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hudhud <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- six people have died in cyclone hudhud on sunday , indian authorities said . the storm , which made landfall on india 's eastern coast , has also uprooted trees and utility poles . when the storm blew ashore , the coast was nearly emptied out . more than 200,000 people were evacuated a day before , officials said . india 's science and technology minister , jitendra singh , described the cyclone as very severe . ' hudhud 's sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour ( 127 miles per hour ) made it a category 3 storm at landfall , cnn meteorologist derrick van dam . gusts rose to 250 kmh ( 155 mph ) . the storm rode in at high tide , which could result in surge as high as 2 meters ( 7 feet ) . at least 100,000 residents from four districts of the state of andhra pradesh were moved to safer locations , such as schools and other structurally strong buildings , authorities said . in neighboring odisha state , another 100,000 people have also been evacuated , according to a senior emergency official . the indian military has mobilized its resources to areas vulnerable to hudhud , defense officials said . in new delhi , indian prime minister narendra modi was briefed about the government 's plans to prepare for and recover from the surging storm . cnn 's joshua berlinger contributed to this report | hudhud has the strength of a category 3 hurricane |
mzoli <tsp> cape town , south africa ( cnn ) -- for cape town 's carnivores , mzoli 's meat is the city 's hippest hangout . the informal butchery and barbeque joint is a place where social and racial barriers are set aside as locals and out-of-towners come together to eat , drink and party . even celebrity chef jamie oliver is a fan , recently describing mzoli 's as sexy ' and praising the incredible flavor ' of its grilled meat . also known as kwa-mzoli , mzoli 's place or mzoli 's butchery , mzoli 's is a meeting place that brings together people from all walks of life . it was opened in 2003 in gugulethu , a township 15 km from the center of cape town , south africa , when owner mzoli ngcawuzele saw a gap in the market . we looked at what was missing in the market , especially in our community and we began to say ,'what can really bring people from all walks of life together ?'and we came up with this -- mzoli 's , ' ngcawuzele told cnn . you choose your meat , we grill it for you , you 've got a table to sit at , and we serve you . ' south african winemaker 's vintage year at mzoli 's , diners select their meat from the butchery and then take it to one of the surrounding stalls , where it is grilled over charcoal fires . the locals call it a braai , ' the afrikaans word for barbecue , and a south african specialty . but mzoli 's attracts a clientele hungry for more than just braai . live music , and djs playing kwaito and house music draw a diverse crowd , including white south africans who might not normally make the journey into the black township . ngcawuzele told cnn , we said ,'this is the rainbow nation , how do we manage to bring the rainbow nation together into one spot , where white , black , colored , everyone gets together over a piece of meat ?' we get a lot of tourists , a lot of the local community , the white community , the colored community . they just come from all walks of life . i can tell you now , the racial tensions of the past , that is the past . today we 're moving forward , looking forward from generation to generation . everybody is welcome . it 's safe , people are walking the streets , the doors are wide open in the neighborhood here . we 're taking care of each and every individual who comes here . ' mark tutton contributed to this report | mzoli 's meat is one of the hippest hangouts in cape town , south africa |
arab league <tsp> ( cnn ) -- syrian activists say opposition forces have wrested control of the town of zabadani from government troops , but the authorities'tanks remain perched on its outskirts . there was massive protests in zabadani , so the syrian army tried to disperse them . but our troops were very organized and aggressive with a counter attack that left them fleeing and they withdrew completely out of the city , ' said lt. col. mohamed hamdo of the free syrian army ( fsa ) , a group made up of former government soldiers . our forces raised the flag of independence in zabadani . ' hamdo said , though , that the opposition fighters expect another confrontation ' as the government forces regroup outside the town . the fsa destroyed at least three armored vehicles during the fighting , a zabadani-based member of the local coordination committees of syria , an opposition umbrella group , told cnn . cold weather and snow hindered troop movements into the town , located at the head of a mountain valley , said the activist , who identified himself only as faris . faris said zabadani residents aided the rebel force by providing them with clothing and shelter . no civilians were killed there on wednesday , he added . jordan 's king : do n't expect change soon another activist in zabadani told cnn that syrian government forces had ringed the town and were shelling it from outside . and a third activist , based in the northern city of homs , told cnn that about 6,000 people in zabadani turned out for a demonstration to celebrate wednesday evening . video posted on youtube showed marchers clapping and chanting , waving their fingers in the air in victory signs and voicing thanks to the free syrian army . syrian authorities have restricted the activity of journalists during the 10-month uprising against president bashar al-assad , so cnn can not independently verify events there . but a cnn crew accompanied an arab league monitoring team during a visit to zabadani on sunday , when crowds carried the monitors on their shoulders and urged them to stay to prevent reprisals . the state-run syrian arab news agency made no mention wednesday of events in zabadani . elsewhere , the local coordination committees of syria said 21 more people were killed by government troops on wednesday . of those , 13 were killed in homs , the scene of the worst violence in recent weeks , with the rest scattered around the country , the lcc said . four people were killed in idlib , two in the damascus suburbs , one in aleppo and one in daraa , according to the lcc . the syrian arab news agency , meanwhile , said 15 police officers and soldiers , including an army colonel , had been killed in recent fighting . eu plans new sanctions against syrian regime the arab league monitoring mission was scheduled to end wednesday . but adnan al khudeir , the cairo-based head of the operation , said the league and the syrian government were in talks over an extension , and a source close to the mission in damascus told cnn that all the monitors had been told to remain at their bases on thursday . zabadani is about 50 kilometers ( 30 miles ) north of damascus , near the border with lebanon . mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | arab league monitors visited zabadani on sunday |
zabadani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- syrian activists say opposition forces have wrested control of the town of zabadani from government troops , but the authorities'tanks remain perched on its outskirts . there was massive protests in zabadani , so the syrian army tried to disperse them . but our troops were very organized and aggressive with a counter attack that left them fleeing and they withdrew completely out of the city , ' said lt. col. mohamed hamdo of the free syrian army ( fsa ) , a group made up of former government soldiers . our forces raised the flag of independence in zabadani . ' hamdo said , though , that the opposition fighters expect another confrontation ' as the government forces regroup outside the town . the fsa destroyed at least three armored vehicles during the fighting , a zabadani-based member of the local coordination committees of syria , an opposition umbrella group , told cnn . cold weather and snow hindered troop movements into the town , located at the head of a mountain valley , said the activist , who identified himself only as faris . faris said zabadani residents aided the rebel force by providing them with clothing and shelter . no civilians were killed there on wednesday , he added . jordan 's king : do n't expect change soon another activist in zabadani told cnn that syrian government forces had ringed the town and were shelling it from outside . and a third activist , based in the northern city of homs , told cnn that about 6,000 people in zabadani turned out for a demonstration to celebrate wednesday evening . video posted on youtube showed marchers clapping and chanting , waving their fingers in the air in victory signs and voicing thanks to the free syrian army . syrian authorities have restricted the activity of journalists during the 10-month uprising against president bashar al-assad , so cnn can not independently verify events there . but a cnn crew accompanied an arab league monitoring team during a visit to zabadani on sunday , when crowds carried the monitors on their shoulders and urged them to stay to prevent reprisals . the state-run syrian arab news agency made no mention wednesday of events in zabadani . elsewhere , the local coordination committees of syria said 21 more people were killed by government troops on wednesday . of those , 13 were killed in homs , the scene of the worst violence in recent weeks , with the rest scattered around the country , the lcc said . four people were killed in idlib , two in the damascus suburbs , one in aleppo and one in daraa , according to the lcc . the syrian arab news agency , meanwhile , said 15 police officers and soldiers , including an army colonel , had been killed in recent fighting . eu plans new sanctions against syrian regime the arab league monitoring mission was scheduled to end wednesday . but adnan al khudeir , the cairo-based head of the operation , said the league and the syrian government were in talks over an extension , and a source close to the mission in damascus told cnn that all the monitors had been told to remain at their bases on thursday . zabadani is about 50 kilometers ( 30 miles ) north of damascus , near the border with lebanon . mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | the opposition says syrian troops were driven from zabadani |
zabadani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- syrian activists say opposition forces have wrested control of the town of zabadani from government troops , but the authorities'tanks remain perched on its outskirts . there was massive protests in zabadani , so the syrian army tried to disperse them . but our troops were very organized and aggressive with a counter attack that left them fleeing and they withdrew completely out of the city , ' said lt. col. mohamed hamdo of the free syrian army ( fsa ) , a group made up of former government soldiers . our forces raised the flag of independence in zabadani . ' hamdo said , though , that the opposition fighters expect another confrontation ' as the government forces regroup outside the town . the fsa destroyed at least three armored vehicles during the fighting , a zabadani-based member of the local coordination committees of syria , an opposition umbrella group , told cnn . cold weather and snow hindered troop movements into the town , located at the head of a mountain valley , said the activist , who identified himself only as faris . faris said zabadani residents aided the rebel force by providing them with clothing and shelter . no civilians were killed there on wednesday , he added . jordan 's king : do n't expect change soon another activist in zabadani told cnn that syrian government forces had ringed the town and were shelling it from outside . and a third activist , based in the northern city of homs , told cnn that about 6,000 people in zabadani turned out for a demonstration to celebrate wednesday evening . video posted on youtube showed marchers clapping and chanting , waving their fingers in the air in victory signs and voicing thanks to the free syrian army . syrian authorities have restricted the activity of journalists during the 10-month uprising against president bashar al-assad , so cnn can not independently verify events there . but a cnn crew accompanied an arab league monitoring team during a visit to zabadani on sunday , when crowds carried the monitors on their shoulders and urged them to stay to prevent reprisals . the state-run syrian arab news agency made no mention wednesday of events in zabadani . elsewhere , the local coordination committees of syria said 21 more people were killed by government troops on wednesday . of those , 13 were killed in homs , the scene of the worst violence in recent weeks , with the rest scattered around the country , the lcc said . four people were killed in idlib , two in the damascus suburbs , one in aleppo and one in daraa , according to the lcc . the syrian arab news agency , meanwhile , said 15 police officers and soldiers , including an army colonel , had been killed in recent fighting . eu plans new sanctions against syrian regime the arab league monitoring mission was scheduled to end wednesday . but adnan al khudeir , the cairo-based head of the operation , said the league and the syrian government were in talks over an extension , and a source close to the mission in damascus told cnn that all the monitors had been told to remain at their bases on thursday . zabadani is about 50 kilometers ( 30 miles ) north of damascus , near the border with lebanon . mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | arab league monitors visited zabadani on sunday |
zabadani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- syrian activists say opposition forces have wrested control of the town of zabadani from government troops , but the authorities'tanks remain perched on its outskirts . there was massive protests in zabadani , so the syrian army tried to disperse them . but our troops were very organized and aggressive with a counter attack that left them fleeing and they withdrew completely out of the city , ' said lt. col. mohamed hamdo of the free syrian army ( fsa ) , a group made up of former government soldiers . our forces raised the flag of independence in zabadani . ' hamdo said , though , that the opposition fighters expect another confrontation ' as the government forces regroup outside the town . the fsa destroyed at least three armored vehicles during the fighting , a zabadani-based member of the local coordination committees of syria , an opposition umbrella group , told cnn . cold weather and snow hindered troop movements into the town , located at the head of a mountain valley , said the activist , who identified himself only as faris . faris said zabadani residents aided the rebel force by providing them with clothing and shelter . no civilians were killed there on wednesday , he added . jordan 's king : do n't expect change soon another activist in zabadani told cnn that syrian government forces had ringed the town and were shelling it from outside . and a third activist , based in the northern city of homs , told cnn that about 6,000 people in zabadani turned out for a demonstration to celebrate wednesday evening . video posted on youtube showed marchers clapping and chanting , waving their fingers in the air in victory signs and voicing thanks to the free syrian army . syrian authorities have restricted the activity of journalists during the 10-month uprising against president bashar al-assad , so cnn can not independently verify events there . but a cnn crew accompanied an arab league monitoring team during a visit to zabadani on sunday , when crowds carried the monitors on their shoulders and urged them to stay to prevent reprisals . the state-run syrian arab news agency made no mention wednesday of events in zabadani . elsewhere , the local coordination committees of syria said 21 more people were killed by government troops on wednesday . of those , 13 were killed in homs , the scene of the worst violence in recent weeks , with the rest scattered around the country , the lcc said . four people were killed in idlib , two in the damascus suburbs , one in aleppo and one in daraa , according to the lcc . the syrian arab news agency , meanwhile , said 15 police officers and soldiers , including an army colonel , had been killed in recent fighting . eu plans new sanctions against syrian regime the arab league monitoring mission was scheduled to end wednesday . but adnan al khudeir , the cairo-based head of the operation , said the league and the syrian government were in talks over an extension , and a source close to the mission in damascus told cnn that all the monitors had been told to remain at their bases on thursday . zabadani is about 50 kilometers ( 30 miles ) north of damascus , near the border with lebanon . mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | new : opposition official says another confrontation is expected in zabadani |
manchester united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- germany football star bastian schweinsteiger woke up to headlines of you schwein ' and you dirty schwein ' on wednesday . football matches between german and english have always been cannon fodder for britain 's red-top tabloids and the sun and the daily mirror -- which have built their reputation on the use of puns in headlines -- duly went to town after a major european game . their banner headlines -- the sun went for you schwein ' while the daily mirror had you dirty schwein ' -- were a reference to the red card awarded to schweinsteiger , who was playing for bayern munich in a european champions league first-leg tie against manchester united on tuesday -- after he fouled england star wayne rooney . but the two tabloids , who rely heavily on sport coverage to attract readers , have paid a price for their puns . in german , schwein literally means pig , but in everyday language in germany it 's used as insult and germans view it as a derogatory term . outraged by the headlines , bayern have banned the two newspapers from attending wednesday 's second-leg match at the club 's allianz arena stadium . the reigning german and european champions described the headlines as disrespectful , discriminatory and personally insulting ' in an official statement . especially in the champions league where uefa has organized a big campaign called'respect'where all players are required to wear that logo on their shirts , ' added the club . therefore representatives of'the daily mirror'and'the sun'will not be granted media accreditation at the allianz arena for the manchester united match . ' the daily mirror declined to comment when contacted by cnn , while the sun said : we 're currently talking to bayern munich . ' it 's the latest example of british tabloids aiming misguided barbs towards germany . ahead of a european championships semifinal between england and germany in 1996 , the mirror 's front page declared achtung ! surrender ' next to pictures of english players wearing world war ii helmets . an editorial in the paper read as a mock declaration of war . while bayern punished the two british clubs , the german club has confirmed it has accepted its own punishment handed out by european football 's governing body uefa after their fans displayed a homophobic banner during a match against arsenal . as a result , a part of the allianz arena will be closed for the match on april 9 . due to breaching this agreement when four attendees at our game with arsenal showed a disrespectful banner in the allianz arena , 700 fans will now be locked out ( for the united game ) and we were fined €10,000 , ' added bayern in their statement . we have accepted this . ' tuesday 's game finished 1-1 , leaving champions league holders bayern as favorites to reach the semifinals . | bayern munich ban two british tabloids from attending game against manchester united |
bayern <tsp> ( cnn ) -- germany football star bastian schweinsteiger woke up to headlines of you schwein ' and you dirty schwein ' on wednesday . football matches between german and english have always been cannon fodder for britain 's red-top tabloids and the sun and the daily mirror -- which have built their reputation on the use of puns in headlines -- duly went to town after a major european game . their banner headlines -- the sun went for you schwein ' while the daily mirror had you dirty schwein ' -- were a reference to the red card awarded to schweinsteiger , who was playing for bayern munich in a european champions league first-leg tie against manchester united on tuesday -- after he fouled england star wayne rooney . but the two tabloids , who rely heavily on sport coverage to attract readers , have paid a price for their puns . in german , schwein literally means pig , but in everyday language in germany it 's used as insult and germans view it as a derogatory term . outraged by the headlines , bayern have banned the two newspapers from attending wednesday 's second-leg match at the club 's allianz arena stadium . the reigning german and european champions described the headlines as disrespectful , discriminatory and personally insulting ' in an official statement . especially in the champions league where uefa has organized a big campaign called'respect'where all players are required to wear that logo on their shirts , ' added the club . therefore representatives of'the daily mirror'and'the sun'will not be granted media accreditation at the allianz arena for the manchester united match . ' the daily mirror declined to comment when contacted by cnn , while the sun said : we 're currently talking to bayern munich . ' it 's the latest example of british tabloids aiming misguided barbs towards germany . ahead of a european championships semifinal between england and germany in 1996 , the mirror 's front page declared achtung ! surrender ' next to pictures of english players wearing world war ii helmets . an editorial in the paper read as a mock declaration of war . while bayern punished the two british clubs , the german club has confirmed it has accepted its own punishment handed out by european football 's governing body uefa after their fans displayed a homophobic banner during a match against arsenal . as a result , a part of the allianz arena will be closed for the match on april 9 . due to breaching this agreement when four attendees at our game with arsenal showed a disrespectful banner in the allianz arena , 700 fans will now be locked out ( for the united game ) and we were fined €10,000 , ' added bayern in their statement . we have accepted this . ' tuesday 's game finished 1-1 , leaving champions league holders bayern as favorites to reach the semifinals . | bayern munich ban two british tabloids from attending game against manchester united |
bayern <tsp> ( cnn ) -- germany football star bastian schweinsteiger woke up to headlines of you schwein ' and you dirty schwein ' on wednesday . football matches between german and english have always been cannon fodder for britain 's red-top tabloids and the sun and the daily mirror -- which have built their reputation on the use of puns in headlines -- duly went to town after a major european game . their banner headlines -- the sun went for you schwein ' while the daily mirror had you dirty schwein ' -- were a reference to the red card awarded to schweinsteiger , who was playing for bayern munich in a european champions league first-leg tie against manchester united on tuesday -- after he fouled england star wayne rooney . but the two tabloids , who rely heavily on sport coverage to attract readers , have paid a price for their puns . in german , schwein literally means pig , but in everyday language in germany it 's used as insult and germans view it as a derogatory term . outraged by the headlines , bayern have banned the two newspapers from attending wednesday 's second-leg match at the club 's allianz arena stadium . the reigning german and european champions described the headlines as disrespectful , discriminatory and personally insulting ' in an official statement . especially in the champions league where uefa has organized a big campaign called'respect'where all players are required to wear that logo on their shirts , ' added the club . therefore representatives of'the daily mirror'and'the sun'will not be granted media accreditation at the allianz arena for the manchester united match . ' the daily mirror declined to comment when contacted by cnn , while the sun said : we 're currently talking to bayern munich . ' it 's the latest example of british tabloids aiming misguided barbs towards germany . ahead of a european championships semifinal between england and germany in 1996 , the mirror 's front page declared achtung ! surrender ' next to pictures of english players wearing world war ii helmets . an editorial in the paper read as a mock declaration of war . while bayern punished the two british clubs , the german club has confirmed it has accepted its own punishment handed out by european football 's governing body uefa after their fans displayed a homophobic banner during a match against arsenal . as a result , a part of the allianz arena will be closed for the match on april 9 . due to breaching this agreement when four attendees at our game with arsenal showed a disrespectful banner in the allianz arena , 700 fans will now be locked out ( for the united game ) and we were fined €10,000 , ' added bayern in their statement . we have accepted this . ' tuesday 's game finished 1-1 , leaving champions league holders bayern as favorites to reach the semifinals . | the headlines referenced bayern 's bastian schweinsteiger , who sent off in tuesday 's match |
you dirty schwein <tsp> ( cnn ) -- germany football star bastian schweinsteiger woke up to headlines of you schwein ' and you dirty schwein ' on wednesday . football matches between german and english have always been cannon fodder for britain 's red-top tabloids and the sun and the daily mirror -- which have built their reputation on the use of puns in headlines -- duly went to town after a major european game . their banner headlines -- the sun went for you schwein ' while the daily mirror had you dirty schwein ' -- were a reference to the red card awarded to schweinsteiger , who was playing for bayern munich in a european champions league first-leg tie against manchester united on tuesday -- after he fouled england star wayne rooney . but the two tabloids , who rely heavily on sport coverage to attract readers , have paid a price for their puns . in german , schwein literally means pig , but in everyday language in germany it 's used as insult and germans view it as a derogatory term . outraged by the headlines , bayern have banned the two newspapers from attending wednesday 's second-leg match at the club 's allianz arena stadium . the reigning german and european champions described the headlines as disrespectful , discriminatory and personally insulting ' in an official statement . especially in the champions league where uefa has organized a big campaign called'respect'where all players are required to wear that logo on their shirts , ' added the club . therefore representatives of'the daily mirror'and'the sun'will not be granted media accreditation at the allianz arena for the manchester united match . ' the daily mirror declined to comment when contacted by cnn , while the sun said : we 're currently talking to bayern munich . ' it 's the latest example of british tabloids aiming misguided barbs towards germany . ahead of a european championships semifinal between england and germany in 1996 , the mirror 's front page declared achtung ! surrender ' next to pictures of english players wearing world war ii helmets . an editorial in the paper read as a mock declaration of war . while bayern punished the two british clubs , the german club has confirmed it has accepted its own punishment handed out by european football 's governing body uefa after their fans displayed a homophobic banner during a match against arsenal . as a result , a part of the allianz arena will be closed for the match on april 9 . due to breaching this agreement when four attendees at our game with arsenal showed a disrespectful banner in the allianz arena , 700 fans will now be locked out ( for the united game ) and we were fined €10,000 , ' added bayern in their statement . we have accepted this . ' tuesday 's game finished 1-1 , leaving champions league holders bayern as favorites to reach the semifinals . | the daily mirror and the sun published headlines you schwein ' and you dirty schwein ' |
interior ministry <tsp> yemen 's defense minister escaped an assassination attempt tuesday when a suicide bomber attacked his convoy , the yemeni government said . a bomb-laden vehicle exploded at 11 a.m. , targeting gen. mohammed nasser ahmed 's convoy in tawahi , aden , along yemen 's southern coast , the defense ministry said . the bomber was killed . witnesses said two explosions were heard and that clashes followed for 10 minutes . an interior ministry source , citing the suicide bombing and the clashes , said the attack bears the hallmarks of al qaeda . sultan khaled , a witness , said , the explosions were powerful and the city saw hundreds of troops spreading quickly . ' within minutes of the attack , government troops had blocked all entrances into aden and set up checkpoints . in late august , senior security officials in abyan province said ahmed survived an assassination attempt when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle , killing two of his guards . but an official in the defense minister 's office at the time denied that the convoy was attacked . a senior official in abyan said then that the ministry may have denied that attack because it did not want abyan to be seen as outside complete government control . tuesday 's attack came as anti-government protests in yemen continued to attract huge crowds . president ali abdullah saleh returned friday from three months in saudi arabia , where he received medical treatment following an assassination attempt in june . tens of thousands took to the streets of yemen 's capital , sanaa , on monday . we are escalating , and soon we will march directly towards the presidential palace , ' said tawakul karman , a prominent revolutionist . the will of the people is stronger today , and saleh is already part of the past . ' but at the united nations in new york , yemeni foreign minister abu-bark al-qirbi accused opposition powers on tuesday of using the tidal wave of change ' that has swept across much of the arab world this year to prevent yemen from achieving democratic change through elections . ' al-qirbi cited unbridled population growth , poverty , drought and scarcity of water and oil -- which had been a primary source of income -- for the nation 's high rates of youth unemployment . he cited the opposition 's refusal to endorse saleh 's 2006 re-election , after 27 years in power , as the main reason for the upheaval that is taking place in yemen . ' in a televised address sunday , saleh blamed terrorists ' for recent deadly violence at anti-government protests . the motive of the criminal terrorists , ' he said , is to seize power and to steal the wealth of the country and to undermine stability . ' protesters insisted that saleh was trying to buy himself more time in office with the remarks . scores of protesters have been reported killed by yemeni forces in protests in recent days . saleh said his vice president has the authority to sign a proposal by the gulf cooperation council that would result in early presidential elections . the united states has called on yemen to follow the council 's proposal . the united states , the united nations and the european union have called on yemen to halt the violence and called on both sides to establish a peaceful transfer of power . | the attack bears the hallmarks of al qaeda , an interior ministry source says |
nathan deal <tsp> ( cnn ) the coxes can rest more comfortably living in georgia now that their 5-year-old daughter can get the marijuana extract she needs . this means the world to us , ' said haleigh cox 's mother , janea cox . gov . nathan deal signed a bill thursday that will legalize low-thc cannabis oil for certain medication-resistant epilepsies , ' while creating an infrastructure , registration process and research program for the drug . ( thc is the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana . ) the bill is dubbed haleigh 's hope act . haleigh , who has been the face of the bill , was having hundreds of seizures a day and the five potent drugs meant to control them were n't making life better for the little girl . janea cox said in a march 2014 interview that she made the difficult decision to move her daughter to colorado , where medical marijuana is legal , in hopes of saving her life . she was maxed out , ' cox said . she 'd quit breathing several times a day , and the doctors blamed it on the seizure medications . ' 10 diseases marijuana could affect cox had heard that a form of medical marijuana might help , but it was n't available in georgia . so a week after hearing a doctor 's diagnosis that haleigh might not live another three months , she and haleigh packed up and moved to colorado springs , colorado . there , haleigh began a regimen of cannabis oil : four times a day and once at night . every time she smiled i knew we did the right thing , because we had n't seen her smile in three years , ' cox said . now she 's thriving , she 's healthy , she 's happy , and they 're absolutely shocked at the difference . so i think we 've turned some nonbelievers into believers of cannabis oil . ' deal is apparently one of those believers , signing hb1 on thursday and opening the door for the use of cannabis oil to treat certain medical conditions . the bill will benefit not only people who suffer from chronic seizure disorders , but it also will allow patients to receive in-state treatment . to obtain a license in georgia , you will need to have a specific covered condition , such as acute seizures . for the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain , the wait is finally over , ' deal said thursday . ... now , georgia children and their families may return home while continuing to receive much-needed care . ' for cox , it 's a blessing to be able to come back home , and with haleigh 's medicine , it 's done wonders for her -- going from 200-plus seizures a day and on her deathbed to a smiling , happy girl who says words now and looks us in the eye and lets us know she 's in there . ' she added , colorado has been good to us , but georgia 's home . georgia 's definitely home . ' with medical marijuana legal in nearly half the states , doctors are increasingly studying what effect the drug has on various ailments . while georgia 's law is specific to a handful of conditions , medical marijuana laws in states such as california permit marijuana use for an array of ailments . but as states rewrite their regulations , federal law remains the same : marijuana is illegal to grow , sell or use for any purpose . under the controlled substances act , marijuana is listed on schedule 1 , meaning it has no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse . ' to backers of reform , it presents a catch-22 : marijuana is restricted , in large part , because there is scant research to support medical uses , yet research is difficult to conduct because of tight restrictions . | georgia gov . nathan deal signs a medical marijuana bill |
haleigh cox <tsp> ( cnn ) the coxes can rest more comfortably living in georgia now that their 5-year-old daughter can get the marijuana extract she needs . this means the world to us , ' said haleigh cox 's mother , janea cox . gov . nathan deal signed a bill thursday that will legalize low-thc cannabis oil for certain medication-resistant epilepsies , ' while creating an infrastructure , registration process and research program for the drug . ( thc is the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana . ) the bill is dubbed haleigh 's hope act . haleigh , who has been the face of the bill , was having hundreds of seizures a day and the five potent drugs meant to control them were n't making life better for the little girl . janea cox said in a march 2014 interview that she made the difficult decision to move her daughter to colorado , where medical marijuana is legal , in hopes of saving her life . she was maxed out , ' cox said . she 'd quit breathing several times a day , and the doctors blamed it on the seizure medications . ' 10 diseases marijuana could affect cox had heard that a form of medical marijuana might help , but it was n't available in georgia . so a week after hearing a doctor 's diagnosis that haleigh might not live another three months , she and haleigh packed up and moved to colorado springs , colorado . there , haleigh began a regimen of cannabis oil : four times a day and once at night . every time she smiled i knew we did the right thing , because we had n't seen her smile in three years , ' cox said . now she 's thriving , she 's healthy , she 's happy , and they 're absolutely shocked at the difference . so i think we 've turned some nonbelievers into believers of cannabis oil . ' deal is apparently one of those believers , signing hb1 on thursday and opening the door for the use of cannabis oil to treat certain medical conditions . the bill will benefit not only people who suffer from chronic seizure disorders , but it also will allow patients to receive in-state treatment . to obtain a license in georgia , you will need to have a specific covered condition , such as acute seizures . for the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain , the wait is finally over , ' deal said thursday . ... now , georgia children and their families may return home while continuing to receive much-needed care . ' for cox , it 's a blessing to be able to come back home , and with haleigh 's medicine , it 's done wonders for her -- going from 200-plus seizures a day and on her deathbed to a smiling , happy girl who says words now and looks us in the eye and lets us know she 's in there . ' she added , colorado has been good to us , but georgia 's home . georgia 's definitely home . ' with medical marijuana legal in nearly half the states , doctors are increasingly studying what effect the drug has on various ailments . while georgia 's law is specific to a handful of conditions , medical marijuana laws in states such as california permit marijuana use for an array of ailments . but as states rewrite their regulations , federal law remains the same : marijuana is illegal to grow , sell or use for any purpose . under the controlled substances act , marijuana is listed on schedule 1 , meaning it has no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse . ' to backers of reform , it presents a catch-22 : marijuana is restricted , in large part , because there is scant research to support medical uses , yet research is difficult to conduct because of tight restrictions . | the bill is inspired by haleigh cox , a 5-year-old whose seizures threatened her life |
