the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the country 's 2011 uprising . the ruling was a stunning reversal for the ex-president who had been convicted of ordering the killings of peaceful protesters and was sentenced to life in prison for the same charges two years ago . on saturday , a cairo judge dismissed charges linking mubarak to the deaths of protesters during the 2011 revolt that led to the end of his 29-year rule . the judge also found him not guilty of corruption . the 86-year-old was stoic as his supporters in the courtroom cheered the decision that capped a months-long retrial . reclining on a hospital gurney in a defendants'cage , he nodded while fellow defendants kissed him on the head . later , he told the country 's sada elbalad tv station in a brief phone interview that he did n't commit anything . ' i laughed when i heard the first verdict , ' he said of the first trial , which he appealed . when it came to the second verdict , i said i was waiting . it would go either way . it would n't have made a difference to me either way . ' prosecutor-general hisham barakat will appeal the verdict , egypt 's government-controlled al-ahram newspaper website reported sunday . also acquitted saturday were mubarak 's former interior minister habib el-adly and six of el-adly 's aides , who 'd been accused of being connected to the deaths of 239 protesters as security forces cracked down on them in 2011 . mubarak 's two sons also were acquitted saturday of corruption . mubarak is still serving a three-year sentence for a previous conviction for embezzlement handed down in may , but it 's not clear when he will be released because he is expected to be credited for time already served . cnn 's efforts to reach mubarak 's lawyer farid el-deeb for comment were n't immediately successful . both sides have alleged that mubarak 's trials have been politicized , with supporters arguing he was unfairly vilified and opponents fearing that he 'd be acquitted as memories of the revolution faded . his legal fortunes did seem to parallel the political climate -- just last year , mohamed morsy , the islamist who became egypt 's first democratically elected president , supported a retrial with the backing of his supporters , who argued mubarak should have received a death sentence rather than life in captivity . but morsy himself was deposed by the military in july 2013 , as opponents accused him of pursuing an islamist agenda at the exclusion of other factions . and now the arab spring revolt that ousted mubarak has come nearly full circle -- mubarak appears close to freedom ; morsy is jailed , his muslim brotherhood banned ; and morsy supporters allege the current government has returned to mubarak 's authoritarian practices . mubarak cleared , but drama is n't over yet explaining the verdict judge mahmoud el-rashidy said he dropped charges against mubarak because cairo criminal court did n't have the jurisdiction to try him for the protesters'deaths . the judge said the case that prosecutors initially referred to the court listed only el-adly and his aides as defendants -- not mubarak himself . but after mass protests pressured the prosecutor general to question mubarak , a second referral was made to the court , and the two cases were merged into one . lawyer hoda nasralla , who represents the families of 65 slain and injured protesters , said the inclusion of mubarak in a second referral should have trumped his exclusion in the first . the judge shied away from directly acquitting mubarak even though he was accused of conspiring with adly , and adly was acquitted , ' she said . the judge resorted to formalities instead . ''i want only god 's retribution' salway el-sayed , mother of one of the slain 2011 protesters , sat down on a sidewalk outside the court after she heard saturday 's verdicts , praying to god to deliver justice . she broke down in tears , her hands shaking , as she recalled her son tamer hanafy , who was killed in january 2011 at cairo 's tahrir square -- the epicenter of the uprising . i 'm worried my son 's blood would go in vain , ' she said . our children 's blood is n't cheap . their blood is precious , like any other blood . ' i do n't want execution , ' she continued . this wo n't bring back my son ... i want only god 's retribution . nothing more . ' tahrir square was closed to traffic following saturday 's verdicts . one man was killed and nine people were injured as several hundred demonstrators clashed nearby with egyptian security forces , egyptian ministry of health spokesman hossam abdel ghaffar told cnn . police fired tear gas and bird shot at the protesters . the ministry of interior said police were pelted by rocks before the incident escalated . the human rights group egyptian initiative for personal rights , whose lawyers represented more than 60 civil plaintiffs in the case , said that saturday 's verdict solidified the impunity that it says security forces and their leaders enjoy . justice was dealt another severe blow , ' the group said in a news release . how it started in january 2011 , throngs of egyptians filled the streets of cairo to decry the country 's poverty , unemployment and repression . protesters called for mubarak to step down but were met by a fierce and often violent government crackdown . mubarak eventually stepped down in february 2011 . that freed up long-supressed islamist movements , including the muslim brotherhood , to run for office . morsy , backed by the brotherhood 's freedom and justice party , became president in june 2012 . but morsy was ousted in a coup about a year later amid widespread protests against his rule . since then , cairo 's military-installed government has banned the brotherhood , calling it a terrorist group -- an allegation it denies -- and accusing it of being behind a wave of deadly attacks on police and the military . many islamist and secular activists have been arrested and given lengthy sentences . a restrictive protest law and repeated deadly crackdowns on demonstrations followed . abdel fattah el-sisi , the general who led morsy 's ouster , was elected president in may after leaving the military to run for the office . since mubarak stepped down in february 2011 , the ailing former ruler has appeared in court numerous times on a variety of charges , often wheeled in on a gurney . his lawyers say he suffered health problems after his 2011 arrest , including a stroke , and he has served much of his prison time at a military medical facility . in may , when a cairo court sentenced mubarak to three years in prison for embezzlement , his sons gamal and alaa were sentenced to four years each on the same charge . all three were convicted of embezzling $ 18 million that was allocated for the renovation of presidential palaces . the mubaraks have insisted they are not guilty . | mubarak is still serving a three-year sentence for embezzlement |
mubarak <tsp> egyptian prosecutors say they will appeal after former ruler hosni mubarak was cleared of charges linking him to the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the country 's 2011 uprising . the ruling was a stunning reversal for the ex-president who had been convicted of ordering the killings of peaceful protesters and was sentenced to life in prison for the same charges two years ago . on saturday , a cairo judge dismissed charges linking mubarak to the deaths of protesters during the 2011 revolt that led to the end of his 29-year rule . the judge also found him not guilty of corruption . the 86-year-old was stoic as his supporters in the courtroom cheered the decision that capped a months-long retrial . reclining on a hospital gurney in a defendants'cage , he nodded while fellow defendants kissed him on the head . later , he told the country 's sada elbalad tv station in a brief phone interview that he did n't commit anything . ' i laughed when i heard the first verdict , ' he said of the first trial , which he appealed . when it came to the second verdict , i said i was waiting . it would go either way . it would n't have made a difference to me either way . ' prosecutor-general hisham barakat will appeal the verdict , egypt 's government-controlled al-ahram newspaper website reported sunday . also acquitted saturday were mubarak 's former interior minister habib el-adly and six of el-adly 's aides , who 'd been accused of being connected to the deaths of 239 protesters as security forces cracked down on them in 2011 . mubarak 's two sons also were acquitted saturday of corruption . mubarak is still serving a three-year sentence for a previous conviction for embezzlement handed down in may , but it 's not clear when he will be released because he is expected to be credited for time already served . cnn 's efforts to reach mubarak 's lawyer farid el-deeb for comment were n't immediately successful . both sides have alleged that mubarak 's trials have been politicized , with supporters arguing he was unfairly vilified and opponents fearing that he 'd be acquitted as memories of the revolution faded . his legal fortunes did seem to parallel the political climate -- just last year , mohamed morsy , the islamist who became egypt 's first democratically elected president , supported a retrial with the backing of his supporters , who argued mubarak should have received a death sentence rather than life in captivity . but morsy himself was deposed by the military in july 2013 , as opponents accused him of pursuing an islamist agenda at the exclusion of other factions . and now the arab spring revolt that ousted mubarak has come nearly full circle -- mubarak appears close to freedom ; morsy is jailed , his muslim brotherhood banned ; and morsy supporters allege the current government has returned to mubarak 's authoritarian practices . mubarak cleared , but drama is n't over yet explaining the verdict judge mahmoud el-rashidy said he dropped charges against mubarak because cairo criminal court did n't have the jurisdiction to try him for the protesters'deaths . the judge said the case that prosecutors initially referred to the court listed only el-adly and his aides as defendants -- not mubarak himself . but after mass protests pressured the prosecutor general to question mubarak , a second referral was made to the court , and the two cases were merged into one . lawyer hoda nasralla , who represents the families of 65 slain and injured protesters , said the inclusion of mubarak in a second referral should have trumped his exclusion in the first . the judge shied away from directly acquitting mubarak even though he was accused of conspiring with adly , and adly was acquitted , ' she said . the judge resorted to formalities instead . ''i want only god 's retribution' salway el-sayed , mother of one of the slain 2011 protesters , sat down on a sidewalk outside the court after she heard saturday 's verdicts , praying to god to deliver justice . she broke down in tears , her hands shaking , as she recalled her son tamer hanafy , who was killed in january 2011 at cairo 's tahrir square -- the epicenter of the uprising . i 'm worried my son 's blood would go in vain , ' she said . our children 's blood is n't cheap . their blood is precious , like any other blood . ' i do n't want execution , ' she continued . this wo n't bring back my son ... i want only god 's retribution . nothing more . ' tahrir square was closed to traffic following saturday 's verdicts . one man was killed and nine people were injured as several hundred demonstrators clashed nearby with egyptian security forces , egyptian ministry of health spokesman hossam abdel ghaffar told cnn . police fired tear gas and bird shot at the protesters . the ministry of interior said police were pelted by rocks before the incident escalated . the human rights group egyptian initiative for personal rights , whose lawyers represented more than 60 civil plaintiffs in the case , said that saturday 's verdict solidified the impunity that it says security forces and their leaders enjoy . justice was dealt another severe blow , ' the group said in a news release . how it started in january 2011 , throngs of egyptians filled the streets of cairo to decry the country 's poverty , unemployment and repression . protesters called for mubarak to step down but were met by a fierce and often violent government crackdown . mubarak eventually stepped down in february 2011 . that freed up long-supressed islamist movements , including the muslim brotherhood , to run for office . morsy , backed by the brotherhood 's freedom and justice party , became president in june 2012 . but morsy was ousted in a coup about a year later amid widespread protests against his rule . since then , cairo 's military-installed government has banned the brotherhood , calling it a terrorist group -- an allegation it denies -- and accusing it of being behind a wave of deadly attacks on police and the military . many islamist and secular activists have been arrested and given lengthy sentences . a restrictive protest law and repeated deadly crackdowns on demonstrations followed . abdel fattah el-sisi , the general who led morsy 's ouster , was elected president in may after leaving the military to run for the office . since mubarak stepped down in february 2011 , the ailing former ruler has appeared in court numerous times on a variety of charges , often wheeled in on a gurney . his lawyers say he suffered health problems after his 2011 arrest , including a stroke , and he has served much of his prison time at a military medical facility . in may , when a cairo court sentenced mubarak to three years in prison for embezzlement , his sons gamal and alaa were sentenced to four years each on the same charge . all three were convicted of embezzling $ 18 million that was allocated for the renovation of presidential palaces . the mubaraks have insisted they are not guilty . | a judge dropped charges against mubarak in the deaths of hundreds of protesters |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man who new york police say shot to death three iranian musicians was kicked out of their indie rock band last year , surviving band members said wednesday . ali akbar mohammadi rafie , 29 , took his own life monday after shooting his former band mates in the brooklyn apartment where they lived and practiced , the new york police department said . the dead included guitarist soroush farazmand , 27 , whose rock band the yellow dogs was featured in a 2009 cnn report about iran 's burgeoning underground rock scene . farazmand 's brother , arash , 28 , a drummer with the free keys who later joined the yellow dogs , was also shot and killed at the same location . a third man killed was iranian musician ali eskandarian , 35 . new york police commissioner ray kelly told reporters that the gunman used a .308-caliber assault rifle , apparently to settle a dispute ... over money ' between the bands . the gunman shot and killed one of the victims through a window before entering the building in the east williamsburg neighborhood and shooting the others on the second and third floors , kelly said . rafie shot himself on the roof after scuffling with at least one of two other people . rafie came to the united states soon after joining the group in iran to replace a bass player who could not get a visa , members siavash obash ' karampour and koory mirzeai said in a written statement sent to cnn on wednesday . it became clear very quickly that he was not a natural fit within our group of friends , and his personal views conflicted with our approach to our art and to the world , ' they said . rafie was booted from the band several months later and in the 14 months since then , we 've had no contact with him at all , ' the statement said . the loss of their fellow musicians left a gaping hole in our hearts , ' they said . for now it 's impossible to even imagine a future without our friends , and no explanation can make sense or begin to justify what has happened to our lives . ' the survivors are in shock , awe , blinded with rage and paralyzed with grief , ' they said . ali eskandarian was nearly finished with his memoir , arash had just received political asylum from iran and soroush was hard at work on new yellow dogs material , ' they said . everything we had hoped and worked for was finally coming true . ... the future was so incredibly bright . the band will continue to make music , they said . we will not let this disgusting brutality define us or become our story , but instead respond by creating music more passionately and with more intensity than ever before , embracing the freedom that we all dreamed would one day be ours back in iran and play to honor those who should be playing next to us . ' they are planning a memorial service for the three , which will be announced later , they said . in the 2009 cnn report , members of yellow dogs described performing in an improvised , clandestine music studio to avoid the wrath of islamic authorities . the band settled in east williamsburg after attention generated by the group 's contribution to the soundtrack of a film called no one knows about persian cats , ' a movie about iran 's underground music scene that won an award at the cannes film festival . the law has a problem with rock music so we ca n't play it , ' karampour told cnn in 2009 . iranian authorities viewed the band members as anarchists , ' karampour told cnn . they 're like my brothers , ' karampour said of the band members . they 're more close than my brothers . ' in the cnn story , yellow dog members described their brand of music as rock played with bad equipment and said it touched on subjects ranging from iranian oppression to american greed . cnn 's ray sanchez , reza sayah , nic robertson and azadeh ansari contributed to this report . | the yellow dogs were featured in a 2009 cnn report about iran 's underground rock scene |
guy-manuel de homem-christo <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- let 's play one final bass-drop requiem in memory of edm . if the genre has n't already been wub-wub-wub 'd to death , daft punk would like to smother it with its own spirit hoodie . true , the duo 's thomas bangalter and guy-manuel de homem-christo helped spawn this new wave of harder , faster , stronger dance music †” but lately , they 've been slagging off that scene for its lack of imagination and its overreliance on preset sounds . of course , that only makes random access memories , their first proper album in eight years , feel more like a revelation : it features no electronics except for a modular synthesizer and some vintage vocoders , and uses only one sample . ( a snippet from the sherbs' we ride tonight ' opens the final track , contact . ' ) recorded in the studio with an orchestra , a children 's choir , and an all-star cast that includes pharrell williams , nile rodgers , julian casablancas , panda bear , and giorgio moroder , it 's a headphones album in an age of radio singles ; a bravura live performance that stands out against pro forma knob-twiddling ; a jazzy disco attack on the basic house beat ; a full collaboration at a time when the superstar dj stands alone . it 's also quite moving ; melancholy runs through every song . as the title suggests , ram explores the way that memory is stored †” on a hard drive or in your brain . nostalgia is a major theme here , both in the music , which celebrates disco ( first single get lucky ' ) , funk ( give life back to music ' ) , and classic sci-fi soundtracks ( contact ' ) , and in the lyrics , which often feature men of a certain age reckoning with the past . ' giorgio by moroder ' begins with the disco godfather recalling the days when he stayed out all night and slept in his car , while the music vividly evokes each decade he describes , building from a dramatic string section to record-scratching to a synth-pop finale that plays out like an epic laser-tag game . later , todd edwards wants to feel like i 'm 17 ' on the pedal-steel daydreamer fragment of time , ' and the wistful touch ' finds paul williams looking back on young love : i remember touch , ' he sighs through a vocoder , as spaceship sounds fire off . ' you 've given me too much to feel/ you 've almost convinced me i 'm real . ' you do n't know whether you 're supposed to imagine him playing a sad hal 9000 or a lonely astronaut . and maybe that 's the point : it 's hard to tell the difference between people and machines in dance music these days . but if edm is turning humans into robots , daft punk are working hard to make robot pop feel human again . grade - a best tracks : ' giorgio by moroder ' a disco odyssey that explains the genre 's back story ' touch ' a robot lament see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | thomas bangalter and guy-manuel de homem-christo comprise the duo |
samantha stosur <tsp> ( cnn ) -- world no . 2 caroline wozniacki hopes to be fit for this year 's second grand slam tournament , the french open , despite suffering an ankle injury in an american event . the dane had to retire hurt during her semifinal match against russian seventh seed vera zvonareva in charleston , south carolina , on saturday while trailing 5-2 in the first set . the top seed slipped on the green clay in the sixth game and rolled her ankle , meaning zvonareva went through to sunday 's final where she will face australian samantha stosur . wozniacki , who won the wta tour tournament in ponte vedra beach last weekend , told reporters that she hoped to be able to play at roland garros when play begins on may 24 . i certainly hope so . as it looks right now , it 's not too bad , ' said the 19-year-old , who will have a scan on the injury . i was surprised that i could stand on my leg , which was very positive , actually . but as soon as i was moving to the sides , it was impossible , so i could n't play . ' fourth seed stosur reached the final of the family circle cup with a 6-3 7-6 ( 7-2 ) victory against no . 8 daniela hantuchova of slovakia . meanwhile , top seed francesca schiavone won the barcelona ladies'open after thrashing fellow italian roberta vinci 6-1 6-1 in just under an hour in saturday 's final . | russian seventh seed vera zvonareva faces fourth seed samantha stosur in final |
democrat <tsp> ( cnn ) -- u.s. rep. gabrielle giffords is recovering well ' after skull surgery wednesday , officials at memorial hermann-texas medical center in houston said . the arizona democrat had a cranioplasty procedure , officials said . doctors will discuss the procedure and giffords'next step in rehabilitation at a thursday morning press briefing . jared lee loughner is accused of opening fire outside a tucson , arizona , supermarket where giffords was meeting with constituents in january . six people -- including a federal judge -- were killed and 13 others were wounded in the attack . after the shooting , surgeons in arizona cut a hole in giffords'skull to give her brain space to temporarily swell . the congresswoman later was transported to houston for further treatment and rehab . dr. dong kim told cnn 's elizabeth cohen before the surgery he would implant a piece of synthetic bone made specially for the congresswoman . more than just getting the bone back , it is a marker for where we are ' in giffords'recovery , the neurosurgeon said . kim told cohen that a shunt may have to be inserted to carry excess fluids from the brain to the abdominal cavity . | the arizona democrat has an operation on her skull |
syria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fresh explosions and riveting gunfire punctuated the pre-dawn hours monday in cities around syria , opposition activists said , with the ongoing violence coming on the heels of yet another bloody weekend in the embattled nation . around 3 a.m. , the local coordination committees of syria -- a network of opposition activists -- reported on its facebook page that at least three major blasts in a few hours had rattled the damascus neighborhood mazzeh , where persistent gunfire rang out for at least an hour . the same group also reported other pockets of violence early monday around the capital , including intense shooting ' in dummar and keswa from the security checkpoints all over the city . ' some of the latest violence appeared to pit syrian government forces against members of the rebel free syrian army . that included clashes in douma , where the lcc reported shooting from all the checkpoints in the city ... as a result of clashes between the free syrian amry and the regime 's army . ' in deir ezzor , free syrian army members purportedly destroyed the division of the countryside , ' a government ministry , as the opposition fighters battled government forces who were subjecting them to intense shelling . ' the activist network also reported monday morning that regime forces had launched a looting campaign ' of homes in the aleppo suburb of atareb , even occupying some homes whose residents had fled the city due to perilous shelling . cnn can not independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in syria because the government has severely restricted the access of international journalists . but more than 8,000 people have died in the conflict , according to the united nations . opposition activists say the overall toll is more than 9,000 , most of them civilians . that includes dozens reportedly killed around the country sunday , including three killed in addition to at least 25 others wounded in a car bombing in the northern city of aleppo . the bomb detonated near the political security branch in aleppo , which is syria 's largest city , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the state-run syrian arab news agency described the blast as a terrorist bombing ' and said that two people were killed . the explosion ripped the facade off a residential building , the government news agency said . the blast occurred a day after 27 people died after two booby-trapped ' cars exploded in crowded areas of damascus , said sana . the blasts also injured 140 people and caused serious damage to surrounding buildings , according to the official news agency . a syrian rebel leader vehemently refuted the government 's claim that so-called terrorists ' -- not the regime itself -- were behind the damascus blasts . this is the regime 's game . this is how they play their dirty tricks . they carry out these types of explosions from time to time to get more international support and compassion , ' capt . ammar al-wawi of the rebel free syria army said sunday . they are desperately trying to prove to the world that they are fighting against armed gangs , but the reality is they are the ones who are doing all the killings . ' at least 67 people were killed in clashes throughout syria on sunday , including two children and seven soldiers from the free syria army , according to the local coordination committees of syria . nearly half of the dead were in the northeastern city of deir ezzor , where 29 people were reported killed in reported shelling by government troops , according to the lcc . the london-based syrian observatory for human rights said heavy gunfire and explosions echoed in the city as government forces and syrian defector groups clashed , the observatory said . another 14 were killed in idlib , eight in homs and seven in the suburbs of damascus , the lcc said . four syrian soldiers were killed in fighting with defectors near the northern city of jisr al-shugur , the syrian observatory reported . pro-assad forces also assaulted and arrested opposition leader mohamed sayed rasas during an anti-government protest in damascus , the observatory said . more than a year after the start of the regime 's crackdown on dissidents , reports of deaths mount every day . and it 's not just deaths . opposition activists also described what happened to 32 surviving children and two women after an attack last week in the rifai district of homs province . the children were tortured -- beaten , abused , fingers cut off , and shot by thugs , ' said a man who uses the pseudonym waleed faris . another activist , identified only as abu faris , was part of a rescue operation in rifai . he described seeing abandoned neighborhoods , tens of bodies ' and horrific corpses , shot , mutilated -- everywhere . ' the humanitarian situation across syria is deteriorating , the international committee of the red cross said in a statement sunday . the icrc is particularly concerned about vulnerable people , such as those detained in connection with the fighting and those who are sick or injured and need medical care , ' said icrc president jakob kellenberger , who was scheduled to discuss the situation with russia 's foreign minister in moscow on monday . most reports from inside syria indicate the regime is slaughtering civilians to wipe out dissidents seeking al-assad 's ouster . the al-assad family has ruled syria for more than four decades . but al-assad 's regime has insisted that armed terrorist groups ' are behind the violence and says it has popular support for its actions . cnn 's rima maktabi , saad abedine , caroline faraj and salma abdelaziz contributed to this report . | at least 67 people were killed around syria on sunday , one group says |
syria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fresh explosions and riveting gunfire punctuated the pre-dawn hours monday in cities around syria , opposition activists said , with the ongoing violence coming on the heels of yet another bloody weekend in the embattled nation . around 3 a.m. , the local coordination committees of syria -- a network of opposition activists -- reported on its facebook page that at least three major blasts in a few hours had rattled the damascus neighborhood mazzeh , where persistent gunfire rang out for at least an hour . the same group also reported other pockets of violence early monday around the capital , including intense shooting ' in dummar and keswa from the security checkpoints all over the city . ' some of the latest violence appeared to pit syrian government forces against members of the rebel free syrian army . that included clashes in douma , where the lcc reported shooting from all the checkpoints in the city ... as a result of clashes between the free syrian amry and the regime 's army . ' in deir ezzor , free syrian army members purportedly destroyed the division of the countryside , ' a government ministry , as the opposition fighters battled government forces who were subjecting them to intense shelling . ' the activist network also reported monday morning that regime forces had launched a looting campaign ' of homes in the aleppo suburb of atareb , even occupying some homes whose residents had fled the city due to perilous shelling . cnn can not independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in syria because the government has severely restricted the access of international journalists . but more than 8,000 people have died in the conflict , according to the united nations . opposition activists say the overall toll is more than 9,000 , most of them civilians . that includes dozens reportedly killed around the country sunday , including three killed in addition to at least 25 others wounded in a car bombing in the northern city of aleppo . the bomb detonated near the political security branch in aleppo , which is syria 's largest city , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the state-run syrian arab news agency described the blast as a terrorist bombing ' and said that two people were killed . the explosion ripped the facade off a residential building , the government news agency said . the blast occurred a day after 27 people died after two booby-trapped ' cars exploded in crowded areas of damascus , said sana . the blasts also injured 140 people and caused serious damage to surrounding buildings , according to the official news agency . a syrian rebel leader vehemently refuted the government 's claim that so-called terrorists ' -- not the regime itself -- were behind the damascus blasts . this is the regime 's game . this is how they play their dirty tricks . they carry out these types of explosions from time to time to get more international support and compassion , ' capt . ammar al-wawi of the rebel free syria army said sunday . they are desperately trying to prove to the world that they are fighting against armed gangs , but the reality is they are the ones who are doing all the killings . ' at least 67 people were killed in clashes throughout syria on sunday , including two children and seven soldiers from the free syria army , according to the local coordination committees of syria . nearly half of the dead were in the northeastern city of deir ezzor , where 29 people were reported killed in reported shelling by government troops , according to the lcc . the london-based syrian observatory for human rights said heavy gunfire and explosions echoed in the city as government forces and syrian defector groups clashed , the observatory said . another 14 were killed in idlib , eight in homs and seven in the suburbs of damascus , the lcc said . four syrian soldiers were killed in fighting with defectors near the northern city of jisr al-shugur , the syrian observatory reported . pro-assad forces also assaulted and arrested opposition leader mohamed sayed rasas during an anti-government protest in damascus , the observatory said . more than a year after the start of the regime 's crackdown on dissidents , reports of deaths mount every day . and it 's not just deaths . opposition activists also described what happened to 32 surviving children and two women after an attack last week in the rifai district of homs province . the children were tortured -- beaten , abused , fingers cut off , and shot by thugs , ' said a man who uses the pseudonym waleed faris . another activist , identified only as abu faris , was part of a rescue operation in rifai . he described seeing abandoned neighborhoods , tens of bodies ' and horrific corpses , shot , mutilated -- everywhere . ' the humanitarian situation across syria is deteriorating , the international committee of the red cross said in a statement sunday . the icrc is particularly concerned about vulnerable people , such as those detained in connection with the fighting and those who are sick or injured and need medical care , ' said icrc president jakob kellenberger , who was scheduled to discuss the situation with russia 's foreign minister in moscow on monday . most reports from inside syria indicate the regime is slaughtering civilians to wipe out dissidents seeking al-assad 's ouster . the al-assad family has ruled syria for more than four decades . but al-assad 's regime has insisted that armed terrorist groups ' are behind the violence and says it has popular support for its actions . cnn 's rima maktabi , saad abedine , caroline faraj and salma abdelaziz contributed to this report . | syria 's government blames terrorists for weekend blasts that killed 27 |