georgia <tsp> ( cnn ) the coxes can rest more comfortably living in georgia now that their 5-year-old daughter can get the marijuana extract she needs . this means the world to us , ' said haleigh cox 's mother , janea cox . gov . nathan deal signed a bill thursday that will legalize low-thc cannabis oil for certain medication-resistant epilepsies , ' while creating an infrastructure , registration process and research program for the drug . ( thc is the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana . ) the bill is dubbed haleigh 's hope act . haleigh , who has been the face of the bill , was having hundreds of seizures a day and the five potent drugs meant to control them were n't making life better for the little girl . janea cox said in a march 2014 interview that she made the difficult decision to move her daughter to colorado , where medical marijuana is legal , in hopes of saving her life . she was maxed out , ' cox said . she 'd quit breathing several times a day , and the doctors blamed it on the seizure medications . ' 10 diseases marijuana could affect cox had heard that a form of medical marijuana might help , but it was n't available in georgia . so a week after hearing a doctor 's diagnosis that haleigh might not live another three months , she and haleigh packed up and moved to colorado springs , colorado . there , haleigh began a regimen of cannabis oil : four times a day and once at night . every time she smiled i knew we did the right thing , because we had n't seen her smile in three years , ' cox said . now she 's thriving , she 's healthy , she 's happy , and they 're absolutely shocked at the difference . so i think we 've turned some nonbelievers into believers of cannabis oil . ' deal is apparently one of those believers , signing hb1 on thursday and opening the door for the use of cannabis oil to treat certain medical conditions . the bill will benefit not only people who suffer from chronic seizure disorders , but it also will allow patients to receive in-state treatment . to obtain a license in georgia , you will need to have a specific covered condition , such as acute seizures . for the families enduring separation and patients suffering pain , the wait is finally over , ' deal said thursday . ... now , georgia children and their families may return home while continuing to receive much-needed care . ' for cox , it 's a blessing to be able to come back home , and with haleigh 's medicine , it 's done wonders for her -- going from 200-plus seizures a day and on her deathbed to a smiling , happy girl who says words now and looks us in the eye and lets us know she 's in there . ' she added , colorado has been good to us , but georgia 's home . georgia 's definitely home . ' with medical marijuana legal in nearly half the states , doctors are increasingly studying what effect the drug has on various ailments . while georgia 's law is specific to a handful of conditions , medical marijuana laws in states such as california permit marijuana use for an array of ailments . but as states rewrite their regulations , federal law remains the same : marijuana is illegal to grow , sell or use for any purpose . under the controlled substances act , marijuana is listed on schedule 1 , meaning it has no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse . ' to backers of reform , it presents a catch-22 : marijuana is restricted , in large part , because there is scant research to support medical uses , yet research is difficult to conduct because of tight restrictions . | georgia gov . nathan deal signs a medical marijuana bill |
hasselbeck <tsp> ( cnn ) -- elisabeth hasselbeck , co-host of the view ' and author of the new book , the g-free diet , ' spoke wednesday with larry king . elizabeth hasselbeck , of the view , ' says bristol palin is an ideal choice to speak about teen abstinence . hasselbeck offers her thoughts on being the sole conservative on her show , elizabeth edwards dealing with her husband 's infidelity , bristol palin being abstinence spokeswoman and her battle with celiac disease . the following is an edited version of the interview . larry king : were you surprised that the view ' made the most influential list of time magazine ? elisabeth hasselbeck : i sure was . i think it 's truly a tribute to what barbara ( walters ) has done and the show that she created along with bill geddie , our executive producer . it 's a great place for women to come to and listen -- men , as well . but , also , for us to get there every day and discuss everything from politics to motherhood and parenting . but it was a shock . i think any time you receive an honor such as that , it 's shocking . watch hasselbeck defend bristol palin » king : as the definitive conservative in the group , do you feel like the outcast ? do you feel put upon ? hasselbeck : i never feel like an outcast there . if anything , i feel more included than ever . i mean , truly that is a table where respect is number one , in terms of we sort of have a vow to one another . and we could n't come there every single day and talk about the things that -- that we discuss and have the debates that we do and get as fiery as we do and get back there the next day if there was n't that respect at the table and true value for the others'opinion . i mean the more we tend to disagree , i think the more we sort of dig deeper into that relationship . king : so the anger does n't carry over ? hasselbeck : no . i would n't even classify it as anger . i think it 's passion , and i think it 's passion with purpose . you know , we do believe different things at times . occasionally , we agree . it may not be that interesting when we do , but there is passion . it is coming from different places , but we love that conversation . i love being able to hear someone else 's opinion on a subject and maybe sort of , you know , push a button here and there and see what they think about what i have to say . king also talked with hasselbeck about bristol palin , the daughter of alaska gov . sarah palin , being a spokeswoman for abstinence . king : what do you make of that choice ? hasselbeck : i think she 's the perfect choice . she has a tangible , living example of what this new responsibility is in her life . i believe that there is a sort of sadistic giddiness on the part of some true radical leftists , who are laughing behind-the-scenes about bristol palin 's situation . why are they so obsessed with her being a spokesperson for this ? she 's promoting a great thing -- abstinence . find me something else that works 100 percent of the time . king : elizabeth edwards has gone public about her pain about her husband 's infidelity . yesterday on this show , elisabeth hasselbeck , joy behar , your compatriot , called john edwards a dog . do you agree ? hasselbeck : you never understand the intimacies of someone 's relationship with their spouse -- i mean or boyfriend , partner , etc . those are places that only the two people truly understand . i think we 're also looking at a woman of incredible strength , having looked at cancer and battled through . i believe that nothing , truly , can compare to that . and , you know , it 's unfortunate . i think this alleged affair and , you know , disturbance , even in terms of allegedly funding his mistress'foundation , is even more complicating the matter . the idea of another child in the mix ( is ) disturbing as well . king : elisabeth , miss california usa carrie prejean -- first , the controversy over gay marriage statements and now scandal over semi-nude modeling photos of her . what do you think of the way she 's being treated in the media ? hasselbeck : well , i think there 's a very specific witch hunt going on here because she expressed her opinion . so now we 're going to dig and throw fear into the heart of any person who may want to freely express their opinion in the united states of america . that seems like a big bullying scheme to me . if she had answered the other way , would anyone have been searching for those photos ? would they want to vilify her or remove what she 's been working for ? i do n't understand the pageant well , and i do n't know what her responsibilities were . was she to represent the state of california in her opinions and was she to represent the opinions of a young woman who believed in her heart one thing ? that 's her personal opinion . i 'm not sure what her duties were or were to be . i do know this , though . i 'm not sure this investigation into any sort of photos or background or family members that they 're pulling out of left and right would have even occurred if she had given an answer on the other side . so it seems to me a bit of a bullying scheme , as i said before , and that disturbing . we should be able to have our opinions in this country and stand by them and at least be respected , at the very least . later in the interview king talked with hasselbeck about her new book , the g-free diet : a gluten-free survival guide . ' king : now , ( when ) we think of gluten , we think of wheat , right ? hasselbeck : well , it 's actually more than that . gluten is a protein found in barley , oats , wheat and rye . it 's more broad than most people actually think , so that is definitely a misconception out there . this has been a decade-long process for me . i have celiac disease , and i say out of diabetes came that low glycemic index diet and out of my celiac disease , i found this all-star diet . i call it my diet in the rough ' because it is something that , even if i did n't have celiac disease , like many others , i would follow this diet . you know , over 10 years ago , i was diagnosed with ibs , thyroid issues . i was having infertility problems . people suffer miscarriage after miscarriage , stillbirth . it eventually leads to intestinal cancer . this is something that needs to be treated . but the diet is actually , yes , for people with celiac disease , for millions with food intolerance that is up like 25 percent in the past five years ( and ) for people who just want a healthy lifestyle . i mean i 'm on this diet before i 'm pregnant , during pregnancy and when i 'm trying to get back in my bikini to , you know , strut around in the summer . | elisabeth hasselbeck says radical leftists ' laughing at bristol palin 's situation |
hasselbeck <tsp> ( cnn ) -- elisabeth hasselbeck , co-host of the view ' and author of the new book , the g-free diet , ' spoke wednesday with larry king . elizabeth hasselbeck , of the view , ' says bristol palin is an ideal choice to speak about teen abstinence . hasselbeck offers her thoughts on being the sole conservative on her show , elizabeth edwards dealing with her husband 's infidelity , bristol palin being abstinence spokeswoman and her battle with celiac disease . the following is an edited version of the interview . larry king : were you surprised that the view ' made the most influential list of time magazine ? elisabeth hasselbeck : i sure was . i think it 's truly a tribute to what barbara ( walters ) has done and the show that she created along with bill geddie , our executive producer . it 's a great place for women to come to and listen -- men , as well . but , also , for us to get there every day and discuss everything from politics to motherhood and parenting . but it was a shock . i think any time you receive an honor such as that , it 's shocking . watch hasselbeck defend bristol palin » king : as the definitive conservative in the group , do you feel like the outcast ? do you feel put upon ? hasselbeck : i never feel like an outcast there . if anything , i feel more included than ever . i mean , truly that is a table where respect is number one , in terms of we sort of have a vow to one another . and we could n't come there every single day and talk about the things that -- that we discuss and have the debates that we do and get as fiery as we do and get back there the next day if there was n't that respect at the table and true value for the others'opinion . i mean the more we tend to disagree , i think the more we sort of dig deeper into that relationship . king : so the anger does n't carry over ? hasselbeck : no . i would n't even classify it as anger . i think it 's passion , and i think it 's passion with purpose . you know , we do believe different things at times . occasionally , we agree . it may not be that interesting when we do , but there is passion . it is coming from different places , but we love that conversation . i love being able to hear someone else 's opinion on a subject and maybe sort of , you know , push a button here and there and see what they think about what i have to say . king also talked with hasselbeck about bristol palin , the daughter of alaska gov . sarah palin , being a spokeswoman for abstinence . king : what do you make of that choice ? hasselbeck : i think she 's the perfect choice . she has a tangible , living example of what this new responsibility is in her life . i believe that there is a sort of sadistic giddiness on the part of some true radical leftists , who are laughing behind-the-scenes about bristol palin 's situation . why are they so obsessed with her being a spokesperson for this ? she 's promoting a great thing -- abstinence . find me something else that works 100 percent of the time . king : elizabeth edwards has gone public about her pain about her husband 's infidelity . yesterday on this show , elisabeth hasselbeck , joy behar , your compatriot , called john edwards a dog . do you agree ? hasselbeck : you never understand the intimacies of someone 's relationship with their spouse -- i mean or boyfriend , partner , etc . those are places that only the two people truly understand . i think we 're also looking at a woman of incredible strength , having looked at cancer and battled through . i believe that nothing , truly , can compare to that . and , you know , it 's unfortunate . i think this alleged affair and , you know , disturbance , even in terms of allegedly funding his mistress'foundation , is even more complicating the matter . the idea of another child in the mix ( is ) disturbing as well . king : elisabeth , miss california usa carrie prejean -- first , the controversy over gay marriage statements and now scandal over semi-nude modeling photos of her . what do you think of the way she 's being treated in the media ? hasselbeck : well , i think there 's a very specific witch hunt going on here because she expressed her opinion . so now we 're going to dig and throw fear into the heart of any person who may want to freely express their opinion in the united states of america . that seems like a big bullying scheme to me . if she had answered the other way , would anyone have been searching for those photos ? would they want to vilify her or remove what she 's been working for ? i do n't understand the pageant well , and i do n't know what her responsibilities were . was she to represent the state of california in her opinions and was she to represent the opinions of a young woman who believed in her heart one thing ? that 's her personal opinion . i 'm not sure what her duties were or were to be . i do know this , though . i 'm not sure this investigation into any sort of photos or background or family members that they 're pulling out of left and right would have even occurred if she had given an answer on the other side . so it seems to me a bit of a bullying scheme , as i said before , and that disturbing . we should be able to have our opinions in this country and stand by them and at least be respected , at the very least . later in the interview king talked with hasselbeck about her new book , the g-free diet : a gluten-free survival guide . ' king : now , ( when ) we think of gluten , we think of wheat , right ? hasselbeck : well , it 's actually more than that . gluten is a protein found in barley , oats , wheat and rye . it 's more broad than most people actually think , so that is definitely a misconception out there . this has been a decade-long process for me . i have celiac disease , and i say out of diabetes came that low glycemic index diet and out of my celiac disease , i found this all-star diet . i call it my diet in the rough ' because it is something that , even if i did n't have celiac disease , like many others , i would follow this diet . you know , over 10 years ago , i was diagnosed with ibs , thyroid issues . i was having infertility problems . people suffer miscarriage after miscarriage , stillbirth . it eventually leads to intestinal cancer . this is something that needs to be treated . but the diet is actually , yes , for people with celiac disease , for millions with food intolerance that is up like 25 percent in the past five years ( and ) for people who just want a healthy lifestyle . i mean i 'm on this diet before i 'm pregnant , during pregnancy and when i 'm trying to get back in my bikini to , you know , strut around in the summer . | hasselbeck , who has celiac disease , wrote book on gluten-free lifestyle |
hasselbeck <tsp> ( cnn ) -- elisabeth hasselbeck , co-host of the view ' and author of the new book , the g-free diet , ' spoke wednesday with larry king . elizabeth hasselbeck , of the view , ' says bristol palin is an ideal choice to speak about teen abstinence . hasselbeck offers her thoughts on being the sole conservative on her show , elizabeth edwards dealing with her husband 's infidelity , bristol palin being abstinence spokeswoman and her battle with celiac disease . the following is an edited version of the interview . larry king : were you surprised that the view ' made the most influential list of time magazine ? elisabeth hasselbeck : i sure was . i think it 's truly a tribute to what barbara ( walters ) has done and the show that she created along with bill geddie , our executive producer . it 's a great place for women to come to and listen -- men , as well . but , also , for us to get there every day and discuss everything from politics to motherhood and parenting . but it was a shock . i think any time you receive an honor such as that , it 's shocking . watch hasselbeck defend bristol palin » king : as the definitive conservative in the group , do you feel like the outcast ? do you feel put upon ? hasselbeck : i never feel like an outcast there . if anything , i feel more included than ever . i mean , truly that is a table where respect is number one , in terms of we sort of have a vow to one another . and we could n't come there every single day and talk about the things that -- that we discuss and have the debates that we do and get as fiery as we do and get back there the next day if there was n't that respect at the table and true value for the others'opinion . i mean the more we tend to disagree , i think the more we sort of dig deeper into that relationship . king : so the anger does n't carry over ? hasselbeck : no . i would n't even classify it as anger . i think it 's passion , and i think it 's passion with purpose . you know , we do believe different things at times . occasionally , we agree . it may not be that interesting when we do , but there is passion . it is coming from different places , but we love that conversation . i love being able to hear someone else 's opinion on a subject and maybe sort of , you know , push a button here and there and see what they think about what i have to say . king also talked with hasselbeck about bristol palin , the daughter of alaska gov . sarah palin , being a spokeswoman for abstinence . king : what do you make of that choice ? hasselbeck : i think she 's the perfect choice . she has a tangible , living example of what this new responsibility is in her life . i believe that there is a sort of sadistic giddiness on the part of some true radical leftists , who are laughing behind-the-scenes about bristol palin 's situation . why are they so obsessed with her being a spokesperson for this ? she 's promoting a great thing -- abstinence . find me something else that works 100 percent of the time . king : elizabeth edwards has gone public about her pain about her husband 's infidelity . yesterday on this show , elisabeth hasselbeck , joy behar , your compatriot , called john edwards a dog . do you agree ? hasselbeck : you never understand the intimacies of someone 's relationship with their spouse -- i mean or boyfriend , partner , etc . those are places that only the two people truly understand . i think we 're also looking at a woman of incredible strength , having looked at cancer and battled through . i believe that nothing , truly , can compare to that . and , you know , it 's unfortunate . i think this alleged affair and , you know , disturbance , even in terms of allegedly funding his mistress'foundation , is even more complicating the matter . the idea of another child in the mix ( is ) disturbing as well . king : elisabeth , miss california usa carrie prejean -- first , the controversy over gay marriage statements and now scandal over semi-nude modeling photos of her . what do you think of the way she 's being treated in the media ? hasselbeck : well , i think there 's a very specific witch hunt going on here because she expressed her opinion . so now we 're going to dig and throw fear into the heart of any person who may want to freely express their opinion in the united states of america . that seems like a big bullying scheme to me . if she had answered the other way , would anyone have been searching for those photos ? would they want to vilify her or remove what she 's been working for ? i do n't understand the pageant well , and i do n't know what her responsibilities were . was she to represent the state of california in her opinions and was she to represent the opinions of a young woman who believed in her heart one thing ? that 's her personal opinion . i 'm not sure what her duties were or were to be . i do know this , though . i 'm not sure this investigation into any sort of photos or background or family members that they 're pulling out of left and right would have even occurred if she had given an answer on the other side . so it seems to me a bit of a bullying scheme , as i said before , and that disturbing . we should be able to have our opinions in this country and stand by them and at least be respected , at the very least . later in the interview king talked with hasselbeck about her new book , the g-free diet : a gluten-free survival guide . ' king : now , ( when ) we think of gluten , we think of wheat , right ? hasselbeck : well , it 's actually more than that . gluten is a protein found in barley , oats , wheat and rye . it 's more broad than most people actually think , so that is definitely a misconception out there . this has been a decade-long process for me . i have celiac disease , and i say out of diabetes came that low glycemic index diet and out of my celiac disease , i found this all-star diet . i call it my diet in the rough ' because it is something that , even if i did n't have celiac disease , like many others , i would follow this diet . you know , over 10 years ago , i was diagnosed with ibs , thyroid issues . i was having infertility problems . people suffer miscarriage after miscarriage , stillbirth . it eventually leads to intestinal cancer . this is something that needs to be treated . but the diet is actually , yes , for people with celiac disease , for millions with food intolerance that is up like 25 percent in the past five years ( and ) for people who just want a healthy lifestyle . i mean i 'm on this diet before i 'm pregnant , during pregnancy and when i 'm trying to get back in my bikini to , you know , strut around in the summer . | hasselbeck calls miss california usa controversy a big bullying scheme ' |
michelle obama <tsp> ( instyle.com ) -- is anyone else besides michelle obama leaving the house these days ? because for the last week , you would have thought that anne hathaway , gwyneth paltrow and halle berry had gone into the witness protection program . first lady michelle obama arrives with president obama in london , england , for the g-20 summit . during first lady michelle obama 's whirlwind visit to europe this past week , her refreshing take on american style has emerged . it is elegant , smart , appropriate and shows the first lady to be comfortable in her own skin . coverage surrounding the first lady 's wardrobe in europe , from cardigans to kitten heels , has been relentless , riveting , fawning and , frankly , missing the objective of her strategically packed suitcase . no doubt about it , michelle obama scored big , looking terrific everywhere , delighting everyone -- probably no one more so than mickey drexler , ceo of j . crew . but the post-game commentary sparked by each of her appearances has been hyperbolic when it has n't been comical . see photos of the first lady 's outfits » you would have thought each of the first lady 's face offs , ' as both american and british tabloids labeled her meetings with queen elizabeth ii , britain 's first lady sarah brown , and france 's carla bruni-sarkozy , had been deliberately set up as counter-programming to c-span 's coverage of the budget negotiations in congress . watch michelle obama wow the world » one wire service reporter asked me if michelle , wearing a two-toned silk dress by isabel toledo , should have taken a bigger fashion risk ' when meeting the 83-year-old british monarch , who was all mumsy in blush pink . it was an afternoon tea , folks , not the embassy ball in my fair lady . ' another wanted to know if i agreed that the first lady 's now-sold-out j . crew outfit , an embellished cream cardigan and mint-green jacquard skirt , was a little too down-market ' to meet the prime minister of england 's wife , completely overlooking where the two women were headed after the photo op . or would a bias-cut silk charmeuse dress have been a wiser choice for visiting a children 's cancer ward ? but the main event was going head-to-head with the former supermodel , pop-star first lady of france , carla bruni-sarkozy . except both women wound up wearing similar bow-tied coats -- mrs. obama 's floral print number by the american designer thakoon , and her counterpart 's , a dove-gray look by the french house of dior . nevertheless , tina brown 's thedailybeast.com went so far as to immediately declare the up-until-recently overtly scrutinized mrs. bruni-sarkozy over . ' the citizens of france might argue the point . more importantly , the press has been missing the over-arching point of our new first lady 's wardrobe . despite the declaration by many of the fashion community 's talking heads that she is this generation 's jacqueline kennedy , michelle obama 's approach is quite different . true , michelle 's reception has been equally rapturous . but , mrs. kennedy 's transatlantic mission nearly 50 years ago was to show the world that despite america 's image of a country fueled by energy and youth , it was also one of elegance , poise and culture . in addition , whether speaking in english or french , mrs. kennedy purposely presented herself and her husband as children of privilege , embracing the aura of camelot , which had cast them as american royalty . conversely , what 's most striking about each of mrs. obama 's appearances is not the grandiose message , diverse labels or designers'origins . rather , it is their unmistakable , uniform accessibility and appropriateness . michelle obama looks exactly like what she is : a modern american , working woman . her outfits appear comfortable instead of buttoned up , her impression is pretty rather than formal , her silhouette based on sportswear -- the form of design that is at the heart of american fashion -- not politics . add warmth , confidence , and openness and what the world is seeing -- besides someone who knows how to pack for a week -- is a woman they would want to know , to embrace as a neighbor or a friend . though i 'm still having trouble getting past those kitten heels ( note to michelle : you 'd look so much better in a four-inch pump . do n't worry , your husband can handle it ) , what michelle obama has brilliantly accomplished in fairly record time is refashioning the image of americans as relevant , approachable , relatable , and best of all , likable . when speaking to a group of school children in london , the first lady freely admitted , i like getting a 's . i like being smart . ' she sure is . get a free trial issue of instyle - click here ! copyright © 2009 time inc. all rights reserved . | during her visit to europe , michelle obama shows her own american style |
michelle obama <tsp> ( instyle.com ) -- is anyone else besides michelle obama leaving the house these days ? because for the last week , you would have thought that anne hathaway , gwyneth paltrow and halle berry had gone into the witness protection program . first lady michelle obama arrives with president obama in london , england , for the g-20 summit . during first lady michelle obama 's whirlwind visit to europe this past week , her refreshing take on american style has emerged . it is elegant , smart , appropriate and shows the first lady to be comfortable in her own skin . coverage surrounding the first lady 's wardrobe in europe , from cardigans to kitten heels , has been relentless , riveting , fawning and , frankly , missing the objective of her strategically packed suitcase . no doubt about it , michelle obama scored big , looking terrific everywhere , delighting everyone -- probably no one more so than mickey drexler , ceo of j . crew . but the post-game commentary sparked by each of her appearances has been hyperbolic when it has n't been comical . see photos of the first lady 's outfits » you would have thought each of the first lady 's face offs , ' as both american and british tabloids labeled her meetings with queen elizabeth ii , britain 's first lady sarah brown , and france 's carla bruni-sarkozy , had been deliberately set up as counter-programming to c-span 's coverage of the budget negotiations in congress . watch michelle obama wow the world » one wire service reporter asked me if michelle , wearing a two-toned silk dress by isabel toledo , should have taken a bigger fashion risk ' when meeting the 83-year-old british monarch , who was all mumsy in blush pink . it was an afternoon tea , folks , not the embassy ball in my fair lady . ' another wanted to know if i agreed that the first lady 's now-sold-out j . crew outfit , an embellished cream cardigan and mint-green jacquard skirt , was a little too down-market ' to meet the prime minister of england 's wife , completely overlooking where the two women were headed after the photo op . or would a bias-cut silk charmeuse dress have been a wiser choice for visiting a children 's cancer ward ? but the main event was going head-to-head with the former supermodel , pop-star first lady of france , carla bruni-sarkozy . except both women wound up wearing similar bow-tied coats -- mrs. obama 's floral print number by the american designer thakoon , and her counterpart 's , a dove-gray look by the french house of dior . nevertheless , tina brown 's thedailybeast.com went so far as to immediately declare the up-until-recently overtly scrutinized mrs. bruni-sarkozy over . ' the citizens of france might argue the point . more importantly , the press has been missing the over-arching point of our new first lady 's wardrobe . despite the declaration by many of the fashion community 's talking heads that she is this generation 's jacqueline kennedy , michelle obama 's approach is quite different . true , michelle 's reception has been equally rapturous . but , mrs. kennedy 's transatlantic mission nearly 50 years ago was to show the world that despite america 's image of a country fueled by energy and youth , it was also one of elegance , poise and culture . in addition , whether speaking in english or french , mrs. kennedy purposely presented herself and her husband as children of privilege , embracing the aura of camelot , which had cast them as american royalty . conversely , what 's most striking about each of mrs. obama 's appearances is not the grandiose message , diverse labels or designers'origins . rather , it is their unmistakable , uniform accessibility and appropriateness . michelle obama looks exactly like what she is : a modern american , working woman . her outfits appear comfortable instead of buttoned up , her impression is pretty rather than formal , her silhouette based on sportswear -- the form of design that is at the heart of american fashion -- not politics . add warmth , confidence , and openness and what the world is seeing -- besides someone who knows how to pack for a week -- is a woman they would want to know , to embrace as a neighbor or a friend . though i 'm still having trouble getting past those kitten heels ( note to michelle : you 'd look so much better in a four-inch pump . do n't worry , your husband can handle it ) , what michelle obama has brilliantly accomplished in fairly record time is refashioning the image of americans as relevant , approachable , relatable , and best of all , likable . when speaking to a group of school children in london , the first lady freely admitted , i like getting a 's . i like being smart . ' she sure is . get a free trial issue of instyle - click here ! copyright © 2009 time inc. all rights reserved . | michelle obama looks exactly like what she is : a modern american working woman |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal may top the english premier league table going into 2014 , but jose mourinho leads the way when it comes to post-match performances . after a hard-fought 2-1 win that kept his chelsea team in touch with arsenal and manchester city ahead of the epl 's new year 's day program , mourinho sought to deflect any possible criticism of his players with a blustering counter-attack . when questioned about key incidents in sunday 's match , which continued the tense clashes between the two teams in recent years , the portuguese manager accused luis suarez of an acrobatic swimming pool jump ' and going down like somebody shot him . ' this was after chelsea 's match-winner samuel eto'o had clearly body-checked the 19-goal striker off the ball inside his own penalty area while cesar azpilicueta cleared the ball . suarez lost a duel with azpilicueta ... and now he 's doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try to get the penalty , because he 's so clever because he 's in the area where the liverpool supporters are behind , ' mourinho insisted at his press conference . but ( referee howard ) webb is 10 meters away . and i think the only mistake webb did was not to give him a yellow card . ' suarez has a reputation of going to ground too easily , but this season the uruguayan has been a reformed man -- being named interim captain by liverpool manager brendan rodgers -- following last season 's eight-match ban for biting chelsea 's branislav ivanovic . the player is amazing , ' acknowledged mourinho , who has yet to suffer a home league defeat in his two spells at stamford bridge . he does everything to win and brendan is doing a fantastic job on him because he 's changed . there 's no doubt that he 's changed . but when the situation is like this and you are losing comes the nature of the player , the wild nature of the player or the cultural nature of the player . culturally people from that area ( south america ) , they like it . it 's not also that area . there 's a corner in europe where i belong to , that they also like diving . ' rodgers , meanwhile , was aggrieved that eto'o was still on the pitch following a high tackle on jordan henderson that provided the free-kick for martin skrtel 's early opening goal -- the defender pounced from close range after ivanovic tussled with suarez . eden hazard leveled with a superb curling effort , and eto'o poked in a 34th-minute winner from oscar 's low cross . he should 've been sent off , ' rodgers said of the cameroon striker . i know we scored from it , but that was a wild challenge , where he 's raked down his knee and down his shin and did n't even get a yellow card . luis will always provoke a challenge from defenders , that 's why he 's world-class . what he probably does n't expect is to provoke a challenge from someone who 's not involved in the contact . he 's running to challenge azpilicueta and eto'o is streetwise , he 's cute , he blocks him . on another day you could give that as a penalty , because it 's obstruction in the area . ' rodgers was measured in his comments after being charged by the english football association for criticizing match officials following liverpool 's 2-1 defeat by manchester city on thursday . his team topped the table last weekend , but a second straight reverse left the reds in fifth place -- six points behind arsenal , and four adrift of third-placed chelsea . the team leading going into the new year has won the title for seven of the past nine years , though arsenal was one of the exceptions in 2007-08 , dropping back to third . the london side was missing record signing mesut ozil and top scorer aaron ramsey for sunday 's trip to in-form newcastle , but battled to a vital 1-0 victory thanks to olivier giroud 's eighth league goal this season . the france striker glanced in theo walcott 's 65th-minute free-kick to inflict newcastle 's first league defeat since october . there is something in the team that is special on the mental front , ' said arsenal manager arsene wenger . we have many times been questioned , but we have shown that at west ham , where we were 1-0 down , we have shown that again today , where we were a bit backs-to-the-wall in the last 15 minutes . last year in this period , we were out of the championship race , but in 2013 , we have been quite consistent . ' arsenal 's win allowed london rival tottenham to move up to seventh place above newcastle with a 3-0 win at home to 12th-placed stoke , as spain striker roberto soldado netted a penalty before belgium midfielder mousa dembele and england winger aaron lennon added the others . everton climbed above merseyside rival liverpool into fourth with a 2-1 win at home to ninth-placed southampton , as on-loan chelsea striker romelu lukaku struck the 74th-minute winner -- the belgium international 's ninth in the league this season . | everton in fourth above liverpool after winning 2-1 against southampton |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal may top the english premier league table going into 2014 , but jose mourinho leads the way when it comes to post-match performances . after a hard-fought 2-1 win that kept his chelsea team in touch with arsenal and manchester city ahead of the epl 's new year 's day program , mourinho sought to deflect any possible criticism of his players with a blustering counter-attack . when questioned about key incidents in sunday 's match , which continued the tense clashes between the two teams in recent years , the portuguese manager accused luis suarez of an acrobatic swimming pool jump ' and going down like somebody shot him . ' this was after chelsea 's match-winner samuel eto'o had clearly body-checked the 19-goal striker off the ball inside his own penalty area while cesar azpilicueta cleared the ball . suarez lost a duel with azpilicueta ... and now he 's doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try to get the penalty , because he 's so clever because he 's in the area where the liverpool supporters are behind , ' mourinho insisted at his press conference . but ( referee howard ) webb is 10 meters away . and i think the only mistake webb did was not to give him a yellow card . ' suarez has a reputation of going to ground too easily , but this season the uruguayan has been a reformed man -- being named interim captain by liverpool manager brendan rodgers -- following last season 's eight-match ban for biting chelsea 's branislav ivanovic . the player is amazing , ' acknowledged mourinho , who has yet to suffer a home league defeat in his two spells at stamford bridge . he does everything to win and brendan is doing a fantastic job on him because he 's changed . there 's no doubt that he 's changed . but when the situation is like this and you are losing comes the nature of the player , the wild nature of the player or the cultural nature of the player . culturally people from that area ( south america ) , they like it . it 's not also that area . there 's a corner in europe where i belong to , that they also like diving . ' rodgers , meanwhile , was aggrieved that eto'o was still on the pitch following a high tackle on jordan henderson that provided the free-kick for martin skrtel 's early opening goal -- the defender pounced from close range after ivanovic tussled with suarez . eden hazard leveled with a superb curling effort , and eto'o poked in a 34th-minute winner from oscar 's low cross . he should 've been sent off , ' rodgers said of the cameroon striker . i know we scored from it , but that was a wild challenge , where he 's raked down his knee and down his shin and did n't even get a yellow card . luis will always provoke a challenge from defenders , that 's why he 's world-class . what he probably does n't expect is to provoke a challenge from someone who 's not involved in the contact . he 's running to challenge azpilicueta and eto'o is streetwise , he 's cute , he blocks him . on another day you could give that as a penalty , because it 's obstruction in the area . ' rodgers was measured in his comments after being charged by the english football association for criticizing match officials following liverpool 's 2-1 defeat by manchester city on thursday . his team topped the table last weekend , but a second straight reverse left the reds in fifth place -- six points behind arsenal , and four adrift of third-placed chelsea . the team leading going into the new year has won the title for seven of the past nine years , though arsenal was one of the exceptions in 2007-08 , dropping back to third . the london side was missing record signing mesut ozil and top scorer aaron ramsey for sunday 's trip to in-form newcastle , but battled to a vital 1-0 victory thanks to olivier giroud 's eighth league goal this season . the france striker glanced in theo walcott 's 65th-minute free-kick to inflict newcastle 's first league defeat since october . there is something in the team that is special on the mental front , ' said arsenal manager arsene wenger . we have many times been questioned , but we have shown that at west ham , where we were 1-0 down , we have shown that again today , where we were a bit backs-to-the-wall in the last 15 minutes . last year in this period , we were out of the championship race , but in 2013 , we have been quite consistent . ' arsenal 's win allowed london rival tottenham to move up to seventh place above newcastle with a 3-0 win at home to 12th-placed stoke , as spain striker roberto soldado netted a penalty before belgium midfielder mousa dembele and england winger aaron lennon added the others . everton climbed above merseyside rival liverpool into fourth with a 2-1 win at home to ninth-placed southampton , as on-loan chelsea striker romelu lukaku struck the 74th-minute winner -- the belgium international 's ninth in the league this season . | third-placed chelsea two points behind arsenal after beating liverpool 2-1 |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal may top the english premier league table going into 2014 , but jose mourinho leads the way when it comes to post-match performances . after a hard-fought 2-1 win that kept his chelsea team in touch with arsenal and manchester city ahead of the epl 's new year 's day program , mourinho sought to deflect any possible criticism of his players with a blustering counter-attack . when questioned about key incidents in sunday 's match , which continued the tense clashes between the two teams in recent years , the portuguese manager accused luis suarez of an acrobatic swimming pool jump ' and going down like somebody shot him . ' this was after chelsea 's match-winner samuel eto'o had clearly body-checked the 19-goal striker off the ball inside his own penalty area while cesar azpilicueta cleared the ball . suarez lost a duel with azpilicueta ... and now he 's doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try to get the penalty , because he 's so clever because he 's in the area where the liverpool supporters are behind , ' mourinho insisted at his press conference . but ( referee howard ) webb is 10 meters away . and i think the only mistake webb did was not to give him a yellow card . ' suarez has a reputation of going to ground too easily , but this season the uruguayan has been a reformed man -- being named interim captain by liverpool manager brendan rodgers -- following last season 's eight-match ban for biting chelsea 's branislav ivanovic . the player is amazing , ' acknowledged mourinho , who has yet to suffer a home league defeat in his two spells at stamford bridge . he does everything to win and brendan is doing a fantastic job on him because he 's changed . there 's no doubt that he 's changed . but when the situation is like this and you are losing comes the nature of the player , the wild nature of the player or the cultural nature of the player . culturally people from that area ( south america ) , they like it . it 's not also that area . there 's a corner in europe where i belong to , that they also like diving . ' rodgers , meanwhile , was aggrieved that eto'o was still on the pitch following a high tackle on jordan henderson that provided the free-kick for martin skrtel 's early opening goal -- the defender pounced from close range after ivanovic tussled with suarez . eden hazard leveled with a superb curling effort , and eto'o poked in a 34th-minute winner from oscar 's low cross . he should 've been sent off , ' rodgers said of the cameroon striker . i know we scored from it , but that was a wild challenge , where he 's raked down his knee and down his shin and did n't even get a yellow card . luis will always provoke a challenge from defenders , that 's why he 's world-class . what he probably does n't expect is to provoke a challenge from someone who 's not involved in the contact . he 's running to challenge azpilicueta and eto'o is streetwise , he 's cute , he blocks him . on another day you could give that as a penalty , because it 's obstruction in the area . ' rodgers was measured in his comments after being charged by the english football association for criticizing match officials following liverpool 's 2-1 defeat by manchester city on thursday . his team topped the table last weekend , but a second straight reverse left the reds in fifth place -- six points behind arsenal , and four adrift of third-placed chelsea . the team leading going into the new year has won the title for seven of the past nine years , though arsenal was one of the exceptions in 2007-08 , dropping back to third . the london side was missing record signing mesut ozil and top scorer aaron ramsey for sunday 's trip to in-form newcastle , but battled to a vital 1-0 victory thanks to olivier giroud 's eighth league goal this season . the france striker glanced in theo walcott 's 65th-minute free-kick to inflict newcastle 's first league defeat since october . there is something in the team that is special on the mental front , ' said arsenal manager arsene wenger . we have many times been questioned , but we have shown that at west ham , where we were 1-0 down , we have shown that again today , where we were a bit backs-to-the-wall in the last 15 minutes . last year in this period , we were out of the championship race , but in 2013 , we have been quite consistent . ' arsenal 's win allowed london rival tottenham to move up to seventh place above newcastle with a 3-0 win at home to 12th-placed stoke , as spain striker roberto soldado netted a penalty before belgium midfielder mousa dembele and england winger aaron lennon added the others . everton climbed above merseyside rival liverpool into fourth with a 2-1 win at home to ninth-placed southampton , as on-loan chelsea striker romelu lukaku struck the 74th-minute winner -- the belgium international 's ninth in the league this season . | samuel eto'o scores winning goal , having helped liverpool 's opener with foul |
southampton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal may top the english premier league table going into 2014 , but jose mourinho leads the way when it comes to post-match performances . after a hard-fought 2-1 win that kept his chelsea team in touch with arsenal and manchester city ahead of the epl 's new year 's day program , mourinho sought to deflect any possible criticism of his players with a blustering counter-attack . when questioned about key incidents in sunday 's match , which continued the tense clashes between the two teams in recent years , the portuguese manager accused luis suarez of an acrobatic swimming pool jump ' and going down like somebody shot him . ' this was after chelsea 's match-winner samuel eto'o had clearly body-checked the 19-goal striker off the ball inside his own penalty area while cesar azpilicueta cleared the ball . suarez lost a duel with azpilicueta ... and now he 's doing an acrobatic swimming pool jump to try to get the penalty , because he 's so clever because he 's in the area where the liverpool supporters are behind , ' mourinho insisted at his press conference . but ( referee howard ) webb is 10 meters away . and i think the only mistake webb did was not to give him a yellow card . ' suarez has a reputation of going to ground too easily , but this season the uruguayan has been a reformed man -- being named interim captain by liverpool manager brendan rodgers -- following last season 's eight-match ban for biting chelsea 's branislav ivanovic . the player is amazing , ' acknowledged mourinho , who has yet to suffer a home league defeat in his two spells at stamford bridge . he does everything to win and brendan is doing a fantastic job on him because he 's changed . there 's no doubt that he 's changed . but when the situation is like this and you are losing comes the nature of the player , the wild nature of the player or the cultural nature of the player . culturally people from that area ( south america ) , they like it . it 's not also that area . there 's a corner in europe where i belong to , that they also like diving . ' rodgers , meanwhile , was aggrieved that eto'o was still on the pitch following a high tackle on jordan henderson that provided the free-kick for martin skrtel 's early opening goal -- the defender pounced from close range after ivanovic tussled with suarez . eden hazard leveled with a superb curling effort , and eto'o poked in a 34th-minute winner from oscar 's low cross . he should 've been sent off , ' rodgers said of the cameroon striker . i know we scored from it , but that was a wild challenge , where he 's raked down his knee and down his shin and did n't even get a yellow card . luis will always provoke a challenge from defenders , that 's why he 's world-class . what he probably does n't expect is to provoke a challenge from someone who 's not involved in the contact . he 's running to challenge azpilicueta and eto'o is streetwise , he 's cute , he blocks him . on another day you could give that as a penalty , because it 's obstruction in the area . ' rodgers was measured in his comments after being charged by the english football association for criticizing match officials following liverpool 's 2-1 defeat by manchester city on thursday . his team topped the table last weekend , but a second straight reverse left the reds in fifth place -- six points behind arsenal , and four adrift of third-placed chelsea . the team leading going into the new year has won the title for seven of the past nine years , though arsenal was one of the exceptions in 2007-08 , dropping back to third . the london side was missing record signing mesut ozil and top scorer aaron ramsey for sunday 's trip to in-form newcastle , but battled to a vital 1-0 victory thanks to olivier giroud 's eighth league goal this season . the france striker glanced in theo walcott 's 65th-minute free-kick to inflict newcastle 's first league defeat since october . there is something in the team that is special on the mental front , ' said arsenal manager arsene wenger . we have many times been questioned , but we have shown that at west ham , where we were 1-0 down , we have shown that again today , where we were a bit backs-to-the-wall in the last 15 minutes . last year in this period , we were out of the championship race , but in 2013 , we have been quite consistent . ' arsenal 's win allowed london rival tottenham to move up to seventh place above newcastle with a 3-0 win at home to 12th-placed stoke , as spain striker roberto soldado netted a penalty before belgium midfielder mousa dembele and england winger aaron lennon added the others . everton climbed above merseyside rival liverpool into fourth with a 2-1 win at home to ninth-placed southampton , as on-loan chelsea striker romelu lukaku struck the 74th-minute winner -- the belgium international 's ninth in the league this season . | everton in fourth above liverpool after winning 2-1 against southampton |
moore <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the jailed mayor of hampton , florida , resigned tuesday as the embattled city of 477 residents fought to keep its municipal government functioning in the wake of a state audit that exposed rampant corruption and mismanagement . barry layne moore had held office for just over a month when he was arrested in november in a sting operation in which he allegedly sold a single 30-milligram oxycodone pill to an undercover informant for $ 20 . he has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial . gov . rick scott suspended moore shortly after the arrest . but state lawmakers , including sen . rob bradley and rep. charles van zant , are pushing to dissolve hampton , saying the city , notorious for its speed trap along u.s. highway 301 , is too corrupt to govern itself . the audit , released last month , found 31 violations of hampton 's city charter , as well as violations of state and federal codes and laws . the allegations included nepotism , sloppy bookkeeping , and failure to maintain records , withhold payroll taxes or insure city vehicles . the audit also found $ 9,000 in questionable payments to the city clerk , $ 27,000 in questionable charges on a city credit card and $ 132,000 charged to an account at a bp gas station and convenience store across the street from city hall . the city has been given 30 days to show it can put its house in order . if the lawmakers are not satisfied that progress has been made , they will proceed in the state legislature with a bill to dissolve hampton 's city charter . among the conditions the city must meet : all current office-holders and employees must resign . the police chief , city clerk , and water manager already have quit , as has one of the five city council members , who are paid $ 125 a month . others are likely to follow . the city council meets tuesday night . moore 's letter was short and to the point , stating , i , barry layne moore , being of sound mind and body , ask that you would please accept this letter as notification that i am leaving my position with the city of hampton , effective immediately . ' | moore is accused of selling one oxycodone pill for $ 20 in november |
moore <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the jailed mayor of hampton , florida , resigned tuesday as the embattled city of 477 residents fought to keep its municipal government functioning in the wake of a state audit that exposed rampant corruption and mismanagement . barry layne moore had held office for just over a month when he was arrested in november in a sting operation in which he allegedly sold a single 30-milligram oxycodone pill to an undercover informant for $ 20 . he has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial . gov . rick scott suspended moore shortly after the arrest . but state lawmakers , including sen . rob bradley and rep. charles van zant , are pushing to dissolve hampton , saying the city , notorious for its speed trap along u.s. highway 301 , is too corrupt to govern itself . the audit , released last month , found 31 violations of hampton 's city charter , as well as violations of state and federal codes and laws . the allegations included nepotism , sloppy bookkeeping , and failure to maintain records , withhold payroll taxes or insure city vehicles . the audit also found $ 9,000 in questionable payments to the city clerk , $ 27,000 in questionable charges on a city credit card and $ 132,000 charged to an account at a bp gas station and convenience store across the street from city hall . the city has been given 30 days to show it can put its house in order . if the lawmakers are not satisfied that progress has been made , they will proceed in the state legislature with a bill to dissolve hampton 's city charter . among the conditions the city must meet : all current office-holders and employees must resign . the police chief , city clerk , and water manager already have quit , as has one of the five city council members , who are paid $ 125 a month . others are likely to follow . the city council meets tuesday night . moore 's letter was short and to the point , stating , i , barry layne moore , being of sound mind and body , ask that you would please accept this letter as notification that i am leaving my position with the city of hampton , effective immediately . ' | barry layne moore , the jailed mayor of hampton , florida , resigns after audit |
sarah outen <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- rowing across the north pacific ocean may hardly seem comparable to achieving success in the humdrum daily grind of an office desk job . for british adventure explorer sarah outen however , the gratification of completing a task of great importance to the self , is the same no matter the context or environment . it 's so satisfying if you accomplish something that 's a challenge to you , ' said the 26-year-old who last week set off on her quest to become the first woman to row the north pacific solo . whether you 're in the water , or in an office , that 's universal , ' she adds . outen is undertaking the 4,500 nautical mile challenge from the east coast of japan to the west coast of canada , as part of a larger voyage that will see her circumnavigate the globe without the aid of any mechanical engines . she started in london in april 2011 and has so far made it 11,000 miles to japan , biking and kayaking through europe , russia and china along the way . see also : around the world on two boats and a bike the epic journey will eventually see outen return to london and after navigating the north pacific , she plans to traverse north america by bike . a further solo ocean crossing -- this time the atlantic ocean -- will follow before she paddles back to her port of origin in the uk capital . i love the challenge , ' says outen of the gargantuan adventure that will take her fully two and a half years to complete . i rowed across the indian ocean in 2009 and it was then that i thought up this journey ( the london to london trip ) . i just wanted more time at sea and i wanted to experience that same human-powered pace across landscape , ' she adds . so far , outen highlights some of the characters she has met along the way as inspiration in her darkest and most challenging moments . one man she met in a petrol station in eastern china was so inspired by her story that he bought a bike and joined her on the spot , accompanying her 4,000 kilometers ( 2,500 miles ) across the country to beijing and becoming a friend for life in the process . it was a special experience for both of us , ' outen says of meeting her chinese traveling companion , gao , but really it was just wonderful to hear people 's stories on the road and to learn a little bit about their lives and dreams . ' see also : naked rowers break atlantic record as she prepares for her latest adventure , outen is well aware that this leg of the challenge is one that she will have no choice but to face on her own . a custom-made seven meter long row boat -- aptly named gulliver -- will help her breach the vast ocean expanse between choshi , japan , and her next port of call vancouver , canada . only a small solar cell on the vessel 's exterior will provide power for a satellite radio and a camera that will keep outen in touch with the outside world . there 's no engines , no motors , no nothing on here . i 'm the engine , ' she says excitedly of what will be her floating home for at least the next six months . her friends and family have scrawled messages of support on the vessel 's interior which will , no doubt , offer comfort during what is sure to be an emotionally and psychologically grueling journey . outen has prepared methodically for these challenges , but she says the most difficult aspect has been getting ready for the physical demands of the trip . she has trained hard to build up her core strength and stamina as well as bracing herself for potential hazards along the way such as boat capsizes , shark attacks and extreme weather events like hurricanes . see also : teenage round the world sailor takes on racing challenge but the myriad dangers inherent in the task before her are not enough to dilute outen 's enduring sense of wanderlust and determination . i love that feeling of not quite knowing if you 're going to make it through a certain scenario , ' she says . if the worst happens , at least i died trying . i think the worst thing in life is to end it with regrets or not having tried something , ' she adds . if all goes to plan , outen aims to complete her pacific crossing in a little over six months . she will then take a break for around six weeks before setting out across north america and onwards towards the finishing line on the banks of the river thames in london . for now however , talk of returning to the uk and the completion of the full 20,000 mile odyssey seems a long way off . its a year and a half more until i finish this journey at least so really there 's still quite a way to go yet , ' she says . | sarah outen is aiming to become the first woman to row solo across the north pacific ocean |
british <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- rowing across the north pacific ocean may hardly seem comparable to achieving success in the humdrum daily grind of an office desk job . for british adventure explorer sarah outen however , the gratification of completing a task of great importance to the self , is the same no matter the context or environment . it 's so satisfying if you accomplish something that 's a challenge to you , ' said the 26-year-old who last week set off on her quest to become the first woman to row the north pacific solo . whether you 're in the water , or in an office , that 's universal , ' she adds . outen is undertaking the 4,500 nautical mile challenge from the east coast of japan to the west coast of canada , as part of a larger voyage that will see her circumnavigate the globe without the aid of any mechanical engines . she started in london in april 2011 and has so far made it 11,000 miles to japan , biking and kayaking through europe , russia and china along the way . see also : around the world on two boats and a bike the epic journey will eventually see outen return to london and after navigating the north pacific , she plans to traverse north america by bike . a further solo ocean crossing -- this time the atlantic ocean -- will follow before she paddles back to her port of origin in the uk capital . i love the challenge , ' says outen of the gargantuan adventure that will take her fully two and a half years to complete . i rowed across the indian ocean in 2009 and it was then that i thought up this journey ( the london to london trip ) . i just wanted more time at sea and i wanted to experience that same human-powered pace across landscape , ' she adds . so far , outen highlights some of the characters she has met along the way as inspiration in her darkest and most challenging moments . one man she met in a petrol station in eastern china was so inspired by her story that he bought a bike and joined her on the spot , accompanying her 4,000 kilometers ( 2,500 miles ) across the country to beijing and becoming a friend for life in the process . it was a special experience for both of us , ' outen says of meeting her chinese traveling companion , gao , but really it was just wonderful to hear people 's stories on the road and to learn a little bit about their lives and dreams . ' see also : naked rowers break atlantic record as she prepares for her latest adventure , outen is well aware that this leg of the challenge is one that she will have no choice but to face on her own . a custom-made seven meter long row boat -- aptly named gulliver -- will help her breach the vast ocean expanse between choshi , japan , and her next port of call vancouver , canada . only a small solar cell on the vessel 's exterior will provide power for a satellite radio and a camera that will keep outen in touch with the outside world . there 's no engines , no motors , no nothing on here . i 'm the engine , ' she says excitedly of what will be her floating home for at least the next six months . her friends and family have scrawled messages of support on the vessel 's interior which will , no doubt , offer comfort during what is sure to be an emotionally and psychologically grueling journey . outen has prepared methodically for these challenges , but she says the most difficult aspect has been getting ready for the physical demands of the trip . she has trained hard to build up her core strength and stamina as well as bracing herself for potential hazards along the way such as boat capsizes , shark attacks and extreme weather events like hurricanes . see also : teenage round the world sailor takes on racing challenge but the myriad dangers inherent in the task before her are not enough to dilute outen 's enduring sense of wanderlust and determination . i love that feeling of not quite knowing if you 're going to make it through a certain scenario , ' she says . if the worst happens , at least i died trying . i think the worst thing in life is to end it with regrets or not having tried something , ' she adds . if all goes to plan , outen aims to complete her pacific crossing in a little over six months . she will then take a break for around six weeks before setting out across north america and onwards towards the finishing line on the banks of the river thames in london . for now however , talk of returning to the uk and the completion of the full 20,000 mile odyssey seems a long way off . its a year and a half more until i finish this journey at least so really there 's still quite a way to go yet , ' she says . | the british adventurer hopes to complete the 4,500 nautical mile journey in six months |
chonburi <tsp> bangkok , thailand ( cnn ) -- demonstrators stormed a hotel saturday where asian leaders were to meet , forcing the indefinite postponement of the association of south east asian nations summit . thousands of anti-government protesters block a busy intersection during rush hour in bangkok . participating asian leaders were on their way out of the country , according to thai prime minister abhisit vejjajiva . he declared a state of emergency in chonburi province and the southern coastal city of pattaya , where the summit was to be held , but rescinded the order hours afterward . thousands of red shirt ' protesters , named for the color of their attire , have rallied for days to demand abhisit 's resignation . the demonstrators flooded into the summit site after smashing through the hotel 's glass doors , but were otherwise nonviolent . hundreds of them streamed in , without police interference . protesters hugged the officers and shook their hands . the red shirts have given the prime minister repeated deadlines to resign , but those have come and gone . united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon he was disappointed by the summit 's delay . i understand the circumstances that led the thai government to take this difficult decision . while i had hoped to have exchanges with the leaders of asean and its dialogue partners , i continue to look forward to engaging again with them in the near future , ' ban said . i strongly value the long-standing relationship between asean and the united nations , and their cooperation in various fields . i hope for an early restoration of normalcy in thailand and for the settlement of differences through dialogue and peaceful means , ' he added . the protesters are loyal to former prime minister thaksin shinawatra , who was ousted in a 2006 coup . thaksin now lives outside of thailand . the protesters have said abhisit 's government was not democratically elected and want him to resign and schedule elections . abhisit , who has held the position for four months , has rejected calls for him to step down . lawmakers named the 44-year-old , oxford university-educated abhisit prime minister in december in the wake of months of demonstrations against thaksin and his ruling party , people power party . on tuesday , protesters rushed abhisit 's motorcade while it was struck in traffic . he escaped unharmed . protesters opposed to thaksin took to the streets last year wearing yellow shirts , occupied the government house and blockaded bangkok 's major international airport , stranding throngs of tourists who provide much of the country 's revenue . the demonstrations ended in early december when a court ruled that the people power party was guilty of electoral fraud and threw thaksin 's brother-in-law out of the prime minister 's seat . the red shirt protesters said this week they would not take over the airports . dan rivers and kocha olarn contributed to this report . | state of emergency declared in chonburi province and coastal city of pattaya |
thai <tsp> bangkok , thailand ( cnn ) -- demonstrators stormed a hotel saturday where asian leaders were to meet , forcing the indefinite postponement of the association of south east asian nations summit . thousands of anti-government protesters block a busy intersection during rush hour in bangkok . participating asian leaders were on their way out of the country , according to thai prime minister abhisit vejjajiva . he declared a state of emergency in chonburi province and the southern coastal city of pattaya , where the summit was to be held , but rescinded the order hours afterward . thousands of red shirt ' protesters , named for the color of their attire , have rallied for days to demand abhisit 's resignation . the demonstrators flooded into the summit site after smashing through the hotel 's glass doors , but were otherwise nonviolent . hundreds of them streamed in , without police interference . protesters hugged the officers and shook their hands . the red shirts have given the prime minister repeated deadlines to resign , but those have come and gone . united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon he was disappointed by the summit 's delay . i understand the circumstances that led the thai government to take this difficult decision . while i had hoped to have exchanges with the leaders of asean and its dialogue partners , i continue to look forward to engaging again with them in the near future , ' ban said . i strongly value the long-standing relationship between asean and the united nations , and their cooperation in various fields . i hope for an early restoration of normalcy in thailand and for the settlement of differences through dialogue and peaceful means , ' he added . the protesters are loyal to former prime minister thaksin shinawatra , who was ousted in a 2006 coup . thaksin now lives outside of thailand . the protesters have said abhisit 's government was not democratically elected and want him to resign and schedule elections . abhisit , who has held the position for four months , has rejected calls for him to step down . lawmakers named the 44-year-old , oxford university-educated abhisit prime minister in december in the wake of months of demonstrations against thaksin and his ruling party , people power party . on tuesday , protesters rushed abhisit 's motorcade while it was struck in traffic . he escaped unharmed . protesters opposed to thaksin took to the streets last year wearing yellow shirts , occupied the government house and blockaded bangkok 's major international airport , stranding throngs of tourists who provide much of the country 's revenue . the demonstrations ended in early december when a court ruled that the people power party was guilty of electoral fraud and threw thaksin 's brother-in-law out of the prime minister 's seat . the red shirt protesters said this week they would not take over the airports . dan rivers and kocha olarn contributed to this report . | thousands of red shirt ' protesters demand resignation of thai prime minister |
thomas eric duncan <tsp> his family is devastated . the woman he planned to marry , haunted by the what ifs . ' and many are wondering why thomas eric duncan died when several other ebola patients treated in the united states survived . duncan was hospitalized eight days after he arrived from liberia , and later tested positive for ebola . he died wednesday , but not much is known about his medical history . here are seven ways his case differs from other patients in the u.s. : 1 . duncan was n't hospitalized right away unlike the american patients , who were quickly tested and quarantined at the first sign of ebola , duncan was n't . duncan arrived in dallas from liberia on september 20 , and he made his initial visit to texas health presbyterian hospital on september 25 . he was treated for a fever , vomiting and abdominal pain -- all symptoms of ebola . but he was sent home with antibiotics and was not screened for the virus . relatives say he told hospital staff he 'd come from liberia . three days later , he was hospitalized in worse condition and was quickly isolated . he became the first case of the deadly virus diagnosed on american soil . what if they had taken him right away ? and what if they had been able to get treatment to him earlier ? ' said pastor george mason of wilshire baptist church in dallas . 2 . he did n't get an experimental drug immediately duncan received experimental medicine on october 4 -- six days after admission to the hospital . it was a far longer wait than four other ebola patients treated in the united states . those patients -- two each at atlanta 's emory university hospital and the university of nebraska medical center -- got experimental medicine immediately . they 're all u.s. citizens ; duncan was a liberian . his family is claiming bias , arguing it took too long for him to receive the medicine . it is suspicious to us that all the white patients survived and this one black patient passed away ... he did n't begin his treatment in africa . he began treatment here , but he was n't given a chance , ' said josephus weeks , his nephew . not so , the hospital says . the investigative drug was administered as soon as his physicians determined that his condition warranted it , and as soon as it could be obtained , ' texas health presbyterian said thursday . since the drugs are still experimental , individual hospitals have to file the paperwork with the food and drug administration for permission to use them . the agency received the request to use the experimental drug brincidofovir on october 3 , five days after duncan entered the hospital . 3 . he got a different experimental drug duncan got brincidofovir . and he was the first ebola patient to receive it , the hospital said . two of four patients who survived after treatment in the u.s. received a different drug , zmapp . experts say there 's no proof that zmapp or any drug is effective in treating ebola . a spanish priest infected with ebola died after taking it in august . the centers for disease control and prevention said duncan did n't get zmapp because its stocks were depleted . a third american patient received tkm-ebola -- another experimental drug approved by the fda recently for wider use . the fourth one , nbc cameraman ashoka mukpo , who got infected in liberia and was airlifted to nebraska on sunday , got the same drug as duncan . ebola drugs are in the works 4 . he did n't get a blood transfusion from an ebola survivor unlike other american patients , duncan did n't get a blood transfusion from someone who 'd survived the virus . that 's because doctors could n't find a match , the hospital said thursday . mr. duncan did not receive the same type of serum transfusion as the patient in nebraska ( mukpo ) because his blood type was not compatible with the serum donors , ' the hospital said . mukpo received a transfusion from dr. kent brantly , who survived the virus . 5 . the hospital treating him had no advance notice the atlanta and nebraska facilities knew in advance they were expecting ebola patients , a crucial element for a disease so rare in the united states . hospitals that took care of the four are also among the most well-equipped nationwide to battle the deadly virus . despite lack of notification , texas health presbyterian hospital said duncan got top-notch care and his medical team consulted daily with the cdc and emory . 6 . information on his case has been muddled details on duncan 's background have not been as clear-cut . his relatives said he made it clear to the hospital that he had just come from liberia . his symptoms pointed at ebola , they said . initially , the hospital said duncan was not exhibiting symptoms specific to ebola ' when he first went to the hospital . and , they said , details about his travel history were n't communicated to doctors . but later , it said a flaw in electronic records had kept doctors from seeing his travel history . then it said his travel history had been documented and was available to his care team . 7 . family believes his insurance status played a role duncan had just arrived from liberia to visit his girlfriend and son , and probably had no insurance . the rev . jesse jackson , who 's serving as a spokesman for the family , said that was a concern . i would tend to think that those who do not have insurance , those who do not have medicaid , do not have the same priorities as those who do , ' the civil rights leader said . but the hospital denied the claim . our care team provided mr. duncan with the same high level of attention and care that would be given any patient , regardless of nationality or ability to pay for care , ' the hospital said . in this case that included a four-hour evaluation and numerous tests . we have a long history of treating a multicultural community in this area . ' complete coverage on ebola | thomas eric duncan 's nephew : he was n't given a chance ' |