syria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fresh explosions and riveting gunfire punctuated the pre-dawn hours monday in cities around syria , opposition activists said , with the ongoing violence coming on the heels of yet another bloody weekend in the embattled nation . around 3 a.m. , the local coordination committees of syria -- a network of opposition activists -- reported on its facebook page that at least three major blasts in a few hours had rattled the damascus neighborhood mazzeh , where persistent gunfire rang out for at least an hour . the same group also reported other pockets of violence early monday around the capital , including intense shooting ' in dummar and keswa from the security checkpoints all over the city . ' some of the latest violence appeared to pit syrian government forces against members of the rebel free syrian army . that included clashes in douma , where the lcc reported shooting from all the checkpoints in the city ... as a result of clashes between the free syrian amry and the regime 's army . ' in deir ezzor , free syrian army members purportedly destroyed the division of the countryside , ' a government ministry , as the opposition fighters battled government forces who were subjecting them to intense shelling . ' the activist network also reported monday morning that regime forces had launched a looting campaign ' of homes in the aleppo suburb of atareb , even occupying some homes whose residents had fled the city due to perilous shelling . cnn can not independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in syria because the government has severely restricted the access of international journalists . but more than 8,000 people have died in the conflict , according to the united nations . opposition activists say the overall toll is more than 9,000 , most of them civilians . that includes dozens reportedly killed around the country sunday , including three killed in addition to at least 25 others wounded in a car bombing in the northern city of aleppo . the bomb detonated near the political security branch in aleppo , which is syria 's largest city , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the state-run syrian arab news agency described the blast as a terrorist bombing ' and said that two people were killed . the explosion ripped the facade off a residential building , the government news agency said . the blast occurred a day after 27 people died after two booby-trapped ' cars exploded in crowded areas of damascus , said sana . the blasts also injured 140 people and caused serious damage to surrounding buildings , according to the official news agency . a syrian rebel leader vehemently refuted the government 's claim that so-called terrorists ' -- not the regime itself -- were behind the damascus blasts . this is the regime 's game . this is how they play their dirty tricks . they carry out these types of explosions from time to time to get more international support and compassion , ' capt . ammar al-wawi of the rebel free syria army said sunday . they are desperately trying to prove to the world that they are fighting against armed gangs , but the reality is they are the ones who are doing all the killings . ' at least 67 people were killed in clashes throughout syria on sunday , including two children and seven soldiers from the free syria army , according to the local coordination committees of syria . nearly half of the dead were in the northeastern city of deir ezzor , where 29 people were reported killed in reported shelling by government troops , according to the lcc . the london-based syrian observatory for human rights said heavy gunfire and explosions echoed in the city as government forces and syrian defector groups clashed , the observatory said . another 14 were killed in idlib , eight in homs and seven in the suburbs of damascus , the lcc said . four syrian soldiers were killed in fighting with defectors near the northern city of jisr al-shugur , the syrian observatory reported . pro-assad forces also assaulted and arrested opposition leader mohamed sayed rasas during an anti-government protest in damascus , the observatory said . more than a year after the start of the regime 's crackdown on dissidents , reports of deaths mount every day . and it 's not just deaths . opposition activists also described what happened to 32 surviving children and two women after an attack last week in the rifai district of homs province . the children were tortured -- beaten , abused , fingers cut off , and shot by thugs , ' said a man who uses the pseudonym waleed faris . another activist , identified only as abu faris , was part of a rescue operation in rifai . he described seeing abandoned neighborhoods , tens of bodies ' and horrific corpses , shot , mutilated -- everywhere . ' the humanitarian situation across syria is deteriorating , the international committee of the red cross said in a statement sunday . the icrc is particularly concerned about vulnerable people , such as those detained in connection with the fighting and those who are sick or injured and need medical care , ' said icrc president jakob kellenberger , who was scheduled to discuss the situation with russia 's foreign minister in moscow on monday . most reports from inside syria indicate the regime is slaughtering civilians to wipe out dissidents seeking al-assad 's ouster . the al-assad family has ruled syria for more than four decades . but al-assad 's regime has insisted that armed terrorist groups ' are behind the violence and says it has popular support for its actions . cnn 's rima maktabi , saad abedine , caroline faraj and salma abdelaziz contributed to this report . | new : additional fighting is reported in other cities around syria as well |
renault <tsp> ( cnn ) -- felipe massa has been forced to backtrack on comments he made claiming that new ferrari teammate fernando alonso was aware of renault 's plans to deliberately crash at the 2008 singapore grand prix . felipe massa is still showing the scars of his horror crash at the hungarian gp in july . alonso won that race after the safety car was brought out when renault 's no . 2 driver nelson piquet jr spun out on lap 14 , and massa subsequently claimed it cost him that year 's world title as he finished one point behind champion lewis hamilton . motorsport 's ruling body the fia cleared alonso of any wrongdoing as it banned renault boss flavio briatore , who quit his role before the ruling , while piquet was immune from prosecution in return for giving evidence . massa told reporters in his native brazil on wednesday that he believed two-time world champion alonso -- who is replacing kimi raikkonen at ferrari next year -- must have known about renault 's race plan . it was the team and nelson -- but alonso was part of the problem . he knew . we can not know it , but of course he knew . it 's an absolute certainty , ' he said ahead of this weekend 's brazilian grand prix . however , the 28-year-old later released a statement on the official ferrari web site in a bid to avoid conflict with his future teammate . what i 've said is the outcome of a hunch i 've had and is not based on any concrete evidence , ' felipe said . the fia world council announced that there was no indication that fernando may have been informed of what had happened and i respect this outcome . obviously i 'm very disappointed about what transpired last year in singapore : i have already said several times what i thought about it and now it 's time to close that chapter and to look to the future . what is certain is that this episode will not mar in any way the relationship i 'll have with fernando when we will be teammates . ' massa will not be racing at his beloved interlagos circuit this weekend as he is still recovering from serious head injuries suffered in qualifying for the hungarian grand prix in july . he has been allowed to test a 2007 ferrari this week , but the team announced that he will not be ready to return to competitive action until next season . | felipe massa backtracks on claim fernando alonso knew of renault 's plans |
renault <tsp> ( cnn ) -- felipe massa has been forced to backtrack on comments he made claiming that new ferrari teammate fernando alonso was aware of renault 's plans to deliberately crash at the 2008 singapore grand prix . felipe massa is still showing the scars of his horror crash at the hungarian gp in july . alonso won that race after the safety car was brought out when renault 's no . 2 driver nelson piquet jr spun out on lap 14 , and massa subsequently claimed it cost him that year 's world title as he finished one point behind champion lewis hamilton . motorsport 's ruling body the fia cleared alonso of any wrongdoing as it banned renault boss flavio briatore , who quit his role before the ruling , while piquet was immune from prosecution in return for giving evidence . massa told reporters in his native brazil on wednesday that he believed two-time world champion alonso -- who is replacing kimi raikkonen at ferrari next year -- must have known about renault 's race plan . it was the team and nelson -- but alonso was part of the problem . he knew . we can not know it , but of course he knew . it 's an absolute certainty , ' he said ahead of this weekend 's brazilian grand prix . however , the 28-year-old later released a statement on the official ferrari web site in a bid to avoid conflict with his future teammate . what i 've said is the outcome of a hunch i 've had and is not based on any concrete evidence , ' felipe said . the fia world council announced that there was no indication that fernando may have been informed of what had happened and i respect this outcome . obviously i 'm very disappointed about what transpired last year in singapore : i have already said several times what i thought about it and now it 's time to close that chapter and to look to the future . what is certain is that this episode will not mar in any way the relationship i 'll have with fernando when we will be teammates . ' massa will not be racing at his beloved interlagos circuit this weekend as he is still recovering from serious head injuries suffered in qualifying for the hungarian grand prix in july . he has been allowed to test a 2007 ferrari this week , but the team announced that he will not be ready to return to competitive action until next season . | massa had said his new teammate was aware of renault 's singapore strategy |
ferrari <tsp> ( cnn ) -- felipe massa has been forced to backtrack on comments he made claiming that new ferrari teammate fernando alonso was aware of renault 's plans to deliberately crash at the 2008 singapore grand prix . felipe massa is still showing the scars of his horror crash at the hungarian gp in july . alonso won that race after the safety car was brought out when renault 's no . 2 driver nelson piquet jr spun out on lap 14 , and massa subsequently claimed it cost him that year 's world title as he finished one point behind champion lewis hamilton . motorsport 's ruling body the fia cleared alonso of any wrongdoing as it banned renault boss flavio briatore , who quit his role before the ruling , while piquet was immune from prosecution in return for giving evidence . massa told reporters in his native brazil on wednesday that he believed two-time world champion alonso -- who is replacing kimi raikkonen at ferrari next year -- must have known about renault 's race plan . it was the team and nelson -- but alonso was part of the problem . he knew . we can not know it , but of course he knew . it 's an absolute certainty , ' he said ahead of this weekend 's brazilian grand prix . however , the 28-year-old later released a statement on the official ferrari web site in a bid to avoid conflict with his future teammate . what i 've said is the outcome of a hunch i 've had and is not based on any concrete evidence , ' felipe said . the fia world council announced that there was no indication that fernando may have been informed of what had happened and i respect this outcome . obviously i 'm very disappointed about what transpired last year in singapore : i have already said several times what i thought about it and now it 's time to close that chapter and to look to the future . what is certain is that this episode will not mar in any way the relationship i 'll have with fernando when we will be teammates . ' massa will not be racing at his beloved interlagos circuit this weekend as he is still recovering from serious head injuries suffered in qualifying for the hungarian grand prix in july . he has been allowed to test a 2007 ferrari this week , but the team announced that he will not be ready to return to competitive action until next season . | the brazilian driver forced to clarify comments on the official ferrari web site |
gallo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rhode island school superintendent who last week fired all the teachers and staff from a school whose students were performing poorly said wednesday she is willing to negotiate now that the union has agreed to support changes . it is with great excitement that i read the press release from the central falls teachers'union referencing their proposed comprehensive reform agenda , ' said central falls schools superintendent frances gallo in a news release . it so closely mirrors my requests for assurances that i am pleased to reassure the union their place in the planning process . i do so with the belief that everyone has come to understand the meaning of comprehensive school reform . ' gallo added the school district will press ahead with its plan for improving central falls high school . in a written statement , american federation of teachers president randi weingarten said the union was pleased that gallo has agreed to go back to the table . the dedicated teachers and staff want nothing more than to continue and improve upon the progress they have made , ' weingarten said . real , sustainable change will only happen when all stakeholders work together . ' gallo 's statement came a day after the central fall teachers union recommended a number of changes , including increasing instructional time for students , enhancing their support and increasing teaching quality . last week , the school board approved gallo 's plan to discharge 93 people -- classroom teachers , administrators and other personnel -- at the high school . the school is in a low-income area , and many of its students are latino with english as their second language . the firings , which were to have become effective at the end of the school year , came after the district failed to reach an agreement with the teachers'union on a plan for teachers to spend more time with students to improve test scores . a union spokesman said the firings were drastic and cited a 21 percent rise in reading scores and a 3 percent hike in math scores in the past two years . another official also pointed to progress at the school . but rhode island 's education commissioner deborah gist defended the mass firings , calling them many years in coming . ' gist pointed out that the school 's graduation rate is 48 percent , and only 7 percent of the students are proficient in mathematics . ' more than half of the ninth-graders are failing more than two classes , which is an indication that they are frustrated , and what we know about student achievement , when students are n't successful in their class , they 're much more likely to drop out of school , ' gist said . in remarks monday to the u.s. chamber of commerce , president obama appeared to express support for the firings . if a school continues to fail its students year after year after year , if it does n't show signs of improvement , then there 's got to be a sense of accountability , ' he said . and that 's what happened in rhode island last week at a chronically troubled school , when just 7 percent of 11th graders passed state math tests -- 7 percent . ' the aft said obama 's comments do not reflect the reality on the ground and completely ignore the teachers'significant commitment to working with others to transform this school . ' | gallo says she 'll go back to table now that teachers'union willing to accept changes |
gallo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rhode island school superintendent who last week fired all the teachers and staff from a school whose students were performing poorly said wednesday she is willing to negotiate now that the union has agreed to support changes . it is with great excitement that i read the press release from the central falls teachers'union referencing their proposed comprehensive reform agenda , ' said central falls schools superintendent frances gallo in a news release . it so closely mirrors my requests for assurances that i am pleased to reassure the union their place in the planning process . i do so with the belief that everyone has come to understand the meaning of comprehensive school reform . ' gallo added the school district will press ahead with its plan for improving central falls high school . in a written statement , american federation of teachers president randi weingarten said the union was pleased that gallo has agreed to go back to the table . the dedicated teachers and staff want nothing more than to continue and improve upon the progress they have made , ' weingarten said . real , sustainable change will only happen when all stakeholders work together . ' gallo 's statement came a day after the central fall teachers union recommended a number of changes , including increasing instructional time for students , enhancing their support and increasing teaching quality . last week , the school board approved gallo 's plan to discharge 93 people -- classroom teachers , administrators and other personnel -- at the high school . the school is in a low-income area , and many of its students are latino with english as their second language . the firings , which were to have become effective at the end of the school year , came after the district failed to reach an agreement with the teachers'union on a plan for teachers to spend more time with students to improve test scores . a union spokesman said the firings were drastic and cited a 21 percent rise in reading scores and a 3 percent hike in math scores in the past two years . another official also pointed to progress at the school . but rhode island 's education commissioner deborah gist defended the mass firings , calling them many years in coming . ' gist pointed out that the school 's graduation rate is 48 percent , and only 7 percent of the students are proficient in mathematics . ' more than half of the ninth-graders are failing more than two classes , which is an indication that they are frustrated , and what we know about student achievement , when students are n't successful in their class , they 're much more likely to drop out of school , ' gist said . in remarks monday to the u.s. chamber of commerce , president obama appeared to express support for the firings . if a school continues to fail its students year after year after year , if it does n't show signs of improvement , then there 's got to be a sense of accountability , ' he said . and that 's what happened in rhode island last week at a chronically troubled school , when just 7 percent of 11th graders passed state math tests -- 7 percent . ' the aft said obama 's comments do not reflect the reality on the ground and completely ignore the teachers'significant commitment to working with others to transform this school . ' | rhode island school superintendent frances gallo says she 's willing to negotiate |
ronaldo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo was crowned fifa 's world player of the year in zurich on monday as manchester united 's star winger completed a stunning trophy collection . portuguese winger ronaldo completed a stunning trophy collection when named world player of the year . portugal international ronaldo helped united win the premier league , champions league and world club championship titles in 2008 . ronaldo also collected the european player of the year accolade and was voted number one by fifpro , the worldwide players'union . now ronaldo has seen off 2007 winner kaka , of ac milan , spain euro 2008 top scorer fernando torres of liverpool and barcelona stars xavi and lionel messi . it 's another overwhelming moment in my career , ' said 23-year-old ronaldo who received the award from brazilian legend pele . it 's a tremendously emotional moment and a dream come true . i 'd like to dedicate this to my family . ' ronaldo also paid tribute to club manager alex ferguson who fought a very public battle with real madrid last summer when the primera liga giants attempted to lure the player to spain . it 's also true that the manager always has an important role to play . it was a great season for me and for my club , and the coach was important for me because i learned a lot for him , ' he said . his experience over so many years is of paramount importance -- it 's a privilege to have such a great club manager . this is the climax of a fantastic era for me . i 'm happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won . i am lucky to to be part of the history of a club like manchester united . ' messi led argentina to the olympic gold medal in august and nou camp teammate xavi was named uefa 's player of the tournament when spain won euro 2008 in june . ronaldo 's 31 league goals in the 2007-08 season , and 42 in total , won him the european golden shoe as the continent 's top scorer . he is the first premier league-based start to win fifa 's top individual award while david beckham and thierry henry , both twice , and frank lampard finished runners-up . the awards are voted for by the head coaches and captains of all countries . olympic silver medalist marta of brazil was named the fifa women 's player of the year for the third successive campaign . | ronaldo also collected the 2008 european player of the year accolade |
ronaldo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo was crowned fifa 's world player of the year in zurich on monday as manchester united 's star winger completed a stunning trophy collection . portuguese winger ronaldo completed a stunning trophy collection when named world player of the year . portugal international ronaldo helped united win the premier league , champions league and world club championship titles in 2008 . ronaldo also collected the european player of the year accolade and was voted number one by fifpro , the worldwide players'union . now ronaldo has seen off 2007 winner kaka , of ac milan , spain euro 2008 top scorer fernando torres of liverpool and barcelona stars xavi and lionel messi . it 's another overwhelming moment in my career , ' said 23-year-old ronaldo who received the award from brazilian legend pele . it 's a tremendously emotional moment and a dream come true . i 'd like to dedicate this to my family . ' ronaldo also paid tribute to club manager alex ferguson who fought a very public battle with real madrid last summer when the primera liga giants attempted to lure the player to spain . it 's also true that the manager always has an important role to play . it was a great season for me and for my club , and the coach was important for me because i learned a lot for him , ' he said . his experience over so many years is of paramount importance -- it 's a privilege to have such a great club manager . this is the climax of a fantastic era for me . i 'm happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won . i am lucky to to be part of the history of a club like manchester united . ' messi led argentina to the olympic gold medal in august and nou camp teammate xavi was named uefa 's player of the tournament when spain won euro 2008 in june . ronaldo 's 31 league goals in the 2007-08 season , and 42 in total , won him the european golden shoe as the continent 's top scorer . he is the first premier league-based start to win fifa 's top individual award while david beckham and thierry henry , both twice , and frank lampard finished runners-up . the awards are voted for by the head coaches and captains of all countries . olympic silver medalist marta of brazil was named the fifa women 's player of the year for the third successive campaign . | cristiano ronaldo is crowned fifa 's world player of the year in zurich |
utah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the u.s. government thursday announced its highest penalty for coal mine safety violations , $ 1.85 million , for a collapse that killed six miners in utah last year . supervisory mining engineer joe zelanko on thursday describes the earth movements at crandall canyon mine . insufficient pillar support and activity in areas that should not have been mined caused the august crandall canyon mine collapse , federal investigators found . the government fined the mine operator , genwal resources , $ 1.34 million for violations that directly contributed to the deaths of six miners last year , ' plus nearly $ 300,000 for other violations . the government also levied a $ 220,000 fine against a mining consultant , agapito associates , for faulty analysis of the mine 's design . ' the mine 's owner had insisted that earth movement detected at the time of the collapse had caused the disaster . but investigators found instead that the collapse caused the earth movement . it was not -- and i repeat , it was not -- a natural occurring earthquake , ' said the government 's top mine safety official , richard e. stickler . stickler , the acting assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health , said , pillars failed under excessive load and ejected coal very violently . ' stickler also said the mine 's operator was taking more coal than allowed from the barrier pillars and the floor . ' this dangerously weakened the strength of the roof support , ' stickler said . in addition to the six miners killed in the initial cave-in august 6 in northwest emery county , three would-be rescuers died 10 days later in a subsequent collapse . the bodies of the six miners killed in the initial collapse were never recovered . richard gates , the lead investigator for the government , said the pillars in the mine simply were not large enough to support the load . ' that resulted in a catastrophic failure of pillars over a broad area , ' as large as half a mile , he said . university of utah scientists said in june that the collapse was not the result of an earthquake . as seismologists , we 're as certain as we can be that the seismic event registered as a magnitude-3.9 shock was due to the collapse of the mine and not a naturally occurring earthquake , ' said walter arabasz , director of the university 's utah seismograph stations , in a written statement . earlier this year , a labor department report criticized mine safety and health administration officials for approving plans for a risky mining technique , known as retreat mining , that was in use before the collapse . in the process , miners remove pillars of coal that support the roof of a chamber one by one , allowing the roof to collapse behind them . mine owner bob murray repeatedly denied in the days after the disaster that his company practiced retreat mining at crandall canyon . he later admitted that the practice had been used at the mine but said it was not being done at the time of the disaster . | feds : violations by utah mine 's operator led to 2007 collapse that killed six |
jennifer hudson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jennifer hudson did n't win a people 's choice award for a performance on wednesday . but it was her emotional speech for a humanitarian award that highlighted the 2014 edition of the awards show . hudson accepted the favorite humanitarian award with her sister julia for the foundation the pair started in the name of julia 's son , julian d. king , after his 2008 murder . the hudson sisters'mother and brother were also killed in the crime . jennifer hudson said she was inspired by performers and educators she saw as a child . she wants to carry the message on to a new generation , she said , because that inspiration made a difference in her life . if they did it , then i can do it , too , ' she said of the work . hudson 's speech was one of the few notable moments at the 2014 people 's choice awards , which mark the beginning of what the denizens of tinseltown refer to as awards season . ' it starts a flurry of kudofests , including sunday 's golden globes , the screen actors guild awards , the grammys and the oscars . relive the conversation on our people 's choice awards blog the show clocked in at two hours flat , with a number of categories other awards shows might consider biggies -- like favorite movie -- unrevealed during the broadcast . ( that one went to iron man 3 , ' by the way . ) but nobody can complain about the range of categories . the people 's choice awards are given for tv shows , movies and music , and there are almost 60 categories . the range was indicated by two people who accepted the waterford crystal trophies -- one a newcomer to the honors , the other a repeat winner . the former , britney spears , may have won her share of mtv video music awards , but she 'd never been accepted by the people 's choice awards until wednesday . spears -- who recently put out a new album , britney jean ' -- was named favorite pop artist . she walked up the stage steps carefully , almost tottering on her heels , and thanked her fans and her management team . if spears was a newbie at this people 's choice thing , ellen degeneres is an old hand . the talk-show host won her 14th people 's choice award , named favorite daytime tv host . there 's nothing better than knowing you make people happy , ' said degeneres in accepting the trophy . bullock dominates perhaps the night 's biggest favorite was sandra bullock , who won favorite movie actress , favorite comedic movie actress and favorite dramatic movie actress . and the winners are ... it must seem like i spend lonely friday nights voting for myself , ' bullock joked . justin timberlake also won , for favorite album ( the 20/20 experience ' ) and favorite male artist . a gracious julianna margulies accepted one of the trophies for her show , the good wife , ' which won favorite network tv drama , and another for co-star josh charles ( favorite dramatic tv actor ) . charles , she revealed , had a good excuse for not being at the ceremony : he was on his honeymoon in thailand . the awards actually started before the broadcast . the first trophy was handed out on the red carpet as stars'entrances streamed over the internet . it went to netflix 's orange is the new black ' in an appropriate category : favorite streaming series . later on the carpet , favorite cable tv drama went to the walking dead ' and ian somerhalder ( the vampire diaries ' ) accepted an award for best sci-fi/fantasy tv actor . broad jokes and absurdity the show formally began in time-honored awards show fashion : with an overlong sketch . this one featured a number of nominees , as well as hosts kat dennings and beth behrs in character on the set of their show , 2 broke girls . ' the sketch was followed with the hosts on stage at los angeles'nokia theatre making a number of broad jokes . tina fey and amy poehler , who will host the golden globes on sunday , should have nothing to worry about . watch people 's choice ' hosts make conan happy over accidental boob grab but for all the absurdity , the people 's choice awards do offer a snapshot of what 's popular . the show was created in 1975 by producer bob stivers . consumer products company procter & gamble took over production in the early 1980s and still sponsors the show . some categories change from year to year ; one year featured a nice 'n easy fans favorite hair . after many years relying on gallup polls , the people 's choice awards took a new tack in 2005 . the nominations are now based on sales , industry ratings , box-office grosses , social media data and votes from peopleschoice.com . according to the hosts , 700 million votes were cast . as stephen colbert observed in a taped bit , the people 's choice awards are n't given out by some elite academy of out-of-touch plutocrats . ' colbert , incidentally , won favorite late-night talk show host . ( the ) people 's choice is one of my favorites , because it 's the people choosing their favorite shows and their favorite movies , ' said actress malin akerman . nina dobrev of the vampire diaries ' agreed . it kind of is the ultimate award , ' she said . special coverage : awards season 2014 | jennifer hudson 's speech is high point of people 's choice awards 2014 |