edie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- singer-songwriter paul simon said monday that he and wife edie brickell had an argument ' before they were arrested saturday . brickell , in a statement sent to cnn by her lawyer , said she started it . i got my feelings hurt and i picked a fight with my husband , ' brickell said.â the police called it disorderly.â thank god it 's orderly now ' simon and brickell were arrested on disorderly conduct charges by police investigating a family dispute at their new canaan , connecticut , home saturday night , according to police . investigating officers gathered information and found probable cause to arrest ' simon , 72 , and brickell , 47 , a police statement said . the couple was released from custody sunday morning . they held hands when appearing before a judge in the norwalk superior court monday . edie and i are fine , ' simon said . we 're going to see our son 's baseball game this afternoon . ' the judge declined to issue a protective order that would have kept simon and brickell apart . their case was continued until may 16 . simon and brickell live in new canaan , an affluent connecticut community about an hour 's train ride from manhattan . the town is home to a long list of rich and famous . simon is half of the legendary duo of simon and garfunkel that , starting in the 1960s , had hits including bridge over troubled water , ' mrs. robinson , ' the sound of silence ' and scarborough fair . ' his solo career has spanned four decades and produced hits including , still crazy after all these years , ' graceland ' and 50 ways to leave your lover . ' brickell has one chart hit , titled what i am , ' with her 1980s rock group edie brickell & new bohemians . she has also recorded with simon during their 22 years of marriage . cnn 's chris boyette contributed to this report | edie and i are fine , ' simon says |
edie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- singer-songwriter paul simon said monday that he and wife edie brickell had an argument ' before they were arrested saturday . brickell , in a statement sent to cnn by her lawyer , said she started it . i got my feelings hurt and i picked a fight with my husband , ' brickell said.â the police called it disorderly.â thank god it 's orderly now ' simon and brickell were arrested on disorderly conduct charges by police investigating a family dispute at their new canaan , connecticut , home saturday night , according to police . investigating officers gathered information and found probable cause to arrest ' simon , 72 , and brickell , 47 , a police statement said . the couple was released from custody sunday morning . they held hands when appearing before a judge in the norwalk superior court monday . edie and i are fine , ' simon said . we 're going to see our son 's baseball game this afternoon . ' the judge declined to issue a protective order that would have kept simon and brickell apart . their case was continued until may 16 . simon and brickell live in new canaan , an affluent connecticut community about an hour 's train ride from manhattan . the town is home to a long list of rich and famous . simon is half of the legendary duo of simon and garfunkel that , starting in the 1960s , had hits including bridge over troubled water , ' mrs. robinson , ' the sound of silence ' and scarborough fair . ' his solo career has spanned four decades and produced hits including , still crazy after all these years , ' graceland ' and 50 ways to leave your lover . ' brickell has one chart hit , titled what i am , ' with her 1980s rock group edie brickell & new bohemians . she has also recorded with simon during their 22 years of marriage . cnn 's chris boyette contributed to this report | new : i picked a fight with my husband , ' edie brickell says |
india <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's supreme court has temporarily barred the italian ambassador from leaving the country as a diplomatic row over rome 's refusal to return two of its marines accused of killing two indian fishermen intensified . last month , the court allowed the two italian sailors -- massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone -- to participate in their country 's elections after ambassador daniele mancini 's assurance about their return in four weeks . latorre and girone are facing trial in india in connection with the 2012 killing of the fishermen off the country 's coast . the defendants say they mistook the fishermen for pirates . on thursday , the top indian court demanded an explanation from mancini by march 18 over his country 's decision not to send them back . till then ( march 18 ) , mr. daniele mancini shall not leave india without the permission of this court , ' the order said . italy insists the february 2012 shooting involving its marines happened in international waters and was therefore outside of indian jurisdiction . in a statement monday , the italian foreign ministry said the sailors would not go back to india . italy takes this opportunity to inform the indian government that , given the formal acknowledgment of an international dispute between the two states , massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone will not be returning to india upon expiration of the leave granted ( to ) them , ' it said . the italian move has invited strong reaction in new delhi , with prime minister manmohan singh warning rome of consequences . our government has already made it clear that these actions of the government of italy are not acceptable . they violate every rule of diplomatic discourse and call into question solemn commitments given by accredited representatives of a sovereign government to our supreme court , ' he said in parliament wednesday . our government has therefore insisted that the italian authorities respect the undertakings they have given to the honorable supreme court and return the two accused persons to stand trial in india . if they do not keep their word , there will be consequences for our relations with italy , ' he added . indian external affairs spokesman syed akbaruddin said at a news briefing thursday that the court action against the italian ambassador did not violate the global vienna convention on diplomatic relations . as of today , i have again said , we do not see any impact on the vienna convention , ' he said . | india 's supreme court allowed the sailors to leave india on condition they would return |
india <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's supreme court has temporarily barred the italian ambassador from leaving the country as a diplomatic row over rome 's refusal to return two of its marines accused of killing two indian fishermen intensified . last month , the court allowed the two italian sailors -- massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone -- to participate in their country 's elections after ambassador daniele mancini 's assurance about their return in four weeks . latorre and girone are facing trial in india in connection with the 2012 killing of the fishermen off the country 's coast . the defendants say they mistook the fishermen for pirates . on thursday , the top indian court demanded an explanation from mancini by march 18 over his country 's decision not to send them back . till then ( march 18 ) , mr. daniele mancini shall not leave india without the permission of this court , ' the order said . italy insists the february 2012 shooting involving its marines happened in international waters and was therefore outside of indian jurisdiction . in a statement monday , the italian foreign ministry said the sailors would not go back to india . italy takes this opportunity to inform the indian government that , given the formal acknowledgment of an international dispute between the two states , massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone will not be returning to india upon expiration of the leave granted ( to ) them , ' it said . the italian move has invited strong reaction in new delhi , with prime minister manmohan singh warning rome of consequences . our government has already made it clear that these actions of the government of italy are not acceptable . they violate every rule of diplomatic discourse and call into question solemn commitments given by accredited representatives of a sovereign government to our supreme court , ' he said in parliament wednesday . our government has therefore insisted that the italian authorities respect the undertakings they have given to the honorable supreme court and return the two accused persons to stand trial in india . if they do not keep their word , there will be consequences for our relations with italy , ' he added . indian external affairs spokesman syed akbaruddin said at a news briefing thursday that the court action against the italian ambassador did not violate the global vienna convention on diplomatic relations . as of today , i have again said , we do not see any impact on the vienna convention , ' he said . | indian prime minister warns that italian relations will suffer if the two do n't stand trial in india |
india <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's supreme court has temporarily barred the italian ambassador from leaving the country as a diplomatic row over rome 's refusal to return two of its marines accused of killing two indian fishermen intensified . last month , the court allowed the two italian sailors -- massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone -- to participate in their country 's elections after ambassador daniele mancini 's assurance about their return in four weeks . latorre and girone are facing trial in india in connection with the 2012 killing of the fishermen off the country 's coast . the defendants say they mistook the fishermen for pirates . on thursday , the top indian court demanded an explanation from mancini by march 18 over his country 's decision not to send them back . till then ( march 18 ) , mr. daniele mancini shall not leave india without the permission of this court , ' the order said . italy insists the february 2012 shooting involving its marines happened in international waters and was therefore outside of indian jurisdiction . in a statement monday , the italian foreign ministry said the sailors would not go back to india . italy takes this opportunity to inform the indian government that , given the formal acknowledgment of an international dispute between the two states , massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone will not be returning to india upon expiration of the leave granted ( to ) them , ' it said . the italian move has invited strong reaction in new delhi , with prime minister manmohan singh warning rome of consequences . our government has already made it clear that these actions of the government of italy are not acceptable . they violate every rule of diplomatic discourse and call into question solemn commitments given by accredited representatives of a sovereign government to our supreme court , ' he said in parliament wednesday . our government has therefore insisted that the italian authorities respect the undertakings they have given to the honorable supreme court and return the two accused persons to stand trial in india . if they do not keep their word , there will be consequences for our relations with italy , ' he added . indian external affairs spokesman syed akbaruddin said at a news briefing thursday that the court action against the italian ambassador did not violate the global vienna convention on diplomatic relations . as of today , i have again said , we do not see any impact on the vienna convention , ' he said . | two italian sailors face trial in india in connection with the killings of 2 indian fishermen |
serena williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a tearful victoria azarenka retained her australian open title and world no . 1 ranking after overcoming crowd favorite li na in a dramatic women 's final on saturday . the 23-year-old broke down as she celebrated her second grand slam title , denying her chinese opponent her second after coming from behind to triumph 4-6 6-4 6-3 and claim the $ 2 million first prize . the belorussian went into the match having upset local fans after taking a controversial 10-minute medical break during a key point of her semifinal win over american teen sloane stephens , but this time she was forced to wait as li twice had to receive lengthy treatment . the match was also interrupted in the deciding set by a break for the traditional australia day fireworks . it 's been a real long two weeks , ' azarenka said on-court after winning in two hours and 40 minutes . i will always keep very special memories of this court . it will be in my heart forever . ' li , the losing finalist in 2011 , raced to a 5-2 lead in the opening set as she made a strong bid to add to her french open title that same year -- a breakthrough win that made her the first asian female to win a grand slam singles title . however , she was unable to show the same control that had allowed her to thrash world no . 2 maria sharapova in straight sets in the semifinals . azarenka led 3-0 in the second set , then sixth-ranked li went over on her ankle after winning the next game . it looked like it might bring the final to a premature end but the 30-year-old got back on court after having her foot strapped and reduced the deficit further . however , azarenka rallied to take the set and then broke li 's serve to lead 1-0 in the third set . li broke back and then led 2-1 before the fireworks started in celebration of 225 years since the first fleet of colonists arrived from the uk . it was an inopportune break for li , who again went over on her ankle and banged her head on the court as she tried to protect her damaged foot . for two seconds i could n't really see anything . it was totally black , ' she told reporters . so when the physio come , she was like ,'focus on my finger .'i started laughing . i was thinking ,'this is a tennis court , not a hospital .'she was like ,'follow my finger ,'because i did n't follow . i just watched the eyes . she says ,'follow .'i say ,'why ? i 'm okay .' li was unable to maintain momentum and azarenka broke her serve to lead 3-2 -- the 15th break in just 27 games of an error-strewn match -- and went on to clinch the victory that denied serena williams a return to the no . 1 spot . her more consistent approach paid off as li paid for making 57 unforced errors to 27 despite making 36 winners to azarenka 's 18 . it 's a completely different mix of feelings . this one is way more emotional , ' said azarenka , who last year topped the wta tour money list with more than $ 7 million . li na was absolutely playing great tennis . unfortunate things that happened to her , you know , but that 's sport . i 'm just happy that everything i went through , you know , i still could manage to give my best and really come out there and try to focus on my game and play tennis that i can produce . ' meanwhile , americans bob and mike bryan won a record 13th men 's grand slam doubles title on saturday , thrashing dutchmen robin haase and igor sijsling in melbourne . the twin brothers moved past the 12 won by the australian pair john newcombe and tony roche in the 1960s and 1970s as they triumphed 6-3 6-4 in less than an hour . the 34-year-olds , who won the olympic title last year , have now played in 23 grand slam finals . | azarenka holds onto the no . 1 ranking , denying serena williams top spot |
stanley <tsp> los angeles , california ( reuters ) -- paul stanley , a singer and guitarist with rock band kiss , was forced to pull out of a show in california on friday after his heart started beating at more than twice the normal level , he said on his web site . paul stanley , pictured here in april , co-founded kiss with gene simmons in new york in 1973 . the apparent tachycardia happened while the band was rehearsing for a performance at a casino in san jacinto , california , about 90 miles ( 145 km ) east of los angeles . my heart spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute , where it stayed for over an hour necessitating paramedics to start an iv and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern , ' stanley , 55 , wrote on his site www.paulstanley.com . a normal heart rate at rest is about 60 to 80 beats a minute , according to the american heart association . tachycardia , or rapid heart rate , can cause palpitations , shortness of breath , chest pain , dizziness , lightheadedness , fainting or near fainting , the group said on its web site www.americanheart.org . stanley said he was advised performing would be risky , and the show went on without him . fellow principal gene simmons told fans the group would play as a trio , and turned the show into a tribute to his ailing bandmate . a call to kiss manager doc mcghee for an update on stanley 's condition was not immediately returned late on saturday . stanley , born stanley eisen , and simmons co-founded kiss in new york city in 1973 . adored by fans , despised by critics , the group made a name for itself performing in white face make-up and ghoulish costumes . hits during its heyday included such anthems of teen rebellion as rock and roll all nite ' and shout it out loud . ' stanley released a solo album last year . e-mail to a friend copyright 2007 reuters . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . | stanley said he was told performing would be risky ; show went on without him |
stanley <tsp> los angeles , california ( reuters ) -- paul stanley , a singer and guitarist with rock band kiss , was forced to pull out of a show in california on friday after his heart started beating at more than twice the normal level , he said on his web site . paul stanley , pictured here in april , co-founded kiss with gene simmons in new york in 1973 . the apparent tachycardia happened while the band was rehearsing for a performance at a casino in san jacinto , california , about 90 miles ( 145 km ) east of los angeles . my heart spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute , where it stayed for over an hour necessitating paramedics to start an iv and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern , ' stanley , 55 , wrote on his site www.paulstanley.com . a normal heart rate at rest is about 60 to 80 beats a minute , according to the american heart association . tachycardia , or rapid heart rate , can cause palpitations , shortness of breath , chest pain , dizziness , lightheadedness , fainting or near fainting , the group said on its web site www.americanheart.org . stanley said he was advised performing would be risky , and the show went on without him . fellow principal gene simmons told fans the group would play as a trio , and turned the show into a tribute to his ailing bandmate . a call to kiss manager doc mcghee for an update on stanley 's condition was not immediately returned late on saturday . stanley , born stanley eisen , and simmons co-founded kiss in new york city in 1973 . adored by fans , despised by critics , the group made a name for itself performing in white face make-up and ghoulish costumes . hits during its heyday included such anthems of teen rebellion as rock and roll all nite ' and shout it out loud . ' stanley released a solo album last year . e-mail to a friend copyright 2007 reuters . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . | stanley : my heart spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute ' |
sanjay gupta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- come out and join cnn 's fit nation ! our tour is coming to your city with a digital interactive experience , free fit nation gear and a chance for you to be on cnn tv with chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta . the fit nation bus will criss-cross the country starting in july to connect with people who are on ready to commit to a healthy lifestyle . check the list of scheduled stops below to find out when the tour is coming to a city near you . upcoming tour dates - july 11-13 : taste of dallas , dallas , texas - july 18-20 : bite of seattle , seattle , washington - july 26 : aquatennial river blast minneapolis , minnesota - august 1-3 : ohio state fair in columbus , ohio do you have a weight loss success story you 'd like to share ? send us your story , photos and video . | meet dr. sanjay gupta and take part in a digital interactive experience |
murray <tsp> ( cnn ) -- michael jackson could n't sleep . a coroner preliminarily has concluded michael jackson died of an overdose of propofol , court documents say . maybe it was anxiety over his upcoming comeback concert series in london , england . perhaps his body was trying to process too many different medications . the reason may never be known , but a sworn affidavit makes clear that the king of pop could n't get rest the night before he died on june 25 . the affidavit , from detective orlando martinez of the los angeles police department , outlines probable cause for search warrants on the offices of doctors who are thought to have treated jackson . yet it also opens a window into jackson 's final hours , revealing information about the singer 's treatment and the drugs given him by dr. conrad murray , his personal physician , before his death . watch a panel discuss jackson 's death » based on interviews , visits to jackson 's home as well as records and documents gathered during the investigation , the affidavit provides the following account of jackson 's last days : in may , jackson hired murray , a cardiologist . the singer was spending long days rehearsing for concerts that he saw as crucial to reviving his career . for six weeks , murray told police that he treated jackson for insomnia . he said he had been giving the singer an intravenous drip with 50 milligrams of propofol , diluted with lidocaine , every night to help him sleep . jackson was already familiar with propofol , a powerful anesthetic , murray said . the singer even called it his milk ' because of its milky appearance , he said . with the concerts approaching , jackson started to need these drugs every night , murray said -- and the doctor said he worried that jackson was becoming addicted to propofol . he wanted to wean jackson off the drug . three days before jackson 's death -- on june 22 -- murray gave the singer a combination of drugs that he hoped gradually would move the singer off propofol . that mixture involved propofol , the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam ( known by its brand name , ativan ) and midazolam ( known as versed ) . it succeeded in helping jackson to sleep for that night and the next , murray said . but by the night of june 24 , jackson again apparently was unable to sleep . learn more about the events of jackson 's final hours » at 1:30 a.m. on june 25 , murray decided to forgo the propofol in favor of 10 milligrams of valium . half an hour later , with jackson still awake in bed , murray injected the singer with two milligrams of lorazepam . it still was n't working . at 3 a.m. , murray gave the singer two milligrams of midazolam , pushed slowly into his iv . and two hours later , with jackson still awake , murray administered another two milligrams of lorazepam through jackson 's iv . the drugs did nothing to help jackson sleep . at 7:30 a.m. , murray gave the singer another two milligrams of midazolam in his iv . by that point , murray was n't even leaving jackson 's room anymore , let alone his bedside . the doctor told police he sat next to the singer in his bedroom , monitoring jackson 's pulse and oxygen levels . more than three hours later , despite a night of medication and doctor 's care , jackson remained awake . jackson was repeatedly asking -- even demanding -- that murray give him more propofol to help him sleep , the doctor told police . so murray finally administered 25 milligrams of propofol diluted with lidocaine via jackson 's iv drip . the singer now had his milk , ' and it worked . after a restless night , jackson was finally able to close his eyes and go to sleep . murray told police he watched jackson sleep for about 10 minutes before going to the bathroom . it had been a long night for both of them . the trip to the bathroom took less than two minutes , murray told police . but when he came back , he said , he saw jackson was n't breathing . he started cardiopulmonary resuscitation , but it did n't work . jackson was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead later that afternoon . according to court documents released monday , dr. lakshmanan sathyavagiswaran , the chief medical examiner-coroner for los angeles county , concluded jackson died of an overdose of propofol . sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on jackson 's blood , according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in houston , texas . the coroner 's office would not comment on the statements in the affidavit . but ed chernoff , murray 's attorney , took issue with some of the information included in the court documents . much of what was in the search warrant affidavit is factual . however , unfortunately , much is police theory , ' chernoff said , specifically referring to media reports the coroner would rule jackson 's death a homicide . the los angeles county district attorney 's office said it has not yet seen a police report on the case , and no criminal charges have been filed . | murray 's attorney calls some information in affidavit factual , ' other police theory ' |
murray <tsp> ( cnn ) -- michael jackson could n't sleep . a coroner preliminarily has concluded michael jackson died of an overdose of propofol , court documents say . maybe it was anxiety over his upcoming comeback concert series in london , england . perhaps his body was trying to process too many different medications . the reason may never be known , but a sworn affidavit makes clear that the king of pop could n't get rest the night before he died on june 25 . the affidavit , from detective orlando martinez of the los angeles police department , outlines probable cause for search warrants on the offices of doctors who are thought to have treated jackson . yet it also opens a window into jackson 's final hours , revealing information about the singer 's treatment and the drugs given him by dr. conrad murray , his personal physician , before his death . watch a panel discuss jackson 's death » based on interviews , visits to jackson 's home as well as records and documents gathered during the investigation , the affidavit provides the following account of jackson 's last days : in may , jackson hired murray , a cardiologist . the singer was spending long days rehearsing for concerts that he saw as crucial to reviving his career . for six weeks , murray told police that he treated jackson for insomnia . he said he had been giving the singer an intravenous drip with 50 milligrams of propofol , diluted with lidocaine , every night to help him sleep . jackson was already familiar with propofol , a powerful anesthetic , murray said . the singer even called it his milk ' because of its milky appearance , he said . with the concerts approaching , jackson started to need these drugs every night , murray said -- and the doctor said he worried that jackson was becoming addicted to propofol . he wanted to wean jackson off the drug . three days before jackson 's death -- on june 22 -- murray gave the singer a combination of drugs that he hoped gradually would move the singer off propofol . that mixture involved propofol , the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam ( known by its brand name , ativan ) and midazolam ( known as versed ) . it succeeded in helping jackson to sleep for that night and the next , murray said . but by the night of june 24 , jackson again apparently was unable to sleep . learn more about the events of jackson 's final hours » at 1:30 a.m. on june 25 , murray decided to forgo the propofol in favor of 10 milligrams of valium . half an hour later , with jackson still awake in bed , murray injected the singer with two milligrams of lorazepam . it still was n't working . at 3 a.m. , murray gave the singer two milligrams of midazolam , pushed slowly into his iv . and two hours later , with jackson still awake , murray administered another two milligrams of lorazepam through jackson 's iv . the drugs did nothing to help jackson sleep . at 7:30 a.m. , murray gave the singer another two milligrams of midazolam in his iv . by that point , murray was n't even leaving jackson 's room anymore , let alone his bedside . the doctor told police he sat next to the singer in his bedroom , monitoring jackson 's pulse and oxygen levels . more than three hours later , despite a night of medication and doctor 's care , jackson remained awake . jackson was repeatedly asking -- even demanding -- that murray give him more propofol to help him sleep , the doctor told police . so murray finally administered 25 milligrams of propofol diluted with lidocaine via jackson 's iv drip . the singer now had his milk , ' and it worked . after a restless night , jackson was finally able to close his eyes and go to sleep . murray told police he watched jackson sleep for about 10 minutes before going to the bathroom . it had been a long night for both of them . the trip to the bathroom took less than two minutes , murray told police . but when he came back , he said , he saw jackson was n't breathing . he started cardiopulmonary resuscitation , but it did n't work . jackson was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead later that afternoon . according to court documents released monday , dr. lakshmanan sathyavagiswaran , the chief medical examiner-coroner for los angeles county , concluded jackson died of an overdose of propofol . sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on jackson 's blood , according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in houston , texas . the coroner 's office would not comment on the statements in the affidavit . but ed chernoff , murray 's attorney , took issue with some of the information included in the court documents . much of what was in the search warrant affidavit is factual . however , unfortunately , much is police theory , ' chernoff said , specifically referring to media reports the coroner would rule jackson 's death a homicide . the los angeles county district attorney 's office said it has not yet seen a police report on the case , and no criminal charges have been filed . | affidavit : dr. conrad murray gave singer several drugs on night before june 25 death |
mexican <tsp> mexico city ( cnn ) -- a judge has given a mexican singer accused of raping a teen a six-day extension to present evidence in the case , state media reported . in a hearing saturday that was closed to the media and the public , pop singer kalimba signed a statement stating that he was innocent of the charges , lawyer eliezer garcia told the state-run notimex news agency . prosecutors in the state of quintana roo allege he raped a 17-year-old girl in a hotel there in december . last week , the singer , whose full name is kalimba marichal ibar , was deported from the united states to mexico after an immigration violation in el paso , texas , u.s. border patrol spokesman ramiro cordero said . the 28-year-old singer is a former member of the group ov7 , and also was the voice of simba in a spanish version of disney 's the lion king . ' after saturday 's hearing , an employee and a guard at the prison where the singer is being held asked him for his autograph , notimex said . outside the prison , the news agency reported that hundreds of fans marched to show their support . groups of teenagers carried signs and shouted , let kalimba out ! ' and he is innocent ! ' about 500 fans also gathered to show support for the singer in the nation 's capital saturday , notimex said , carrying signs that said , kalimba we are with you ' and kalimba , cheer up , christ loves you . ' | he is accused of raping a teen in a hotel in the mexican state of quintana roo |
arsenal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal have rejected out of hand a formal offer from barcelona for their talismanic captain cesc fabregas , the english premier league club confirmed on wednesday . the spanish champions officially launched their bid to re-sign the 23-year-old earlier in the day when director general joan oliver told reporters an offer had been made . fabregas came through the youth ranks at the nou camp before joining arsenal in 2003 , and declared last month he would like to return to spain . the midfielder then backtracked by saying that he would put his future in the hands of arsenal manager arsene wenger and instead focus on playing for spain at the world cup in south africa . but arsenal met barcelona 's offer with a curt response . a statement on their official web site read : arsenal captain cesc fabregas is under contract with the club until the summer of 2015 . he is a highly valued member of the team and part of our future plans . we have followed recent speculation linking cesc with a move away from the club but as there has never been any official approach for him , only two informal exchanges , in which we made it abundantly clear that we have no interest in transferring cesc , we have refrained from publicly passing comment . however , yesterday evening we received an offer from barcelona for cesc and in response , we immediately and resolutely told them once again that we have no intention of selling our captain . to be clear , we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion . barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word . ' oliver had earlier told reporters during a presentation of the club 's latest sponsorship deal : everybody knows that cesc wants to sign for barca and that we also want him to come here , but there is also a third party involved -- arsenal . any agreement has to be with them . the official window for transfer negotiations opened on june 1 , and although we 'd had unofficial conversations with them before yesterday , we 've now made a formal written offer , which we presented to arsenal yesterday afternoon . ' barcelona vice-president rafael yuste said that director of football txiki beguiristain and director raul sanllehi were leading the negotiations . i 'm optimistic that he 'll be able to sign for barca as soon as possible , and it 's clear that everybody here will give him a warm welcome , ' yuste said in quotes on the barcelona web site . we 'll do nothing that might make it more difficult for him to come here , and we wo n't rush things -- but we wo n't stop either ! ' meanwhile , yuste also played down reports that last summer 's marquee signing zlatan ibrahimovic would be leaving barcelona after a disappointing first season in spain . the recent signing of spain striker david villa from valencia for $ 49 million has put the sweden international 's nou camp future under some scrutiny . there is no problem with ibra . he 's happy and i hope he 'll be here scoring goals as he did last season for many years to come . there 's nothing to say other than that we are very satisfied with him , ' yuste said . | arsenal reject barcelona 's formal offer for cesc fabregas |
arsenal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal have rejected out of hand a formal offer from barcelona for their talismanic captain cesc fabregas , the english premier league club confirmed on wednesday . the spanish champions officially launched their bid to re-sign the 23-year-old earlier in the day when director general joan oliver told reporters an offer had been made . fabregas came through the youth ranks at the nou camp before joining arsenal in 2003 , and declared last month he would like to return to spain . the midfielder then backtracked by saying that he would put his future in the hands of arsenal manager arsene wenger and instead focus on playing for spain at the world cup in south africa . but arsenal met barcelona 's offer with a curt response . a statement on their official web site read : arsenal captain cesc fabregas is under contract with the club until the summer of 2015 . he is a highly valued member of the team and part of our future plans . we have followed recent speculation linking cesc with a move away from the club but as there has never been any official approach for him , only two informal exchanges , in which we made it abundantly clear that we have no interest in transferring cesc , we have refrained from publicly passing comment . however , yesterday evening we received an offer from barcelona for cesc and in response , we immediately and resolutely told them once again that we have no intention of selling our captain . to be clear , we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion . barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word . ' oliver had earlier told reporters during a presentation of the club 's latest sponsorship deal : everybody knows that cesc wants to sign for barca and that we also want him to come here , but there is also a third party involved -- arsenal . any agreement has to be with them . the official window for transfer negotiations opened on june 1 , and although we 'd had unofficial conversations with them before yesterday , we 've now made a formal written offer , which we presented to arsenal yesterday afternoon . ' barcelona vice-president rafael yuste said that director of football txiki beguiristain and director raul sanllehi were leading the negotiations . i 'm optimistic that he 'll be able to sign for barca as soon as possible , and it 's clear that everybody here will give him a warm welcome , ' yuste said in quotes on the barcelona web site . we 'll do nothing that might make it more difficult for him to come here , and we wo n't rush things -- but we wo n't stop either ! ' meanwhile , yuste also played down reports that last summer 's marquee signing zlatan ibrahimovic would be leaving barcelona after a disappointing first season in spain . the recent signing of spain striker david villa from valencia for $ 49 million has put the sweden international 's nou camp future under some scrutiny . there is no problem with ibra . he 's happy and i hope he 'll be here scoring goals as he did last season for many years to come . there 's nothing to say other than that we are very satisfied with him , ' yuste said . | the 23-year-old has been a key figure at arsenal since joining the club in 2003 |
world cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal have rejected out of hand a formal offer from barcelona for their talismanic captain cesc fabregas , the english premier league club confirmed on wednesday . the spanish champions officially launched their bid to re-sign the 23-year-old earlier in the day when director general joan oliver told reporters an offer had been made . fabregas came through the youth ranks at the nou camp before joining arsenal in 2003 , and declared last month he would like to return to spain . the midfielder then backtracked by saying that he would put his future in the hands of arsenal manager arsene wenger and instead focus on playing for spain at the world cup in south africa . but arsenal met barcelona 's offer with a curt response . a statement on their official web site read : arsenal captain cesc fabregas is under contract with the club until the summer of 2015 . he is a highly valued member of the team and part of our future plans . we have followed recent speculation linking cesc with a move away from the club but as there has never been any official approach for him , only two informal exchanges , in which we made it abundantly clear that we have no interest in transferring cesc , we have refrained from publicly passing comment . however , yesterday evening we received an offer from barcelona for cesc and in response , we immediately and resolutely told them once again that we have no intention of selling our captain . to be clear , we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion . barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word . ' oliver had earlier told reporters during a presentation of the club 's latest sponsorship deal : everybody knows that cesc wants to sign for barca and that we also want him to come here , but there is also a third party involved -- arsenal . any agreement has to be with them . the official window for transfer negotiations opened on june 1 , and although we 'd had unofficial conversations with them before yesterday , we 've now made a formal written offer , which we presented to arsenal yesterday afternoon . ' barcelona vice-president rafael yuste said that director of football txiki beguiristain and director raul sanllehi were leading the negotiations . i 'm optimistic that he 'll be able to sign for barca as soon as possible , and it 's clear that everybody here will give him a warm welcome , ' yuste said in quotes on the barcelona web site . we 'll do nothing that might make it more difficult for him to come here , and we wo n't rush things -- but we wo n't stop either ! ' meanwhile , yuste also played down reports that last summer 's marquee signing zlatan ibrahimovic would be leaving barcelona after a disappointing first season in spain . the recent signing of spain striker david villa from valencia for $ 49 million has put the sweden international 's nou camp future under some scrutiny . there is no problem with ibra . he 's happy and i hope he 'll be here scoring goals as he did last season for many years to come . there 's nothing to say other than that we are very satisfied with him , ' yuste said . | he made his intentions clear last month before saying he would wait until after world cup |
spanish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal have rejected out of hand a formal offer from barcelona for their talismanic captain cesc fabregas , the english premier league club confirmed on wednesday . the spanish champions officially launched their bid to re-sign the 23-year-old earlier in the day when director general joan oliver told reporters an offer had been made . fabregas came through the youth ranks at the nou camp before joining arsenal in 2003 , and declared last month he would like to return to spain . the midfielder then backtracked by saying that he would put his future in the hands of arsenal manager arsene wenger and instead focus on playing for spain at the world cup in south africa . but arsenal met barcelona 's offer with a curt response . a statement on their official web site read : arsenal captain cesc fabregas is under contract with the club until the summer of 2015 . he is a highly valued member of the team and part of our future plans . we have followed recent speculation linking cesc with a move away from the club but as there has never been any official approach for him , only two informal exchanges , in which we made it abundantly clear that we have no interest in transferring cesc , we have refrained from publicly passing comment . however , yesterday evening we received an offer from barcelona for cesc and in response , we immediately and resolutely told them once again that we have no intention of selling our captain . to be clear , we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion . barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word . ' oliver had earlier told reporters during a presentation of the club 's latest sponsorship deal : everybody knows that cesc wants to sign for barca and that we also want him to come here , but there is also a third party involved -- arsenal . any agreement has to be with them . the official window for transfer negotiations opened on june 1 , and although we 'd had unofficial conversations with them before yesterday , we 've now made a formal written offer , which we presented to arsenal yesterday afternoon . ' barcelona vice-president rafael yuste said that director of football txiki beguiristain and director raul sanllehi were leading the negotiations . i 'm optimistic that he 'll be able to sign for barca as soon as possible , and it 's clear that everybody here will give him a warm welcome , ' yuste said in quotes on the barcelona web site . we 'll do nothing that might make it more difficult for him to come here , and we wo n't rush things -- but we wo n't stop either ! ' meanwhile , yuste also played down reports that last summer 's marquee signing zlatan ibrahimovic would be leaving barcelona after a disappointing first season in spain . the recent signing of spain striker david villa from valencia for $ 49 million has put the sweden international 's nou camp future under some scrutiny . there is no problem with ibra . he 's happy and i hope he 'll be here scoring goals as he did last season for many years to come . there 's nothing to say other than that we are very satisfied with him , ' yuste said . | spanish champions make a formal written offer for the english club 's captain |
florida a & m <tsp> ( cnn ) the last three defendants prosecuted in the hazing death of florida a & m drum major robert champion were convicted friday of manslaughter and hazing with the result of death , reported cnn affiliate wftv . a jury deliberated about 2½ hours before returning guilty verdicts against benjamin mcnamee , 25 ; aaron golson , 22 ; and darryl cearnel , 28 . they will be sentenced june 26 , according to orange county , florida , online court records . until then , they 'll be held in the county jail . champion , 26 , died in november 2011 after a band hazing ritual in which he was beaten aboard a school bus after a football game in orlando , florida . the initiation required pledges to run down the center of the bus while being punched , kicked and assaulted by senior members , band members have said . a medical examiner ruled champion 's death a homicide and said he died within an hour of being beaten . champion suffered multiple blunt trauma blows , the medical examiner said . a total of 15 defendants were charged originally , but most took plea deals , wftv reported . last october , dante martin stood trial and was convicted of the same charges . he was sentenced to 77 months in prison . | florida a & m drum major robert champion died in 2011 after a hazing ritual aboard a bus |
robert champion <tsp> ( cnn ) the last three defendants prosecuted in the hazing death of florida a & m drum major robert champion were convicted friday of manslaughter and hazing with the result of death , reported cnn affiliate wftv . a jury deliberated about 2½ hours before returning guilty verdicts against benjamin mcnamee , 25 ; aaron golson , 22 ; and darryl cearnel , 28 . they will be sentenced june 26 , according to orange county , florida , online court records . until then , they 'll be held in the county jail . champion , 26 , died in november 2011 after a band hazing ritual in which he was beaten aboard a school bus after a football game in orlando , florida . the initiation required pledges to run down the center of the bus while being punched , kicked and assaulted by senior members , band members have said . a medical examiner ruled champion 's death a homicide and said he died within an hour of being beaten . champion suffered multiple blunt trauma blows , the medical examiner said . a total of 15 defendants were charged originally , but most took plea deals , wftv reported . last october , dante martin stood trial and was convicted of the same charges . he was sentenced to 77 months in prison . | florida a & m drum major robert champion died in 2011 after a hazing ritual aboard a bus |
yonhap <tsp> seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- a disgraced south korean scientist -- who gained fame in 2004 when he claimed to have cloned human embryonic stem cells -- on monday was convicted of embezzling money and illegally buying human eggs , state media reported . the seoul central district court sentenced hwang woo-suk , 56 , to a two-year prison term , suspended for three years , the yonhap news agency reported . the scientist in 2006 admitted faking his findings , after questions of impropriety had emerged . reports of his studies had attracted worldwide attention and enthusiasm from researchers and patients excited about their potential for treating diseases such as cancer , diabetes and alzheimer 's disease . in 2006 , prosecutors said hwang masterminded the process of creating false studies on stem-cell technology . they also backed up his assertion that assistant researcher kim sun-jong deceived him with fake data that became part of the research . prosecutors said kim smuggled in-vitro fertilized stem cells into hwang 's lab to make it look as though the scientist was successful in creating stem cells through cloning . hwang was charged with accepting 2 billion won ( $ 2.1 million at the time of charges ) in private donations based on falsified research , prosecutors said . they also accused him of embezzling about 800 million won ( $ 856,000 at the time of charges ) in private and government research funds . hwang apologized publicly in january 2006 after a panel of scientists from seoul national university found he had not derived human stem cells from eggs , as he claimed . it is true that the research papers had fabricated data , and i will take full responsibility . i acknowledge this and apologize , ' he said at the time . he acknowledged that much of the data and photographs published in the u.s.-based journal science in 2004 and 2005 had been fabricated . the university panel 's report said hwang did produce the world 's first cloned dog , snuppy . | he get two-year prison sentence , yonhap reports |
koch <tsp> in 1974 , charles koch started the charles koch foundation . in 1976 , the foundation was renamed cato institute , with koch as one of the co-founders . his vision was to build a nonpartisan organization that would advance ideas that enable all people to prosper by promoting liberty , limited government , free markets and peace . that vision has remained a constant since the beginning . i currently serve on the board of cato , and have worked with libertarian organizations for more than 20 years , including mercatus center and the institute for humane studies . i have worked closely with charles koch and his brother david on numerous libertarian endeavors . in each instance , these two men have consistently championed libertarian principles , even in the face of unfair and inaccurate criticism . robert levy , cato 's current chairman , would have you believe otherwise . according to his april 2 op-ed , charles and david koch seek to turn cato into a policy shop for the kochs'political operations . ' this is patently false . david , who has been a director of cato since 1987 and serves on its executive committee , and charles have consistently supported a nonpartisan cato . in 1980 , charles brought a resolution before the cato board confirming that cato should be nonpartisan . together , they have contributed approximately $ 40 million to the institute . cato 's independence has never been in question in the 37 years the kochs have been involved with the organization , and there is nothing real to suggest it will be an issue going forward . in bringing up previous conversations that he had with david koch , levy is distorting the record in order to support his position . i attended the november 2011 meeting where levy spoke with david . subsequent conversations with levy confirmed that the kochs have never proposed that cato cooperate with only one group , or work exclusively with koch-affiliated groups or groups affiliated with one political party . david reiterated this point publicly in a statement on march 22 . levy wrote that the kochs seek to get ( their ) way ' or take control ' of cato . this is misleading . ed crane , who is the president of cato , wants to maintain control of the institute by circumventing cato 's shareholders'agreement . all that the kochs seek is for the parties to cato 's shareholders'agreement ( which has been in place since 1985 ) to be bound by that agreement . crane and levy do not want this because , with the recent death of one of cato 's shareholders , they are concerned that they will lose control of cato . we should ask why self-professed libertarians would seek to abrogate voluntary agreements -- a key tenet of libertarian thought . crane and levy have talked about seeking a board of independent directors , but every action by them suggests they want the opposite -- a board that is responsive to and dependent upon them , as well as donors they view as acceptable . when i was unanimously elected to the cato board in 2010 , i was excited about the prospect of working with an organization of cato 's reputation . i had also previously been offered a job by crane in 2002 . i expected an organization where people would be free to engage in constructive debates -- where differing points of view would be acknowledged and respected . what i found was something very different . what is most upsetting is that all of this public battle could have been avoided . charles and david koch were willing to keep the 2011 cato board in place without making any changes , but crane and levy demanded an immediate vote on directors . the kochs have also proposed third-party mediation , but crane and levy refused that as well , calling mediation a delay tactic . it is crane and levy 's concern about their control of cato , rather than concern for the good of the organization , that is driving the dispute . cato is losing its voice and focus , at a time when the debate over the role of the government in our society is more needed than ever . if cato 's board members truly care about the institute 's future , they should demand that crane and levy stop this scorched-earth public relations fight , which is weakening the organization and harming its reputation , and force immediate negotiations . just last week , charles koch again proposed that the parties choose a third-party mediator in hopes of reaching an agreement . cato 's management continues to refuse it . they show no desire to end this state of affairs short of capitulation to crane and levy 's demands . if cato is truly to become independent , then it needs to become independent from all of its shareholders -- first and foremost , crane . | he says the koch brothers support independence for cato and have given it $ 40 million |
koch <tsp> in 1974 , charles koch started the charles koch foundation . in 1976 , the foundation was renamed cato institute , with koch as one of the co-founders . his vision was to build a nonpartisan organization that would advance ideas that enable all people to prosper by promoting liberty , limited government , free markets and peace . that vision has remained a constant since the beginning . i currently serve on the board of cato , and have worked with libertarian organizations for more than 20 years , including mercatus center and the institute for humane studies . i have worked closely with charles koch and his brother david on numerous libertarian endeavors . in each instance , these two men have consistently championed libertarian principles , even in the face of unfair and inaccurate criticism . robert levy , cato 's current chairman , would have you believe otherwise . according to his april 2 op-ed , charles and david koch seek to turn cato into a policy shop for the kochs'political operations . ' this is patently false . david , who has been a director of cato since 1987 and serves on its executive committee , and charles have consistently supported a nonpartisan cato . in 1980 , charles brought a resolution before the cato board confirming that cato should be nonpartisan . together , they have contributed approximately $ 40 million to the institute . cato 's independence has never been in question in the 37 years the kochs have been involved with the organization , and there is nothing real to suggest it will be an issue going forward . in bringing up previous conversations that he had with david koch , levy is distorting the record in order to support his position . i attended the november 2011 meeting where levy spoke with david . subsequent conversations with levy confirmed that the kochs have never proposed that cato cooperate with only one group , or work exclusively with koch-affiliated groups or groups affiliated with one political party . david reiterated this point publicly in a statement on march 22 . levy wrote that the kochs seek to get ( their ) way ' or take control ' of cato . this is misleading . ed crane , who is the president of cato , wants to maintain control of the institute by circumventing cato 's shareholders'agreement . all that the kochs seek is for the parties to cato 's shareholders'agreement ( which has been in place since 1985 ) to be bound by that agreement . crane and levy do not want this because , with the recent death of one of cato 's shareholders , they are concerned that they will lose control of cato . we should ask why self-professed libertarians would seek to abrogate voluntary agreements -- a key tenet of libertarian thought . crane and levy have talked about seeking a board of independent directors , but every action by them suggests they want the opposite -- a board that is responsive to and dependent upon them , as well as donors they view as acceptable . when i was unanimously elected to the cato board in 2010 , i was excited about the prospect of working with an organization of cato 's reputation . i had also previously been offered a job by crane in 2002 . i expected an organization where people would be free to engage in constructive debates -- where differing points of view would be acknowledged and respected . what i found was something very different . what is most upsetting is that all of this public battle could have been avoided . charles and david koch were willing to keep the 2011 cato board in place without making any changes , but crane and levy demanded an immediate vote on directors . the kochs have also proposed third-party mediation , but crane and levy refused that as well , calling mediation a delay tactic . it is crane and levy 's concern about their control of cato , rather than concern for the good of the organization , that is driving the dispute . cato is losing its voice and focus , at a time when the debate over the role of the government in our society is more needed than ever . if cato 's board members truly care about the institute 's future , they should demand that crane and levy stop this scorched-earth public relations fight , which is weakening the organization and harming its reputation , and force immediate negotiations . just last week , charles koch again proposed that the parties choose a third-party mediator in hopes of reaching an agreement . cato 's management continues to refuse it . they show no desire to end this state of affairs short of capitulation to crane and levy 's demands . if cato is truly to become independent , then it needs to become independent from all of its shareholders -- first and foremost , crane . | kevin gentry : charles koch has consistently championed libertarian ideas |
group f <tsp> ( cnn ) -- unfancied belarus once again frustrated france in euro 2012 qualifying action on friday , earning a 1-1 draw at home to the group d leaders . the french won four successive games following september 's 1-0 defeat to the east europeans in paris , but conceded a goal for the first time since then when defender eric abidal put through his own net in the 20th minute under pressure from maksim bordachev after a free-kick . however , chelsea forward florent malouda equalized two minutes later after being set up by real madrid striker karim benzema as les bleus remained four points clear of their second-placed hosts . belarus can close the gap by beating bottom nation luxembourg on tuesday , while laurent blanc 's france team face euro 2012 co-hosts poland and ukraine next week . romania closed to within a point of belarus with a 3-0 win at home to bosnia-herzegovina , with adrian mutu netting the opener and ciprian marica scoring twice before cristian sapunaru missed a penalty deep into injury-time . germany notched a sixth win from six games in group a as striker mario gomez scored both goals in a 2-1 win away to neighbors austria . gomez , the bundesliga 's top scorer last season , scored late in each half with austria leveling through arne friedrich 's 50th-minute own goal . the bayern munich star pounced just before the break after clubmate toni kroos 's corner was flicked on by friedrich into his path . friedrich turned david alaba 's cross into his own net , but gomez denied austria -- seeking a first competitive win over their rivals since the 1978 world cup -- when he headed in philipp lahm 's last-minute cross . that put joachim low 's team seven points clear of second-placed belgium ahead of tuesday 's trip to azerbaijan . belgium , who have played an extra game , drew 1-1 with third-placed turkey as axel witsel missed a second-half penalty in brussels . marvin ogunjimi gave the hosts an early lead before burak y ? lmaz leveled on 22 , but witsel blazed over the bar with 15 minutes left to keep turkey 's playoff hopes alive with guus hiddink 's team one point back with a game in hand . bottom side kazakhstan beat azerbaijan 2-1 in a result that left both nations on three points with one win each . italy stayed five points clear in group c with a 3-0 win at home to estonia . strikers giuseppe rossi and antonio cassano scored in the first half , while the latter 's second-half replacement giampaolo pazzini wrapped up the azzurri 's fifth win from six matches . second-placed slovenia won 2-0 away to the faroe islands despite having marko suler sent off after only 25 minutes , but have played an extra game . tim matavz put the visitors ahead shortly after suler 's red card for a professional foul , adding to his hat-trick in october 's home fixture , while rogvi baldvinsson headed into his own net just after halftime . croatia went top of group f with a 2-1 win at home to georgia , moving two points clear of greece . georgia won the reverse fixture in march , and took the lead again through jaba kankava in the 17th minute . but goals from mario mandzukic and nikola kalinic in the final 15 minutes gave slaven bilic 's team a welcome win , having earlier hit the woodwork three times . greece can reclaim top spot by beating malta on saturday . sweden boosted their hopes of finishing second in group e by winning 4-1 away to moldova , as striker johan elmander scored twice . the second-placed swedes now trail unbeaten leaders the netherlands by six points , having played one fewer game . finland claimed a second win in five games to be on six points , winning 1-0 away to bottom nation san marino thanks to striker mikael forssell 's first-half winner . group i 's bottom side liechtenstein picked up a 2-0 win at home to lithuania for the principality 's first points in five games . | croatia top of group f after a 2-1 win at home to georgia |
finkbeiner <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- it 's not every day that a 13-year-old boy gets a chance to address the united nations general assembly . but felix finkbeiner is no ordinary teenager . finkbeiner is already the head of his own organization , plant for the planet , dedicated to planting millions of trees all around the world . at the u.n. earlier this month , finkbeiner had one item on his agenda : taking adults to task for their lack of action on planting trees . in the normally staid u.n. , finkbeiner had a field day telling off a group of adults . his message to the diplomats was simple : stop talking and start planting . ' finkbeiner warned the countries that disappearing trees would create a climate crisis for children 's future . we children understand that the adults know everything about these crises , but we children do n't understand why there 's so little action , ' he said . plant for the planet was founded in , of all places , a fourth grade classroom in his native germany . a presentation finkbeiner gave in class about nobel peace prize winner wangari maathai , who planted 30 million trees in kenya , inspired the movement . but finkbeiner believes this tree crusade can only be successful if it is led by children . we children are the majority in the world but we can only make a difference if we work together . so we have to work together because if we do this , we can have a big impact , ' he says . this tree-planting campaign has already had an impact worldwide . finkbeiner says there are 100,000 children participating in 91 countries with 3.5 million trees planted . maathai , who also addressed the u.n. on the same occasion , was impressed with finkbeiner 's success . it is an indication of the kind of inspiration and hope we should all have because when they start this young with the conviction and the commitment , then you know definitely there 's hope . ' after her speech , maathai and finkbeiner shared some tree talk and a hug in the hall . later on further uptown , finkbeiner addressed an entire audience of teens at a new york city middle school . his speech was a battle cry to his peers . it 's not about saving the polar bear . it 's about saving our future . ' finkbeiner offered the students , who rarely see trees in the concrete jungle of manhattan , some suggestions on planting trees . he encouraged the students to organize tree-planting parties in their community . twitter and facebook could be used to spread the word on tree events , finkbeiner told the curious group of youngsters . for those seeking even more sophisticated means of getting news out , finkbeiner offered tips on writing press releases . jonathan mejia , a student who attended the presentation , left feeling inspired to go out with a couple of my friends to a park and plant a lot of trees in a common area that everyone goes , like maybe central park . ' this is exactly the kind of momentum finkbeiner hopes to inspire in children around the world . we can not trust that the adults alone will save our future , ' the young tree ambassadors says . we have to take our future in our own hands . ' | 13-year-old felix finkbeiner is already the head of his own organization |
finkbeiner <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- it 's not every day that a 13-year-old boy gets a chance to address the united nations general assembly . but felix finkbeiner is no ordinary teenager . finkbeiner is already the head of his own organization , plant for the planet , dedicated to planting millions of trees all around the world . at the u.n. earlier this month , finkbeiner had one item on his agenda : taking adults to task for their lack of action on planting trees . in the normally staid u.n. , finkbeiner had a field day telling off a group of adults . his message to the diplomats was simple : stop talking and start planting . ' finkbeiner warned the countries that disappearing trees would create a climate crisis for children 's future . we children understand that the adults know everything about these crises , but we children do n't understand why there 's so little action , ' he said . plant for the planet was founded in , of all places , a fourth grade classroom in his native germany . a presentation finkbeiner gave in class about nobel peace prize winner wangari maathai , who planted 30 million trees in kenya , inspired the movement . but finkbeiner believes this tree crusade can only be successful if it is led by children . we children are the majority in the world but we can only make a difference if we work together . so we have to work together because if we do this , we can have a big impact , ' he says . this tree-planting campaign has already had an impact worldwide . finkbeiner says there are 100,000 children participating in 91 countries with 3.5 million trees planted . maathai , who also addressed the u.n. on the same occasion , was impressed with finkbeiner 's success . it is an indication of the kind of inspiration and hope we should all have because when they start this young with the conviction and the commitment , then you know definitely there 's hope . ' after her speech , maathai and finkbeiner shared some tree talk and a hug in the hall . later on further uptown , finkbeiner addressed an entire audience of teens at a new york city middle school . his speech was a battle cry to his peers . it 's not about saving the polar bear . it 's about saving our future . ' finkbeiner offered the students , who rarely see trees in the concrete jungle of manhattan , some suggestions on planting trees . he encouraged the students to organize tree-planting parties in their community . twitter and facebook could be used to spread the word on tree events , finkbeiner told the curious group of youngsters . for those seeking even more sophisticated means of getting news out , finkbeiner offered tips on writing press releases . jonathan mejia , a student who attended the presentation , left feeling inspired to go out with a couple of my friends to a park and plant a lot of trees in a common area that everyone goes , like maybe central park . ' this is exactly the kind of momentum finkbeiner hopes to inspire in children around the world . we can not trust that the adults alone will save our future , ' the young tree ambassadors says . we have to take our future in our own hands . ' | finkbeiner says there are 100,000 children participating in 91 countries |
marissa tomei <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fans of classic 1970 's films like network ' and the parallax view ' should flock to the ides of march , ' george clooney 's fourth outing as a director and second produced screenplay . it 's a taut and engaging political thriller that should resonate with americans of any political persuasion . liberal , left-wing pennsylvania gov . mike morris ( clooney ) is in the fight of his life , running for the democratic nomination for president . he leads in the polls and the delegate count , but anything can happen in the week before the primary and a potential spoiler/kingmaker waits in the wings in the form of north carolina sen. thompson ( jeffrey wright ) . stakes are high . the old saying of as ohio goes , so goes the nation ' implies that a win in the primary is the key . however , sen. thompson controls a large group of delegates who are likely to go to whatever candidate he endorses . so while trying to win ohio , both morris and his rival are at the same time clandestinely courting thompson 's favors , with new york times reporter ida horowicz ( marissa tomei ) doggedly looking for the scoop . with so much of modern politics playing out in the media , the results often hinge on the dance between campaign and reporter . this complicated pas de deux with tomei 's reporter is performed on the campaign side by grizzled veteran campaign manager paul zara ( philip seymour hoffman ) and hotshot young press secretary stephen meyers ( ryan gosling ) . ( which kind of makes it a pas de trois , but never mind . ) gosling is at the center of the film , once again proving that he is more than capable of holding his own in a group of heavyweights , inhabiting myers like he 's been playing him on stage for years . in fact , the ides of march ' is adapted from beau willimon 's play farragut north . ' ambitious and aggressively idealistic , the only thing myers cares about more than winning is believing in his candidate , which of course sets him apart from virtually all the real-world political operators working inside the d.c. beltway and sets him up for a vicious life lesson . as gov . morris , clooney is at his best , with his campaign speeches and television appearances echoing bill clinton , but with a charm that leans more towards the urbane than the folksy . at one point morris flat out tells a debate audience not to vote for him if they do n't agree with his positions on the issues . imagine ! it is in the private moments , however , that the true , cynical face of politics shows its face and it is in this cynicism that ides ' finds its true footing . a throwback film in a sense , ides ' is not the pretty woman ' look at politics and things get ugly . an old saw is that working in politics is a great place to meet women and this holds true here , as myers meets young , aggressive campaign intern molly ( evan rachel wood ) and their short and rather unsubtle flirtation leads to a series of events that , before they conclude , affect virtually everyone involved in dramatic ways and shakes myers'beliefs to the core . at one point the 30-year-old myers brags that he 's worked on more campaigns than most people have by the time they 're 40 , but hoffman 's zara and equally seasoned rival campaign manager tom duffy ( paul giamatti ) in turn play myers like a violin , proving that the x-files ' was right : trust no one . to which i would add : and keep your mouth shut . in essence , ides ' is about tests . a test of idealism in the face of reality and a test of political resolve in the face of events that shake conviction . gosling 's myers is playing with the big boys and navigating the often ethically muddy waters of presidential politics is not for the faint of heart . it is also about compromise . how much of your ideals , integrity and reputation are you willing to sacrifice for the greater good ' and does that greater good actually exist ? while the choices may be integrity vs. career and ethics vs. ambition , it 's not always clear which choice will produce which result . despite clooney 's outspoken left-leaning politics , this is a film without a partisan agenda and one that both sides of the aisle ought to see and in which they may quite possibly see themselves . it 's an entertaining , suspenseful and deeply cynical film , but politics is a cynical business and maybe this will be seen as a cautionary tale ... though i doubt it . was that too cynical ? | philip seymour hoffman , ryan gosling and marissa tomei also co-star |
matt ryan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nbc 's constantine ' joined the growing party of comic book-based tv series with its friday night premiere on nbc . but critics could n't quite agree on whether it was worth staying home ( or even dvring ) to catch it . matt ryan stars as john constantine , a rebellious and not very likable exorcist with an affinity for trench coats and cigarettes -- at least , that 's how he appears in hellblazer , ' the dc comic book upon which the show is based . to adhere to network standards , constantine ditches his bad habit for tv , a source of contention for hitfix.com critic alan sepinwall and others . the absence of john 's most physically self-destructive habit is symbolic of a larger issue , ' he said . and as john will tell anyone who listens ... symbols have meaning , and when you take them away , you can take away the power they represent . ''constantine'adds to tv 's comic-book trend that 's not all that worries critics about constantine , who introduces the real world of demons and ghouls in the premiere . fans and critics believe ryan 's performance will make this show sink or swim , similar to hugh laurie on house ' or benedict cumberbatch on sherlock . ' for some of them , it 's not looking good . ryan is a particular problem , i 'm sorry to say , ' vulture 's matt zoller seitz said . i do n't know if he was miscast or poorly directed , but something about his grooming , makeup , and line delivery make him sound like ( and sometimes resemble ) jim carrey in comic high-dudgeon mode . ' others , however , took a more positive view of his performance . more cynical than supernatural 's winchester brothers , almost as quippy as the beloved buffy , ryan 's constantine is terrific company for any monstrous apocalypse , ' matt roush of tv guide said . usa today 's robert bianco was also in the favorable camp . falling somewhere in the middle of the dark/light scale between gotham and flash , tonight 's promising premiere boasts a few good jolts , a welcome bit of visual flair , and an appealing star turn from welsh actor matt ryan , who conveys just the right mix of tortured soul , biting wit and hunky hero . ' david wiegand of the san francisco chronicle is holding out hope that the show will improve . there 's good stuff in the pilot †” the special effects , for one †” and not-so-good stuff , leaving the question up in the air about whether writers david goyer and daniel cerone , who developed the series , can make the fixes necessary to do justice to hellblazer. viewers were similarly mixed on twitter . it was n't mind-blowing , ' comics fan da nerdette said . the pacing was off at times . but , i enjoyed matt ryan as # constantine . it 's worth another chance . ' the best thing about the show is matt ryan 's rowdy and committed performance as john constantine , ' another viewer , david prush , said on twitter . for a pilot it was very impressive . ' what did you think ? will you watch again ? tell us in the comments . | matt ryan plays rebellious exorcist john constantine |