nba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the nba and the los angeles clippers'organization may have upstaged donald sterling 's latest soundtrack friday afternoon with the announcement that richard parsons , former citigroup and time warner chairman , is the new ceo of the team . the public relations contrast was stark : as the national basketball association and the clippers were moving forward , donald sterling 's statements were coming from surreptitiously ( or not so surreptitiously ) recorded phone conversations . but now , he has spoken out directly in an interview with cnn 's anderson cooper . sterling says in that interview that he was baited ' into making his controversial statements . and he makes the argument that he should n't be thrown out of the nba . i 'm a good member who made a mistake and i 'm apologizing and i 'm asking for forgiveness , ' he said . am i entitled to one mistake , am i after 35 years ? i mean , i love my league , i love my partners . am i entitled to one mistake ? it 's a terrible mistake , and i 'll never do it again . ' sterling is not the only party suffering from this controversy . the nba stands at the beginning of what will certainly be a protracted legal and procedural battle , one that will cost untold millions . it also will embroil the nba in an unwanted controversy for years to come . having a chief executive of parsons'stature in control of the team may help the league gain an advantage as a battle over the team 's ownership starts to play out , but the nba 's road ahead still will not be easy . but the nba asked for this . the fact that players and the public largely supported the league will be of little solace to the nba when it is paying legal fees for years to come . the legal fees may be the cost of doing business , but if banning and fining sterling would have been adequate , this was an avoidable cost . the nba 's response to the sterling controversy is a cautionary tale against meting out hasty , summary punishment . here 's why : the nba likely had the authority to unilaterally fine sterling as it did . it also appears to have had the authority to ban him from his team for life . if commissioner adam silver had stopped there , sterling might have been effectively vanquished , because the decisions of the commissioner are shielded from review by a court . for the privilege of joining the national basketball association , owners contractually give up certain legal rights and remedies . fining and banning sterling was probably well within the jurisdiction of the nba . but in seeking to max out ' sterling 's sentence by forcing him to sell the team , the nba is forging new legal territory , and doing so at a price . sure , there are catch-all provisions of the nba 's rules that ostensibly allow for ouster of an owner who brings harm to the league , but the ouster rules on the whole appear designed for dealing with teams and owners suffering economic or management problems , like failing to make payroll -- not for owners who were private bigots . there will be an answer to the ultimate question of whether the nba can legally oust sterling . we just do n't know what it is yet . the league and sterling can purchase an answer to that question , at the cost of years of litigation and untold fortunes in legal fees . moreover , if the nba 's objective was to distance itself from sterling , they have done the opposite . after years of prolonged public litigation , they will cling to each other as two spent swimmers , choking their own business interests in the process . early on , silver made clear that the punitive measures were directed at sterling , not at other members of his family . with this blessing , estranged wife shelly sterling has injected herself as a blame-free alternative owner . but does she have an ownership interest in the team ? determining true ownership of this team will be a gordian knot of litigation : first , there is the issue of whether the nba can oust an owner where actual ownership ' is disputed . if the team is held in trust , as reported by the los angeles times , and not by a single owner in sterling , that changes the contours of ownership . a trust is a legal entity in which property ( like a team ) is held for the benefit of other persons . it 's a protective device , designed for situations just like this : where a beneficiary of a trust is attacked , the property can not be reached because the beneficiary does not actually own ' the property -- even though he may receive payments or otherwise profit from the property . the complexity does n't end there , though . even without a trust , in california , spouses acquire interests in family businesses when distributing property in a divorce . but that is only a general rule , and who knows what default rules donald sterling has attempted to deal with by contract ? one thing is for sure , whether it 's the nba , shelly , or donald sterling , each party will mount a different legal argument concerning ownership based upon their own best interests . determining the owner ' of the clippers will be a hodgepodge of legal issues worthy of the bar exam : divorce law , corporate dissolution , trusts and estates law . for now , shelly sterling is a cause for concern for the nba , the other owners , and her own husband . she has leverage , possibly even 50 % ownership of the team . the nba owners must be longing for the good old days ' when their biggest problems were contract disputes and torn acls . we can only guess at the individual owners'respective positions at the moment silver handed down verdict and sentence against sterling . now , the commissioner has placed the onus on the owners : they have the burden of deciding whether to oust one of their own . it is a hobson 's choice , which is no choice at all : even if the owners are privately sympathetic to sterling , an owner who dares to defend the embattled clippers owner commits social seppuku . on the other hand , nba owners are independent thinkers and independently wealthy ; if anyone can weather criticism , it 's these captains of industry . mark cuban has already publicly observed that people are allowed to be morons . ' whether the owners ultimately cast their ballots for or against sterling , all of these owners would rather be somewhere else . public perception aside , the owners have other concerns : if this case goes to litigation , expect broad-reaching discovery demands and subpoenas for sensitive documents and information . this case is a minefield for them , with no real upside . at the moment , there appear to be a few winners in the sterling controversy . kia , carmax , state farm insurance and virgin america are just some of the companies that pulled advertising from the clippers after the first tapes were revealed . ironically , they garnered more buzz by not spending money advertising than they would have by actually spending money on advertising . it 's the ultimate win-win , and it 's not over yet . as long as someone else spends the time and money to excise donald sterling from the clippers , the sponsors will have a second photo op . they will return triumphantly to advertising with the team , and take partial credit for the brave stance against one offensive octogenarian -- a stance that did n't actually require them to do , or spend , anything . heading into the weekend , the advantage is with shelly sterling -- who may have a valid claim to ownership -- the nba , and parsons , the highly credentialed , newly anointed ceo . donald sterling 's next moves will be interesting , though his first moves should be away from the telephone -- at least for now . | he says the nba is at beginning of a long and perhaps difficult road to oust sterling as owner |
nba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the nba and the los angeles clippers'organization may have upstaged donald sterling 's latest soundtrack friday afternoon with the announcement that richard parsons , former citigroup and time warner chairman , is the new ceo of the team . the public relations contrast was stark : as the national basketball association and the clippers were moving forward , donald sterling 's statements were coming from surreptitiously ( or not so surreptitiously ) recorded phone conversations . but now , he has spoken out directly in an interview with cnn 's anderson cooper . sterling says in that interview that he was baited ' into making his controversial statements . and he makes the argument that he should n't be thrown out of the nba . i 'm a good member who made a mistake and i 'm apologizing and i 'm asking for forgiveness , ' he said . am i entitled to one mistake , am i after 35 years ? i mean , i love my league , i love my partners . am i entitled to one mistake ? it 's a terrible mistake , and i 'll never do it again . ' sterling is not the only party suffering from this controversy . the nba stands at the beginning of what will certainly be a protracted legal and procedural battle , one that will cost untold millions . it also will embroil the nba in an unwanted controversy for years to come . having a chief executive of parsons'stature in control of the team may help the league gain an advantage as a battle over the team 's ownership starts to play out , but the nba 's road ahead still will not be easy . but the nba asked for this . the fact that players and the public largely supported the league will be of little solace to the nba when it is paying legal fees for years to come . the legal fees may be the cost of doing business , but if banning and fining sterling would have been adequate , this was an avoidable cost . the nba 's response to the sterling controversy is a cautionary tale against meting out hasty , summary punishment . here 's why : the nba likely had the authority to unilaterally fine sterling as it did . it also appears to have had the authority to ban him from his team for life . if commissioner adam silver had stopped there , sterling might have been effectively vanquished , because the decisions of the commissioner are shielded from review by a court . for the privilege of joining the national basketball association , owners contractually give up certain legal rights and remedies . fining and banning sterling was probably well within the jurisdiction of the nba . but in seeking to max out ' sterling 's sentence by forcing him to sell the team , the nba is forging new legal territory , and doing so at a price . sure , there are catch-all provisions of the nba 's rules that ostensibly allow for ouster of an owner who brings harm to the league , but the ouster rules on the whole appear designed for dealing with teams and owners suffering economic or management problems , like failing to make payroll -- not for owners who were private bigots . there will be an answer to the ultimate question of whether the nba can legally oust sterling . we just do n't know what it is yet . the league and sterling can purchase an answer to that question , at the cost of years of litigation and untold fortunes in legal fees . moreover , if the nba 's objective was to distance itself from sterling , they have done the opposite . after years of prolonged public litigation , they will cling to each other as two spent swimmers , choking their own business interests in the process . early on , silver made clear that the punitive measures were directed at sterling , not at other members of his family . with this blessing , estranged wife shelly sterling has injected herself as a blame-free alternative owner . but does she have an ownership interest in the team ? determining true ownership of this team will be a gordian knot of litigation : first , there is the issue of whether the nba can oust an owner where actual ownership ' is disputed . if the team is held in trust , as reported by the los angeles times , and not by a single owner in sterling , that changes the contours of ownership . a trust is a legal entity in which property ( like a team ) is held for the benefit of other persons . it 's a protective device , designed for situations just like this : where a beneficiary of a trust is attacked , the property can not be reached because the beneficiary does not actually own ' the property -- even though he may receive payments or otherwise profit from the property . the complexity does n't end there , though . even without a trust , in california , spouses acquire interests in family businesses when distributing property in a divorce . but that is only a general rule , and who knows what default rules donald sterling has attempted to deal with by contract ? one thing is for sure , whether it 's the nba , shelly , or donald sterling , each party will mount a different legal argument concerning ownership based upon their own best interests . determining the owner ' of the clippers will be a hodgepodge of legal issues worthy of the bar exam : divorce law , corporate dissolution , trusts and estates law . for now , shelly sterling is a cause for concern for the nba , the other owners , and her own husband . she has leverage , possibly even 50 % ownership of the team . the nba owners must be longing for the good old days ' when their biggest problems were contract disputes and torn acls . we can only guess at the individual owners'respective positions at the moment silver handed down verdict and sentence against sterling . now , the commissioner has placed the onus on the owners : they have the burden of deciding whether to oust one of their own . it is a hobson 's choice , which is no choice at all : even if the owners are privately sympathetic to sterling , an owner who dares to defend the embattled clippers owner commits social seppuku . on the other hand , nba owners are independent thinkers and independently wealthy ; if anyone can weather criticism , it 's these captains of industry . mark cuban has already publicly observed that people are allowed to be morons . ' whether the owners ultimately cast their ballots for or against sterling , all of these owners would rather be somewhere else . public perception aside , the owners have other concerns : if this case goes to litigation , expect broad-reaching discovery demands and subpoenas for sensitive documents and information . this case is a minefield for them , with no real upside . at the moment , there appear to be a few winners in the sterling controversy . kia , carmax , state farm insurance and virgin america are just some of the companies that pulled advertising from the clippers after the first tapes were revealed . ironically , they garnered more buzz by not spending money advertising than they would have by actually spending money on advertising . it 's the ultimate win-win , and it 's not over yet . as long as someone else spends the time and money to excise donald sterling from the clippers , the sponsors will have a second photo op . they will return triumphantly to advertising with the team , and take partial credit for the brave stance against one offensive octogenarian -- a stance that did n't actually require them to do , or spend , anything . heading into the weekend , the advantage is with shelly sterling -- who may have a valid claim to ownership -- the nba , and parsons , the highly credentialed , newly anointed ceo . donald sterling 's next moves will be interesting , though his first moves should be away from the telephone -- at least for now . | nba named richard parsons as new ceo of the la clippers |
nba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the nba and the los angeles clippers'organization may have upstaged donald sterling 's latest soundtrack friday afternoon with the announcement that richard parsons , former citigroup and time warner chairman , is the new ceo of the team . the public relations contrast was stark : as the national basketball association and the clippers were moving forward , donald sterling 's statements were coming from surreptitiously ( or not so surreptitiously ) recorded phone conversations . but now , he has spoken out directly in an interview with cnn 's anderson cooper . sterling says in that interview that he was baited ' into making his controversial statements . and he makes the argument that he should n't be thrown out of the nba . i 'm a good member who made a mistake and i 'm apologizing and i 'm asking for forgiveness , ' he said . am i entitled to one mistake , am i after 35 years ? i mean , i love my league , i love my partners . am i entitled to one mistake ? it 's a terrible mistake , and i 'll never do it again . ' sterling is not the only party suffering from this controversy . the nba stands at the beginning of what will certainly be a protracted legal and procedural battle , one that will cost untold millions . it also will embroil the nba in an unwanted controversy for years to come . having a chief executive of parsons'stature in control of the team may help the league gain an advantage as a battle over the team 's ownership starts to play out , but the nba 's road ahead still will not be easy . but the nba asked for this . the fact that players and the public largely supported the league will be of little solace to the nba when it is paying legal fees for years to come . the legal fees may be the cost of doing business , but if banning and fining sterling would have been adequate , this was an avoidable cost . the nba 's response to the sterling controversy is a cautionary tale against meting out hasty , summary punishment . here 's why : the nba likely had the authority to unilaterally fine sterling as it did . it also appears to have had the authority to ban him from his team for life . if commissioner adam silver had stopped there , sterling might have been effectively vanquished , because the decisions of the commissioner are shielded from review by a court . for the privilege of joining the national basketball association , owners contractually give up certain legal rights and remedies . fining and banning sterling was probably well within the jurisdiction of the nba . but in seeking to max out ' sterling 's sentence by forcing him to sell the team , the nba is forging new legal territory , and doing so at a price . sure , there are catch-all provisions of the nba 's rules that ostensibly allow for ouster of an owner who brings harm to the league , but the ouster rules on the whole appear designed for dealing with teams and owners suffering economic or management problems , like failing to make payroll -- not for owners who were private bigots . there will be an answer to the ultimate question of whether the nba can legally oust sterling . we just do n't know what it is yet . the league and sterling can purchase an answer to that question , at the cost of years of litigation and untold fortunes in legal fees . moreover , if the nba 's objective was to distance itself from sterling , they have done the opposite . after years of prolonged public litigation , they will cling to each other as two spent swimmers , choking their own business interests in the process . early on , silver made clear that the punitive measures were directed at sterling , not at other members of his family . with this blessing , estranged wife shelly sterling has injected herself as a blame-free alternative owner . but does she have an ownership interest in the team ? determining true ownership of this team will be a gordian knot of litigation : first , there is the issue of whether the nba can oust an owner where actual ownership ' is disputed . if the team is held in trust , as reported by the los angeles times , and not by a single owner in sterling , that changes the contours of ownership . a trust is a legal entity in which property ( like a team ) is held for the benefit of other persons . it 's a protective device , designed for situations just like this : where a beneficiary of a trust is attacked , the property can not be reached because the beneficiary does not actually own ' the property -- even though he may receive payments or otherwise profit from the property . the complexity does n't end there , though . even without a trust , in california , spouses acquire interests in family businesses when distributing property in a divorce . but that is only a general rule , and who knows what default rules donald sterling has attempted to deal with by contract ? one thing is for sure , whether it 's the nba , shelly , or donald sterling , each party will mount a different legal argument concerning ownership based upon their own best interests . determining the owner ' of the clippers will be a hodgepodge of legal issues worthy of the bar exam : divorce law , corporate dissolution , trusts and estates law . for now , shelly sterling is a cause for concern for the nba , the other owners , and her own husband . she has leverage , possibly even 50 % ownership of the team . the nba owners must be longing for the good old days ' when their biggest problems were contract disputes and torn acls . we can only guess at the individual owners'respective positions at the moment silver handed down verdict and sentence against sterling . now , the commissioner has placed the onus on the owners : they have the burden of deciding whether to oust one of their own . it is a hobson 's choice , which is no choice at all : even if the owners are privately sympathetic to sterling , an owner who dares to defend the embattled clippers owner commits social seppuku . on the other hand , nba owners are independent thinkers and independently wealthy ; if anyone can weather criticism , it 's these captains of industry . mark cuban has already publicly observed that people are allowed to be morons . ' whether the owners ultimately cast their ballots for or against sterling , all of these owners would rather be somewhere else . public perception aside , the owners have other concerns : if this case goes to litigation , expect broad-reaching discovery demands and subpoenas for sensitive documents and information . this case is a minefield for them , with no real upside . at the moment , there appear to be a few winners in the sterling controversy . kia , carmax , state farm insurance and virgin america are just some of the companies that pulled advertising from the clippers after the first tapes were revealed . ironically , they garnered more buzz by not spending money advertising than they would have by actually spending money on advertising . it 's the ultimate win-win , and it 's not over yet . as long as someone else spends the time and money to excise donald sterling from the clippers , the sponsors will have a second photo op . they will return triumphantly to advertising with the team , and take partial credit for the brave stance against one offensive octogenarian -- a stance that did n't actually require them to do , or spend , anything . heading into the weekend , the advantage is with shelly sterling -- who may have a valid claim to ownership -- the nba , and parsons , the highly credentialed , newly anointed ceo . donald sterling 's next moves will be interesting , though his first moves should be away from the telephone -- at least for now . | danny cevallos says nba is moving ahead while sterling speaks out in anderson cooper interview |
imf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united kingdom will back french finance minister christine lagarde to become head of the international monetary fund , british chancellor george osborne said . the imf is scheduled to begin accepting nominations for its top job monday , following the resignation of dominique strauss-kahn , who faces sexual assault charges in the united states . we support her because she 's the best person for the job , but i also personally think it would be a very good thing to see the first female managing director of the imf in its 60 year history , ' said osborne , britain 's equivalent of a finance minister . strauss-kahn , who is accused of trying to rape a maid last week in his suite at the sofitel hotel in new york , was released from rikers island jail on friday and is staying with his wife , anne sinclair . he proclaimed innocence in a resignation letter to the imf executive board late wednesday . to all , i want to say that i deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me , ' he said . the imf said friday that it aims to complete the selection process by june 30 . lagarde is likely to face opposition from developing economies , who are proposing their own candidates for the post . mexico will put forward central bank chief agustin carstens as a candidate , the state-run news agency reported sunday . carstens worked with the imf as the executive director for mexico , spain , venezuela and central america , and was later a deputy managing director there , notimex said . since the imf was created in 1945 , all 10 of the institution 's managers have been european . four of them have been french . cnn 's david wilkinson contributed to this report . | french finance minister christine lagarde would be the first woman to run the imf |
imf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united kingdom will back french finance minister christine lagarde to become head of the international monetary fund , british chancellor george osborne said . the imf is scheduled to begin accepting nominations for its top job monday , following the resignation of dominique strauss-kahn , who faces sexual assault charges in the united states . we support her because she 's the best person for the job , but i also personally think it would be a very good thing to see the first female managing director of the imf in its 60 year history , ' said osborne , britain 's equivalent of a finance minister . strauss-kahn , who is accused of trying to rape a maid last week in his suite at the sofitel hotel in new york , was released from rikers island jail on friday and is staying with his wife , anne sinclair . he proclaimed innocence in a resignation letter to the imf executive board late wednesday . to all , i want to say that i deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me , ' he said . the imf said friday that it aims to complete the selection process by june 30 . lagarde is likely to face opposition from developing economies , who are proposing their own candidates for the post . mexico will put forward central bank chief agustin carstens as a candidate , the state-run news agency reported sunday . carstens worked with the imf as the executive director for mexico , spain , venezuela and central america , and was later a deputy managing director there , notimex said . since the imf was created in 1945 , all 10 of the institution 's managers have been european . four of them have been french . cnn 's david wilkinson contributed to this report . | new : mexico will propose its central bank chief to lead the imf , state media reports |
suarez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cleared to take part in football-related activities last week by the highest sports court in the world , luis suarez was unveiled to barcelona fans amid chants of suarez , suarez , suarez ' on monday . the talented -- and controversial -- forward took to the pitch at the camp nou alongside the rest of his teammates ahead of the joan gamper trophy , an annual friendly that serves as barcelona 's curtain raiser to the new season . this time , barcelona faced mexico 's leon . after most of barcelona 's regulars entered the pitch -- including neymar -- its new signings were rolled out and that included suarez , who joined from liverpool for a reported fee of about $ 130 million in july . later , four-time world player of the year lionel messi made his way onto the field as one of four club captains . suarez did n't start the game , named on the subs'bench , but he came on with about 15 minutes remaining in barcelona 's 6-0 victory . by that time , messi and neymar departed . the uruguayan was allowed to feature in the festivities by the court of arbitration for sport , which partially overturned a ban given to suarez by fifa for biting italian defender giorgio chiellini at the world cup . it was the third time suarez bit an opponent during a game , the other two coming when he lined up with clubs liverpool and ajax . while cas upheld his four-month suspension from competitive action , it said he could embark on football-related duties , like playing in friendlies , training and getting involved in promotional activities . suarez is expected to make his competitive debut against fiercest rival real madrid in late october . barcelona is counting on the attacking triumvirate of messi , suarez and neymar to reverse a poor , by its standards , 2013/2014 . the club lost the kings cup final to real madrid , fell in the champions league quarterfinals to atletico madrid and finished second to atletico in la liga . barcelona was also hit with a transfer ban over two transfer windows relating to the international transfer of minors , ' although the ban has been lifted while barcelona appeals . barcelona has since signed , besides suarez , two goalkeepers as it seeks to replace victor valdes -- marc-andre ter stegen and claudio bravo . midfielder ivan rakitic and defenders thomas vermaelen and jeremy mathieu have also joined . | suarez received a ban from fifa after biting giorgio chiellini at the world cup |