muslims <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- religious materials -- including qurans that were burned at bagram airfield in afghanistan , sparking afghan protests -- were removed from the library of a detainee center because of extremist inscriptions ' on them , a military official said tuesday . there was an appearance that these documents were being used to facilitate extremist communications , ' a military official said . additionally , some of the documents were extremist in and of themselves , apparently originating from outside of afghanistan , ' the official said . the official said the material was burned , but authorities are attempting to determine how much . the uproar prompted gen. john allen , commander of nato 's international security assistance force , to issue a directive that all coalition forces in afghanistan will complete training in the proper handling of religious materials no later than march 3 , ' the nato-led force said .. the training will include the identification of religious materials , their significance , correct handling and storage , ' according to the statement from coalition forces . earlier tuesday , allen said the materials were gathered for disposal from the airfield 's parwan detention facility and inadvertently given to troops for burning . this was not a decision that was made because they were religious materials , ' he said . it was not a decision that was made with respect to the faith of islam . it was a mistake . it was an error . the moment we found out about it , we immediately stopped and we intervened . ' hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the airfield tuesday , furious over reports of the burning . lt. lauren rago , a spokeswoman for the coalition forces , told cnn in an e-mail earlier tuesday that an investigation was under way to determine whether any material was burned before the mistake was discovered and , if so , how much . we are deeply concerned about the report of qurans or religious materials being damaged , and will get to the bottom of what actually happened , ' she said . but a coalition official acknowledged the materials were improperly burned . allen said he immediately launched an investigation . something like this just can not happen again , ' allen said . muslims regard the quran as the absolute word of god . it is so highly revered that many muslims will not pick up the holy book without ablution , a ritual washing of the hands . desecrating the book , such as burning it , is therefore seen as an unforgivable affront -- as an act of intolerance and bigotry . authorities are looking into the reasons why the material was gathered and why the decision was made to dispose of them in this manner , ' allen said . some troops have been questioned , but there have been no arrests or detentions , according to a coalition official . afghan officials have been invited to join the investigation . allen said he has offered sincere apologies ' to afghan officials , including president hamid karzai . allen also offered apologies to the afghan government and the noble people of afghanistan . ' this was unintentional , ' he said . there was no intention by any member of isaf to defame the faith of islam or to desecrate the precious religious materials of this faith . ' the materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities , ' allen said earlier . local citizens who work at the base discovered the material that had been put into a burn pit by nato personnel and alerted officials . soon after , demonstrators massed outside the base , chanting death to america ! death to the afghan government ! long live islam ! ' as a nato helicopter circled overhead and black smoke billowed from the ground , men shook their fists in anger . several men launched slingshots in the direction of the base . the desecration of religious articles is not in keeping with the standards of american tolerance , human rights practices and freedom of religion , ' state department spokeswoman victoria nuland said tuesday . the concern is that some around the world will think that this represents an affirmative statement by the united states , and it does not represent our values or our view of how the quran ought to be treated , ' she said . allen said , this is not who we are . these are very , very isolated incidents . we 've been here a long time . we 've been shoulder to shoulder with the afghans for a long time . we 've been dying alongside the afghans for a long time because we believe in them . we believe in their country . we want to have every opportunity to give them a bright future . ' but these kinds of incidents , when they do occur , we will move quickly to correct them , ' he said . we will move quickly to hold people accountable . ' photographs surfaced purporting to show the damaged qurans . a photographer for agence france-presse said afghans who work inside the airfield told him they obtained the qurans there . but the u.s. military said that was unlikely . when it became known that it was religious materials that were brought to the incinerator , the materials were secured by the military authorities in consultation with the local afghan religious authorities , so it would be highly unlikely that the demonstrators would have any of the material from this incident , ' said col. gary kolb , a spokesman for the nato-led force . the u.s. embassy in kabul warned on its twitter feed that protests were possible throughout afghanistan in the coming days and noted , past demonstrations in afghanistan have escalated into violent attacks on western targets of opportunity . ' last year , when controversial florida pastor terry jones presided over what he called a trial of the quran and burned a copy , afghans took to the streets by the thousands . in the northern afghan city of mazar-e sharif , demonstrators stormed a u.n. office and killed 12 people . in kandahar , three people were killed in one demonstration , and nine in another when police and stone-throwing demonstrators clashed . american officials vociferously condemned the pastor 's act . it was intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful and again , we condemn it in the strongest manner possible , ' said gen. david petraeus , who headed the u.s.-led international forces in afghanistan at the time . in 2010 , afghans protested outside the forward operating base mirwais in response to an alleged quran burning inside the base . but coalition forces said the suspected burning was a routine burn-pit session in which military documents are destroyed . cnn 's barbara starr and larry shaughnessy in washington , masoud popalzai in kabul and sarah jones and ashley hayes in atlanta contributed to this report . | muslims regard the quran as their holy book |
quran <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- religious materials -- including qurans that were burned at bagram airfield in afghanistan , sparking afghan protests -- were removed from the library of a detainee center because of extremist inscriptions ' on them , a military official said tuesday . there was an appearance that these documents were being used to facilitate extremist communications , ' a military official said . additionally , some of the documents were extremist in and of themselves , apparently originating from outside of afghanistan , ' the official said . the official said the material was burned , but authorities are attempting to determine how much . the uproar prompted gen. john allen , commander of nato 's international security assistance force , to issue a directive that all coalition forces in afghanistan will complete training in the proper handling of religious materials no later than march 3 , ' the nato-led force said .. the training will include the identification of religious materials , their significance , correct handling and storage , ' according to the statement from coalition forces . earlier tuesday , allen said the materials were gathered for disposal from the airfield 's parwan detention facility and inadvertently given to troops for burning . this was not a decision that was made because they were religious materials , ' he said . it was not a decision that was made with respect to the faith of islam . it was a mistake . it was an error . the moment we found out about it , we immediately stopped and we intervened . ' hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the airfield tuesday , furious over reports of the burning . lt. lauren rago , a spokeswoman for the coalition forces , told cnn in an e-mail earlier tuesday that an investigation was under way to determine whether any material was burned before the mistake was discovered and , if so , how much . we are deeply concerned about the report of qurans or religious materials being damaged , and will get to the bottom of what actually happened , ' she said . but a coalition official acknowledged the materials were improperly burned . allen said he immediately launched an investigation . something like this just can not happen again , ' allen said . muslims regard the quran as the absolute word of god . it is so highly revered that many muslims will not pick up the holy book without ablution , a ritual washing of the hands . desecrating the book , such as burning it , is therefore seen as an unforgivable affront -- as an act of intolerance and bigotry . authorities are looking into the reasons why the material was gathered and why the decision was made to dispose of them in this manner , ' allen said . some troops have been questioned , but there have been no arrests or detentions , according to a coalition official . afghan officials have been invited to join the investigation . allen said he has offered sincere apologies ' to afghan officials , including president hamid karzai . allen also offered apologies to the afghan government and the noble people of afghanistan . ' this was unintentional , ' he said . there was no intention by any member of isaf to defame the faith of islam or to desecrate the precious religious materials of this faith . ' the materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities , ' allen said earlier . local citizens who work at the base discovered the material that had been put into a burn pit by nato personnel and alerted officials . soon after , demonstrators massed outside the base , chanting death to america ! death to the afghan government ! long live islam ! ' as a nato helicopter circled overhead and black smoke billowed from the ground , men shook their fists in anger . several men launched slingshots in the direction of the base . the desecration of religious articles is not in keeping with the standards of american tolerance , human rights practices and freedom of religion , ' state department spokeswoman victoria nuland said tuesday . the concern is that some around the world will think that this represents an affirmative statement by the united states , and it does not represent our values or our view of how the quran ought to be treated , ' she said . allen said , this is not who we are . these are very , very isolated incidents . we 've been here a long time . we 've been shoulder to shoulder with the afghans for a long time . we 've been dying alongside the afghans for a long time because we believe in them . we believe in their country . we want to have every opportunity to give them a bright future . ' but these kinds of incidents , when they do occur , we will move quickly to correct them , ' he said . we will move quickly to hold people accountable . ' photographs surfaced purporting to show the damaged qurans . a photographer for agence france-presse said afghans who work inside the airfield told him they obtained the qurans there . but the u.s. military said that was unlikely . when it became known that it was religious materials that were brought to the incinerator , the materials were secured by the military authorities in consultation with the local afghan religious authorities , so it would be highly unlikely that the demonstrators would have any of the material from this incident , ' said col. gary kolb , a spokesman for the nato-led force . the u.s. embassy in kabul warned on its twitter feed that protests were possible throughout afghanistan in the coming days and noted , past demonstrations in afghanistan have escalated into violent attacks on western targets of opportunity . ' last year , when controversial florida pastor terry jones presided over what he called a trial of the quran and burned a copy , afghans took to the streets by the thousands . in the northern afghan city of mazar-e sharif , demonstrators stormed a u.n. office and killed 12 people . in kandahar , three people were killed in one demonstration , and nine in another when police and stone-throwing demonstrators clashed . american officials vociferously condemned the pastor 's act . it was intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful and again , we condemn it in the strongest manner possible , ' said gen. david petraeus , who headed the u.s.-led international forces in afghanistan at the time . in 2010 , afghans protested outside the forward operating base mirwais in response to an alleged quran burning inside the base . but coalition forces said the suspected burning was a routine burn-pit session in which military documents are destroyed . cnn 's barbara starr and larry shaughnessy in washington , masoud popalzai in kabul and sarah jones and ashley hayes in atlanta contributed to this report . | muslims regard the quran as their holy book |
loudoun county <tsp> ( cnn ) -- take it from president barack obama -- virginia 's loudoun county is a must-win swing district in a must-win swing state . we won last time in loudoun county , and if we win again , we win virginia , ' obama declared at a rally in august . and if we win virginia , we win the election . ' the final factor affecting many undecided voters in this wealthy washington exurb is sequestration -- massive , automatic cuts scheduled to start taking effect at the the beginning of 2013 after the failure of a supercommittee to come up with a deficit-reduction plan . loudoun county is emblematic of the new northern virginia -- upper-middle class , fast-growing and increasingly diverse . over the past decade , the landscape has transformed from quiet farmland to rows of upper middle-class houses . as defense budgets boomed under president george w. bush post-9/11 , the industry expanded , and many new defense workers and contractors moved to loudoun . the county now has the highest median household income in the united states -- $ 119,000 a year . population doubled over the past decade , to 312,000 -- and the hispanic population has tripled . this is n't old virginia ; it 's new virginia . and these demographic factors helped obama become the first democrat to win the state since lyndon johnson in 1964 -- by a margin in loudoun county of just 11,509 votes . four years later , the unemployment rate in loudoun county is strikingly low -- just 4 % -- about half the national average . but these looming automatic cuts are creating a clear and present danger to loudoun 's economic well-being that is resonating here . news : energized obama touts new jobs report in virginia , ohio so sequestration weighs heavily on the minds of undecided loudoun county voters such as john dyer , co-founder of a 2-year-old small business -- ksh tech solutions -- that specializes in consulting to government agencies to increase efficiency . dyer is a coveted swing voter whose votes in the past reflect the winner of virginia -- the voter that both campaigns are trying to reach in this final stretch . he 's a native virginian , raised in richmond , and he cast his first ballot for ronald reagan . the first democrat he ever voted for was obama . four years later , he 's concerned that obama 's run out of energy and the overall economy still has n't improved as fast as he 'd hoped . he understands that the deficit needs to be dealt with but believes that abrupt sequester-style cuts could be devastating to the local and national economy . he 'll be watching the next debates with these priorities in mind : i feel passionate about health care , that 's for sure . and the issues around the federal government spending , the dod ( department of defense ) , and how it affects our business . it is my lifeblood and my future . ' there 's no question that the specter of sequestration has cast a chill in this community . my neighborhood is full of subcontractors and contractors that work for or in the federal government , ' dyer says . some have already talked to their employees -- they have given notice that a storm could be coming , and they need to be prepared for layoffs . ' dyer 's business partner is katie hammler , a former captain in the u.s. army reserves , an independent voter who also serves on the leesburg town council ' this is going to be as serious a problem to our north virginia region as the fallout of the car industry was to detroit , ' hammler says . it will be small businesses like ours that are going to be hit the most . two million jobs will be lost , half of which will be from small companies . we 'll be hit earliest and hardest . ' hammler blames sequestration on congressional division and dysfunction : it 's as if there are certain factions within the parties who are setting things up where because of the pressure of the next primary , because of the pressure of the election , there 's no incentive for compromise and collaboration to find meaningful solutions to complex problems . ' there 's plenty of blame to go around for both parties , but hammler expresses special frustration with a particular group : those who oppose obama have done everything in their power to ensure that he fails . ' with sequestration as a final factor in this key swing county of virginia , the tea party rhetoric of 2010 wo n't necessarily work on undecided swing voters such as dyer . people support the government here , ' he says . they work for the mission of the government . even as a contractor , you work to fulfill that mission . ' news : with ryan by his side , romney rallies virginians in debate victory lap virginians have a contrarian streak -- in recent decades they have voted for a governor from the opposite party as the president just elected . virginians are wary of too much government power in one party , ' says leesburg mayor kristen umstattd . they like the balance of power . ' but while both parties might be to blame for the failed supercommittee resulting in the scheduled sequestration cuts , they can vote for only one president . the demographic changes in virginia and comparatively strong economy might give obama reason to believe that he can make history a second time by winning virginia , but it is far from a sure thing in this traditionally conservative corner of the country . to convince dyer and other undecided swing voters in loudoun county , the two candidates will need to present a balanced plan to avoid the blunt edge of sequestration cuts and a practical strategy for avoiding this kind of high-risk , hyper-partisan brinksmanship in the future . that 's a final factor in winning this key swing district of this key swing state in the fight for the white house 2012 . join us at facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of john avlon . | john avlon : loudoun county , virginia , a must-win swing district in must-win swing state |
loudoun county <tsp> ( cnn ) -- take it from president barack obama -- virginia 's loudoun county is a must-win swing district in a must-win swing state . we won last time in loudoun county , and if we win again , we win virginia , ' obama declared at a rally in august . and if we win virginia , we win the election . ' the final factor affecting many undecided voters in this wealthy washington exurb is sequestration -- massive , automatic cuts scheduled to start taking effect at the the beginning of 2013 after the failure of a supercommittee to come up with a deficit-reduction plan . loudoun county is emblematic of the new northern virginia -- upper-middle class , fast-growing and increasingly diverse . over the past decade , the landscape has transformed from quiet farmland to rows of upper middle-class houses . as defense budgets boomed under president george w. bush post-9/11 , the industry expanded , and many new defense workers and contractors moved to loudoun . the county now has the highest median household income in the united states -- $ 119,000 a year . population doubled over the past decade , to 312,000 -- and the hispanic population has tripled . this is n't old virginia ; it 's new virginia . and these demographic factors helped obama become the first democrat to win the state since lyndon johnson in 1964 -- by a margin in loudoun county of just 11,509 votes . four years later , the unemployment rate in loudoun county is strikingly low -- just 4 % -- about half the national average . but these looming automatic cuts are creating a clear and present danger to loudoun 's economic well-being that is resonating here . news : energized obama touts new jobs report in virginia , ohio so sequestration weighs heavily on the minds of undecided loudoun county voters such as john dyer , co-founder of a 2-year-old small business -- ksh tech solutions -- that specializes in consulting to government agencies to increase efficiency . dyer is a coveted swing voter whose votes in the past reflect the winner of virginia -- the voter that both campaigns are trying to reach in this final stretch . he 's a native virginian , raised in richmond , and he cast his first ballot for ronald reagan . the first democrat he ever voted for was obama . four years later , he 's concerned that obama 's run out of energy and the overall economy still has n't improved as fast as he 'd hoped . he understands that the deficit needs to be dealt with but believes that abrupt sequester-style cuts could be devastating to the local and national economy . he 'll be watching the next debates with these priorities in mind : i feel passionate about health care , that 's for sure . and the issues around the federal government spending , the dod ( department of defense ) , and how it affects our business . it is my lifeblood and my future . ' there 's no question that the specter of sequestration has cast a chill in this community . my neighborhood is full of subcontractors and contractors that work for or in the federal government , ' dyer says . some have already talked to their employees -- they have given notice that a storm could be coming , and they need to be prepared for layoffs . ' dyer 's business partner is katie hammler , a former captain in the u.s. army reserves , an independent voter who also serves on the leesburg town council ' this is going to be as serious a problem to our north virginia region as the fallout of the car industry was to detroit , ' hammler says . it will be small businesses like ours that are going to be hit the most . two million jobs will be lost , half of which will be from small companies . we 'll be hit earliest and hardest . ' hammler blames sequestration on congressional division and dysfunction : it 's as if there are certain factions within the parties who are setting things up where because of the pressure of the next primary , because of the pressure of the election , there 's no incentive for compromise and collaboration to find meaningful solutions to complex problems . ' there 's plenty of blame to go around for both parties , but hammler expresses special frustration with a particular group : those who oppose obama have done everything in their power to ensure that he fails . ' with sequestration as a final factor in this key swing county of virginia , the tea party rhetoric of 2010 wo n't necessarily work on undecided swing voters such as dyer . people support the government here , ' he says . they work for the mission of the government . even as a contractor , you work to fulfill that mission . ' news : with ryan by his side , romney rallies virginians in debate victory lap virginians have a contrarian streak -- in recent decades they have voted for a governor from the opposite party as the president just elected . virginians are wary of too much government power in one party , ' says leesburg mayor kristen umstattd . they like the balance of power . ' but while both parties might be to blame for the failed supercommittee resulting in the scheduled sequestration cuts , they can vote for only one president . the demographic changes in virginia and comparatively strong economy might give obama reason to believe that he can make history a second time by winning virginia , but it is far from a sure thing in this traditionally conservative corner of the country . to convince dyer and other undecided swing voters in loudoun county , the two candidates will need to present a balanced plan to avoid the blunt edge of sequestration cuts and a practical strategy for avoiding this kind of high-risk , hyper-partisan brinksmanship in the future . that 's a final factor in winning this key swing district of this key swing state in the fight for the white house 2012 . join us at facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of john avlon . | loudoun county 's upper middle-class residents'concern is sequestration , he says |
wwii <tsp> ( cnn ) -- howard unruh , a world war ii veteran accused of killing more than a dozen people in a deadly shooting spree in new jersey 60 years ago , died monday , authorities said . he was 88 . howard unruh died monday in a nursing home in trenton , new jersey . although he was never found competent to stand trial , authorities and witnesses say unruh methodically walked camden 's 32nd street on the afternoon of september 6 , 1949 , targeting several business owners on a hit list and firing at others who crossed his path , including children . the weapon of choice was a german-crafted luger pistol . the last victim was 2-year-old tommy hamilton , who happened to be looking out the window , according to accounts of the 20-minute spree compiled by trutv 's web site . ( trutv , like cnn , is a part of turner broadcasting . ) another boy was killed while getting a haircut . the barber , 33-year-old clark hoover , had been on the list . though the case never went to trial , unruh was considered by some as the first single-episode mass murderer in the united states . unruh 's mental status was reviewed by the courts , reviews that always resulted in his continued commitment , according to the camden county prosecutor 's office . he died monday at providence nursing home in trenton at 3:35 p.m. after an extended illness , officials said . ron dale was inside a shoe shop off 32nd when the gunman came through the door and fired twice at shoemaker john pilarchi , 27 , who died instantly . he shot the shoemaker , turned around , looked at me and walked out the door , ' dale , who was 8 at the time , told cnn radio . it just was n't my turn . ' it was the weekend before school started . dale said he ran home but knew that his big brother and other kids would be getting haircuts and doing other stuff for first day of school . back in those days , there was no such thing as people going around with guns like they do today , ' said dale , now a military veteran and retired ironworker . even as police scrambled to catch the gunman , he reached his apartment , where he barricaded the door . witnesses had identified the shooter as unruh , described as 28-year-old recluse and religious nut , ' according to the accounts compiled by trutv . dozens of police officers surrounded the two-story building that housed unruh 's apartment , which sat next to the pharmacy owned by maurice and rose cohen . the couple and maurice cohen 's mother were all killed in the spree , but their 12-year-old son , charles , survived by hiding in a closet . officers , armed with rifles and machine guns , riddled the building with bullets . he finally surrendered after police tossed cans of tear gas through a bedroom window . during questioning , he gave county prosecutor mitchell cohen a play-by-play of the massacre , according to the tru tv accounts . unruh had left his home that day , he told cohen , with one bullet in the chamber , 16 loose bullets and two clips of eight , because his neighbors had been making derogatory remarks about my character . ' after a battery of tests were conducted , unruh was diagnosed with dementia praecox , mixed type , with pronounced catatonic and paranoid coloring ' and was ruled criminally insane , making him immune from prosecution . ron franscell , a texas-based author , has researched the camden massacre for a book about victims who have survived mass killings in modern american history . he 's walked unruh 's walk of death ' and interviewed several witnesses of the shooting . franscell described unruh as a strange character who was a good soldier in world war ii . but he does odd things while he 's there ; he keeps detailed notes of the germans he kills , ' he told cnn radio on monday . he returned home a changed man . unruh was an introvert in his neighborhood , known to dress up in a suit and tie , with combat boots and a bible tucked under his arm . he would walk around the streets and quote scripture , franscell said . he 's not right . ... he just came back a little different . ' among the camden survivors franscell spoke with was charles cohen , the son of the slain pharmacist . franscell said cohen coped by stashing scores of newspaper clippings on the 1949 shooting into a suitcase . through the years , cohen really saw a day in the future when howard unruh would die and he saw it as a release for him , ' franscell said . his hope was to see howard unruh 's day come so he could take that suitcase out and bury it . cohen never saw that day . he died two months ago . cnn radio 's ninette sosa contributed to this report . | courts ruled that wwii veteran was not competent to stand trial |
colin powell <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by iraq in the two years following september 11 , 2001 , according to a study released tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups . president bush addresses the nation as the iraq war begins in march 2003 . in short , the bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against iraq on march 19 , 2003 , ' reads an overview of the examination , conducted by the center for public integrity and its affiliated group , the fund for independence in journalism . according to the study , bush and seven top officials -- including vice president dick cheney , former secretary of state colin powell and then-national security adviser condoleezza rice -- made 935 false statements about iraq during those two years . the study was based on a searchable database compiled of primary sources , such as official government transcripts and speeches , and secondary sources -- mainly quotes from major media organizations . see cnn viewers'reactions to the study » the study says bush made 232 false statements about iraq and former leader saddam hussein 's possessing weapons of mass destruction , and 28 false statements about iraq 's links to al qaeda . bush has consistently asserted that at the time he and other officials made the statements , the intelligence community of the u.s. and several other nations , including britain , believed hussein had weapons of mass destruction . responding to the study wednesday , white house spokesman scott stanzel did not speak directly to the false claims ' characterization . but he said the united states was part of a broad coalition of nations that took part in the iraq invasion and that the invasion was based on intelligence from multiple countries . he called hussein a threat to international security and a sponsor of terrorism , and said the world is better off without him . white house press secretary dana perino called the study flawed . ' they only looked at members of the administration , rather than looking at members of congress or people around the world , ' she said . because as you 'll remember , we were part of a broad coalition of countries that deposed a dictator based on a collective understanding of the intelligence . ' and the other thing that that study fails to do is to say that after realizing that there was no wmd , as we thought as a collective body that there was , that this white house , the president set about to make reforms in the intelligence community to make sure that it does n't happen again . ' bush has repeatedly said that despite the intelligence flaws , removing hussein from power was the right thing to do . the study , released tuesday , says powell had the second-highest number of false statements , with 244 about weapons and 10 about iraq and al qaeda . former secretary of defense donald rumsfeld and press secretary ari fleischer each made 109 false statements , it says . deputy defense secretary paul wolfowitz made 85 , rice made 56 , cheney made 48 and scott mclellan , also a press secretary , made 14 , the study says . it is now beyond dispute that iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al qaeda , ' the report reads , citing multiple government reports , including those by the senate select committee on intelligence , the 9/11 commission and the multinational iraq survey group , which reported that hussein had suspended iraq 's nuclear program in 1991 and made little effort to revive it . the overview of the study also calls the media to task , saying most media outlets did n't do enough to investigate the claims . some journalists -- indeed , even some entire news organizations -- have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical , ' the report reads . these mea culpas notwithstanding , much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional ,'independent'validation of the bush administration 's false statements about iraq . ' the quotes in the study include an august 26 , 2002 , statement by cheney to the national convention of the veterans of foreign wars . simply stated , there is no doubt that saddam hussein now has weapons of mass destruction , ' cheney said . there is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends , against our allies , and against us . ' e-mail to a friend | study accuses former secretary of state colin powell of 244 false statements |
saddam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the generation of iraqi artists who came of age under saddam hussein 's regime in the 1980s , one common subject was the dictator himself , often depicted holding a sword or riding an arabian horse . politics aside , those were good days for artists , says natiq al alousi , 49 , an iraqi sculptor who considers his commissioned work of saddam to be an achievement . working as an artist in iraq , when saddam hussein was president , was a golden period for all artists , not just myself . he was supportive of artists and was open to them , ' he says . but we were n't open to the world for security reasons , and that 's it . ' receiving small recognition from saddam was important to him as a budding artist , al alousi says . as a student he entered a large competition -- one that he did not expect to win -- and saddam attended the event . upon viewing his work , saddam hussein himself told me that the idea was nice , and that 's the only thing i remember from the whole competition , ' he says . read more : bringing babylon back from the dead al alousi went on to create public sculptures and some that were placed in presidential palaces . some were made for aesthetics and others to reflect events or issues that the country faced , he says . his memories of the time under saddam can verge on idyllic . there was never a day , for any artist in any form of art , who was forced to work for saddam hussein or the country , ' he says . we were all happily working , and there were competitions that anyone can participate in . ' and when saddam fell in 2003 , so too did al alousi 's statues . he says it is disheartening to think of art being torn down . now living in abu dhabi , al alousi still sculpts using various mediums , but there are stumbling blocks . few people there want to buy large statues , he says , and there is not even a foundry for his bronze works . he has to mail molds more than 1,000 miles away to egypt , and the bronze rarely survives the return journey intact . in abu dhabi , the art movement is still yet to begin in the right way . it did start , but it needs more solidarity and extra encouragement from certain entities for it to be mature , ' he says . read more : rediscovering iraq 's cultural heart but al alousi sees these as only minor problems for his art , which he says is the purest thing ' in his life , a matter of expression , beauty and experimentation . and he says art has nothing to do with politics or religion . as for his associations with the dictator , it only meant he was at the top of his game . i do not regret that i once worked for saddam hussein , ' he said . this is history . only the best artists work for presidents . ' | al alousi , a sculptor , says artists received much support from saddam |
saddam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the generation of iraqi artists who came of age under saddam hussein 's regime in the 1980s , one common subject was the dictator himself , often depicted holding a sword or riding an arabian horse . politics aside , those were good days for artists , says natiq al alousi , 49 , an iraqi sculptor who considers his commissioned work of saddam to be an achievement . working as an artist in iraq , when saddam hussein was president , was a golden period for all artists , not just myself . he was supportive of artists and was open to them , ' he says . but we were n't open to the world for security reasons , and that 's it . ' receiving small recognition from saddam was important to him as a budding artist , al alousi says . as a student he entered a large competition -- one that he did not expect to win -- and saddam attended the event . upon viewing his work , saddam hussein himself told me that the idea was nice , and that 's the only thing i remember from the whole competition , ' he says . read more : bringing babylon back from the dead al alousi went on to create public sculptures and some that were placed in presidential palaces . some were made for aesthetics and others to reflect events or issues that the country faced , he says . his memories of the time under saddam can verge on idyllic . there was never a day , for any artist in any form of art , who was forced to work for saddam hussein or the country , ' he says . we were all happily working , and there were competitions that anyone can participate in . ' and when saddam fell in 2003 , so too did al alousi 's statues . he says it is disheartening to think of art being torn down . now living in abu dhabi , al alousi still sculpts using various mediums , but there are stumbling blocks . few people there want to buy large statues , he says , and there is not even a foundry for his bronze works . he has to mail molds more than 1,000 miles away to egypt , and the bronze rarely survives the return journey intact . in abu dhabi , the art movement is still yet to begin in the right way . it did start , but it needs more solidarity and extra encouragement from certain entities for it to be mature , ' he says . read more : rediscovering iraq 's cultural heart but al alousi sees these as only minor problems for his art , which he says is the purest thing ' in his life , a matter of expression , beauty and experimentation . and he says art has nothing to do with politics or religion . as for his associations with the dictator , it only meant he was at the top of his game . i do not regret that i once worked for saddam hussein , ' he said . this is history . only the best artists work for presidents . ' | under saddam hussein 's regime , natiq al alousi was commissioned to create works depicting the dictator |