suarez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cleared to take part in football-related activities last week by the highest sports court in the world , luis suarez was unveiled to barcelona fans amid chants of suarez , suarez , suarez ' on monday . the talented -- and controversial -- forward took to the pitch at the camp nou alongside the rest of his teammates ahead of the joan gamper trophy , an annual friendly that serves as barcelona 's curtain raiser to the new season . this time , barcelona faced mexico 's leon . after most of barcelona 's regulars entered the pitch -- including neymar -- its new signings were rolled out and that included suarez , who joined from liverpool for a reported fee of about $ 130 million in july . later , four-time world player of the year lionel messi made his way onto the field as one of four club captains . suarez did n't start the game , named on the subs'bench , but he came on with about 15 minutes remaining in barcelona 's 6-0 victory . by that time , messi and neymar departed . the uruguayan was allowed to feature in the festivities by the court of arbitration for sport , which partially overturned a ban given to suarez by fifa for biting italian defender giorgio chiellini at the world cup . it was the third time suarez bit an opponent during a game , the other two coming when he lined up with clubs liverpool and ajax . while cas upheld his four-month suspension from competitive action , it said he could embark on football-related duties , like playing in friendlies , training and getting involved in promotional activities . suarez is expected to make his competitive debut against fiercest rival real madrid in late october . barcelona is counting on the attacking triumvirate of messi , suarez and neymar to reverse a poor , by its standards , 2013/2014 . the club lost the kings cup final to real madrid , fell in the champions league quarterfinals to atletico madrid and finished second to atletico in la liga . barcelona was also hit with a transfer ban over two transfer windows relating to the international transfer of minors , ' although the ban has been lifted while barcelona appeals . barcelona has since signed , besides suarez , two goalkeepers as it seeks to replace victor valdes -- marc-andre ter stegen and claudio bravo . midfielder ivan rakitic and defenders thomas vermaelen and jeremy mathieu have also joined . | fans chanted , suarez , suarez , suarez ' not long after he entered pitch |
suarez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cleared to take part in football-related activities last week by the highest sports court in the world , luis suarez was unveiled to barcelona fans amid chants of suarez , suarez , suarez ' on monday . the talented -- and controversial -- forward took to the pitch at the camp nou alongside the rest of his teammates ahead of the joan gamper trophy , an annual friendly that serves as barcelona 's curtain raiser to the new season . this time , barcelona faced mexico 's leon . after most of barcelona 's regulars entered the pitch -- including neymar -- its new signings were rolled out and that included suarez , who joined from liverpool for a reported fee of about $ 130 million in july . later , four-time world player of the year lionel messi made his way onto the field as one of four club captains . suarez did n't start the game , named on the subs'bench , but he came on with about 15 minutes remaining in barcelona 's 6-0 victory . by that time , messi and neymar departed . the uruguayan was allowed to feature in the festivities by the court of arbitration for sport , which partially overturned a ban given to suarez by fifa for biting italian defender giorgio chiellini at the world cup . it was the third time suarez bit an opponent during a game , the other two coming when he lined up with clubs liverpool and ajax . while cas upheld his four-month suspension from competitive action , it said he could embark on football-related duties , like playing in friendlies , training and getting involved in promotional activities . suarez is expected to make his competitive debut against fiercest rival real madrid in late october . barcelona is counting on the attacking triumvirate of messi , suarez and neymar to reverse a poor , by its standards , 2013/2014 . the club lost the kings cup final to real madrid , fell in the champions league quarterfinals to atletico madrid and finished second to atletico in la liga . barcelona was also hit with a transfer ban over two transfer windows relating to the international transfer of minors , ' although the ban has been lifted while barcelona appeals . barcelona has since signed , besides suarez , two goalkeepers as it seeks to replace victor valdes -- marc-andre ter stegen and claudio bravo . midfielder ivan rakitic and defenders thomas vermaelen and jeremy mathieu have also joined . | uruguay forward luis suarez is unveiled in front of barcelona 's fans on monday |
republican <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- only one percentage points separates democrat bruce braley and republican joni ernst in the race to represent iowa in the u.s. senate . if the election were held today , 49 % of likely iowa voters say they would vote for braley and 48 % say they would support ernst , according to a new cnn/orc poll . that means the contentious race is within the survey 's overall sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points . the electorate is far from solidified . twenty percent of likely voters polled in iowa said they could change their mind before election day in november . the braley-ernst race has been one of the most closely watched of the election year . with longtime sen. tom harkin retiring , democrats are fighting to keep the seat in blue hands and hope that a win in iowa will keep the senate in democratic control . republicans have other ideas , however , and hope that ernst -- currently a state senator and lieutenant colonel in the iowa army national guard -- will be able to flip the seat . with a little less than two months until election day , the race has already seen millions of dollars spent . according to the center for responsive politics , the two candidates had spent almost $ 6 million as of july . that figure does n't include the millions that outside republican and democratic groups have spent on the race , either . even with all the money spent , some likely voters are still unaware of each candidate . six percent of likely iowa voters are unfamiliar with ernst , while 9 % of voters say they are unfamiliar with braley . partisanship appears to trump identity politics in the race , too . most women are supporting braley , the democratic man , while most men are supporting ernst , the republican woman . the two candidates are basically flipped with likely male and female voters : braley is winning 41 % of men and 57 % of women , while ernst is winning 56 % of men and 41 % of women . the cnn/orc poll was conducted september 8-10 , with 1,013 iowa adults -- 608 likely voters -- questioned by telephone . | democrat bruce braley and republican joni ernst are locked in a close race |
milan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- real madrid crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat to city neighbors getafe in the second round of the spanish la liga season sunday . after being held 1-1 by valencia in their opener , jose mourinho 's champions are left with a solitary point after two games , trailing arch rivals barcelona by five points . gonzalo higuain put real ahead after 26 minutes and they appeared set for a routine derby victory . but juan valera was unmarked as he headed getafe level after 52 minutes from a free kick . real 's star-studded attack led by cristiano ronaldo pressed for the winner , but it was the home side who grabbed their second with abdelaziz barrada scoring in the 74th minute after an assist by adrian colunga . earlier , lionel messi came to barcelona 's rescue with a late double as they beat osasuna 2-1 to go top of the standings on goal difference from rayo vallecano after two games . new barca coach tito vilanova had been sent off for complaining to the referee as they trailed to a 17th-minute goal from joseba llorente . the former european champions had wasted a string of chances until messi struck in the 75th and 80th minutes . osasuna 's francisco punal was shown red for his protests after messi 's first goal , claiming he was offside . barcelona and real madrid will resume their rivalry wednesday as the catalans take a 3-2 lead to the santiago bernabeu after first leg of the spanish super cup . in serie a , the start of the season has seen contrasting fortunes for the milan clubs . ac milan , runners-up last season , lost 1-0 in the san siro to newly promoted sampdoria with andrea costa scoring the winner in the second half . but inter milan showed their city rivals how it should be done with a 3-0 win at another promoted side , pescara , to top the early standings with napoli , who won 3-0 at palermo . on saturday , juventus began their defense of the title with a 2-0 victory at home to parma . | contrasting fortunes for milan clubs in serie a start |
micaelo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the most secretive countries in the world seems to be putting a succession plan into place : north korean leader kim jong il promoted his youngest son to general . experts say that could be an indication that kim jong un will succeed his father and his grandfather as leader of north korea . the outside world knows very little about kim -- not even his age , which is apparently 27 or 28 . but at least one person outside the reclusive communist state once considered kim jong un his best friend . or at least he thinks so . joao micaelo went to school in switzerland with a boy he knew as pak un from 1998 to 2001 . a teacher put them together at the same desk when the new student arrived , and they hit it off . then , one day pak un told micaelo , i am the son of the leader of north korea . ' micaelo did n't believe him because ... it was a normal school , ' he told cnn tuesday . normally the children of people like this , they do n't go to a normal school . ' but having seen pictures of the apparent heir to kim jong il , micaelo thinks it 's his high school friend . he remembered what his friend had told him years before . then i said , okay , maybe it 's true what he said to me ,' said micaelo , who now lives in bern , switzerland , near the school he attended . local government officials in the town that 's home to the liebefeld school confirmed a student named pak un attended at the same time as micaelo . the school declined to speak to cnn . micaelo remembers pak un ' being introduced as the son of the ambassador of north korea . what is life like inside north korea ? he was a normal guy like me , ' micaelo said , interested in sports , movies and computers . he was competitive at sports . he did n't like to lose , like any of us . for him , basketball was everything , ' micaelo said ' he played basketball , he had basketball games on his playstation . the whole world for him was just basketball all the time , ' he said . the north korean , who spoke good enough german to be understood , was not outgoing , micaelo said . he was very quiet and he did n't speak with anyone . maybe it was because most of the people did not take the time to understand him , ' he said . and he was not that type of guy who goes to another and says ,'hello , how are you ?'he was always quiet . ' he did n't go out at night to parties or discos , but he and micaelo sometimes talked about girls , his friend said . micaelo went to his house many times , meeting people whom he thought were his friend 's parents . but they spoke english , not german , and because micaelo did n't speak english well at the time , he did n't get to know them very well . but they struck him as a normal family , like my family . ' pak un ' did n't talk much about north korea , micaelo said . he has n't seen his friend in years , since the north korean moved home to go to a private school . but he 'd like to see him again -- particularly if it did n't mean going to north korea . is there political change in the wind in north korea ? i would like to speak with him to remember old times , you know , ' micaelo said . because you know for me , he was also an important friend . he was my best friend at the time . i would like to see him again . ' but , micaelo said , he 's not sure if now is the right time . just now i do n't know if it 's good to see him again . ... if he asked me to go visit him . i do n't know if i go or not , ' he said . micaelo said he does n't know what to expect from kim as a leader . to read more on north korea , go to cnn 's special coverage ' i can just say what i know : un , when he was 16 , he was a good guy , ' micaelo said . so , i do n't think he would do something bad . but i do n't know what he 's been like in the last nine years . i just knew him when he was 16 years old . he 's been in a special school for this for nine years , ' he said . maybe he 's another person . ' | joao micaelo went to school with a student who told him his father led north korea |
micaelo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the most secretive countries in the world seems to be putting a succession plan into place : north korean leader kim jong il promoted his youngest son to general . experts say that could be an indication that kim jong un will succeed his father and his grandfather as leader of north korea . the outside world knows very little about kim -- not even his age , which is apparently 27 or 28 . but at least one person outside the reclusive communist state once considered kim jong un his best friend . or at least he thinks so . joao micaelo went to school in switzerland with a boy he knew as pak un from 1998 to 2001 . a teacher put them together at the same desk when the new student arrived , and they hit it off . then , one day pak un told micaelo , i am the son of the leader of north korea . ' micaelo did n't believe him because ... it was a normal school , ' he told cnn tuesday . normally the children of people like this , they do n't go to a normal school . ' but having seen pictures of the apparent heir to kim jong il , micaelo thinks it 's his high school friend . he remembered what his friend had told him years before . then i said , okay , maybe it 's true what he said to me ,' said micaelo , who now lives in bern , switzerland , near the school he attended . local government officials in the town that 's home to the liebefeld school confirmed a student named pak un attended at the same time as micaelo . the school declined to speak to cnn . micaelo remembers pak un ' being introduced as the son of the ambassador of north korea . what is life like inside north korea ? he was a normal guy like me , ' micaelo said , interested in sports , movies and computers . he was competitive at sports . he did n't like to lose , like any of us . for him , basketball was everything , ' micaelo said ' he played basketball , he had basketball games on his playstation . the whole world for him was just basketball all the time , ' he said . the north korean , who spoke good enough german to be understood , was not outgoing , micaelo said . he was very quiet and he did n't speak with anyone . maybe it was because most of the people did not take the time to understand him , ' he said . and he was not that type of guy who goes to another and says ,'hello , how are you ?'he was always quiet . ' he did n't go out at night to parties or discos , but he and micaelo sometimes talked about girls , his friend said . micaelo went to his house many times , meeting people whom he thought were his friend 's parents . but they spoke english , not german , and because micaelo did n't speak english well at the time , he did n't get to know them very well . but they struck him as a normal family , like my family . ' pak un ' did n't talk much about north korea , micaelo said . he has n't seen his friend in years , since the north korean moved home to go to a private school . but he 'd like to see him again -- particularly if it did n't mean going to north korea . is there political change in the wind in north korea ? i would like to speak with him to remember old times , you know , ' micaelo said . because you know for me , he was also an important friend . he was my best friend at the time . i would like to see him again . ' but , micaelo said , he 's not sure if now is the right time . just now i do n't know if it 's good to see him again . ... if he asked me to go visit him . i do n't know if i go or not , ' he said . micaelo said he does n't know what to expect from kim as a leader . to read more on north korea , go to cnn 's special coverage ' i can just say what i know : un , when he was 16 , he was a good guy , ' micaelo said . so , i do n't think he would do something bad . but i do n't know what he 's been like in the last nine years . i just knew him when he was 16 years old . he 's been in a special school for this for nine years , ' he said . maybe he 's another person . ' | micaelo did n't believe him at the time but now thinks it 's true |
micaelo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the most secretive countries in the world seems to be putting a succession plan into place : north korean leader kim jong il promoted his youngest son to general . experts say that could be an indication that kim jong un will succeed his father and his grandfather as leader of north korea . the outside world knows very little about kim -- not even his age , which is apparently 27 or 28 . but at least one person outside the reclusive communist state once considered kim jong un his best friend . or at least he thinks so . joao micaelo went to school in switzerland with a boy he knew as pak un from 1998 to 2001 . a teacher put them together at the same desk when the new student arrived , and they hit it off . then , one day pak un told micaelo , i am the son of the leader of north korea . ' micaelo did n't believe him because ... it was a normal school , ' he told cnn tuesday . normally the children of people like this , they do n't go to a normal school . ' but having seen pictures of the apparent heir to kim jong il , micaelo thinks it 's his high school friend . he remembered what his friend had told him years before . then i said , okay , maybe it 's true what he said to me ,' said micaelo , who now lives in bern , switzerland , near the school he attended . local government officials in the town that 's home to the liebefeld school confirmed a student named pak un attended at the same time as micaelo . the school declined to speak to cnn . micaelo remembers pak un ' being introduced as the son of the ambassador of north korea . what is life like inside north korea ? he was a normal guy like me , ' micaelo said , interested in sports , movies and computers . he was competitive at sports . he did n't like to lose , like any of us . for him , basketball was everything , ' micaelo said ' he played basketball , he had basketball games on his playstation . the whole world for him was just basketball all the time , ' he said . the north korean , who spoke good enough german to be understood , was not outgoing , micaelo said . he was very quiet and he did n't speak with anyone . maybe it was because most of the people did not take the time to understand him , ' he said . and he was not that type of guy who goes to another and says ,'hello , how are you ?'he was always quiet . ' he did n't go out at night to parties or discos , but he and micaelo sometimes talked about girls , his friend said . micaelo went to his house many times , meeting people whom he thought were his friend 's parents . but they spoke english , not german , and because micaelo did n't speak english well at the time , he did n't get to know them very well . but they struck him as a normal family , like my family . ' pak un ' did n't talk much about north korea , micaelo said . he has n't seen his friend in years , since the north korean moved home to go to a private school . but he 'd like to see him again -- particularly if it did n't mean going to north korea . is there political change in the wind in north korea ? i would like to speak with him to remember old times , you know , ' micaelo said . because you know for me , he was also an important friend . he was my best friend at the time . i would like to see him again . ' but , micaelo said , he 's not sure if now is the right time . just now i do n't know if it 's good to see him again . ... if he asked me to go visit him . i do n't know if i go or not , ' he said . micaelo said he does n't know what to expect from kim as a leader . to read more on north korea , go to cnn 's special coverage ' i can just say what i know : un , when he was 16 , he was a good guy , ' micaelo said . so , i do n't think he would do something bad . but i do n't know what he 's been like in the last nine years . i just knew him when he was 16 years old . he 's been in a special school for this for nine years , ' he said . maybe he 's another person . ' | the north korean liked basketball as a teen , says micaelo |
france <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after the inquisition , the exhibition -- or an exhibition game at the very least . at the stade de france in paris , those who once ruled the world took their first steps towards redemption . call it pigeon steps but this was more evolution rather than revolution . while a new generation of spanish players may have taken to the field , the result proved to be the same . not one single shot on target and only a few fleeting moments of encouragement , this will not be a night where those who had hoped for progress will feel reassured . loic remy 's 73rd minute strike condemned spain to defeat as those in red struggled to escape the shadow which has been cast upon them since their chastening world cup experience . it was on a friday night on june 20 inside rio de janeiro 's iconic maracana stadium where the football 's landscape shifted in a seismic measure which so few had predicted . for so long , spain had danced around the world like a matador teasing a bull , showing its opponent the ball before moving it away with a style and swagger which delighted so many . its brand of'tiki-taka'brought success -- the 2010 world cup sandwiched in between victories at the 2008 and 2012 european championship finals . but in brazil it imploded . the warning signs had been there . the confederations cup , which was held in brazil 12 months before the world cup , gave a glimpse of what was to follow . an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the final against the host nation should have caused some sort of rethink from vicente del bosque , the man who has presided over the most successful period in his nation 's history . and yet it did not come . the opening world cup game against the dutch was a sobering affair -- a game in where spain was fortunate to get one in a 5-1 defeat . against chile , where it needed a performance to prove its doubters wrong and protect its legacy , it barely managed to raise itself beyond a whimper . but that episode has passed -- and those who once wore the red with such distinction have also moved on . xavi hernandez , the man whose metronomic passing allowed the supporting orchestra to perform with such an overwhelming crescendo , has retired , as too have carles puyol and xabi alonso . iker casillas , the goalkeeper who endured a dismal world cup , was forced to sit on the bench , while gerard pique , the barcelona defender , was not even included in the squad . no , this time del bosque gave an opportunity to those who may yet come to be spain 's future . koke , the atletico madrid midfielder , one of the outstanding stars of la liga last season , began in midfield alongside club teammate raul garcia , while athletic bilbao 's mikel san jose started in defense . but in a disjointed first half , it was those who were absent which perhaps emerged with greater credit . the genius of andres iniesta , sidelined with a hip injury was sorely missed while the attacking threat posed by normal full-back jordi alba was sacrificed for the more defensive minded cesar azpilicueta . but against a france team which will host the european championship finals in two years time , this new look spanish side struggled to create any real opportunities . france , which exited the world cup at the quarterfinal stage following a disappointing performance against eventual champion germany , fielded a strong side which included karim benzema , the real madrid forward . twice in the first half benzema tested david de gea in the spanish goal but on each occasion the manchester united man was equal to the task . the second half began in similar fashion to the first -- with france on top and playing a sense of freedom , a joie de vivre which spain could only wish it possessed . benzema appeared to have given his side the lead after sweeping the ball home following good work by moussa sissoko but the offside flag dampened any celebrations . spain made changes in the second half with the ineffective diego costa , so lethal for chelsea in the english premier league , making way along with cesc fabregas . but even with the introduction of valencia 's paco alcacer and barcelona 's pedro , the visiting side failed to create anything of note . and when france carved out an opportunity with 17 minutes remaining it was duly taken by remy , who lashed home mathieu valbuena 's pullback from 10-yards . that goal did serve to awaken spain from its slumber , david silva firing inches wide of the far post after neat interplay with pedro . it was only with the introduction of silva that spain looked capable of piecing something together , though when it did , the french defense stood firm . defeat was not only deserved but it gave the impression that del bosque has still not solved his side 's problems . macedonia awaits in madrid on monday in the opening qualification game for the 2016 european championship finals -- there can be no more room for error . italy success elsewhere , antonio conte made a successful start to his reign as italy manager with a 2-0 win over the netherlands in bari . ciro immobile and daniel de rossi scored the goals for the home side against a dutch team which played for 81 minutes with 10 men after bruno martins indi was sent off . in sweden , zlatan ibrahimovic became his country 's leading goalscorer after netting his 49th and 50th goals in a 2-0 win over estonia . in liege , belgium defeated australia 2-0 , while croatia overcame cyprus 2-0 and bosnia eased to a 3-0 win over liechtenstein . | france defeats spain 1-0 in paris |
sweden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after the inquisition , the exhibition -- or an exhibition game at the very least . at the stade de france in paris , those who once ruled the world took their first steps towards redemption . call it pigeon steps but this was more evolution rather than revolution . while a new generation of spanish players may have taken to the field , the result proved to be the same . not one single shot on target and only a few fleeting moments of encouragement , this will not be a night where those who had hoped for progress will feel reassured . loic remy 's 73rd minute strike condemned spain to defeat as those in red struggled to escape the shadow which has been cast upon them since their chastening world cup experience . it was on a friday night on june 20 inside rio de janeiro 's iconic maracana stadium where the football 's landscape shifted in a seismic measure which so few had predicted . for so long , spain had danced around the world like a matador teasing a bull , showing its opponent the ball before moving it away with a style and swagger which delighted so many . its brand of'tiki-taka'brought success -- the 2010 world cup sandwiched in between victories at the 2008 and 2012 european championship finals . but in brazil it imploded . the warning signs had been there . the confederations cup , which was held in brazil 12 months before the world cup , gave a glimpse of what was to follow . an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the final against the host nation should have caused some sort of rethink from vicente del bosque , the man who has presided over the most successful period in his nation 's history . and yet it did not come . the opening world cup game against the dutch was a sobering affair -- a game in where spain was fortunate to get one in a 5-1 defeat . against chile , where it needed a performance to prove its doubters wrong and protect its legacy , it barely managed to raise itself beyond a whimper . but that episode has passed -- and those who once wore the red with such distinction have also moved on . xavi hernandez , the man whose metronomic passing allowed the supporting orchestra to perform with such an overwhelming crescendo , has retired , as too have carles puyol and xabi alonso . iker casillas , the goalkeeper who endured a dismal world cup , was forced to sit on the bench , while gerard pique , the barcelona defender , was not even included in the squad . no , this time del bosque gave an opportunity to those who may yet come to be spain 's future . koke , the atletico madrid midfielder , one of the outstanding stars of la liga last season , began in midfield alongside club teammate raul garcia , while athletic bilbao 's mikel san jose started in defense . but in a disjointed first half , it was those who were absent which perhaps emerged with greater credit . the genius of andres iniesta , sidelined with a hip injury was sorely missed while the attacking threat posed by normal full-back jordi alba was sacrificed for the more defensive minded cesar azpilicueta . but against a france team which will host the european championship finals in two years time , this new look spanish side struggled to create any real opportunities . france , which exited the world cup at the quarterfinal stage following a disappointing performance against eventual champion germany , fielded a strong side which included karim benzema , the real madrid forward . twice in the first half benzema tested david de gea in the spanish goal but on each occasion the manchester united man was equal to the task . the second half began in similar fashion to the first -- with france on top and playing a sense of freedom , a joie de vivre which spain could only wish it possessed . benzema appeared to have given his side the lead after sweeping the ball home following good work by moussa sissoko but the offside flag dampened any celebrations . spain made changes in the second half with the ineffective diego costa , so lethal for chelsea in the english premier league , making way along with cesc fabregas . but even with the introduction of valencia 's paco alcacer and barcelona 's pedro , the visiting side failed to create anything of note . and when france carved out an opportunity with 17 minutes remaining it was duly taken by remy , who lashed home mathieu valbuena 's pullback from 10-yards . that goal did serve to awaken spain from its slumber , david silva firing inches wide of the far post after neat interplay with pedro . it was only with the introduction of silva that spain looked capable of piecing something together , though when it did , the french defense stood firm . defeat was not only deserved but it gave the impression that del bosque has still not solved his side 's problems . macedonia awaits in madrid on monday in the opening qualification game for the 2016 european championship finals -- there can be no more room for error . italy success elsewhere , antonio conte made a successful start to his reign as italy manager with a 2-0 win over the netherlands in bari . ciro immobile and daniel de rossi scored the goals for the home side against a dutch team which played for 81 minutes with 10 men after bruno martins indi was sent off . in sweden , zlatan ibrahimovic became his country 's leading goalscorer after netting his 49th and 50th goals in a 2-0 win over estonia . in liege , belgium defeated australia 2-0 , while croatia overcame cyprus 2-0 and bosnia eased to a 3-0 win over liechtenstein . | zlatan ibrahimovic becomes sweden 's record goalscorer |