saddam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the generation of iraqi artists who came of age under saddam hussein 's regime in the 1980s , one common subject was the dictator himself , often depicted holding a sword or riding an arabian horse . politics aside , those were good days for artists , says natiq al alousi , 49 , an iraqi sculptor who considers his commissioned work of saddam to be an achievement . working as an artist in iraq , when saddam hussein was president , was a golden period for all artists , not just myself . he was supportive of artists and was open to them , ' he says . but we were n't open to the world for security reasons , and that 's it . ' receiving small recognition from saddam was important to him as a budding artist , al alousi says . as a student he entered a large competition -- one that he did not expect to win -- and saddam attended the event . upon viewing his work , saddam hussein himself told me that the idea was nice , and that 's the only thing i remember from the whole competition , ' he says . read more : bringing babylon back from the dead al alousi went on to create public sculptures and some that were placed in presidential palaces . some were made for aesthetics and others to reflect events or issues that the country faced , he says . his memories of the time under saddam can verge on idyllic . there was never a day , for any artist in any form of art , who was forced to work for saddam hussein or the country , ' he says . we were all happily working , and there were competitions that anyone can participate in . ' and when saddam fell in 2003 , so too did al alousi 's statues . he says it is disheartening to think of art being torn down . now living in abu dhabi , al alousi still sculpts using various mediums , but there are stumbling blocks . few people there want to buy large statues , he says , and there is not even a foundry for his bronze works . he has to mail molds more than 1,000 miles away to egypt , and the bronze rarely survives the return journey intact . in abu dhabi , the art movement is still yet to begin in the right way . it did start , but it needs more solidarity and extra encouragement from certain entities for it to be mature , ' he says . read more : rediscovering iraq 's cultural heart but al alousi sees these as only minor problems for his art , which he says is the purest thing ' in his life , a matter of expression , beauty and experimentation . and he says art has nothing to do with politics or religion . as for his associations with the dictator , it only meant he was at the top of his game . i do not regret that i once worked for saddam hussein , ' he said . this is history . only the best artists work for presidents . ' | he says working for saddam was only a fact of history ' and does not regret it |
teruel <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- the driver of a fire truck died thursday while racing to fight a raging forest fire in eastern spain , the fifth fatality among firefighters this week , authorities said . a firefighter walks around the area where a fire burns in andorra early on july 23 , near teruel . the 44-year-old firefighter died while heading toward a fire in teruel province , the regional aragon government said on its web site . four firefighters died tuesday while battling a forest fire in the eastern catalonia region , not far from teruel , cnn partner station cnn+ reported , citing local authorities . those authorities said the fire , in horta de sant joan in tarragona province , had been under control at midday tuesday , but winds revived it , trapping the four firefighters , cnn+ reported . by thursday , the catalan fire at horta de sant joan remained out of control , a regional official said , while in neighboring aragon region , six fires still blazed out of control . some 8,000 hectares ( nearly 20,000 acres ) have already burned in aragon , forcing the evacuation of more than 1,600 people . a dozen other fires in the region have been brought under control , the aragon government said . aircraft , including planes and helicopters , were being used in aragon and catalonia to battle the fires , along with hundreds of firefighters in the hilly terrain , much of it with difficult access . more than 800 spanish troops are fighting numerous forest fires across spain , the environment ministry said . other forest fires in spain on wednesday afternoon forced an interruption of service of the bullet train between madrid and barcelona , affecting more than 6,000 passengers , the state railway authority said . by thursday morning , service had been resumed on the route , used by many business travelers . spain is plagued by forest and brush fires every summer , when extremely dry weather sets in along with high temperatures . in 2005 , 11 people were killed when they were trapped by a fast-moving fire in guadalajara province , east of madrid . cnn 's al goodman and patrick sung-cuadrado contributed to this report . | four firefighters died tuesday in eastern catalonia , not far from teruel |
teruel <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- the driver of a fire truck died thursday while racing to fight a raging forest fire in eastern spain , the fifth fatality among firefighters this week , authorities said . a firefighter walks around the area where a fire burns in andorra early on july 23 , near teruel . the 44-year-old firefighter died while heading toward a fire in teruel province , the regional aragon government said on its web site . four firefighters died tuesday while battling a forest fire in the eastern catalonia region , not far from teruel , cnn partner station cnn+ reported , citing local authorities . those authorities said the fire , in horta de sant joan in tarragona province , had been under control at midday tuesday , but winds revived it , trapping the four firefighters , cnn+ reported . by thursday , the catalan fire at horta de sant joan remained out of control , a regional official said , while in neighboring aragon region , six fires still blazed out of control . some 8,000 hectares ( nearly 20,000 acres ) have already burned in aragon , forcing the evacuation of more than 1,600 people . a dozen other fires in the region have been brought under control , the aragon government said . aircraft , including planes and helicopters , were being used in aragon and catalonia to battle the fires , along with hundreds of firefighters in the hilly terrain , much of it with difficult access . more than 800 spanish troops are fighting numerous forest fires across spain , the environment ministry said . other forest fires in spain on wednesday afternoon forced an interruption of service of the bullet train between madrid and barcelona , affecting more than 6,000 passengers , the state railway authority said . by thursday morning , service had been resumed on the route , used by many business travelers . spain is plagued by forest and brush fires every summer , when extremely dry weather sets in along with high temperatures . in 2005 , 11 people were killed when they were trapped by a fast-moving fire in guadalajara province , east of madrid . cnn 's al goodman and patrick sung-cuadrado contributed to this report . | 44-year-old firefighter died while heading toward a fire in teruel province |
isis <tsp> ( cnn ) the scene is like something from a horror movie . saturday , a known supporter of the islamic state of iraq and syria posted a video online of one of two japanese hostages holding up what looks like a picture of his beheaded compatriot . the video follows one released earlier in the week featuring a militant threatening to kill the two japanese citizens if a $ 200 million ransom was n't paid within 72 hours . they are the kind of images many japanese hoped they would not have to deal with . after all , japan is currently barred by its peace constitution ' from engaging in offensive military action . yet despite this , isis has apparently decided that japan is an adversary . this is likely in part because japan is a close ally of the united states , one that also has a strong interest in the stability of the middle east . moreover , during his recent visit to israel , jordan and egypt , prime minister shinzo abe pledged $ 200 million in non-military aid to nations dealing with isis . but whatever isis 's intentions , japan 's non-combat role in world affairs has n't stopped it from being a victim of terrorism in the post-september 11 era . in 2003 , for example , two diplomats were killed in a terrorist ambush in iraq , and several citizens were taken hostage in iraq in 2004 and 2005 . in 2012 , a veteran journalist was killed in syria , while in january 2013 , nine japanese citizens were killed in the algerian hostage crisis . still , this latest hostage crisis has been particularly attention-grabbing for many japanese for two reasons . the first and most obvious is the fact that there was such vivid notice given -- the huge ransom demand with a 72-hour ultimatum -- followed by the disturbing images saturday . but the hostage-taking has also prompted an interesting debate over the story behind why journalist kenji goto and self-styled military contractor haruna yukawa were in syria . the japanese public obviously hoped for the safe return of our two citizens , but most did not believe the government should pay the ransom . and there was also particular sympathy for goto , who is not only recognized for his journalism , but who was apparently captured after going to the region to try to rescue yukawa . but there have also been questions about why nothing was done sooner when the two had been missing for months , and also why they were in such a dangerous part of the world in the first place . many japanese believe the two bear some responsibility for traveling to the region despite public warnings by the japanese government about the risks of citizens traveling there . looking ahead , the hostage-taking has left many wondering what the impact will be on japan 's current efforts to upgrade its security policies and processes . the crisis will be seen as underscoring the impact of instability thousands of miles from its shores , and therefore the need for japan to adopt a sharper , more proactive security posture even beyond east asia . more specifically , one of the 15 scenarios presented by the japanese government in its push toward a more proactive defense posture was allowing the use of weapons in overseas rescue missions of japanese citizens . the development of this specific scenario reflects the lessons of the 2013 algeria crisis , and the fact that under current laws , only aircraft , vehicles , and vessels are allowed for transportation . if these changes are introduced , the japanese government would be able to dispatch its japan self-defense force for armed rescue operations ( upon approval from the country involved ) . certainly , given the security challenges that japan faces , both within asia -- in the form of territorial issues with china and with an unpredictable north korea -- and further afield , it seems essential that japan sharpens and strengthens its defense posture and plays a more proactive international role . to make this possible , japan will have to do a number of things . first , the government will have to learn how to better execute its crisis management efforts using new assets such as the recently-formed national security council . second , the government needs to get more creative in its efforts to enhance its international coordination and intelligence capabilities -- and ultimately defense assets -- to strengthen its security capacity . in addition , japan needs to place greater priority on realigning its forces to meet the evolving challenges it faces . and finally , tokyo must focus more on promoting greater awareness of terrorist groups such as isis , and the very real and direct threat they could pose to the country . achieving all this will be challenging and will require investing significant political and bureaucratic capital . and while prime minister abe 's party has just won a resounding victory in a snap election , japan is also dealing with an aging population and stagnant economy , so it is unclear how much in terms of energy and resources the government will have to spend on refocusing the country 's security posture . but as much as anything , the debate over security -- and this week 's tragic hostage situation -- are a reminder that japan may increasingly find itself and its citizens in the firing line . a more assertive policy will expose japan to more conflict and heighten its exposure to terrorism -- no small shift to handle in a remarkably safe country that for decades has turned its back on military conflict . how the government deals with this challenge -- and , more immediately , the aftermath of this week 's tragedy -- will shape the direction of japan 's national security , and its ability to protect this country 's citizens. | an isis supporter 's video suggests a japanese hostage has been killed |
china open <tsp> ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova crashed out of the china open on tuesday , with the former world no . 1 suffering her second consecutive early exit . the 12th seed , beaten in her opening game in japan last week , lost to fellow russian elena vesnina in the second round to follow defending champion svetlana kuznetsova and last year 's runner-up agnieszka radwanska in departing the $ 4.5 million beijing event . vesnina -- who lost their only other meeting at the 2008 australian open , which sharapova won for her third grand slam title -- triumphed 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 6-2 to set up a clash with switzerland 's timea bacsinszky . i 'm definitely not as good as i wanted to be , ' sharapova told the wta tour website . after the u.s. open i was n't able to train as much as i would 've wanted to , and i feel like the last couple of weeks i 've just been trying to play catch-up . my rhythm has n't been where it should be . obviously it 's disappointing , but i 've lost and won many matches in my career . i 'll just have to regroup and move forward . ' the 21-year-old bacsinszky progressed when eighth seed victoria azarenka of belarus withdrew with a leg injury , trailing 3-2 in the second set after winning the opener 6-4 . second seed vera zvonareva will next face fellow russian maria kirilenko in the third round following her 6-4 6-1 win over germany 's andrea petkovic , while french open champion francesca schiavone also went through . the italian fifth seed beat slovenia 's polona hercog 6-3 6-3 to set up a match with unseeded russian vera dushevina . dushevina 's compatriot elena dementieva will play former world no . 1 ana ivanovic in the last 16 , with the seventh seed defeating japanese veteran kimiko date krumm 6-3 1-6 6-3 despite serving 10 double-faults . ivanovic battled back from 4-1 down in the second set to beat olga govortsova of belarus 6-0 7-5 . i realized i was sort of pulling back a little bit and was n't as dominant as i was in the first set , ' the serbian said . i had to stay calm and not panic , and not go for winners too soon . i 'm really happy i managed to do that . ' ninth seed li na kept the home crowd happy with a 6-1 6-4 win over russia 's alisa kleybanova , while israeli 15th seed shahar peer notched a 6-4 6-2 win over switzerland 's patty schnyder . peer will next play bojana jovanovski , who upset fellow serbian and third seed jelena jankovic on monday . top seed caroline wozniacki had a first-round bye and will open her campaign against italy 's sara errani on wednesday . the 20-year-old dane will overtake american serena williams at the top of the world rankings if she reaches the quarterfinals . | vesnina progresses into last 16 of china open with 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 6-2 victory in beijing |
victoria azarenka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova crashed out of the china open on tuesday , with the former world no . 1 suffering her second consecutive early exit . the 12th seed , beaten in her opening game in japan last week , lost to fellow russian elena vesnina in the second round to follow defending champion svetlana kuznetsova and last year 's runner-up agnieszka radwanska in departing the $ 4.5 million beijing event . vesnina -- who lost their only other meeting at the 2008 australian open , which sharapova won for her third grand slam title -- triumphed 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 6-2 to set up a clash with switzerland 's timea bacsinszky . i 'm definitely not as good as i wanted to be , ' sharapova told the wta tour website . after the u.s. open i was n't able to train as much as i would 've wanted to , and i feel like the last couple of weeks i 've just been trying to play catch-up . my rhythm has n't been where it should be . obviously it 's disappointing , but i 've lost and won many matches in my career . i 'll just have to regroup and move forward . ' the 21-year-old bacsinszky progressed when eighth seed victoria azarenka of belarus withdrew with a leg injury , trailing 3-2 in the second set after winning the opener 6-4 . second seed vera zvonareva will next face fellow russian maria kirilenko in the third round following her 6-4 6-1 win over germany 's andrea petkovic , while french open champion francesca schiavone also went through . the italian fifth seed beat slovenia 's polona hercog 6-3 6-3 to set up a match with unseeded russian vera dushevina . dushevina 's compatriot elena dementieva will play former world no . 1 ana ivanovic in the last 16 , with the seventh seed defeating japanese veteran kimiko date krumm 6-3 1-6 6-3 despite serving 10 double-faults . ivanovic battled back from 4-1 down in the second set to beat olga govortsova of belarus 6-0 7-5 . i realized i was sort of pulling back a little bit and was n't as dominant as i was in the first set , ' the serbian said . i had to stay calm and not panic , and not go for winners too soon . i 'm really happy i managed to do that . ' ninth seed li na kept the home crowd happy with a 6-1 6-4 win over russia 's alisa kleybanova , while israeli 15th seed shahar peer notched a 6-4 6-2 win over switzerland 's patty schnyder . peer will next play bojana jovanovski , who upset fellow serbian and third seed jelena jankovic on monday . top seed caroline wozniacki had a first-round bye and will open her campaign against italy 's sara errani on wednesday . the 20-year-old dane will overtake american serena williams at the top of the world rankings if she reaches the quarterfinals . | eighth seed victoria azarenka also out in second round after suffering leg injury |
ye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- how on earth could a teenage swimmer at her first olympic games knock five full seconds off her previous best performance ? that 's what has left so many people scratching their heads after watching china 's ye shiwen smash the world record in the women 's 400-meter individual medley . the chinese swimming prodigy 's extraordinary swims during the first few days of the olympics may have drawn praise from across the sport , but they 've also raised suspicions of drug doping . the 16-year-old world champion won gold tuesday in the women 's 200-meter individual medley , three days after coming from behind to take one second off the world record -- and a whopping five seconds off her personal best -- during her gold medal swim in the 400-meter individual medley . the controversy over her record tear through the final 50 meters of saturday 's golden swim -- faster than the final leg of american champion ryan lochte 's own gold medal performance -- began during the bbc 's coverage of the race , when presenter clare balding turned to her co-presenter , former british olympian mark foster , and asked : how many questions will be there , mark , about someone who can suddenly swim much faster than she has ever swum before ? ' john leonard , the executive director of the american swimming coaches association ( asca ) and the world swimming coaches association , called ye 's swim disturbing ' and told the guardian newspaper it brought back a lot of awful memories ' of doping scandals at previous olympics . international olympics committee spokesman mark adams called doping allegations against ye sad ' and pure rumor , ' and told cnn he had heard nothing from olympics drug testers to suggest that anything was awry . more : hi-tech tests to catch olympic drug cheats but while ye 's swimming has caused the most controversy in the first week of the olympics , the swimming prodigy herself is n't exactly an unknown quantity . born in the eastern chinese city of hangzhou , ye began swimming at the age of six after her teacher noticed she had large hands and feet , according to china 's xinhua state news agency . after winning the 50-meter freestyle swim in her peer group at the zhejiang province games in 2006 at the age of 10 , her coach predicted ye would be an olympic champion . ye joined the zhejiang provincial swimming team in 2007 and china 's national team the year after . ye arrived on the world stage in 2010 at the age of 14 , winning a pair of gold medals at the asian games and two silvers at the world swimming championships in dubai . on her olympic profile , ye 's most memorable sporting achievement is listed as winning the 200m and 400m individual medley at the 2010 asian games in guangzhou . ' view : best hi res photos of london olympics but it was n't until world champion li zhesi was banned in june 2012 for a positive drug test that ye rose to the forefront of the chinese swimming team . ye won gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2011 world aquatic championships in shanghai , but finished outside the top three in the 400-meter individual medley . just one year later , ye swam the race more than a second faster than any woman in history . ye has attributed her success to her training schedule and hard work . if the coach asks me to practice 10,000 meters , i would never be a lazy player to swim 9,900 meters instead , ' the beijing morning news quoted her as saying . but practicing hard and destroying the 400-meter medley record by storming through the final 50 meters faster than anyone else , man or woman , are two very different things , and ye 's golden performance quickly raised suspicions of drug doping from leonard , one of the most respected names in the sport of swimming . the one thing i will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something , and i will put quotation marks around this ,'unbelievable', history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved , ' said leonard , who is also the executive director of the usa swimming coaches association . south african sport scientist ross tucker expressed concern on his science of sport blog about the vast difference between the relatively average times ye swam in the first three legs of the 400 meter race and her faster swim through the final 100 meters . the conclusion that i would draw from this is that her 100m freestyle leg is disproportionately fast not only by comparison to lochte , but also to her peers , and to the best 100m freestyle swimmers , ' tucker wrote . british olympic association chairman colin moynihan joined china 's anti-doping chief in defending ye , saying olympic drug testing was on top of the game . ' she 's been through ( anti-doping agency ) wada 's programme and she 's clean . that 's the end of the story , ' he told reporters at a tuesday news conference . more : visit cnn 's olympic center here ye has denied doping allegations , saying , my achievements derive from diligence and hard work , i will never use drugs . chinese athletes are clean . ' ye , along with many of her teammates , reportedly spent months training in australia before the olympics , and china 's approach appears to be paying off . sun yang won china 's first ever men 's gold medal in swimming in the 400-meter freestyle final just 25 minutes before ye 's record swim last saturday , and the chinese swim team has also netted several other swimming medals . no one seemed more surprised about the outcome of the race than ye herself , who said : i dreamed of winning the gold medal , but i never ever expected to break a world record , i 'm overwhelmed . ' the head of china 's swimming team , xu qi , wondered aloud why similar allegations have n't dogged other top swimmers in recent years . ian thorpe was called a genius , michael phelps got eight gold medals in beijing . ryan lochte , missy franklin are both recognised as geniuses . there were geniuses in france and south africa . we admit and accept these geniuses , but why ca n't a genius come from china , a country with a large population ? ' one person who does n't seem in doubt is lochte himself . he said : it was pretty impressive . and it was a female . she 's fast . if she was there with me , i do n't know , she might have beat me . ' cnn wires contributed to this report . | john leonard called ye 's swim'unbelievable'and'disturbing ' |
ye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- how on earth could a teenage swimmer at her first olympic games knock five full seconds off her previous best performance ? that 's what has left so many people scratching their heads after watching china 's ye shiwen smash the world record in the women 's 400-meter individual medley . the chinese swimming prodigy 's extraordinary swims during the first few days of the olympics may have drawn praise from across the sport , but they 've also raised suspicions of drug doping . the 16-year-old world champion won gold tuesday in the women 's 200-meter individual medley , three days after coming from behind to take one second off the world record -- and a whopping five seconds off her personal best -- during her gold medal swim in the 400-meter individual medley . the controversy over her record tear through the final 50 meters of saturday 's golden swim -- faster than the final leg of american champion ryan lochte 's own gold medal performance -- began during the bbc 's coverage of the race , when presenter clare balding turned to her co-presenter , former british olympian mark foster , and asked : how many questions will be there , mark , about someone who can suddenly swim much faster than she has ever swum before ? ' john leonard , the executive director of the american swimming coaches association ( asca ) and the world swimming coaches association , called ye 's swim disturbing ' and told the guardian newspaper it brought back a lot of awful memories ' of doping scandals at previous olympics . international olympics committee spokesman mark adams called doping allegations against ye sad ' and pure rumor , ' and told cnn he had heard nothing from olympics drug testers to suggest that anything was awry . more : hi-tech tests to catch olympic drug cheats but while ye 's swimming has caused the most controversy in the first week of the olympics , the swimming prodigy herself is n't exactly an unknown quantity . born in the eastern chinese city of hangzhou , ye began swimming at the age of six after her teacher noticed she had large hands and feet , according to china 's xinhua state news agency . after winning the 50-meter freestyle swim in her peer group at the zhejiang province games in 2006 at the age of 10 , her coach predicted ye would be an olympic champion . ye joined the zhejiang provincial swimming team in 2007 and china 's national team the year after . ye arrived on the world stage in 2010 at the age of 14 , winning a pair of gold medals at the asian games and two silvers at the world swimming championships in dubai . on her olympic profile , ye 's most memorable sporting achievement is listed as winning the 200m and 400m individual medley at the 2010 asian games in guangzhou . ' view : best hi res photos of london olympics but it was n't until world champion li zhesi was banned in june 2012 for a positive drug test that ye rose to the forefront of the chinese swimming team . ye won gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2011 world aquatic championships in shanghai , but finished outside the top three in the 400-meter individual medley . just one year later , ye swam the race more than a second faster than any woman in history . ye has attributed her success to her training schedule and hard work . if the coach asks me to practice 10,000 meters , i would never be a lazy player to swim 9,900 meters instead , ' the beijing morning news quoted her as saying . but practicing hard and destroying the 400-meter medley record by storming through the final 50 meters faster than anyone else , man or woman , are two very different things , and ye 's golden performance quickly raised suspicions of drug doping from leonard , one of the most respected names in the sport of swimming . the one thing i will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something , and i will put quotation marks around this ,'unbelievable', history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved , ' said leonard , who is also the executive director of the usa swimming coaches association . south african sport scientist ross tucker expressed concern on his science of sport blog about the vast difference between the relatively average times ye swam in the first three legs of the 400 meter race and her faster swim through the final 100 meters . the conclusion that i would draw from this is that her 100m freestyle leg is disproportionately fast not only by comparison to lochte , but also to her peers , and to the best 100m freestyle swimmers , ' tucker wrote . british olympic association chairman colin moynihan joined china 's anti-doping chief in defending ye , saying olympic drug testing was on top of the game . ' she 's been through ( anti-doping agency ) wada 's programme and she 's clean . that 's the end of the story , ' he told reporters at a tuesday news conference . more : visit cnn 's olympic center here ye has denied doping allegations , saying , my achievements derive from diligence and hard work , i will never use drugs . chinese athletes are clean . ' ye , along with many of her teammates , reportedly spent months training in australia before the olympics , and china 's approach appears to be paying off . sun yang won china 's first ever men 's gold medal in swimming in the 400-meter freestyle final just 25 minutes before ye 's record swim last saturday , and the chinese swim team has also netted several other swimming medals . no one seemed more surprised about the outcome of the race than ye herself , who said : i dreamed of winning the gold medal , but i never ever expected to break a world record , i 'm overwhelmed . ' the head of china 's swimming team , xu qi , wondered aloud why similar allegations have n't dogged other top swimmers in recent years . ian thorpe was called a genius , michael phelps got eight gold medals in beijing . ryan lochte , missy franklin are both recognised as geniuses . there were geniuses in france and south africa . we admit and accept these geniuses , but why ca n't a genius come from china , a country with a large population ? ' one person who does n't seem in doubt is lochte himself . he said : it was pretty impressive . and it was a female . she 's fast . if she was there with me , i do n't know , she might have beat me . ' cnn wires contributed to this report . | china 's ye shiwen wins second gold in london tuesday in 200m individual medley |
dzhokhar tsarnaev <tsp> boston ( cnn ) -- one of three friends accused of helping boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev cover up his alleged crime got out on bond monday , released to his mother 's custody . robel phillipos left the federal courthouse in a red toyota sedan after a judge set bail at $ 100,000 . he will stay at his mother 's home , where he was living before his arrest last week , and be monitored electronically , according to terms his lawyers and prosecutors agreed to before monday 's hearing . i 'm certainly happy for his mother and his family , ' family friend michelle borden told reporters outside the courthouse . now he has the comfort and the guidance he needs . ' the courtroom was filled with friends and relatives during the monday 's hearing , during which phillipos appeared in jail coveralls and handcuffs . now we look forward to defending him in the coming months , ' defense lawyer derege demissie said . we are confident in the end he will be able to clear his name . ' the fbi says that on april 18 , the three friends -- phillipos , azamat tazhayakov and dias kadyrbayev -- went to tsarnaev 's dorm room at the university of massachusetts-dartmouth . according to court documents , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev removed items from the room , including a laptop and a backpack loaded with fireworks , while phillipos made false statements to bombing investigators . phillipos is a u.s. citizen and a boston native . kadyrbayev and tazhayakov are from kazakhstan and had visas to study in the united states . at no time did robel have any prior knowledge of this marathon bombing , nor did he participate in the planning done by the defendant in this case , ' phillipos co-counsel susan church said . he is not charged with , nor is he alleged to have disposed with , the backpack , or had any role in what the two other students who are here on visas did with the backpack . ' five major developments in boston case here are the latest developments in the cases : robel phillipos phillipos was a frightened and confused 19-year-old ' when authorities questioned him several times in the days that followed the april 15 bombing , which killed three people and wounded more than 260 . police believe tsarnaev and his older brother , tamerlan tsarnaev , set off the two bombs near the race 's finish line . phillipos was under tremendous pressure when he was interrogated and did n't have an attorney at the time to help him , according to his attorneys . in asking for bail , attorneys said their client 's future has been ruined by the arrest . he will suffer its enduring and devastating effect for the rest of his life . the only way he can salvage his future is by clearing his name , ' the documents say . phillipos faces up to eight years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine if convicted . the judge monday warned phillipos not to tamper with witnesses on the threat of being locked up again . he attended high school with the younger tsarnaev at cambridge rindge and latin school in cambridge , massachusetts , where they both live . according to the court document , phillipos had n't seen or talked to dzhokhar tsarnaev for at least two months before the bombing . he was taking a semester off from umass-dartmouth and was only on campus the night of april 18 for a seminar . the document says phillipos'presence on campus that night is a case of sheer coincidence and bad luck . ' phillipos was living with his mother , an ethiopian who immigrated to the united states in the 1980s and is now employed as a social worker . everyone knows robel as being a compassionate , thoughtful and sociable person , ' his mother , genet bekele , said in an affidavit . previously , a friend described phillipos as a good kid who took care of his mom . james turney told cnn affiliate wbz : phillipos plays basketball and does n't have any anti-american thing about him . ' azamat tazhayakov tazhayakov 's father , amir ismagulov , told cnn he met with his son for about 40 minutes last week . both father and son believe in the u.s. justice system , ismagulov said . father defends son arrested in connection with bombing case the government will get to the bottom of what happened and let tazhayakov go , said the father , speaking in russian . he was in the wrong place , ( at the ) wrong time , with ( the ) wrong people , ' his father said . tazhayakov is due back in court may 14 . he was already in federal custody on immigration charges related to his student visa , having been arrested in the days after the bombings due to his friendship with tsarnaev . the kazakhstan native is charged with obstruction of justice . if found guilty , he could face up to five years in prison and $ 250,000 in fines . he is being represented by arkady bukh , an attorney based in new york . ismagulov said his son always admired and wanted to come to the united states . he was here to study engineering and work in the oil business , his father said . teenagers sometimes do stupid things , said ismagulov , stressing that his son did n't know he was doing anything wrong . ismagulov said that he asked his son whether he had wanted to help tsarnaev . he apparently told his father no , saying that if they had wanted to help tsarnaev , he and kadyrbayev would have thrown out the bombing suspect 's laptop and buried his backpack in the ground . investigators found the backpack , loaded with fireworks , in a landfill after a two-day search . tsarnaev 's laptop was turned over by kadyrbayev on april 19 , the same day the fbi raided the apartment he shared with tazhayakov , kadyrbayev 's attorney robert stahl said . according to the university of massachusetts-dartmouth , tazhayakov is enrolled but has been suspended pending the outcome of the case . dias kadyrbayev kadyrbayev also remains in jail , awaiting a may 14 court date . according to an fbi affidavit , kadyrbayev had seen pictures of the suspects released by the fbi on april 18 and texted dzhokhar tsarnaev to tell him he looked like the suspect on television . ' tsarnaev texted back lol ' and added , come to my room and take whatever you want . ''attorney stahl also said his client did not have anything to do ' with the bombings and disputed that he tried to block the investigation . kadyrbayev , a kazakh national , was taken into custody along with tazhayakov on april 20 on suspicion that he had violated the terms of his student visa , stahl said . according to an interview his father gave in april , kadyrbayev , 19 , missed a couple , or maybe several classes . ' i can say about my son that he finished school with excellent grades ; he was good at math . he helped others . when he saw that help was needed , he always accommodated , ' murat kadyrbayev told tengi news and stv channel in kazakhstan . kadyrbayev is not currently enrolled at the university of massachusetts-dartmouth . he is charged with obstruction of justice and could face up to five years in prison and $ 250,000 in fines if found guilty . kazakhstan 's foreign ministry said it was offering consular services to both kadyrbayev and tazhayakov . we would like to emphasize that our citizens did not receive charges of involvement in the organization of the boston marathon bombings . they were charged with destroying evidence , ' the ministry said in a statement . cnn 's susan candiotti reported from boston ; steve almasy reported and wrote from atlanta . cnn 's carol cratty , joe johns , dana ford , chris welch and julia talanova also contributed to this report . | dzhokhar tsarnaev friend robel phillipos released on $ 100,000 bond |