belfast <tsp> ( cnn ) -- northern ireland 's top police officer on saturday condemned violent clashes that left 56 of his officers injured as mindless anarchy ' -- and warned that many arrests will follow . the disorder broke out in central belfast as loyalists held counter-protests friday evening against a nationalist march . the police service of northern ireland said friday that 26 officers had been injured , with five of them needing hospital treatment . but that tally more than doubled on saturday . seven arrests have been made so far , police said . warning of more to come , chief constable matt baggott said , significant custodial sentences will be handed down in the weeks and months that follow -- the prisons will be bulging , sadly . ' he said intense violence ' had been directed toward the police , and that they had shown immense courage ' in standing their ground to stop the anarchy spreading . i know the majority of the population will stand with me in condemning those who scarred the reputation of our beautiful city last night , ' he said . those people had no intention of peaceful protest . they lack self respect and they lack dignity . ' police were braced for further trouble on saturday . more parades are scheduled to take place across the country , organized by the apprentice boys , a protestant group . the main demonstration is in londonderry . the disorder broke out in belfast 's main shopping district , as loyalists blocked the intended route of the nationalist march , which was eventually redirected . assistant chief constable george hamilton , who led the policing operation , said about 1,200 people had gathered and it was evident that many of them had violent intent . ' his officers were pelted with whatever came to hand , he said , including paving slabs pulled up from the street , bricks and lengths of scaffolding . there was nothing lawful about this protest . there was nothing peaceful about it . it was sheer thuggery , ' he said . plans for peaceful protests had been registered with the northern ireland parades commission , which rules on which marches are allowed to take place and which are banned , in an effort to keep friction to a minimum . friday 's pro-irish nationalist march followed heightened tensions during some loyalist marches this summer . hundreds of parades take place across northern ireland each year , the majority involving the protestant orange order and associated organizations . most parades pass off peacefully , but when members of one community march near or through neighborhoods dominated by another , violence sometimes results . | police say 56 officers were hurt in violent clashes with loyalists in belfast |
belfast <tsp> ( cnn ) -- northern ireland 's top police officer on saturday condemned violent clashes that left 56 of his officers injured as mindless anarchy ' -- and warned that many arrests will follow . the disorder broke out in central belfast as loyalists held counter-protests friday evening against a nationalist march . the police service of northern ireland said friday that 26 officers had been injured , with five of them needing hospital treatment . but that tally more than doubled on saturday . seven arrests have been made so far , police said . warning of more to come , chief constable matt baggott said , significant custodial sentences will be handed down in the weeks and months that follow -- the prisons will be bulging , sadly . ' he said intense violence ' had been directed toward the police , and that they had shown immense courage ' in standing their ground to stop the anarchy spreading . i know the majority of the population will stand with me in condemning those who scarred the reputation of our beautiful city last night , ' he said . those people had no intention of peaceful protest . they lack self respect and they lack dignity . ' police were braced for further trouble on saturday . more parades are scheduled to take place across the country , organized by the apprentice boys , a protestant group . the main demonstration is in londonderry . the disorder broke out in belfast 's main shopping district , as loyalists blocked the intended route of the nationalist march , which was eventually redirected . assistant chief constable george hamilton , who led the policing operation , said about 1,200 people had gathered and it was evident that many of them had violent intent . ' his officers were pelted with whatever came to hand , he said , including paving slabs pulled up from the street , bricks and lengths of scaffolding . there was nothing lawful about this protest . there was nothing peaceful about it . it was sheer thuggery , ' he said . plans for peaceful protests had been registered with the northern ireland parades commission , which rules on which marches are allowed to take place and which are banned , in an effort to keep friction to a minimum . friday 's pro-irish nationalist march followed heightened tensions during some loyalist marches this summer . hundreds of parades take place across northern ireland each year , the majority involving the protestant orange order and associated organizations . most parades pass off peacefully , but when members of one community march near or through neighborhoods dominated by another , violence sometimes results . | belfast 's main shopping district was the focus of the disturbances |
adly mansour <tsp> ( cnn ) -- adly mansour , egypt 's interim president , is reviewing a proposed protest law approved by the cabinet that has drawn the ire of human rights groups and political factions . state media reported wednesday the measure would have tight restrictions : -- it requires an appeal to be handed to the interior ministry before any demonstration . -- it gives senior police officials the right to cancel , delay or move a protest . -- it allows for the creation of protest-free ' areas around public institutions . rights groups have reacted strongly to the proposed measure . resorting to the security and police solutions will lead to more failure and worsen the political conflict in egypt , ' gamal eid , executive director of the arabic network for human rights , said in a statement . the april 6th movement , an influential political force deeply involved in egypt 's 2011 revolution , equated the draft law with hosni mubarak-era repressions , calling it one of the worst repressive laws constraining freedoms in third world countries and military dictatorships . ' mubarak was removed from power in 2011 during the early days of the arab spring movement that swept across north african and middle east . tamarod , the grass-roots political faction responsible for organizing the petition campaign that led to the overthrow of president mohamed morsy in july by the egyptian military , reacted to the draft law on facebook : ' any law that limits the right of peaceful demonstration which egyptians won in the january 25th and june 30th revolutions is an unjust law . dealing with non-peaceful protest must be done without a law that is used to restrict or narrow peaceful protests . ' the nour party , the second largest islamist party in egypt , also criticized the draft law and urged the interim president to engage in a debate before approval . the protest law is dangerous and sensitive and should be preceded by a community dialogue or at least dialogue with political forces . one of the most important gains of the revolution is that the egyptian people recovered their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression , ' the party said in a statement . morsy gets trial date as egypt turmoil continues | adly mansour , egypt 's interim president , will review the measure , state media report |
bachmann <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- when republican presidential candidate and tea party favorite michele bachmann was recently asked by fox news'chris wallace if she was a flake , ' the moment seemed like déjà vu all over again for some women active in politics . bachmann 's response -- she was insulted ' -- was stern , but it pointed to a larger bias many women perceive in presidential politics . nobody in the gop establishment is going to hand anything to bachmann or ( sarah ) palin -- just like ( democrats ) did not for hillary ( clinton ) , ' said amy siskind , who supported hillary clinton 's 2008 presidential bid . and it takes a certain type of leader to go out there and have the courage and the guts to say'i 'm running ( for president )'and i admire bachmann for that . ' after clinton 's failed oval office bid , siskind and a small group of women who had supported clinton decided the best way to break the glass ceiling in presidential politics was to put ideology and partisanship aside and support any woman seeking a top political office -- including bachmann and palin , two darlings of the tea party movement known for their conservative views on economic and social issues . but some democratic leaders dismissed the idea , arguing the electorate is more sophisticated . women do n't support women candidates simply because of their status as women , simply because of their gender , ' said rep. debbie wasserman-schultz , head of the democratic national committee . siskind , who has voted democrat in the past , helped found the new agenda , a nonpartisan women 's advocacy group that united many women who were disappointed after clinton 's defeat . we decided that in order to take women forward , ' said siskind , we would have to be a voice for all women -- so put political party and the issue of abortion aside because those were the two issues that were dividing women in half . ' so , for us it was a business model : how can you have a women 's movement that excludes half the women ? ' added siskind . in the 2008 general election , women voted overwhelmingly for democrat barack obama for president , picking him 56 % to 43 % over republican john mccain , according to cnn exit polls . going hard after democrats before the new group even got formally off the ground in mid-2008 , its nucleus of hillary clinton supporters was courted by john mccain 's campaign , according to siskind . mccain sent ( former california republican senatorial candidate ) carly fiorina to my home , ' said siskind , who used to trade distressed debt on wall street , to meet with a lot of the women that then became the new agenda to say : what would you want to get mccain 's support ? ' one of the things we asked for was to have a woman on the ticket , ' said siskind , and sarah palin actually was on our short list ( of six women ) . we did research and learned about her . ' when then-alaska gov . palin burst onto the national political stage soon after clinton formally ended her presidential aspirations , siskind and lara brown , another 2008 clinton supporter , saw how palin was falling victim to sexist treatment just as clinton had . brown is an assistant professor of political science at villanova university whose research has focused on candidates for the presidency . she described palin in 2008 as a completely different candidate ( from clinton ) ' who got a completely different sexist barrage of commentary . ' what was behind the treatment of both clinton and palin that at least some political observers viewed as sexist or misogynistic ? the system that 's the problem here , the system that 's the barrier is , broadly , patriarchy , ' said caroline heldman , an associate professor at occidental college . but , more specifically , when women run for public office , the press is more likely to talk about their dress and appearance , more likely to challenge their competency , more likely to talk about them in kind of'first woman'terms or like they 're oddities or benchwarmers instead of actual candidates . ' heldman noticed that both clinton and palin tried to project a public image during the 2008 race that was simultaneously masculine enough to justify being selected as the next president or vice president and feminine enough to satisfy traditional gender roles . ( clinton ) wore pants suits with pearls . ... she was properly masculine and properly feminine , ' said heldman . ( clinton ) did this performance and it did n't quite work . and then palin is doing this performance where she is taking the line between masculine and feminine and she takes a wide stance . she 's hyper-masculine . . . and then she 's also hyper-feminine . ... she was still beaten up . ( palin ) provided kind of a different brand or approach than hillary clinton and it did n't matter . ' bachmann facing same stigma ? years after clinton and palin sought the white house , bachmann is already starting to encounter some of the same challenges as a female candidate . it 's already started with bachmann , ' heldman said , referencing treatment by the media that she considers sexist . the chris wallace question was insulting , ' said bachmann campaign spokeswoman alice stewart . congresswoman bachmann is a serious candidate . she 's an extremely intelligent person . she 's successful in her personal life . ... professionally , she has been a successful tax attorney , been a successful member in state politics , and a successful member of congress . she 's a serious , very credible candidate for the president of the united states . ( wallace ) apologized , she accepted the apology and we 've put that behind us . ' but amy kremer , chairman of the tea party express , was less diplomatic . i certainly could n't have seen chris wallace asking mitt romney or rick perry or tim pawlenty or one of them ,'are you a flake ?' said kremer . after a breakout performance at the recent cnn republican debate in new hampshire , bachmann has been steadily rising in the polls , particularly with conservative likely gop caucusgoers in all-important iowa . the woman who had been brushed aside for a leadership role in the house republican caucus after the 2010 midterms now leads in three recent polls , ahead of all the men and in particular , mitt romney , who has been called the front-runner by many . making too much of nothing have the candidacies of clinton , palin and now bachmann ignited a spark among women across the political spectrum that national democrats and the obama re-election campaign should be worried about ? no , said the democratic national committee . there was a lot made of sarah palin being chosen by john mccain and of there being a woman on ( the republican ) ticket for the first time in the last election and how attractive that might be especially to hillary clinton supporters after the primary ended , ' said dnc chair wasserman-schultz . i thought that was not credible at the time and said so and it turned out not to be credible . ' wasserman-schultz said women vote on the issues that matter to them and select the candidate who champions those issues . she pointed out that president obama has signed the lilly ledbetter fair pay act , fought for passage of health care legislation that benefits women , has a number of women in his administration and has appointed two women to the u.s. supreme court . by contrast , the dnc head said that none of the contenders in the current gop presidential field has obama 's track record when it comes to supporting women and working families and championing equal rights for women , both reproductive rights and rights in the workplace . should palin choose to run for president in this cycle , wasserman-schultz predicted that female voters will reject palin just as they did in 2008 . that same fate , she added , will befall bachmann should she win the gop nomination . no matter how bachmann ultimately fares , her candidacy -- like palin 's before her -- seems to be energizing conservative women in particular . teri christoph is a co-founder of smart girl politics action , a group dedicated to getting more conservative women involved in politics and running for office . christoph said the rise of conservative women on the national political scene in the past few years was just the beginning . ' i think we 'll learn a lot ( by ) having michele bachmann run ( for president ) about what kind of things conservative women need to be prepared for if they 're going to enter the national spotlight , ' said christoph . | bachmann , palin seen as best way to break the glass ceiling in presidential politics |
nepal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's a new idea which could resonate with communities across the developing world -- a biomass stove which also generates electricity using sound waves . the score-stove is a cooker , fridge and energy generator in one which harnesses waste heat from cooking to power a specially designed thermo-acoustic engine , helping provide energy to areas where access to electricity is limited . the project is being led by the uk 's university of nottingham , but has drawn on the expertise of partners around the world including the los alamos national laboratory ( lanl ) in new mexico . lanl researchers scott backhaus and greg swift demonstrated the first-ever thermo-acoustic engine in 1999 , adapting the principles originally outlined by scottish engineer robert stirling in the 19th century . in stirling 's thermodynamic engine ( patented in 1816 ) air or gas is alternately heated from an external source and cooled . the expansion and contraction of the air drives displacer pistons in the stirling engine , but in score-stove 's thermo-acoustic set-up there are no moving parts , says paul riley , score project director . the stove heats a specially shaped pipe at one end while the other end is cooled , riley explains , compressing air inside the pipe and causing it to vibrate and produce powerful sound waves . you can think of it as a big microphone or a loudspeaker working backwards . in fact we are using loudspeakers ( which act as a linear alternator ) in some of the rigs turning the sound into electricity , ' riley said . it 's in excess of 170 decibels -- that 's more than the space shuttle taking off -- but it 's whisper quiet outside the pipe , ' he added . riley and colleagues at nottingham have producing 36 watts of electricity under laboratory conditions and recently started installing and testing stoves in nepal and bangladesh . we must adapt the lab version for each area , taking into account local biomass fuels , types of pots and pans used to cook , along with the everyday tasks the unit will be required for , ' riley said . in the 2011 world energy outlook , the international energy agency ( iea ) reported that around 1.3 billion people presently have no access to electricity with 95 % of this number living in sub-saharan africa or developing asia . even small amounts of electricity ( score-stove 's aim is to achieve an output of around 150 watts ) could transform the lives of rural communities providing light and charging facilities for a booming cell phone market . according to the gsma -- an association representing mobile phone operators worldwide -- over 70 % of africa 's one billion population will own a cell phone by the end of 2012 . the score-stove also makes cooking more efficient helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limiting exposure to cooking smoke . nearly three billion people still rely on biomass stoves which cause around two million premature deaths annually , according to the world health organization . making score-stoves in large numbers would currently cost around $ 250 per unit , riley says , but a target of around $ 30 in the future is realistic . that 's the next stage of the research . we hope to be making this in the millions . we are talking to several large manufacturers who are evaluating the product at the moment , ' he said . i am convinced that a wood-burning stove that can also generate electricity will benefit these ( three billion ) people . perhaps more . ' | score-stove currently undergoing field trials in nepal and bangladesh |
illinois <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the throaty , thumping churn of the military helicopter convoy is a sound like no other . it 's a common sound in washington , but less so in the skies over chicago . barack obama does n't get back to his old town much these days . he did last week ; he returned to illinois for slightly more than 24 hours to celebrate his 49th birthday with some friends , to make a public appearance at an auto plant , to raise some money for upcoming campaigns . and as he arrived late on a wet and cloud-darkened afternoon , there was that baritone rumble of the line of helicopters , there were the chicagoans looking up toward the president in marine one , there were the streets closed to traffic in anticipation of his motorcade . obama arouses in people such political passions , both positive and negative , that sometime it feels futile to discuss him without knowing that the conversation will veer inevitably into heated partisan territory . yet there may be some usefulness -- especially for those of us not consumed by politics -- in stepping back , on an occasion like one of his rare returns to illinois , to consider a lesson inherent in his rise : aim high . it seems pretty simple , after the fact . obama is president of the united states . of course he was ambitious ; of course he set his sights high , in his successful 2004 campaign for the u.s. senate and then in the 2008 campaign that took him to the white house . today those decisions of his are , literally , history . but it is instructive to think of him not as the man in marine one , but as the frustrated 41-year-old state legislator in springfield , illinois , in january of 2003 . he had tried once for an office that would move him onto the national stage ; in 2000 he had attempted a run for the united states house of representatives . he was crushed by a margin of 2-to-1 in the democratic primary . by 2003 he was back in springfield , a face in the crowd . he was known to those who follow state politics closely , and to statehouse reporters , but obama at the beginning of 2003 could have walked into most restaurants and stores in chicago and not have turned a single head . there were two marquee political stars in the state : the glamorous new governor , rod blagojevich , who had just been sworn in for his first term , and the mayor of chicago , richard m. daley , bearer of the most famous name in local government . what was obama to do ? bide his time in springfield , hoping to achieve increasingly more influential committee assignments ? eventually try once more for the u.s. house of representatives , after the humiliating rejection in 2000 ? put his ambitions for elective office away , and take up the private practice of law ? we know what he did instead . aim high . it does n't always work ; a person can aim high , and fall flat on his face . he can be mocked for even trying , especially when he comes up short . but as marine one and its convoy thundered over the edge of where lake michigan touches the shore in chicago last week , as the people on the streets looked skyward , a jury at the everett m. dirksen federal building a few blocks to the west had just completed another day of deliberations that will determine if rod blagojevich will remain a free citizen or will be sent to prison . when obama , before climbing into the helicopter , had landed at o'hare international airport in air force one , richard daley was waiting patiently in the rain to stand in a receiving line and shake the president 's hand . things have n't been going particularly smoothly for obama in recent months ; his poll numbers are down , he seems under constant criticism from every direction , his missteps often appear on newspaper front pages and at the top of television newscasts . why anyone wants the job that a president has is a question that rational people tend to ask themselves from time to time . yet when we do take that step back from the frenzy of a given day , and consider the choices a person makes during the course of a lifetime -- the choices about whether to be satisfied with what you have , or to take that leap of faith and try for something beyond what the rest of the world thinks you can do . . . . i have a copy of a letter , a public document , that i have held onto since november 13 , 2008 , when it was written . it 's very brief . it was addressed to blagojevich , who on that day was still the governor of illinois . dear mr . governor : ' i hereby resign effective november 16 , 2008 from the united states senate in order to prepare for my duties as president of the united states . sincerely , ' barack obama ' you ask yourself what must go through his mind , in his seat aboard marine one , as he looks down at the city where he once lived , at the people who live there now , the people peering up toward the chopper convoy 's roar . impossible things can happen to a person . but first , a person has to try . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | barack obama was a state legislator whose advancement was blocked in illinois |
afghan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a suicide car bombing targeting a coalition convoy in the heart of afghanistan 's capital on thursday killed at least 12 people , six americans and six afghans , authorities said . nato 's international security assistance force said two u.s. service members working with isaf and four isaf-contracted civilians died in the kabul bombing the four were americans working with dyncorp international , a contracting firm based in falls church , virginia , the company said . the people worked on a program that provided mentors and trainers to support the development of afghanistan 's defense ministry . three of those people were wounded . an afghan interior ministry spokesman said at least six afghan civilians were killed and 30 were injured , an interior ministry spokesman said . the fatalities included at least two children . isaf commander gen. joseph dunford said insurgents deliberately exploded a bomb today in a residential area of the most populated city in afghanistan , ' killing and wounding dozens of afghans . the insurgents use these desperate and indiscriminate acts of violence to slow the momentum of afghanistan 's progress . the insurgents can not offer the afghan people a better future . all they can offer is violence and oppression . ' the insurgent group hezb-e islami , led by gulbuddin hekmatyar , claimed responsibility for the attack a one-time prime minister , hekmatyar has been against the government and the presence of the foreign forces in afghanistan since the fall of the taliban regime in 2001 . he is not under the taliban leadership , but operates alongside them . the incident comes during the taliban 's spring offensive . we had planned this for days before we got a chance to target american advisers , ' said haroon zarghon , a spokesman for the group . | many afghan civilians were killed and wounded , isaf said |
u.s . marshals <tsp> editor 's note : the u.s . marshals service last week launched one of the largest weeklong fugitive sweeps in the southeastern united states . cnn takes you inside the operation . authorities received a tip that a convicted child molester was living here . he was captured at a hardware store . atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- the trail for the convicted child molester seemed to grow cold as the police combed his empty apartment . james maurice robinson , 25 , a confessed sex offender , had been on the run for more than two years , and it looked as if he would elude capture yet again . the authorities huddled in a nearby parking lot to discuss plan b , an air of disgust hanging over them . james ergas , the u.s . marshal helping to lead this operation , acts on a tip . he pulls out his cell phone and calls a hardware store where the suspect may be working . using a ruse , he begins speaking to the manager and , at one point , robinson himself gets on the phone and unknowingly talks to the very man trying to catch him . gotcha ! authorities now know exactly where their man is . he 's seven miles away , on the other side of town . it 's 11:02 a.m. ergas guns his unmarked sport utility vehicle at 95 miles per hour through downtown atlanta , zipping in and out of the city 's notorious traffic congestion . hear cops bang door , see raid on a home : get down ! ' » ' i 've got no place in my heart for pedophiles , ' he says , pressing down harder on the gas . the vehicle thrusts forward . ten minutes later , he whips his suv into the store 's parking lot . the suspect 's car , a burgundy , four-door pontiac grand am , sits near a back stairwell . when we go in there , he 's going to run out the back , ' ergas says . he parks near the front of the building and alerts his backup . within minutes , the full team arrives . two take position near the back stairwell . ergas and other team members , dressed in black flak jackets , enter the front door at 11:19 a.m. robinson does n't have a chance . he tries to run , but slips . ergas points his taser and prepares to zap him . robinson knows his gig is up . he surrenders peacefully . he saw the taser , ' ergas says , with a smile . nobody wants to be tased . ' more than 100 miles away , the man who first arrested robinson in march 2004 gets word of the capture . anytime we can get a pervert off the street like that , it 's going to make me happy , ' said robert tate , a detective with the lafayette police department in northwest georgia , near the tennessee border . robinson had been accused of exposing himself to a 10-year-old boy in a wal-mart bathroom and masturbating in front of him . police records indicate the boy was so petrified he was afraid to leave the stall for 15 minutes afterward . robinson pleaded guilty to one count of child molestation on may 26 , 2005 , according to the walker county district attorney 's office . but he skipped town and never made his sentencing hearing on february 14 , 2006 , authorities said . a warrant was then issued for his arrest . robinson now faces five to 20 years in prison , the da 's office said . robinson was one of 1,250 fugitives busted in georgia last week as part of operation falcon , a nationwide sweep to arrest some of the most violent offenders . of the arrests in georgia , 724 came in metro atlanta ; two were suspected killers , authorities said . multiple sweeps like these have already taken place in other cities in recent weeks as part of falcon . more are coming to undisclosed regions of the country . authorities would not release further details about the nationwide hunt due to the ongoing nature of the operation . our primary focus when we do this operation are violent offenders , sex offenders and gang members , ' says keith booker , the commander of the u.s . marshals southeast regional fugitive task force leading this sweep that included 115 federal , state and local agencies . the fugitives were wanted on felony charges ranging from murder and aggravated assault to rape and armed robbery to child molestation and an array of parole violations . on this day , while ergas and his eight- to 10-member team hit multiple spots where fugitives were believed to be living , another 150 agents , investigators , detectives , officers and deputies were working other parts of metro atlanta . of the 700-plus arrests made around atlanta , authorities smashed through 154 doors . not every suspect was captured , but the hunt generated leads that will be followed up . the work involved grueling and dangerous 14- to 18-hour days , but the officers still found time to laugh . there was one who tasered himself while running after a suspect , and another who held up a bag of oregano thinking it was pot and quizzed his subjects . both provided fodder for the watercooler . then , there was the suspect wanted for aggravated assault who authorities said tried to jump over a 30-foot wall , breaking several bones when he landed . he did n't want to go to jail . instead , he went to jail crippled , ' ergas said . the police kept close tabs on the six different teams'arrests , an internal competition to see who could bag more wanted felons . team vulture beat out team osprey with 147 arrests to 132 . at the end of the operation , about 80 officers crowded into a large conference room and were briefed on the final results . you prevented a lot of victims this week , ' booker told them . law enforcement studies , he said , indicate the typical fugitive commits an average of 13 crimes while they 're on the run . if that 's true , more than 15,000 potential victims have been spared . these people ca n't commit crimes against other people while they 're locked up , ' booker said . | u.s . marshals carry out massive fugitive sweep , nab 1,250 fugitives in georgia |
america <tsp> ( lonelyplanet.com ) -- have you ever visited a building that gave you the creeps ? these 10 buildings around the world are guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine . 1 . wat rong khun , chang rai , thailand still under construction , chiang rai 's controversial modern temple is part traditional buddhist temple , part white-frosted wedding cake , and part avant-garde art with a disturbing penchant for pointiness . visitors must cross a bridge to the temple over a field of fangs and hundreds of pleading white arms and suffering faces of statues reaching up from hell . while stark whiteness predominates , the inside and other parts of the temple compound ( including the toilets ) are sparkling gold . wat rong khun is open daily ; the white temple is a short drive from chiang rai . 2 . sedlec ossuary , kutná hora , czech republic by the mid-1800s , the crypt at the sedlec monastery had been a popular burial site for centuries , with plague outbreaks and hussite wars contributing thousands of remains . in the 1870s a local woodcarver was hired to make creative use of the bones that had been piling up in the crypt . this was no minor task : the ossuary contains the remains of over 40,000 people , many of which were used to decorate the chapel . the effect is as beautiful as it is macabre : elaborate light fixtures , arrays of bells , furnishings , splashy wall treatments and coats of arms are all loving recreated from skulls and bones of all sizes . is that chandelier staring back at you ? to reach the monastery , drag your bones 800m south from kutná hora 's main train station . more gory details at www.kostnice.cz . lonely planet : how to travel like a kid 3 . ryugyong hotel , pyongyang , north korea under construction since 1987 , the massive and still unfinished 105-story ryugyong hotel in pyongyang looks like a luxury hotel designed for mordor . nicknamed the'hotel of doom'and described as'the worst building in the history of mankind'by esquire , construction halted due to lack of funding , and the partially completed building stood windowless and looming ominously over the city for 16 years before work resumed in 2008 . strikingly modern when first designed , time has not been kind to the building , which now looks simultaneously menacing , dated , and unconscionably extravagant relative to the impoverished populace . once granted a visa , visitors to north korea have little choice in where they are allowed to visit or photograph , but at 105 stories , the ryugyong hotel is hard to miss from anywhere in the capital . 4 . dongyue temple , běijīng , china běijīng 's most morbid shrine , the operating taoist shrine of dongyue temple is an unsettling but fascinating place to visit . stepping through the entrance you find yourself in taoist hades , where tormented spirits reflect on their wrongdoings . the'life and death department'is a spiritual place to ponder your eventual demise , the'department for wandering ghosts'and the'department for implementing 15 kinds of violent death'have slightly less inviting names , while the ill might seek out the'deep-rooted disease department'. other halls are less morbid , but no less interesting . visit during the chinese new year or the mid-autumn festival to see the temple at its most vibrant . paying the extra yuan for a guide can be helpful for interpreting the aspects of the temple that might otherwise defy explanation . 5 . lemp mansion , st louis , usa reputed to be one of the usa 's most haunted houses ( if there are degrees of hauntedness ) , st louis'lemp mansion has a long history of odd occurrences . charles lemp committed suicide in the house in 1949 and , ever since , strange things have taken place at the house , including doors that swing open spontaneously , glasses that leap off tables and break , and a tragically short-lived reality tv show . today , the mansion operates as a restaurant and inn that capitalizes on the morbid fame through murder mystery dinner theatre , halloween parties and weekly tours by a noted'paranormal investigator'. stay the night if you dare . the mansion can be found just off i-55 , south of the anheuser-busch brewery . find more information on spooky events and reservations at www.lempmansion.com . 6 . scott monument , edinburgh , scotland a spiky gothic fantasy with more than a passing resemblance to a thai temple , the monument to sir walter scott is a beloved fixture of the edinburgh skyline . just 61m high , the climb to the top does n't sound daunting until you find yourself wedged into the preposterously tiny spiral staircase . the final curve is so notoriously tight that squeezing yourself out the final doorway requires the flexibility of a spelunker . edinburgh mystery writer ian rankin once set the scene of the crime at the top of the scott monument , with much of the story focusing on the physics of getting a stiff cadaver down the twisty staircase . not a claustrophobe ? this might make you think otherwise . for history and seasonal visiting hours , see www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk . lonely planet : hotels where famous people have died 7 . catacombe dei cappuccini , palermo , italy all of the inhabitants of the catacombs below palermo 's capuchin monastery are decked out in their sunday best . unfortunately , that sunday was several hundred years ago , and the outfits have fared significantly better that the wearers . the mummified bodies and skeletons of some 8000 palermitans from the 1600s through to the 1800s are kept in the catacombs for all to see , some so well preserved that they look eerily lifelike . men and women occupy separate corridors , and within the women 's area there 's a special virgin-only section . spooky for adults , probably terrifying for the kiddies - be warned . the catacombs are a 15-minute walk from palermo 's piazza independenza along via cappuccini or a short bus ride . 8 . chernobyl reactor # 4 , ukraine famously the site of the world 's biggest nuclear disaster in 1986 , the 30km-radius exclusion zone is mostly uninhabited today , but limited tours have been available since 2002 for travelers who are curious enough to get a glimpse of the industrial ghost town and are n't put off by the ominous click of a geiger counter . factories , homes , schools , and a particularly creepy abandoned amusement park stand decaying and choked with weeds , but remain much as they looked at the time of disaster . the ukrainian government has indicated that the exclusion zone will be increasingly open to travelers in the coming years . just do n't step on the radioactive moss . the best way to visit chernobyl is to use one of the several kiev-based agencies such as solo east or new logic . 9 . ottawa jail hostel , canada want to spend the night in the slammer ? why not make it a jail haunted by the spirits of former inmates and deemed unsuitable for prisoners in the early1970s due to appalling conditions ? opened in 1862 , the carleton county gaol was in operation for over a century , but it was hardly a hit with the prisoners who complained of cramped conditions and sanitation problems . it might not have been suitable for prisoners at the time , but if you 're a traveler on a tight budget and do n't mind that your room happens to be a prison cell and your bunkmate might be spectral , it 's perfect . as a'prisoner'today , your punishment includes parking , wifi , and a games lounge . to get yourself locked up for the night in the canadian capital , search availability here . 10 . white alice , alaska , usa a gold-rush town a century ago and the finishing line for the iditarod dog-sled race today , nome is the perfect example of a honky-tonk , almost-at-the-arctic-circle frontier town . overlooking the town and the bering straits from the top of anvil mountain is white alice , a weird cold war relic . from down in the town it looks like a bizarre space-age stonehenge , closer up it could be a film set for a shoot of the victorian-era war of the worlds . the four strange corrugated-iron sound reflector structures were intended for listening to suspicious soviet activity . for a real alaskan experience visit white alice during the midnight sun : nome and the bering straits at your feet , the arctic circle just to the north and siberia not far west . originally published as top 10 spookiest buildings around the world ' © 2011 lonely planet . all rights reserved . lonely planet : a day trip to chernobyl © 2011 lonely planet . all rights reserved . | the lemp mansion in st. louis is considered to be one of america 's most haunted houses |
peterson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jury selection began monday in the murder trial of former chicago-area police officer drew peterson , who is accused of killing his third wife and is the leading suspect in the disappearance of his fourth . opening statements are scheduled for next week . peterson 's attorney joel brodsky told cnn 's sister network in session that he expects the trial to last about a month . peterson , 58 , is charged in the 2004 death of his third wife , kathleen savio . he also remains under investigation in the october 2007 disappearance of fourth wife , stacy peterson . in april , an illinois appellate court ruled that prosecutors may use potentially incriminating statements made by savio and peterson 's still-missing wife against him -- a key development in the case . ex-cop attends hearing in wife 's death the ruling overturned an earlier judge 's decision that forbid prosecutors from using eight statements made by savio before her death and by stacy peterson before her disappearance . when savio was found dead in a bathtub in 2004 , it was ruled accidental . she had been divorced from peterson for about five months when she died , though a court was still deciding how their marital assets would be divided . savio was to receive part of peterson 's pension and other support . just eight days after his divorce from savio , peterson married stacy cales , then 19 . after stacy peterson went missing in october 2007 , her husband became the focus of a police investigation . authorities exhumed savio 's body and conducted a second autopsy , this time ruling her death a homicide . since savio is dead and stacy peterson is missing , the defense has argued that using their alleged statements to family and friends violates peterson 's sixth amendment right to confront the witnesses against him . among the statements the appeal court allowed is one in which stacy told her pastor that she saw drew peterson return home the morning savio died , dressed in black and carrying a bag of women 's clothes that were not hers . drew peterson goes on trial in 3rd wife 's death ; 4th wife still missing in general , hearsay statements made to third parties can not be introduced at trial unless a defendant can cross-examine the person who made them . there are some exceptions if prosecutors can prove the statement is reliable . but a new illinois law , which some call drew 's law , ' goes beyond those exceptions . the law , passed in 2008 while investigators were looking for stacy peterson , allows courts to consider statements from unavailable witnesses , ' provided prosecutors can prove the witness was killed to prevent his or her testimony . the intrigue surrounding the case has added to drew peterson 's mystique and prompted the lifetime movie drew peterson : untouchable , ' which set a ratings record of 5.8 million viewers for the channel when it premiered in january . peterson finds lifetime movie laughable ' peterson 's attorney : drew will get first class defense get a glimpse of drew peterson 's home in session 's michael christian contributed to this report . | peterson is charged in the 2004 death of kathleen savio , his third wife |
peterson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jury selection began monday in the murder trial of former chicago-area police officer drew peterson , who is accused of killing his third wife and is the leading suspect in the disappearance of his fourth . opening statements are scheduled for next week . peterson 's attorney joel brodsky told cnn 's sister network in session that he expects the trial to last about a month . peterson , 58 , is charged in the 2004 death of his third wife , kathleen savio . he also remains under investigation in the october 2007 disappearance of fourth wife , stacy peterson . in april , an illinois appellate court ruled that prosecutors may use potentially incriminating statements made by savio and peterson 's still-missing wife against him -- a key development in the case . ex-cop attends hearing in wife 's death the ruling overturned an earlier judge 's decision that forbid prosecutors from using eight statements made by savio before her death and by stacy peterson before her disappearance . when savio was found dead in a bathtub in 2004 , it was ruled accidental . she had been divorced from peterson for about five months when she died , though a court was still deciding how their marital assets would be divided . savio was to receive part of peterson 's pension and other support . just eight days after his divorce from savio , peterson married stacy cales , then 19 . after stacy peterson went missing in october 2007 , her husband became the focus of a police investigation . authorities exhumed savio 's body and conducted a second autopsy , this time ruling her death a homicide . since savio is dead and stacy peterson is missing , the defense has argued that using their alleged statements to family and friends violates peterson 's sixth amendment right to confront the witnesses against him . among the statements the appeal court allowed is one in which stacy told her pastor that she saw drew peterson return home the morning savio died , dressed in black and carrying a bag of women 's clothes that were not hers . drew peterson goes on trial in 3rd wife 's death ; 4th wife still missing in general , hearsay statements made to third parties can not be introduced at trial unless a defendant can cross-examine the person who made them . there are some exceptions if prosecutors can prove the statement is reliable . but a new illinois law , which some call drew 's law , ' goes beyond those exceptions . the law , passed in 2008 while investigators were looking for stacy peterson , allows courts to consider statements from unavailable witnesses , ' provided prosecutors can prove the witness was killed to prevent his or her testimony . the intrigue surrounding the case has added to drew peterson 's mystique and prompted the lifetime movie drew peterson : untouchable , ' which set a ratings record of 5.8 million viewers for the channel when it premiered in january . peterson finds lifetime movie laughable ' peterson 's attorney : drew will get first class defense get a glimpse of drew peterson 's home in session 's michael christian contributed to this report . | drew peterson 's attorney says the trial should last about a month |
peterson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jury selection began monday in the murder trial of former chicago-area police officer drew peterson , who is accused of killing his third wife and is the leading suspect in the disappearance of his fourth . opening statements are scheduled for next week . peterson 's attorney joel brodsky told cnn 's sister network in session that he expects the trial to last about a month . peterson , 58 , is charged in the 2004 death of his third wife , kathleen savio . he also remains under investigation in the october 2007 disappearance of fourth wife , stacy peterson . in april , an illinois appellate court ruled that prosecutors may use potentially incriminating statements made by savio and peterson 's still-missing wife against him -- a key development in the case . ex-cop attends hearing in wife 's death the ruling overturned an earlier judge 's decision that forbid prosecutors from using eight statements made by savio before her death and by stacy peterson before her disappearance . when savio was found dead in a bathtub in 2004 , it was ruled accidental . she had been divorced from peterson for about five months when she died , though a court was still deciding how their marital assets would be divided . savio was to receive part of peterson 's pension and other support . just eight days after his divorce from savio , peterson married stacy cales , then 19 . after stacy peterson went missing in october 2007 , her husband became the focus of a police investigation . authorities exhumed savio 's body and conducted a second autopsy , this time ruling her death a homicide . since savio is dead and stacy peterson is missing , the defense has argued that using their alleged statements to family and friends violates peterson 's sixth amendment right to confront the witnesses against him . among the statements the appeal court allowed is one in which stacy told her pastor that she saw drew peterson return home the morning savio died , dressed in black and carrying a bag of women 's clothes that were not hers . drew peterson goes on trial in 3rd wife 's death ; 4th wife still missing in general , hearsay statements made to third parties can not be introduced at trial unless a defendant can cross-examine the person who made them . there are some exceptions if prosecutors can prove the statement is reliable . but a new illinois law , which some call drew 's law , ' goes beyond those exceptions . the law , passed in 2008 while investigators were looking for stacy peterson , allows courts to consider statements from unavailable witnesses , ' provided prosecutors can prove the witness was killed to prevent his or her testimony . the intrigue surrounding the case has added to drew peterson 's mystique and prompted the lifetime movie drew peterson : untouchable , ' which set a ratings record of 5.8 million viewers for the channel when it premiered in january . peterson finds lifetime movie laughable ' peterson 's attorney : drew will get first class defense get a glimpse of drew peterson 's home in session 's michael christian contributed to this report . | in april , an illinois appellate court ruled hearsay evidence may be used against peterson |
idf <tsp> despite calls for a new cease-fire , fighting intensified in gaza on monday and tuesday morning , with palestinians saying more than two dozen people died as rockets or mortars struck a refugee camp , a hospital and the center of gaza city . eighteen people died as powerful and continuous air strikes rained down on gaza city early tuesday morning , the palestinian health authority reported . and the israeli military reported that 10 of its soldiers were killed monday . al aqsa tv reported that israeli strikes hit the ministry of finance in western gaza and the house of ismail haniyeh , a senior political leader of hamas . a radio station run by hamas was bombed . ten people , including eight children , were killed monday when shells hit a refugee camp near the beach in gaza where parents went to celebrate eid al-fitr , a muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of ramadan , the gaza health ministry said . the children were playing in the street near their homes when an explosion shook the ground . holes as large as fists pockmarked a nearby building , and 10 people -- eight of them children -- were killed , according to gaza 's health ministry . in the chaos , they were rushed to nearby shifa hospital . a tv news outlet run by hamas showed live footage of the hospital . the channel blamed the carnage on an israeli drone . shifa hospital had been hit , too . two people there were injured , the ministry said . as before , israel and hamas accused each other of sending the bombs that killed people in gaza . a short time later , israel sent a text message to the media blaming gaza terrorists ' for the attacks . in the blink of an eye , ' a father said , i found body parts and heads cut off , no arms , no legs . i started to collect limbs , heads i could n't recognize , i could n't recognize my own children . ' though world leaders pleaded for a humanitarian cease-fire , israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu sent a message on israeli television monday . we need to be prepared for a protracted campaign in gaza , ' he said . calling life under the threat of death inconceivable ' for israel , netanyahu said the military will not end its incursion into gaza until it has destroyed tunnels hamas is using to attack civilians outside gaza . defense minister moshe yaalon said israel will not negotiate while hamas is still attacking . we will not hesitate to expand our operation , ' he said . deaths in israel , too ten israeli soldiers were killed monday , according to the israel defense forces . five were killed fighting militants who tried to attack israeli civilians using a tunnel shaft leading to the nahal oz community , the idf said . israeli soldiers stopped the attempted attack , killing one of the attackers , the military said . one israeli soldier died in combat in southern gaza . and another four were killed and eight were injured by mortar fire near beeri , close to the israeli-gaza border , the idf said . ashraf al-qudra , spokesman for gaza health ministry , said 1,101 people have been killed and more than 6,500 wounded in gaza since the current conflict began . a total of 53 israeli soldiers have died . the tunnels a central goal of israel 's military is to destroy tunnels that hamas uses to smuggle weapons and launch attacks . cnn 's new day ' asked chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat what the purpose of the tunnels were . i know the situation is so much complex -- i 'm not saying i know the picture as a whole , ' he responded . but , he said , gaza is now like a burning building . we need to get the people out , and then we need to extinguish the fire , and then we sit down and talk . ' erakat called for israel to pull troops out of gaza . israel is n't acting in self-defense , he said . they 're the occupying power . they should be responsible for the human lives there . ' erakat said u.n. figures show 90 % of those killed are women and children . ' it was unclear what he was basing those figures on . the united nations estimates that more than 70 % of the palestinians killed were civilians , including 226 youths and 117 women . more than 150 were members of armed groups , the united nations says . unicef said monday that about two-thirds of the children killed were 12 or younger . israel blames hamas for civilian deaths , saying militants encourage people to stay in their homes despite israeli warnings that strikes are coming . militants also use civilian facilities such as homes , schools , mosques and hospitals to launch attacks on israeli civilians and store weapons . calls , hopes for peace the gaza crisis was discussed monday in a joint call involving u.s. president barack obama . british prime minister david cameron , german chancellor angela merkel , french president francois hollande and italian prime minister matteo renzi . a statement from cameron 's office said the leaders agreed on the urgent need for a lasting ceasefire in gaza and israel , backing the efforts of the egyptian government to achieve this . ' u.s. secretary of state john kerry returned to washington after a trip to the middle east and paris , where he held discussions in an attempt to calm the violence . his efforts were criticized by israeli media and palestinian leaders . a spokesman for u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said monday night that he was concerned the idf had dropped leaflets in the northern gaza strip , warning thousands of residents to leave their homes and evacuate to gaza city . if true , this would have a devastating humanitarian impact ' on gaza residents , he said . at a midnight meeting , the u.n. security council proclaimed its support for a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states , israel and palestine , live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders as envisioned in security council resolution 1850 ( 2008 ) . ' that fell short of palestinian ambassador riyad mansour 's desires . he wanted the body to pass a resolution calling for the withdrawal of israeli forces from gaza . the equation is simple , ' israeli ambassador ron prosor said . when it is quiet in israel , it will be quiet in gaza . ' obama had another phone conversation with netanyahu on sunday , reiterating concern about the rising palestinian civilian deaths , israeli deaths and the worsening humanitarian situation in gaza . ' israel : we 're not responsible for last week 's school deaths the israeli military said it was not responsible for anyone killed last week when an errant israeli mortar ' hit the courtyard of a u.n. school that was shelter to many gaza residents . u.n. and palestinian officials said 16 people were killed and hundreds were wounded thursday when the school in northern gaza was struck . israel defense forces spokesman lt. col. peter lerner said militants had fired anti-tank missiles from the immediate area of the school , and the idf fired several mortar shells back in that direction . a single errant israeli mortar landed in the courtyard in the school , ' lerner said . the footage we have shows the courtyard was empty . ' we reject the claim that people were killed by the idf mortar on the school premises , ' he added . but lerner said there could have been people who were wounded by shrapnel . israeli government spokesman , mark regev said , the question is who is responsible , and for that we have to look at seriously and judiciously and make sure we get to the truth . ' a cnn team that visited the shelter several hours after the mortar attack saw evidence that people were badly wounded at the courtyard . the team saw blood and strewn possessions concentrated close to the edge of the courtyard along the wall of the building , the area that would have been shady around 3 p.m. when the school was hit . the idf released a high-altitude aerial video of the round hitting the school , but it did not have high resolution and it is impossible to tell if anybody was sitting on the courtyard edge . map : tension felt around the world | five israeli soldiers killed in militant tunnel attack , idf says |
chechnya <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- the head of a leading russian human rights group accused the presidents of russia and chechnya of complicity in murdering their top activist in chechnya . natalya estemirova , pictured in 2007 , had been openly critical of chechnya 's president , ramzan kadyrov . i am confident about who killed natalya estemirova . we all know this person . his name is ramzan kadyrov , president of the chechen republic , ' oleg orlov , the chairman of the russian human rights group memorial said on the group 's web site thursday . ramzan was intimidating and insulting natalya , and considered her his personal enemy . we do n't know whether it was him personally who ordered her [ murder ] or it were his aides who wanted to please their boss . as far as [ russian ] president [ dmitry ] medvedev is concerned , it seems that he does n't mind having a murderer as head of one of the russian regions . ' estemirova , 50 , was kidnapped outside her home in chechnya wednesday , orlov said , citing eyewitnesses , and found dead in the neighboring russian republic of ingushetia later the same day . her body was riddled with bullets , russian prosecutors said -- several shots to the abdomen , and one to the head . the winner of three international human rights awards , she was a leading activist in the north caucasus area who had been openly critical of kadyrov and his methods . kadyrov vowed thursday that he would personally oversee the investigation and assure her killers were punished . she could n't have had enemies among reasonable people , ' he said in a statement on the chechen government web site . those who took away her life have no right to be called humans , they do n't deserve any mercy , and should be punished as the most cruel criminals . i have no doubts whatsoever that those who ordered and conducted this crime will face trial , ' he said . that is the very least that the government and society must do in commemoration of estemirova . ' medvedev said thursday the murder was a very sad event , ' adding it was absolutely clear ... her murder is linked to her professional activities . her type of professional activity is needed by any normal state . she did very useful things . she spoke the truth . she openly , sometimes harshly assessed some types of processes that occurred in our country , and this is the value of human rights workers , even if they are not comfortable , ' medvedev said thursday on a visit to germany . his host , german chancellor angela merkel , warned the killing could affect russian-german relations . this is an unacceptable event , and especially if we want to intensify the relations between our two countries , it can not remain unsolved , ' she said in a joint appearance with medvedev . medvedev had earlier condemned the murder and said her killers should punished to the full extent of the law , his office said . estemirova shouted that she was being kidnapped , as she was forced into a white lada automobile that had stopped on the road in front of her house on wednesday morning , orlov said . an unidentified man grabbed her and shoved her into the car , orlov told cnn . estemirova had spent years investigating human rights abuses in chechnya , the restive russian republic where russian forces have fought two conflicts against separatists since 1991 . russia officially ended its military mission in chechnya in april of this year . the activist told cnn in 2007 she was investigating dozens of abductions and murders that had become the norm in chechnya , where security forces were fighting a dirty war against separatist rebels . she joins a growing list of journalists and activists killed after criticizing the russian authorities , many of whose murders remain officially unsolved . top united states and european officials condemned the murder of estemirova and demanded that the killers be brought to justice . such a heinous crime sends a chilling signal to russian civil society and the international community and illustrates the tragic deterioration of security and the rule of law in the north caucasus over the last several months , ' u.s. national security council spokesman mike hammer said in a statement . how many more natalya estemirovas and anna politkovskayas must be killed before the russian authorities protect people who stand up for the human rights of russian citizens ? ' council of europe secretary general terry davis demanded , referring to the russian investigative journalist who was killed in 2006 . the committee to protect journalists said in a written statement that estemirova had uncovered massive , ongoing human rights violations in chechnya by the federal and regional authorities . ' the killers of this courageous reporter , one of the few left in chechnya , must not be allowed to walk free like so many before them , ' cpj deputy director robert mahoney said . she won three international awards for human rights activities -- including the inaugural anna politkovskaya award , named for the murdered journalist with whom she often worked . estemirova was politkovskaya 's most frequent companion during travel and investigations in chechnya , ' the organization reach all women in war said in announcing the prize for estemirova . they investigated a number of cases together -- about which anna wrote for ( the newspaper ) novaya gazeta and natalya wrote for memorial 's web site and for local newspapers . ' estemirova studied history at grozny university , then taught history before turning to journalism and human rights in 1998 , memorial said . she joined the organization in march 2000 . cnn 's senior international correspondent matthew chance , maxim tkachenko and mike sefanov in moscow , russia , contributed to this report . | estemirova was abducted outside her home in grozny , chechnya |
chechnya <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- the head of a leading russian human rights group accused the presidents of russia and chechnya of complicity in murdering their top activist in chechnya . natalya estemirova , pictured in 2007 , had been openly critical of chechnya 's president , ramzan kadyrov . i am confident about who killed natalya estemirova . we all know this person . his name is ramzan kadyrov , president of the chechen republic , ' oleg orlov , the chairman of the russian human rights group memorial said on the group 's web site thursday . ramzan was intimidating and insulting natalya , and considered her his personal enemy . we do n't know whether it was him personally who ordered her [ murder ] or it were his aides who wanted to please their boss . as far as [ russian ] president [ dmitry ] medvedev is concerned , it seems that he does n't mind having a murderer as head of one of the russian regions . ' estemirova , 50 , was kidnapped outside her home in chechnya wednesday , orlov said , citing eyewitnesses , and found dead in the neighboring russian republic of ingushetia later the same day . her body was riddled with bullets , russian prosecutors said -- several shots to the abdomen , and one to the head . the winner of three international human rights awards , she was a leading activist in the north caucasus area who had been openly critical of kadyrov and his methods . kadyrov vowed thursday that he would personally oversee the investigation and assure her killers were punished . she could n't have had enemies among reasonable people , ' he said in a statement on the chechen government web site . those who took away her life have no right to be called humans , they do n't deserve any mercy , and should be punished as the most cruel criminals . i have no doubts whatsoever that those who ordered and conducted this crime will face trial , ' he said . that is the very least that the government and society must do in commemoration of estemirova . ' medvedev said thursday the murder was a very sad event , ' adding it was absolutely clear ... her murder is linked to her professional activities . her type of professional activity is needed by any normal state . she did very useful things . she spoke the truth . she openly , sometimes harshly assessed some types of processes that occurred in our country , and this is the value of human rights workers , even if they are not comfortable , ' medvedev said thursday on a visit to germany . his host , german chancellor angela merkel , warned the killing could affect russian-german relations . this is an unacceptable event , and especially if we want to intensify the relations between our two countries , it can not remain unsolved , ' she said in a joint appearance with medvedev . medvedev had earlier condemned the murder and said her killers should punished to the full extent of the law , his office said . estemirova shouted that she was being kidnapped , as she was forced into a white lada automobile that had stopped on the road in front of her house on wednesday morning , orlov said . an unidentified man grabbed her and shoved her into the car , orlov told cnn . estemirova had spent years investigating human rights abuses in chechnya , the restive russian republic where russian forces have fought two conflicts against separatists since 1991 . russia officially ended its military mission in chechnya in april of this year . the activist told cnn in 2007 she was investigating dozens of abductions and murders that had become the norm in chechnya , where security forces were fighting a dirty war against separatist rebels . she joins a growing list of journalists and activists killed after criticizing the russian authorities , many of whose murders remain officially unsolved . top united states and european officials condemned the murder of estemirova and demanded that the killers be brought to justice . such a heinous crime sends a chilling signal to russian civil society and the international community and illustrates the tragic deterioration of security and the rule of law in the north caucasus over the last several months , ' u.s. national security council spokesman mike hammer said in a statement . how many more natalya estemirovas and anna politkovskayas must be killed before the russian authorities protect people who stand up for the human rights of russian citizens ? ' council of europe secretary general terry davis demanded , referring to the russian investigative journalist who was killed in 2006 . the committee to protect journalists said in a written statement that estemirova had uncovered massive , ongoing human rights violations in chechnya by the federal and regional authorities . ' the killers of this courageous reporter , one of the few left in chechnya , must not be allowed to walk free like so many before them , ' cpj deputy director robert mahoney said . she won three international awards for human rights activities -- including the inaugural anna politkovskaya award , named for the murdered journalist with whom she often worked . estemirova was politkovskaya 's most frequent companion during travel and investigations in chechnya , ' the organization reach all women in war said in announcing the prize for estemirova . they investigated a number of cases together -- about which anna wrote for ( the newspaper ) novaya gazeta and natalya wrote for memorial 's web site and for local newspapers . ' estemirova studied history at grozny university , then taught history before turning to journalism and human rights in 1998 , memorial said . she joined the organization in march 2000 . cnn 's senior international correspondent matthew chance , maxim tkachenko and mike sefanov in moscow , russia , contributed to this report . | leaders of russia and chechnya condemn the murder |
laura ingraham <tsp> ( cnn ) -- meghan mccain , a contributor to thedailybeast.com , is the daughter of sen. john mccain and cindy mccain . but it 's her recent verbal sparring with conservative republicans that 's put her in the spotlight . meghan mccain tells larry king on monday night : i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight . ' in a wide-ranging interview on monday on cnn 's larry king live , ' mccain discussed her thoughts on president obama , her recent heated exchange with radio host laura ingraham , her tattoos and more . the following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : [ president obama ] is taking some criticism for smiling and laughing [ during his 60 minutes ' interview . ] are you one of those critics ? meghan mccain : you know , i actually am not . i think anyone that would possibly think that the president is not taking the economy seriously -- i just think it 's ridiculous . ... king : [ is president obama getting overexposed ] ? mccain : i think he is on the verge of it . i do think you have to be careful . but it is a different generation . [ my ] generation ... we like our celebrities . and i think that he realizes that because he is very much a generation y president . however , he is on the risk of alienating his older followers . king : does obama seem like the same guy who ran against your dad ? how do you view him ? mccain : he 's our president and when the election was over and when president obama won , all negative feelings were gone . i support the president . king : how does your dad feel about that ? mccain : i think the same way . you know , my family is really good at letting go of things and moving on . and he just holds no grudges . king : do you think most of the people in your party agree with [ rush ] limbaugh ? do they want him to fail ? mccain : i do n't know , because there are many different personalities within the party . ... i would never want my president to fail , no matter which party is in power . king : you interviewed the [ louisiana ] governor 's wife ? mccain : i interviewed [ supyira ] jindal , the first lady of louisiana . and she 's a fascinating woman . she totally impressed me because she was very warm and friendly . i went down and interviewed her and the piece came out today on thedailybeast.com . king : do you like him [ gov . bobby jindal ] ? mccain : i do . you know , we do veer off on some things politically , but any leader that i 'm going to have i 'm going to veer off politically . king : do you consider yourself a moderate ? are you moderate liberal ? mccain : i consider myself a progressive republican . i am liberal on social issues . and i think that the party is at a place where social issues should n't be the issues that define the party . and i have taken heat , but in fairness to me , i am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat . i 'm 24 years old . i 'm not in my 40s , i 'm not in my 50s and older . king : therefore , you must , based on what you said , disagree with your father ? ... do you discuss it ? mccain : we have a very big generation gap between me and my father . yes , we discuss them . he 's very open-minded . i was raised in an open-minded home . i was raised a christian , but i was raised open-minded christian -- one to accept people , love people , not pass judgment . ... i believe in gay marriage . ... i personally am pro-life , but i 'm not going to judge someone that 's pro-choice . it is not my place to judge other people and what they do with their body . king : we have an e-mail question from veronica , huntington park , california : do you share most of your father 's political views ? ' mccain : when it comes to war and the economy , and many fiscal conservative values , i agree with him . i mean i fell in love with the republican party because of my father . king : earlier this month , [ you ] wrote a dailybeast column criticizing right-wing pundit ann coulter . conservative radio host laura ingraham fired back at you , including making a comment about your weight . you then gave a straight talk response in an appearance on the view . ' what led to that ? mccain : you know , it 's so funny . i was in the airport today and this guy goes , hey , meghan , kiss my fat ass . ' and i was like oh my gosh . that 's where this has gone to . as far as i 'm concerned with what 's going on with laura ingraham , on my end , it 's over . there are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders . and i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight and what kind of standards i 'm not fitting . ... king : were you surprised that laura , who 's had breast cancer , got into something that personal ? mccain : i had never heard of her before until this happened . king : you did n't know her ? mccain : no . i 'm not familiar with her work . but i hope she does n't do it again . king : what about ann coulter ? mccain : she did n't respond , which is fine with me . ... all i wanted to do is show women that you do n't have to be ann coulter and laura ingraham to have a place in the republican party . ... supriya jindal is a good role model , but a lot of people had n't heard of her . and i just want to show that you do n't have to think one way and fit into this one box in order to be a member of the republican party . king : were [ your parents ] angry at laura ingraham ? mccain : my mother was . she 's a very protective mama bear . king : are you a tattooer ? mccain : i have one . my brothers have a lot of tattoos . i love tattoos . i do . i know , you never would have thought me , right ? but i do . king : no . you do n't look like a tattooer . what do your folks think of that ? mccain : i 've got supportive parents , you know . my mom thinks it 's cute . ... i have a little star on my foot . king : what kind of dad is your father ? mccain : he 's great . i love my dad so much . he 's the best father to me . and like i said , he 's so supportive of me and my career and what i do and speaking my mind . when you grow up having a maverick as a father and an example , you can understand how i turned out like this . | meghan mccain tells larry king she 's over recent dust-up with laura ingraham |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- meghan mccain , a contributor to thedailybeast.com , is the daughter of sen. john mccain and cindy mccain . but it 's her recent verbal sparring with conservative republicans that 's put her in the spotlight . meghan mccain tells larry king on monday night : i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight . ' in a wide-ranging interview on monday on cnn 's larry king live , ' mccain discussed her thoughts on president obama , her recent heated exchange with radio host laura ingraham , her tattoos and more . the following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : [ president obama ] is taking some criticism for smiling and laughing [ during his 60 minutes ' interview . ] are you one of those critics ? meghan mccain : you know , i actually am not . i think anyone that would possibly think that the president is not taking the economy seriously -- i just think it 's ridiculous . ... king : [ is president obama getting overexposed ] ? mccain : i think he is on the verge of it . i do think you have to be careful . but it is a different generation . [ my ] generation ... we like our celebrities . and i think that he realizes that because he is very much a generation y president . however , he is on the risk of alienating his older followers . king : does obama seem like the same guy who ran against your dad ? how do you view him ? mccain : he 's our president and when the election was over and when president obama won , all negative feelings were gone . i support the president . king : how does your dad feel about that ? mccain : i think the same way . you know , my family is really good at letting go of things and moving on . and he just holds no grudges . king : do you think most of the people in your party agree with [ rush ] limbaugh ? do they want him to fail ? mccain : i do n't know , because there are many different personalities within the party . ... i would never want my president to fail , no matter which party is in power . king : you interviewed the [ louisiana ] governor 's wife ? mccain : i interviewed [ supyira ] jindal , the first lady of louisiana . and she 's a fascinating woman . she totally impressed me because she was very warm and friendly . i went down and interviewed her and the piece came out today on thedailybeast.com . king : do you like him [ gov . bobby jindal ] ? mccain : i do . you know , we do veer off on some things politically , but any leader that i 'm going to have i 'm going to veer off politically . king : do you consider yourself a moderate ? are you moderate liberal ? mccain : i consider myself a progressive republican . i am liberal on social issues . and i think that the party is at a place where social issues should n't be the issues that define the party . and i have taken heat , but in fairness to me , i am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat . i 'm 24 years old . i 'm not in my 40s , i 'm not in my 50s and older . king : therefore , you must , based on what you said , disagree with your father ? ... do you discuss it ? mccain : we have a very big generation gap between me and my father . yes , we discuss them . he 's very open-minded . i was raised in an open-minded home . i was raised a christian , but i was raised open-minded christian -- one to accept people , love people , not pass judgment . ... i believe in gay marriage . ... i personally am pro-life , but i 'm not going to judge someone that 's pro-choice . it is not my place to judge other people and what they do with their body . king : we have an e-mail question from veronica , huntington park , california : do you share most of your father 's political views ? ' mccain : when it comes to war and the economy , and many fiscal conservative values , i agree with him . i mean i fell in love with the republican party because of my father . king : earlier this month , [ you ] wrote a dailybeast column criticizing right-wing pundit ann coulter . conservative radio host laura ingraham fired back at you , including making a comment about your weight . you then gave a straight talk response in an appearance on the view . ' what led to that ? mccain : you know , it 's so funny . i was in the airport today and this guy goes , hey , meghan , kiss my fat ass . ' and i was like oh my gosh . that 's where this has gone to . as far as i 'm concerned with what 's going on with laura ingraham , on my end , it 's over . there are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders . and i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight and what kind of standards i 'm not fitting . ... king : were you surprised that laura , who 's had breast cancer , got into something that personal ? mccain : i had never heard of her before until this happened . king : you did n't know her ? mccain : no . i 'm not familiar with her work . but i hope she does n't do it again . king : what about ann coulter ? mccain : she did n't respond , which is fine with me . ... all i wanted to do is show women that you do n't have to be ann coulter and laura ingraham to have a place in the republican party . ... supriya jindal is a good role model , but a lot of people had n't heard of her . and i just want to show that you do n't have to think one way and fit into this one box in order to be a member of the republican party . king : were [ your parents ] angry at laura ingraham ? mccain : my mother was . she 's a very protective mama bear . king : are you a tattooer ? mccain : i have one . my brothers have a lot of tattoos . i love tattoos . i do . i know , you never would have thought me , right ? but i do . king : no . you do n't look like a tattooer . what do your folks think of that ? mccain : i 've got supportive parents , you know . my mom thinks it 's cute . ... i have a little star on my foot . king : what kind of dad is your father ? mccain : he 's great . i love my dad so much . he 's the best father to me . and like i said , he 's so supportive of me and my career and what i do and speaking my mind . when you grow up having a maverick as a father and an example , you can understand how i turned out like this . | president on the verge of becoming overexposed , sen. mccain 's daughter says |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- meghan mccain , a contributor to thedailybeast.com , is the daughter of sen. john mccain and cindy mccain . but it 's her recent verbal sparring with conservative republicans that 's put her in the spotlight . meghan mccain tells larry king on monday night : i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight . ' in a wide-ranging interview on monday on cnn 's larry king live , ' mccain discussed her thoughts on president obama , her recent heated exchange with radio host laura ingraham , her tattoos and more . the following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : [ president obama ] is taking some criticism for smiling and laughing [ during his 60 minutes ' interview . ] are you one of those critics ? meghan mccain : you know , i actually am not . i think anyone that would possibly think that the president is not taking the economy seriously -- i just think it 's ridiculous . ... king : [ is president obama getting overexposed ] ? mccain : i think he is on the verge of it . i do think you have to be careful . but it is a different generation . [ my ] generation ... we like our celebrities . and i think that he realizes that because he is very much a generation y president . however , he is on the risk of alienating his older followers . king : does obama seem like the same guy who ran against your dad ? how do you view him ? mccain : he 's our president and when the election was over and when president obama won , all negative feelings were gone . i support the president . king : how does your dad feel about that ? mccain : i think the same way . you know , my family is really good at letting go of things and moving on . and he just holds no grudges . king : do you think most of the people in your party agree with [ rush ] limbaugh ? do they want him to fail ? mccain : i do n't know , because there are many different personalities within the party . ... i would never want my president to fail , no matter which party is in power . king : you interviewed the [ louisiana ] governor 's wife ? mccain : i interviewed [ supyira ] jindal , the first lady of louisiana . and she 's a fascinating woman . she totally impressed me because she was very warm and friendly . i went down and interviewed her and the piece came out today on thedailybeast.com . king : do you like him [ gov . bobby jindal ] ? mccain : i do . you know , we do veer off on some things politically , but any leader that i 'm going to have i 'm going to veer off politically . king : do you consider yourself a moderate ? are you moderate liberal ? mccain : i consider myself a progressive republican . i am liberal on social issues . and i think that the party is at a place where social issues should n't be the issues that define the party . and i have taken heat , but in fairness to me , i am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat . i 'm 24 years old . i 'm not in my 40s , i 'm not in my 50s and older . king : therefore , you must , based on what you said , disagree with your father ? ... do you discuss it ? mccain : we have a very big generation gap between me and my father . yes , we discuss them . he 's very open-minded . i was raised in an open-minded home . i was raised a christian , but i was raised open-minded christian -- one to accept people , love people , not pass judgment . ... i believe in gay marriage . ... i personally am pro-life , but i 'm not going to judge someone that 's pro-choice . it is not my place to judge other people and what they do with their body . king : we have an e-mail question from veronica , huntington park , california : do you share most of your father 's political views ? ' mccain : when it comes to war and the economy , and many fiscal conservative values , i agree with him . i mean i fell in love with the republican party because of my father . king : earlier this month , [ you ] wrote a dailybeast column criticizing right-wing pundit ann coulter . conservative radio host laura ingraham fired back at you , including making a comment about your weight . you then gave a straight talk response in an appearance on the view . ' what led to that ? mccain : you know , it 's so funny . i was in the airport today and this guy goes , hey , meghan , kiss my fat ass . ' and i was like oh my gosh . that 's where this has gone to . as far as i 'm concerned with what 's going on with laura ingraham , on my end , it 's over . there are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders . and i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight and what kind of standards i 'm not fitting . ... king : were you surprised that laura , who 's had breast cancer , got into something that personal ? mccain : i had never heard of her before until this happened . king : you did n't know her ? mccain : no . i 'm not familiar with her work . but i hope she does n't do it again . king : what about ann coulter ? mccain : she did n't respond , which is fine with me . ... all i wanted to do is show women that you do n't have to be ann coulter and laura ingraham to have a place in the republican party . ... supriya jindal is a good role model , but a lot of people had n't heard of her . and i just want to show that you do n't have to think one way and fit into this one box in order to be a member of the republican party . king : were [ your parents ] angry at laura ingraham ? mccain : my mother was . she 's a very protective mama bear . king : are you a tattooer ? mccain : i have one . my brothers have a lot of tattoos . i love tattoos . i do . i know , you never would have thought me , right ? but i do . king : no . you do n't look like a tattooer . what do your folks think of that ? mccain : i 've got supportive parents , you know . my mom thinks it 's cute . ... i have a little star on my foot . king : what kind of dad is your father ? mccain : he 's great . i love my dad so much . he 's the best father to me . and like i said , he 's so supportive of me and my career and what i do and speaking my mind . when you grow up having a maverick as a father and an example , you can understand how i turned out like this . | meghan mccain tells larry king she 's over recent dust-up with laura ingraham |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- meghan mccain , a contributor to thedailybeast.com , is the daughter of sen. john mccain and cindy mccain . but it 's her recent verbal sparring with conservative republicans that 's put her in the spotlight . meghan mccain tells larry king on monday night : i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight . ' in a wide-ranging interview on monday on cnn 's larry king live , ' mccain discussed her thoughts on president obama , her recent heated exchange with radio host laura ingraham , her tattoos and more . the following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : [ president obama ] is taking some criticism for smiling and laughing [ during his 60 minutes ' interview . ] are you one of those critics ? meghan mccain : you know , i actually am not . i think anyone that would possibly think that the president is not taking the economy seriously -- i just think it 's ridiculous . ... king : [ is president obama getting overexposed ] ? mccain : i think he is on the verge of it . i do think you have to be careful . but it is a different generation . [ my ] generation ... we like our celebrities . and i think that he realizes that because he is very much a generation y president . however , he is on the risk of alienating his older followers . king : does obama seem like the same guy who ran against your dad ? how do you view him ? mccain : he 's our president and when the election was over and when president obama won , all negative feelings were gone . i support the president . king : how does your dad feel about that ? mccain : i think the same way . you know , my family is really good at letting go of things and moving on . and he just holds no grudges . king : do you think most of the people in your party agree with [ rush ] limbaugh ? do they want him to fail ? mccain : i do n't know , because there are many different personalities within the party . ... i would never want my president to fail , no matter which party is in power . king : you interviewed the [ louisiana ] governor 's wife ? mccain : i interviewed [ supyira ] jindal , the first lady of louisiana . and she 's a fascinating woman . she totally impressed me because she was very warm and friendly . i went down and interviewed her and the piece came out today on thedailybeast.com . king : do you like him [ gov . bobby jindal ] ? mccain : i do . you know , we do veer off on some things politically , but any leader that i 'm going to have i 'm going to veer off politically . king : do you consider yourself a moderate ? are you moderate liberal ? mccain : i consider myself a progressive republican . i am liberal on social issues . and i think that the party is at a place where social issues should n't be the issues that define the party . and i have taken heat , but in fairness to me , i am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat . i 'm 24 years old . i 'm not in my 40s , i 'm not in my 50s and older . king : therefore , you must , based on what you said , disagree with your father ? ... do you discuss it ? mccain : we have a very big generation gap between me and my father . yes , we discuss them . he 's very open-minded . i was raised in an open-minded home . i was raised a christian , but i was raised open-minded christian -- one to accept people , love people , not pass judgment . ... i believe in gay marriage . ... i personally am pro-life , but i 'm not going to judge someone that 's pro-choice . it is not my place to judge other people and what they do with their body . king : we have an e-mail question from veronica , huntington park , california : do you share most of your father 's political views ? ' mccain : when it comes to war and the economy , and many fiscal conservative values , i agree with him . i mean i fell in love with the republican party because of my father . king : earlier this month , [ you ] wrote a dailybeast column criticizing right-wing pundit ann coulter . conservative radio host laura ingraham fired back at you , including making a comment about your weight . you then gave a straight talk response in an appearance on the view . ' what led to that ? mccain : you know , it 's so funny . i was in the airport today and this guy goes , hey , meghan , kiss my fat ass . ' and i was like oh my gosh . that 's where this has gone to . as far as i 'm concerned with what 's going on with laura ingraham , on my end , it 's over . there are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders . and i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight and what kind of standards i 'm not fitting . ... king : were you surprised that laura , who 's had breast cancer , got into something that personal ? mccain : i had never heard of her before until this happened . king : you did n't know her ? mccain : no . i 'm not familiar with her work . but i hope she does n't do it again . king : what about ann coulter ? mccain : she did n't respond , which is fine with me . ... all i wanted to do is show women that you do n't have to be ann coulter and laura ingraham to have a place in the republican party . ... supriya jindal is a good role model , but a lot of people had n't heard of her . and i just want to show that you do n't have to think one way and fit into this one box in order to be a member of the republican party . king : were [ your parents ] angry at laura ingraham ? mccain : my mother was . she 's a very protective mama bear . king : are you a tattooer ? mccain : i have one . my brothers have a lot of tattoos . i love tattoos . i do . i know , you never would have thought me , right ? but i do . king : no . you do n't look like a tattooer . what do your folks think of that ? mccain : i 've got supportive parents , you know . my mom thinks it 's cute . ... i have a little star on my foot . king : what kind of dad is your father ? mccain : he 's great . i love my dad so much . he 's the best father to me . and like i said , he 's so supportive of me and my career and what i do and speaking my mind . when you grow up having a maverick as a father and an example , you can understand how i turned out like this . | mccain : you do n't have to think one way ... to be a member of the republican party ' |
larry king <tsp> ( cnn ) -- meghan mccain , a contributor to thedailybeast.com , is the daughter of sen. john mccain and cindy mccain . but it 's her recent verbal sparring with conservative republicans that 's put her in the spotlight . meghan mccain tells larry king on monday night : i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight . ' in a wide-ranging interview on monday on cnn 's larry king live , ' mccain discussed her thoughts on president obama , her recent heated exchange with radio host laura ingraham , her tattoos and more . the following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : [ president obama ] is taking some criticism for smiling and laughing [ during his 60 minutes ' interview . ] are you one of those critics ? meghan mccain : you know , i actually am not . i think anyone that would possibly think that the president is not taking the economy seriously -- i just think it 's ridiculous . ... king : [ is president obama getting overexposed ] ? mccain : i think he is on the verge of it . i do think you have to be careful . but it is a different generation . [ my ] generation ... we like our celebrities . and i think that he realizes that because he is very much a generation y president . however , he is on the risk of alienating his older followers . king : does obama seem like the same guy who ran against your dad ? how do you view him ? mccain : he 's our president and when the election was over and when president obama won , all negative feelings were gone . i support the president . king : how does your dad feel about that ? mccain : i think the same way . you know , my family is really good at letting go of things and moving on . and he just holds no grudges . king : do you think most of the people in your party agree with [ rush ] limbaugh ? do they want him to fail ? mccain : i do n't know , because there are many different personalities within the party . ... i would never want my president to fail , no matter which party is in power . king : you interviewed the [ louisiana ] governor 's wife ? mccain : i interviewed [ supyira ] jindal , the first lady of louisiana . and she 's a fascinating woman . she totally impressed me because she was very warm and friendly . i went down and interviewed her and the piece came out today on thedailybeast.com . king : do you like him [ gov . bobby jindal ] ? mccain : i do . you know , we do veer off on some things politically , but any leader that i 'm going to have i 'm going to veer off politically . king : do you consider yourself a moderate ? are you moderate liberal ? mccain : i consider myself a progressive republican . i am liberal on social issues . and i think that the party is at a place where social issues should n't be the issues that define the party . and i have taken heat , but in fairness to me , i am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat . i 'm 24 years old . i 'm not in my 40s , i 'm not in my 50s and older . king : therefore , you must , based on what you said , disagree with your father ? ... do you discuss it ? mccain : we have a very big generation gap between me and my father . yes , we discuss them . he 's very open-minded . i was raised in an open-minded home . i was raised a christian , but i was raised open-minded christian -- one to accept people , love people , not pass judgment . ... i believe in gay marriage . ... i personally am pro-life , but i 'm not going to judge someone that 's pro-choice . it is not my place to judge other people and what they do with their body . king : we have an e-mail question from veronica , huntington park , california : do you share most of your father 's political views ? ' mccain : when it comes to war and the economy , and many fiscal conservative values , i agree with him . i mean i fell in love with the republican party because of my father . king : earlier this month , [ you ] wrote a dailybeast column criticizing right-wing pundit ann coulter . conservative radio host laura ingraham fired back at you , including making a comment about your weight . you then gave a straight talk response in an appearance on the view . ' what led to that ? mccain : you know , it 's so funny . i was in the airport today and this guy goes , hey , meghan , kiss my fat ass . ' and i was like oh my gosh . that 's where this has gone to . as far as i 'm concerned with what 's going on with laura ingraham , on my end , it 's over . there are nine million women in this country suffering from eating disorders . and i 'm not going to be bullied around about my weight and what kind of standards i 'm not fitting . ... king : were you surprised that laura , who 's had breast cancer , got into something that personal ? mccain : i had never heard of her before until this happened . king : you did n't know her ? mccain : no . i 'm not familiar with her work . but i hope she does n't do it again . king : what about ann coulter ? mccain : she did n't respond , which is fine with me . ... all i wanted to do is show women that you do n't have to be ann coulter and laura ingraham to have a place in the republican party . ... supriya jindal is a good role model , but a lot of people had n't heard of her . and i just want to show that you do n't have to think one way and fit into this one box in order to be a member of the republican party . king : were [ your parents ] angry at laura ingraham ? mccain : my mother was . she 's a very protective mama bear . king : are you a tattooer ? mccain : i have one . my brothers have a lot of tattoos . i love tattoos . i do . i know , you never would have thought me , right ? but i do . king : no . you do n't look like a tattooer . what do your folks think of that ? mccain : i 've got supportive parents , you know . my mom thinks it 's cute . ... i have a little star on my foot . king : what kind of dad is your father ? mccain : he 's great . i love my dad so much . he 's the best father to me . and like i said , he 's so supportive of me and my career and what i do and speaking my mind . when you grow up having a maverick as a father and an example , you can understand how i turned out like this . | meghan mccain tells larry king she 's over recent dust-up with laura ingraham |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) saturday at the masters , like any pga tournament , has been dubbed'moving day'. it 's the day after the fat has been cut and the big dogs make their move up -- or occasionally down -- the leader board . players rose and players fell away on moving day at the 2015 masters . rory mcilroy went out in 32 and briefly raised the crowd 's hopes that he had a sniff of completing an improbable grand slam on sunday night . but he dropped two shots late on in the round to finish six under par . woods comeback ? a rejuvenated tiger woods showed touches of his old class mixed with the ragged unpredictability that has marked his new game to finish six under too . a huge improvement , but still a long way from him wearing the green jacket again . it could have been a super low today , ' a disappointed woods said after his round . all in all . it should have been two shots better . ' phil mickelson powered around the course , threatening to challenge too , finishing on eleven under . as did a late justin rose surge , where he fired four birdies in a row to finish twelve under and in second place . in the end , there was lots of moving , but no one could move quick enough or far enough to trouble jordan spieth . infallible the 21 year old has been nothing short of a sensation at augusta . his infallible first two rounds gave the 21 year old from dallas , texas a five shot lead going in to the third round . that has happened only three times at augusta before , and on all three occasions the leader has gone on to win . spieth 's 15 birdies are just 10 away from phil mickelson 's masters mark set in 2001 . he could also break tiger woods 270 set in 1997 . as it happened , spieth played a steady , almost conservative round . when he made the occasional mistake , like the bogey at 15 , he hit back straight away with a birdie next hole . as his third round came to a close the birdies flowed , his putting impeccable . the only nerves on show came during the last two holes with a double bogey at the 17 . echos of 1996 ? when reminded of some of the great augusta comebacks , including nick faldo 's 11 shot swing in 1996 , tiger woods still believes anything is possible . it really is , ' he said . we saw what happened in 1996 . you never know . it depends on the conditions . ' he is , of course , right . as greg norman knows only too well , anything can happen on the final day . but that kind of crescendo also depends on spieth experiencing a greg norman-style meltdown . spieth 's double bogey on the 17th and wobble on the 18th will give the chasing pack some hope . yet , for all the movement of mickelson , woods , rose and mcilroy , they made just a one shot dent into spieth 's second round lead . he will begin sunday four shots ahead . | strong starts from mcilroy and woods |
mcilroy <tsp> ( cnn ) saturday at the masters , like any pga tournament , has been dubbed'moving day'. it 's the day after the fat has been cut and the big dogs make their move up -- or occasionally down -- the leader board . players rose and players fell away on moving day at the 2015 masters . rory mcilroy went out in 32 and briefly raised the crowd 's hopes that he had a sniff of completing an improbable grand slam on sunday night . but he dropped two shots late on in the round to finish six under par . woods comeback ? a rejuvenated tiger woods showed touches of his old class mixed with the ragged unpredictability that has marked his new game to finish six under too . a huge improvement , but still a long way from him wearing the green jacket again . it could have been a super low today , ' a disappointed woods said after his round . all in all . it should have been two shots better . ' phil mickelson powered around the course , threatening to challenge too , finishing on eleven under . as did a late justin rose surge , where he fired four birdies in a row to finish twelve under and in second place . in the end , there was lots of moving , but no one could move quick enough or far enough to trouble jordan spieth . infallible the 21 year old has been nothing short of a sensation at augusta . his infallible first two rounds gave the 21 year old from dallas , texas a five shot lead going in to the third round . that has happened only three times at augusta before , and on all three occasions the leader has gone on to win . spieth 's 15 birdies are just 10 away from phil mickelson 's masters mark set in 2001 . he could also break tiger woods 270 set in 1997 . as it happened , spieth played a steady , almost conservative round . when he made the occasional mistake , like the bogey at 15 , he hit back straight away with a birdie next hole . as his third round came to a close the birdies flowed , his putting impeccable . the only nerves on show came during the last two holes with a double bogey at the 17 . echos of 1996 ? when reminded of some of the great augusta comebacks , including nick faldo 's 11 shot swing in 1996 , tiger woods still believes anything is possible . it really is , ' he said . we saw what happened in 1996 . you never know . it depends on the conditions . ' he is , of course , right . as greg norman knows only too well , anything can happen on the final day . but that kind of crescendo also depends on spieth experiencing a greg norman-style meltdown . spieth 's double bogey on the 17th and wobble on the 18th will give the chasing pack some hope . yet , for all the movement of mickelson , woods , rose and mcilroy , they made just a one shot dent into spieth 's second round lead . he will begin sunday four shots ahead . | strong starts from mcilroy and woods |
spieth <tsp> ( cnn ) saturday at the masters , like any pga tournament , has been dubbed'moving day'. it 's the day after the fat has been cut and the big dogs make their move up -- or occasionally down -- the leader board . players rose and players fell away on moving day at the 2015 masters . rory mcilroy went out in 32 and briefly raised the crowd 's hopes that he had a sniff of completing an improbable grand slam on sunday night . but he dropped two shots late on in the round to finish six under par . woods comeback ? a rejuvenated tiger woods showed touches of his old class mixed with the ragged unpredictability that has marked his new game to finish six under too . a huge improvement , but still a long way from him wearing the green jacket again . it could have been a super low today , ' a disappointed woods said after his round . all in all . it should have been two shots better . ' phil mickelson powered around the course , threatening to challenge too , finishing on eleven under . as did a late justin rose surge , where he fired four birdies in a row to finish twelve under and in second place . in the end , there was lots of moving , but no one could move quick enough or far enough to trouble jordan spieth . infallible the 21 year old has been nothing short of a sensation at augusta . his infallible first two rounds gave the 21 year old from dallas , texas a five shot lead going in to the third round . that has happened only three times at augusta before , and on all three occasions the leader has gone on to win . spieth 's 15 birdies are just 10 away from phil mickelson 's masters mark set in 2001 . he could also break tiger woods 270 set in 1997 . as it happened , spieth played a steady , almost conservative round . when he made the occasional mistake , like the bogey at 15 , he hit back straight away with a birdie next hole . as his third round came to a close the birdies flowed , his putting impeccable . the only nerves on show came during the last two holes with a double bogey at the 17 . echos of 1996 ? when reminded of some of the great augusta comebacks , including nick faldo 's 11 shot swing in 1996 , tiger woods still believes anything is possible . it really is , ' he said . we saw what happened in 1996 . you never know . it depends on the conditions . ' he is , of course , right . as greg norman knows only too well , anything can happen on the final day . but that kind of crescendo also depends on spieth experiencing a greg norman-style meltdown . spieth 's double bogey on the 17th and wobble on the 18th will give the chasing pack some hope . yet , for all the movement of mickelson , woods , rose and mcilroy , they made just a one shot dent into spieth 's second round lead . he will begin sunday four shots ahead . | jordan spieth holds lead in 2015 masters |
spieth <tsp> ( cnn ) saturday at the masters , like any pga tournament , has been dubbed'moving day'. it 's the day after the fat has been cut and the big dogs make their move up -- or occasionally down -- the leader board . players rose and players fell away on moving day at the 2015 masters . rory mcilroy went out in 32 and briefly raised the crowd 's hopes that he had a sniff of completing an improbable grand slam on sunday night . but he dropped two shots late on in the round to finish six under par . woods comeback ? a rejuvenated tiger woods showed touches of his old class mixed with the ragged unpredictability that has marked his new game to finish six under too . a huge improvement , but still a long way from him wearing the green jacket again . it could have been a super low today , ' a disappointed woods said after his round . all in all . it should have been two shots better . ' phil mickelson powered around the course , threatening to challenge too , finishing on eleven under . as did a late justin rose surge , where he fired four birdies in a row to finish twelve under and in second place . in the end , there was lots of moving , but no one could move quick enough or far enough to trouble jordan spieth . infallible the 21 year old has been nothing short of a sensation at augusta . his infallible first two rounds gave the 21 year old from dallas , texas a five shot lead going in to the third round . that has happened only three times at augusta before , and on all three occasions the leader has gone on to win . spieth 's 15 birdies are just 10 away from phil mickelson 's masters mark set in 2001 . he could also break tiger woods 270 set in 1997 . as it happened , spieth played a steady , almost conservative round . when he made the occasional mistake , like the bogey at 15 , he hit back straight away with a birdie next hole . as his third round came to a close the birdies flowed , his putting impeccable . the only nerves on show came during the last two holes with a double bogey at the 17 . echos of 1996 ? when reminded of some of the great augusta comebacks , including nick faldo 's 11 shot swing in 1996 , tiger woods still believes anything is possible . it really is , ' he said . we saw what happened in 1996 . you never know . it depends on the conditions . ' he is , of course , right . as greg norman knows only too well , anything can happen on the final day . but that kind of crescendo also depends on spieth experiencing a greg norman-style meltdown . spieth 's double bogey on the 17th and wobble on the 18th will give the chasing pack some hope . yet , for all the movement of mickelson , woods , rose and mcilroy , they made just a one shot dent into spieth 's second round lead . he will begin sunday four shots ahead . | both fall away as 21 year old spieth takes control |
rush <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- will ferrell , blithe impersonator of obtuse elves , tv anchormen , and former presidents , is not the first actor one thinks of to play nick halsey , an alcoholic wretch on a bender , in the sober indie drama everything must go . ' on one rock-bottom day , nick is fired from his sales job and his wife leaves him , having first changed the locks and piled all his possessions in their suburban front yard . the sight of indoor stuff splayed outdoors may be absurd . but there is nothing at all funny about the pathetic mess nick continues to make of his life . and ferrell , whose vaguely uncomprehending onscreen stare usually signals amusing male cluelessness to come , upends expectations from the very first scene , as nick sits in his car , locked in a traffic standstill and palpably unable to endure the stress without a pull on his liquor flask . with characteristic physical fearlessness , the actor becomes a downward-spiraling alcoholic . no joke . it 's a terrific performance -- one that 's unmatched by the rest of the movie , written and directed by dan rush . based on raymond carver 's notable short story why do n't you dance ? , ' everything must go ' is a sweetened-up , padded-out scenario of hope cracking through a drunk 's despair . rush 's background as a director of commercials is evident in his feature-film debut : everything and everyone look 10 degrees softer and more composed than they need to be . carver 's original minimalist story goes down in two gulps : the drinking guy sells his stuff to a young couple passing by . the end . rush 's adaptation skips the young couple , expands the yard sale , and adds a cop who 's nick 's aa sponsor ( michael peña ) . ew.com : see all of this week 's reviews there 's also : a lonely black kid who becomes nick 's protégé ( christopher jordan wallace ) ; an old high school classmate ( laura dern , in a fine , subtle , self-contained scene ) who assures nick that he really does have a heart ; and a neighbor across the street ( rebecca hall ) who 's pregnant . despite nick 's worst , hurtful behavior toward her , she 's willing to extend a kind of forgiveness . ferrell , for his part , looks like he would have no problem going even deeper and darker than rush could bear . like bill murray and greg kinnear before him , this funnyman reveals serious acting chops . ew.com rating : b -- release date : may 13 , 2011 rated : r see the original article on ew.com click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2010 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | will ferrell 's terrific performance not matched by director dan rush |
rush <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- will ferrell , blithe impersonator of obtuse elves , tv anchormen , and former presidents , is not the first actor one thinks of to play nick halsey , an alcoholic wretch on a bender , in the sober indie drama everything must go . ' on one rock-bottom day , nick is fired from his sales job and his wife leaves him , having first changed the locks and piled all his possessions in their suburban front yard . the sight of indoor stuff splayed outdoors may be absurd . but there is nothing at all funny about the pathetic mess nick continues to make of his life . and ferrell , whose vaguely uncomprehending onscreen stare usually signals amusing male cluelessness to come , upends expectations from the very first scene , as nick sits in his car , locked in a traffic standstill and palpably unable to endure the stress without a pull on his liquor flask . with characteristic physical fearlessness , the actor becomes a downward-spiraling alcoholic . no joke . it 's a terrific performance -- one that 's unmatched by the rest of the movie , written and directed by dan rush . based on raymond carver 's notable short story why do n't you dance ? , ' everything must go ' is a sweetened-up , padded-out scenario of hope cracking through a drunk 's despair . rush 's background as a director of commercials is evident in his feature-film debut : everything and everyone look 10 degrees softer and more composed than they need to be . carver 's original minimalist story goes down in two gulps : the drinking guy sells his stuff to a young couple passing by . the end . rush 's adaptation skips the young couple , expands the yard sale , and adds a cop who 's nick 's aa sponsor ( michael peña ) . ew.com : see all of this week 's reviews there 's also : a lonely black kid who becomes nick 's protégé ( christopher jordan wallace ) ; an old high school classmate ( laura dern , in a fine , subtle , self-contained scene ) who assures nick that he really does have a heart ; and a neighbor across the street ( rebecca hall ) who 's pregnant . despite nick 's worst , hurtful behavior toward her , she 's willing to extend a kind of forgiveness . ferrell , for his part , looks like he would have no problem going even deeper and darker than rush could bear . like bill murray and greg kinnear before him , this funnyman reveals serious acting chops . ew.com rating : b -- release date : may 13 , 2011 rated : r see the original article on ew.com click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2010 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | rush 's commercial background comes through in film |
charlotte church <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- singer charlotte church on monday blasted the news of the world tabloid for its decision to publish a lurid story about her father having an affair while her mother was getting treatment for mental illness . they knew how vulnerable she was and still printed a story like that , which is just horrific , ' she said . the former child star also spoke of her anger at finding out her phone may have been hacked by a private investigator working for the rupert murdoch tabloid . the investigator , glenn mulcaire , had details of her phone and those of her parents , friends and former boyfriends , church said police had told her . she was testifying before a wide-ranging british government-backed inquiry into press ethics and practices in the country . sparked by the revelation that news of the world tabloid hacked into the voice mail of a murdered 13-year-old girl in search of stories , the leveson inquiry has been hearing from high-profile figures for more than a week . church described how upset she was at the leak of the news of her daughter 's birth , the rifts it caused with her family and friends when she accused them of revealing the details , and her later guilt at realizing the source was probably hacking , not leaks from those close to her . and she said falsehoods published in the press were particularly damaging because readers believe there are rules to prevent that from happening , so if they see it in print , it must be true -- and that 's not the case . ' former tony blair spokesman alastair campbell is due to testify later this week , but a written copy of his opening statement appears to have leaked online . paul staines , who blogs as guido fawkes , posted what he said was a copy of campbell 's testimony in which he speculates about the possibility that the daily mirror found out though phone hacking that tony blair 's wife was pregnant . i think it is at least possible that this is how the stories got out , ' campbell says in the statement published by staines . campbell said on twitter sunday he was genuinely shocked someone has seen fit to leak my statement to leveson . ' the daily mirror is not a murdoch paper . piers morgan was editor of the paper at the time of cherie blair 's pregnancy , and he now hosts the show piers morgan tonight ' on cnn . morgan , who has vigorously denied ordering phone hacking , is due to testify before the leveson inquiry at a later date yet to be determined . celebrities who have already testified before the inquiry include harry potter ' author j.k. rowling and g.i . joe ' actress sienna miller , who both complained of being hounded by paparazzi . actor hugh grant also appeared before the panel , and he implied that police leaked information to the tabloid press . he also accused the mail on sunday of hacking . police investigating phone hacking by journalists say that about 5,800 people , including celebrities , crime victims , politicians and members of the royal family , were targets of the practice by journalists in search of stories . it involves illegally eavesdropping on voice mail by entering a pin to access messages remotely . | charlotte church says a private investigator had her phone details |
charlotte church <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- singer charlotte church on monday blasted the news of the world tabloid for its decision to publish a lurid story about her father having an affair while her mother was getting treatment for mental illness . they knew how vulnerable she was and still printed a story like that , which is just horrific , ' she said . the former child star also spoke of her anger at finding out her phone may have been hacked by a private investigator working for the rupert murdoch tabloid . the investigator , glenn mulcaire , had details of her phone and those of her parents , friends and former boyfriends , church said police had told her . she was testifying before a wide-ranging british government-backed inquiry into press ethics and practices in the country . sparked by the revelation that news of the world tabloid hacked into the voice mail of a murdered 13-year-old girl in search of stories , the leveson inquiry has been hearing from high-profile figures for more than a week . church described how upset she was at the leak of the news of her daughter 's birth , the rifts it caused with her family and friends when she accused them of revealing the details , and her later guilt at realizing the source was probably hacking , not leaks from those close to her . and she said falsehoods published in the press were particularly damaging because readers believe there are rules to prevent that from happening , so if they see it in print , it must be true -- and that 's not the case . ' former tony blair spokesman alastair campbell is due to testify later this week , but a written copy of his opening statement appears to have leaked online . paul staines , who blogs as guido fawkes , posted what he said was a copy of campbell 's testimony in which he speculates about the possibility that the daily mirror found out though phone hacking that tony blair 's wife was pregnant . i think it is at least possible that this is how the stories got out , ' campbell says in the statement published by staines . campbell said on twitter sunday he was genuinely shocked someone has seen fit to leak my statement to leveson . ' the daily mirror is not a murdoch paper . piers morgan was editor of the paper at the time of cherie blair 's pregnancy , and he now hosts the show piers morgan tonight ' on cnn . morgan , who has vigorously denied ordering phone hacking , is due to testify before the leveson inquiry at a later date yet to be determined . celebrities who have already testified before the inquiry include harry potter ' author j.k. rowling and g.i . joe ' actress sienna miller , who both complained of being hounded by paparazzi . actor hugh grant also appeared before the panel , and he implied that police leaked information to the tabloid press . he also accused the mail on sunday of hacking . police investigating phone hacking by journalists say that about 5,800 people , including celebrities , crime victims , politicians and members of the royal family , were targets of the practice by journalists in search of stories . it involves illegally eavesdropping on voice mail by entering a pin to access messages remotely . | new : people believe rules prevent falsehoods from being printed , charlotte church says |
atlanta <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) ' do you use toilet paper ? ' that 's the question 26-year-old anamarie shreeves receives most often . it 's not exactly a typical question , but shreeves , who lives in atlanta and is the site manager for the nonprofit keep atlanta beautiful , lives what some may consider an atypical lifestyle : she creates almost no waste . the list of things she does n't use would send shivers up a consumer marketer 's spine : no plastic packaging , no new clothing , no metal cans , no cars ( and in turn , no gas ) . the small amount of waste shreeves does create goes straight into a 32-ounce mason jar that sits three-quarters full right next to her kitchen sink . its contents include produce stickers , some paper tea bag wrappers and a long , twisted piece of cotton that went around her toes for a recent pedicure . this is all the waste she has collected in nearly half a year . that 's right , everything . six month 's worth of garbage for shreeves is similar to what the average person generates in half a day . a maryland native , shreeves considered herself an earth advocate ' from a fairly young age . of her four brothers and sisters , she says she was always the one wading in the creek that passed by her backyard , climbing trees and pushing her family to stop being so wasteful . i got them their first recycling bin , ' she said . shreeves began her journey into zero-waste living two years ago . she had just quit her job working in television and decided to move to ecuador for a few months . before she left she resolved to get rid of as much of her stuff as possible . she had read a blog post by a woman who lives a zero waste life in new york called the no trash project , and she was inspired . the average person throws away a ton of trash a year , ' shreeves said . one single person . for her to go to zero like that , i was just amazed . ' upon her return from ecuador , shreeves decided to take the lifestyle she started before she left to the next level . in april of last year , she officially began to live zero waste . simplifying her existence was n't easy . she had to rid herself of old habits . in the first week , she filled up half the mason jar with paper towels after grabbing them to dry her hands , just out of habit . it also took a while to feel comfortable with the funny stares she would get after politely asking food vendors to put her sandwiches and salads into her metal tin instead of paper and plastic containers . but she stayed strong and a year later she is at the point where she composts , makes her own shampoo , toothpaste and even uses reusable feminine products . and yes , she does use toilet paper -- the kind that 's quickly biodegradable . the key to making it all work is an enormous amount of preparation . shreeves packs her bags every day with a cup to drink out of , a metal tin and a reusable fork and knife , a cloth napkin and a couple canvas bags . this allows her to avoid the waste that comes so often with prepared foods . she has also had to stop going to some of her favorite restaurants and coffee shops because they wo n't provide reusable kitchenware . shreeves acknowledges that with this lifestyle come certain restrictions ; she has learned to make most of her food from scratch to avoid packaging . she also has to put more time into getting places by bike or public transportation . but without a doubt , the rewards for her outweigh the inconveniences . the quality of life that i experience as a zero waster far exceeds my life before . it 's made me appreciate the things that i do have . i would n't want to be in another space , ' she said . to learn more about cutting down on waste , visit shreeves'blog , fortnegrita.com . | 26-year-old atlanta woman uses a mason jar as a trash can |
bayern munich <tsp> ( cnn ) -- chelsea stunned titleholders barcelona with a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their european champions league semifinal on wednesday ivory coast international didier drogba scored the only goal of the game late in first-half injury time at a rain-swept stamford bridge in west london thanks to a rare mistake by barcelona 's lionel messi . after watching spanish league leaders real madrid lose to bayern munich the night before , barcelona had hoped to avoid any slip-ups as they attempted to defend their title . and the game appeared to be going their way as they dominated possession with messi creating chances whenever he got on the ball . but the visitors were profligate in front of goal with cesc fabregas particularly guilty , the spain international missing a hat-trick of clear-cut chances . as halftime approached chelsea grew in confidence having weathered the initial storm and took a shock lead with the very last kick of the opening period . messi 's rare lapse in concentration allowed brazilian midfielder ramires to career down the left wing . with few options in front of him ramires fired a low ball across the penalty box which eluded barcelona 's defense before somehow finding drogba lurking at the back post . barcelona goalkeeper victor valdes could do little but palm the striker 's first-time shot into the back of the net . despite barcelona experiencing the rare feeling of being behind at halftime , it was chelsea that grew more comfortable as the game progressed , snuffing out the catalan club 's attacks with increasing confidence . yet deep in injury time barcelona could have leveled the tie and score a crucial away goal , but substitute pedro hit the post with his low curling shot and sergio busquets blazed the rebound over the bar . chelsea -- controversially knocked out of the competition by a late barcelona goal in 2009 on the same ground -- held on for a famous victory . it was a great result . when you play barcelona you have to do a lot of defending , just try and limit their threat and be clinical with your chances , ' chelsea 's interim coach roberto di matteo told british network itv . and clinical they were . drogba 's goal turned out to be chelsea 's only shot on target in a game where barcelona enjoyed the majority of possession : chelsea completed 194 passes while barcelona managed 782 , almost four times as many . yet the one statistic that counts is the score and for those that played in the last chelsea-barcelona champions league semifinal in 2009 -- where chelsea had five clear penalty claims turned down before an injury-time andres iniesta goal clinched their place in the final -- the victory was sweet revenge . i think we 've learned , we 've improved from three years ago . now we 're going to go there , have a go and try to qualify ( for the final ) , ' said drogba . now attention turns to the second leg at barcelona 's nou camp . it 's going to be tough there , ' admitted drogba . they will have opportunities . we respect them . but we 're not in awe of them . ' | real beaten 2-1 by bayern munich in germany on tuesday |
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