stanton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- giancarlo stanton of the miami marlins -- a contender for the national league 's most valuable player award -- will apparently sit out the rest of the season after a pitched ball struck him in the face . the impact shattered bones and caused tooth damage , according to the team . the ball , thrown by milwaukee brewers pitcher mike fiers , hit stanton during an at-bat in the fifth inning of thursday night 's game in milwaukee . it appeared to strike him on the left cheek , just below his eye . stanton fell to the ground , bleeding , and was taken from the field on a stretcher . the team later said on twitter he 'd suffered facial cuts , broken bones and tooth damage . marlins manager mike redmond said stanton would be out for the rest of the year . it 's devastating for us . devastating , ' he told reporters in a fox sports florida video posted on the team 's website . i mean , for his season to end like that , that 's not good . ' fiers , who hit another player after stanton -- sparking a bench-clearing altercation -- was apologetic on twitter : stanton , who has a .288 batting average , leads the national league with 37 home runs and 105 rbis . | a pitch hits giancarlo stanton in the face |
stanton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- giancarlo stanton of the miami marlins -- a contender for the national league 's most valuable player award -- will apparently sit out the rest of the season after a pitched ball struck him in the face . the impact shattered bones and caused tooth damage , according to the team . the ball , thrown by milwaukee brewers pitcher mike fiers , hit stanton during an at-bat in the fifth inning of thursday night 's game in milwaukee . it appeared to strike him on the left cheek , just below his eye . stanton fell to the ground , bleeding , and was taken from the field on a stretcher . the team later said on twitter he 'd suffered facial cuts , broken bones and tooth damage . marlins manager mike redmond said stanton would be out for the rest of the year . it 's devastating for us . devastating , ' he told reporters in a fox sports florida video posted on the team 's website . i mean , for his season to end like that , that 's not good . ' fiers , who hit another player after stanton -- sparking a bench-clearing altercation -- was apologetic on twitter : stanton , who has a .288 batting average , leads the national league with 37 home runs and 105 rbis . | stanton has been frequently named as a contender for nl most valuable player |
stanton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- giancarlo stanton of the miami marlins -- a contender for the national league 's most valuable player award -- will apparently sit out the rest of the season after a pitched ball struck him in the face . the impact shattered bones and caused tooth damage , according to the team . the ball , thrown by milwaukee brewers pitcher mike fiers , hit stanton during an at-bat in the fifth inning of thursday night 's game in milwaukee . it appeared to strike him on the left cheek , just below his eye . stanton fell to the ground , bleeding , and was taken from the field on a stretcher . the team later said on twitter he 'd suffered facial cuts , broken bones and tooth damage . marlins manager mike redmond said stanton would be out for the rest of the year . it 's devastating for us . devastating , ' he told reporters in a fox sports florida video posted on the team 's website . i mean , for his season to end like that , that 's not good . ' fiers , who hit another player after stanton -- sparking a bench-clearing altercation -- was apologetic on twitter : stanton , who has a .288 batting average , leads the national league with 37 home runs and 105 rbis . | stanton has facial fractures & dental damage , ' his team , the miami marlins , tweets |
maickel melamed <tsp> ( cnn ) about 20 hours after the boston marathon started monday , many of the cheering crowds had dispersed and the streets were cleared . but one man , despite the odds against him , crossed the finish line . venezuelan native maickel melamed , who is battling muscular dystrophy , completed the 26.2 miles just before 5 a.m. tuesday . a group of energized fans rallied for the 39-year-old as he walked down boylston street in the pouring rain with volunteers from his foundation , vamos . he was the last participant to complete the race , cnn affiliate wcvb-tv reported . friends who were waiting for melamed to cross the finish line said the university professor and motivational speaker is dedicated and motivated . he wants to show that life is great , no matter how many problems you can have , ' friend perla sananes said . melamed was born with muscular dystrophy , which causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass throughout the body . as the disease progresses , people with the condition have difficulty doing physical activities like running and walking . melamed has completed marathons in chicago , new york , berlin and tokyo . boston has a special place in his heart because his parents brought him to the city as a baby , wcvb-tv said . his perseverance was celebrated by crowds at the marathon finish line tuesday morning , and also by fans online . melamed is one of about 30,000 participants who raced in this year 's marathon , which comes less than two weeks after a jury found dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of all 30 charges related to the 2013 boston bombings . on social media monday , spectators cheered for runners and the city , calling the marathon a symbol of strength and unity . | maickel melamed , who has muscular dystrophy , took part in the 2015 boston marathon |
boston marathon <tsp> ( cnn ) about 20 hours after the boston marathon started monday , many of the cheering crowds had dispersed and the streets were cleared . but one man , despite the odds against him , crossed the finish line . venezuelan native maickel melamed , who is battling muscular dystrophy , completed the 26.2 miles just before 5 a.m. tuesday . a group of energized fans rallied for the 39-year-old as he walked down boylston street in the pouring rain with volunteers from his foundation , vamos . he was the last participant to complete the race , cnn affiliate wcvb-tv reported . friends who were waiting for melamed to cross the finish line said the university professor and motivational speaker is dedicated and motivated . he wants to show that life is great , no matter how many problems you can have , ' friend perla sananes said . melamed was born with muscular dystrophy , which causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass throughout the body . as the disease progresses , people with the condition have difficulty doing physical activities like running and walking . melamed has completed marathons in chicago , new york , berlin and tokyo . boston has a special place in his heart because his parents brought him to the city as a baby , wcvb-tv said . his perseverance was celebrated by crowds at the marathon finish line tuesday morning , and also by fans online . melamed is one of about 30,000 participants who raced in this year 's marathon , which comes less than two weeks after a jury found dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of all 30 charges related to the 2013 boston bombings . on social media monday , spectators cheered for runners and the city , calling the marathon a symbol of strength and unity . | maickel melamed , who has muscular dystrophy , took part in the 2015 boston marathon |
african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as theater , hillary clinton 's congressional testimony on the september attack on the u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi did not disappoint . the secretary of state was prepared . she was poised . and she was fiery . clinton likely regrets her exasperated response to persistent questions by sen. ron johnson of wisconsin , who repeated the charge that the obama administration had misled americans over whether there was a protest on the night of the benghazi attack , as reports first indicated . she exploded : with all due respect , the fact is we had four dead americans . was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night decided they 'd go kill some americans ? what difference , at this point , does it make ? ' the response instantly inspired the critical hashtag # whatdifferencedoesitmake and became a hot topic on right-wing radio . but otherwise , republican members of congress hardly laid a glove on her , perhaps because the party has bizarrely focused on the obama administration 's post-attack talking points instead of more important issues : does the state department have the resources and policies it needs to keep american diplomats safe ? what level of threat do extremist groups in the region really pose to u.s. interests ? and what does the obama administration want to accomplish there ? the hearings should have been more substantive because the united states is at a dangerous inflection point in north africa and the sahel region to its south , and leaders in both parties need to think carefully about how deeply we want to get involved in this volatile part of the world . in libya , the united states has already helped overthrow moammar gadhafi , whose vast arsenal has ended up in the hands of some pretty nasty characters . with some in the pentagon reportedly pushing for drone strikes in mali , and the united states providing logistical and intelligence help to french forces there , we are gradually getting sucked into conflicts that were never considered our vital concern . in her opening statement , clinton tried to put the benghazi attack in this context , describing steps the united states is taking to address the broader strategic challenge in north africa and the wider region . ' the arab revolutions have scrambled power dynamics and shattered security forces across the region , ' she said . and instability in mali has created an expanding safe haven for terrorists who look to extend their influence and plot further attacks of the kind we saw just last week in algeria . ' those attacks , in which a group of jihadists tied to al qaeda in the islamic maghreb seized control over a natural gas facility and took dozens of hostages , are indeed alarming . oil and gas facilities across north africa , especially in libya , are likely vulnerable . u.s. diplomatic facilities are almost certainly at risk . but it 's by no means clear what threat al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , or for that matter its ally ansar dine , one of the islamist groups controlling northern mali , poses to the united states . as terrorism exert daniel byman notes , al qaeda in the islamic maghreb largely lost its struggle in algeria ' before joining forces with al qaeda 's high command in pakistan and trying to wrap its longstanding fight with the algerian military into the global jihad . and rebel groups such as the tuareg have a long history of using harsh tactics to extract concessions from the central government . is getting involved in their parochial struggles the best way to keep americans safe ? perhaps a better question is how involved we want to be . some reports have linked al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , which has ties to al qaeda 's leadership in pakistan , to the benghazi attack . three americans died in the gas plant in algeria , and seven more barely escaped with their lives . the united states reportedly has had special operations forces in mali for years . so , in a sense , america already is very much involved . but that does n't mean the right course of action is to get in deeper . to varying degrees , al qaeda in the islamic maghreb and its allies clearly do pose a threat to u.s. interests in their corner of africa , but there 's little evidence that they have the capability or intent to strike the u.s. homeland . the united states needs to lead from behind in this region -- but way , way behind , with french and african forces in the front . al qaeda would like nothing more than to drag the united states into another protracted quagmire . in her testimony , clinton outlined the stakes . we are in for a struggle , but it is a necessary struggle . we can not permit northern mali to become a safe haven . we 've got to have a better strategy , ' she said . i could n't agree more . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of blake hounshell | hounshell : u.s. should lead from way behind french , african forces while developing strategy |
u.s . <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as theater , hillary clinton 's congressional testimony on the september attack on the u.s. diplomatic mission in benghazi did not disappoint . the secretary of state was prepared . she was poised . and she was fiery . clinton likely regrets her exasperated response to persistent questions by sen. ron johnson of wisconsin , who repeated the charge that the obama administration had misled americans over whether there was a protest on the night of the benghazi attack , as reports first indicated . she exploded : with all due respect , the fact is we had four dead americans . was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night decided they 'd go kill some americans ? what difference , at this point , does it make ? ' the response instantly inspired the critical hashtag # whatdifferencedoesitmake and became a hot topic on right-wing radio . but otherwise , republican members of congress hardly laid a glove on her , perhaps because the party has bizarrely focused on the obama administration 's post-attack talking points instead of more important issues : does the state department have the resources and policies it needs to keep american diplomats safe ? what level of threat do extremist groups in the region really pose to u.s. interests ? and what does the obama administration want to accomplish there ? the hearings should have been more substantive because the united states is at a dangerous inflection point in north africa and the sahel region to its south , and leaders in both parties need to think carefully about how deeply we want to get involved in this volatile part of the world . in libya , the united states has already helped overthrow moammar gadhafi , whose vast arsenal has ended up in the hands of some pretty nasty characters . with some in the pentagon reportedly pushing for drone strikes in mali , and the united states providing logistical and intelligence help to french forces there , we are gradually getting sucked into conflicts that were never considered our vital concern . in her opening statement , clinton tried to put the benghazi attack in this context , describing steps the united states is taking to address the broader strategic challenge in north africa and the wider region . ' the arab revolutions have scrambled power dynamics and shattered security forces across the region , ' she said . and instability in mali has created an expanding safe haven for terrorists who look to extend their influence and plot further attacks of the kind we saw just last week in algeria . ' those attacks , in which a group of jihadists tied to al qaeda in the islamic maghreb seized control over a natural gas facility and took dozens of hostages , are indeed alarming . oil and gas facilities across north africa , especially in libya , are likely vulnerable . u.s. diplomatic facilities are almost certainly at risk . but it 's by no means clear what threat al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , or for that matter its ally ansar dine , one of the islamist groups controlling northern mali , poses to the united states . as terrorism exert daniel byman notes , al qaeda in the islamic maghreb largely lost its struggle in algeria ' before joining forces with al qaeda 's high command in pakistan and trying to wrap its longstanding fight with the algerian military into the global jihad . and rebel groups such as the tuareg have a long history of using harsh tactics to extract concessions from the central government . is getting involved in their parochial struggles the best way to keep americans safe ? perhaps a better question is how involved we want to be . some reports have linked al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , which has ties to al qaeda 's leadership in pakistan , to the benghazi attack . three americans died in the gas plant in algeria , and seven more barely escaped with their lives . the united states reportedly has had special operations forces in mali for years . so , in a sense , america already is very much involved . but that does n't mean the right course of action is to get in deeper . to varying degrees , al qaeda in the islamic maghreb and its allies clearly do pose a threat to u.s. interests in their corner of africa , but there 's little evidence that they have the capability or intent to strike the u.s. homeland . the united states needs to lead from behind in this region -- but way , way behind , with french and african forces in the front . al qaeda would like nothing more than to drag the united states into another protracted quagmire . in her testimony , clinton outlined the stakes . we are in for a struggle , but it is a necessary struggle . we can not permit northern mali to become a safe haven . we 've got to have a better strategy , ' she said . i could n't agree more . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of blake hounshell | he says it 's not clear what threat al qaeda in the islamic maghreb poses to u.s . |
manchester united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- bayern munich eliminated fellow european powerhouses juventus from this season 's champions league with a superb 4-1 win in turin on tuesday night . david trezeguet put juventus in front after just 19 minutes , but bayern goalkeeper hans jorg butt equalized with an impudent penalty just before halftime with croatian ivica olic scoring the second on 51 minutes . mario gomez and substitute anatoliy tymoshchuk rounded off a brilliant display from louis van gaal 's men with two late clinching goals . the victory sees the german giants qualify in group a behind bordeaux , who beat maccabi haifa 1-0 in the night 's other match with brazilian forward jussie scoring the only goal of the game . juventus went into the game at the stade communale with a point advantage over bayern and looked set for the last 16 as french international trezeguet ut them ahead with a volleyed goal . but butt , who is proviing an expert from the spot , sent gianluigi buffon the wrong way after martin caceres fouled olic . the second half saw bayern continue to make the better chances and olic gave them a deserved lead as olic fired home from close range . the late goals were the icing on the cake and defeat piles the pressure on juve coach ciro ferrara . in group b , a makeshift manchester united , who were playing with only one recognized defender , clinched top spot with a 3-1 win at vfl wolsburg as michael owen grabbed an opportunist hat-trick . owen put united ahead just before halftime with a glancing header from a nani cross after a fine team move . wolfsburg were more threatening after the break with the prolific edin dzeko equalizing with a fine strike to enhance his growing reputation ahead of the january transfer window . but owen showed his predatory instincts with an 83rd minute second after a brilliant run and cross by substitute gabriel obertan . wolfsburg defender sascha riether missed a cast-iron chance to equalize and put his side into the knockout stage , but united broke away and owen completed his hat-trick . my scoring a hat-trick will probably make the headllines , but it was a great team display , ' owen told sky sports after enhancing his claims for an england recall with clinical finishing . cska moscow took second in the group behind united with a 2-1 win against besiktas in istanbul as yevgeny aldonin scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of injury time . but the russians are facing a uefa disciplinary investigation after two of their players , defenders aleksei berezutski and sergei ignashevich , failed a doping test for a banned stimulant after the 3-3 draw with manchester united in an earlier group game . uefa said on its official web site that it would rule on the situation on december 17 , but could take action against cska because more than one player was involved , giving wolfsburg hope they could yet go through . | manchester united top group b as michael owen scores hat-trick in 3-1 win at wolfsburg |
cska <tsp> ( cnn ) -- bayern munich eliminated fellow european powerhouses juventus from this season 's champions league with a superb 4-1 win in turin on tuesday night . david trezeguet put juventus in front after just 19 minutes , but bayern goalkeeper hans jorg butt equalized with an impudent penalty just before halftime with croatian ivica olic scoring the second on 51 minutes . mario gomez and substitute anatoliy tymoshchuk rounded off a brilliant display from louis van gaal 's men with two late clinching goals . the victory sees the german giants qualify in group a behind bordeaux , who beat maccabi haifa 1-0 in the night 's other match with brazilian forward jussie scoring the only goal of the game . juventus went into the game at the stade communale with a point advantage over bayern and looked set for the last 16 as french international trezeguet ut them ahead with a volleyed goal . but butt , who is proviing an expert from the spot , sent gianluigi buffon the wrong way after martin caceres fouled olic . the second half saw bayern continue to make the better chances and olic gave them a deserved lead as olic fired home from close range . the late goals were the icing on the cake and defeat piles the pressure on juve coach ciro ferrara . in group b , a makeshift manchester united , who were playing with only one recognized defender , clinched top spot with a 3-1 win at vfl wolsburg as michael owen grabbed an opportunist hat-trick . owen put united ahead just before halftime with a glancing header from a nani cross after a fine team move . wolfsburg were more threatening after the break with the prolific edin dzeko equalizing with a fine strike to enhance his growing reputation ahead of the january transfer window . but owen showed his predatory instincts with an 83rd minute second after a brilliant run and cross by substitute gabriel obertan . wolfsburg defender sascha riether missed a cast-iron chance to equalize and put his side into the knockout stage , but united broke away and owen completed his hat-trick . my scoring a hat-trick will probably make the headllines , but it was a great team display , ' owen told sky sports after enhancing his claims for an england recall with clinical finishing . cska moscow took second in the group behind united with a 2-1 win against besiktas in istanbul as yevgeny aldonin scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of injury time . but the russians are facing a uefa disciplinary investigation after two of their players , defenders aleksei berezutski and sergei ignashevich , failed a doping test for a banned stimulant after the 3-3 draw with manchester united in an earlier group game . uefa said on its official web site that it would rule on the situation on december 17 , but could take action against cska because more than one player was involved , giving wolfsburg hope they could yet go through . | cska second in the group but facing uefa ban after positive dope test on two players |
new year 's day <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the killings of four people , including two u.s. navy pilots , in a coronado , california , apartment early new year 's day was a murder-suicide , investigators said wednesday . lt. j.g . john r. reeves , 25 , put a gun to his own head and killed himself after shooting to lt. j.g . david a. reis , 25 ; karen reis , 24 ; and matthew saturley , 31 , according to the san diego county sheriff 's department . the murder-suicide conclusion was based on the medical examiner 's autopsy , the sheriff 's statement said . homicide detectives will not provide a suspected motive for reeves'actions until more interviews are conducted and evidence is collected , the sheriff 's statement said . it is anticipated this process , and the crime laboratory report , could take several weeks , ' the statement said . the two navy officers , roommates in the apartment where the shootings happened , were f/a-18 jet pilots assigned to marine fighter attack training squadron 101 , marine aircraft group 11 , third marine aircraft wing , the navy said . reeves earned his navy commission through the rotc program at penn state university in 2008 , while reis was commissioned in the navy after completing the rotc program at the university of new mexico the same year , the navy said . the coronado police department got a call around 2:20 a.m. sunday about shots being fired inside a condominium in the coastal city , which is just southwest of san diego . responding officers found a man 's body in the doorway and the other bodies inside the residence , according to a press release from lt. larry nesbit of the san diego county sheriff 's department . | police find four bodies in a coronado , california , apartment early new year 's day |
apa sherpa <tsp> kathmandu , nepal ( cnn ) -- a 52-year-old nepalese man reached the top of mount everest for the 21st time on wednesday , breaking a record he set last year for the number of ascents of the world 's tallest peak , a tourism official ministry said . apa sherpa first climbed everest in 1990 while helping international expeditions climb the mountain . since 2008 , he has been climbing everest as part of an expedition to highlight the effects of climate change and to collect trash on the mountains . he started from camp iv at an altitude of 7,950 meters with five other climbers on tuesday night and reached on wednesday morning , according to asian trekking , which organized the expedition . sherpa is the climbing leader of the expedition , which collects trash such as oxygen cylinders , tent poles , tents and other mountaineering equipment from the mountain . | apa sherpa first climbed mount everest in 1990 |
ministry of defense <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- britain 's ministry of defense has released files on ufo sightings dating back to the 1970s , including witness accounts and the government 's response . the ministry on wednesday released the files as part of a four-year project to transfer all of the ufo documents to the national archives to make them available to curious members of the public . the documents include hundreds of police reports taken from witnesses who describe seeing lights or strange objects in the sky , from southern england and wales up to northern ireland . the files released wednesday cover 1978 to 1987 . the rest , dating from the 1950s and covering recent history , will be released over the coming years . reported sightings typically describe various shapes and colors of lights , moving in formation or hovering in the sky . witnesses reported orange , red , white and green lights that were diamond-shaped , square , or cigar-shaped . they reported them to police , who have a standard 16-question form specifically for ufo sightings . the vast majority of them are just ordinary people who 've seen something unusual and thought that they ought to tell someone about it , ' said david clarke , a professor at sheffield hallam university and a ufo expert who worked with the national archives on the project . in one sighting in january 1985 , a man near cardiff , wales , was closing his living room curtains when he saw an object in the sky . he said it moved up and down like a bouncing ball , ' then disappeared behind a mountain . two police officers in woking , south of london , reported seeing a white light in the sky on christmas morning 1985 . the light , they said , moved into the nearby area of horsell , where author h.g . wells had placed the martian landing in his book , war of the worlds . ' the person who took the report noted the officers were aware of the connection , writing , genuine report . two competent officers slightly embarrassed ( horsell common features in h.g . wells ) . ' two other police officers in edgware , north london , reported seeing an object in the sky in june 1984 . they viewed it with binoculars for an hour and sketched a picture , showing a white sphere with a ring of blue and red lights . the object moved erratically from side to side , up and down and to and fro , not venturing far from its original position , ' the officers wrote . other reports came from stunned members of the public , pilots , and members of the military . the ministry of defense said it examined the reports and held onto the records solely to determine whether enemy aircraft had infiltrated british airspace . once it was determined that no enemy aircraft were in the sky , it did not investigate further . watch why the ministry is revealing what it knows about ufos » ' the ministry of defense has no other interest or role regarding ufo matters and does not consider questions regarding the existence or otherwise of extraterrestrial life-forms , ' it said wednesday . that leaves many of the incidents simply unexplained , such as an april 1984 report made by a senior air traffic controller at an unidentified airfield . the controller was bringing in a light aircraft for landing when he noticed a series of lights appearing to come down on another runway . the crew of the incoming plane radioed that they saw the lights , too . all reported that they saw the lights come down at speed , ' touch down , and disappear . they were so concerned about this , they filed an official report , ' clarke said . but what was the thing that they saw ? there 's no evidence from the papers that any further investigations were done and it remains a mystery . ' in 1979 , two years after steven spielberg 's alien-visitation movie close encounters of the third kind , ' reports of strange sightings had increased and the house of lords decided to hold a debate on ufos . one of the documents released wednesday is a detailed briefing prepared by the ministry of defense for the debate , and it sheds light on the military 's position on the matter . there is nothing to indicate that ufology ( the study of ufos ) is anything but claptrap and no evidence at all of'alien space craft ,'' read the briefing , prepared by the ministry for lord strabolgi , then government chief whip . at least one report in the files has since been explained , however . a report from august 1985 details the crop circles that two army officers found in a wheat field in andover , in southern england . they noted one large circle surrounded by four smaller ones , all perfectly round with the wheat pressed down in a clockwise direction . no tracks led up to the circles , they said . the farmer called the army officers because he thought the army air corps had created the circles , but the officers said they were stumped . none of us could offer any reasonable explanation , ' they wrote . it is now known that the crop circles were some of many created by two hoaxers named doug bowers and dave chorley , according to clarke . doug and dave , ' as they were called , came forward in 1990 to say they created the circles with a garden roller and planks of wood , clarke said . we now know that this particular circle near andover was one of the ones that was created as a hoax by these two men , ' he said . | british ministry of defense releases files on ufo sightings dating back to 1970s |
uk <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- britain 's ministry of defense has released files on ufo sightings dating back to the 1970s , including witness accounts and the government 's response . the ministry on wednesday released the files as part of a four-year project to transfer all of the ufo documents to the national archives to make them available to curious members of the public . the documents include hundreds of police reports taken from witnesses who describe seeing lights or strange objects in the sky , from southern england and wales up to northern ireland . the files released wednesday cover 1978 to 1987 . the rest , dating from the 1950s and covering recent history , will be released over the coming years . reported sightings typically describe various shapes and colors of lights , moving in formation or hovering in the sky . witnesses reported orange , red , white and green lights that were diamond-shaped , square , or cigar-shaped . they reported them to police , who have a standard 16-question form specifically for ufo sightings . the vast majority of them are just ordinary people who 've seen something unusual and thought that they ought to tell someone about it , ' said david clarke , a professor at sheffield hallam university and a ufo expert who worked with the national archives on the project . in one sighting in january 1985 , a man near cardiff , wales , was closing his living room curtains when he saw an object in the sky . he said it moved up and down like a bouncing ball , ' then disappeared behind a mountain . two police officers in woking , south of london , reported seeing a white light in the sky on christmas morning 1985 . the light , they said , moved into the nearby area of horsell , where author h.g . wells had placed the martian landing in his book , war of the worlds . ' the person who took the report noted the officers were aware of the connection , writing , genuine report . two competent officers slightly embarrassed ( horsell common features in h.g . wells ) . ' two other police officers in edgware , north london , reported seeing an object in the sky in june 1984 . they viewed it with binoculars for an hour and sketched a picture , showing a white sphere with a ring of blue and red lights . the object moved erratically from side to side , up and down and to and fro , not venturing far from its original position , ' the officers wrote . other reports came from stunned members of the public , pilots , and members of the military . the ministry of defense said it examined the reports and held onto the records solely to determine whether enemy aircraft had infiltrated british airspace . once it was determined that no enemy aircraft were in the sky , it did not investigate further . watch why the ministry is revealing what it knows about ufos » ' the ministry of defense has no other interest or role regarding ufo matters and does not consider questions regarding the existence or otherwise of extraterrestrial life-forms , ' it said wednesday . that leaves many of the incidents simply unexplained , such as an april 1984 report made by a senior air traffic controller at an unidentified airfield . the controller was bringing in a light aircraft for landing when he noticed a series of lights appearing to come down on another runway . the crew of the incoming plane radioed that they saw the lights , too . all reported that they saw the lights come down at speed , ' touch down , and disappear . they were so concerned about this , they filed an official report , ' clarke said . but what was the thing that they saw ? there 's no evidence from the papers that any further investigations were done and it remains a mystery . ' in 1979 , two years after steven spielberg 's alien-visitation movie close encounters of the third kind , ' reports of strange sightings had increased and the house of lords decided to hold a debate on ufos . one of the documents released wednesday is a detailed briefing prepared by the ministry of defense for the debate , and it sheds light on the military 's position on the matter . there is nothing to indicate that ufology ( the study of ufos ) is anything but claptrap and no evidence at all of'alien space craft ,'' read the briefing , prepared by the ministry for lord strabolgi , then government chief whip . at least one report in the files has since been explained , however . a report from august 1985 details the crop circles that two army officers found in a wheat field in andover , in southern england . they noted one large circle surrounded by four smaller ones , all perfectly round with the wheat pressed down in a clockwise direction . no tracks led up to the circles , they said . the farmer called the army officers because he thought the army air corps had created the circles , but the officers said they were stumped . none of us could offer any reasonable explanation , ' they wrote . it is now known that the crop circles were some of many created by two hoaxers named doug bowers and dave chorley , according to clarke . doug and dave , ' as they were called , came forward in 1990 to say they created the circles with a garden roller and planks of wood , clarke said . we now know that this particular circle near andover was one of the ones that was created as a hoax by these two men , ' he said . | it held onto records to determine if enemy aircraft had infiltrated uk airspace |
kentucky <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the band perry has stepped in to help with expenses to bury a mother and eight children who were killed in a house fire in greenville , kentucky . the offer follows news that only two family members -- the father , chad j. watson , and an 11-year-old girl -- survived the fire thursday morning . the country trio 's representatives contacted the watson family and offered to take care of all the expenses , watson family friend pam burden said . the group also offered to pay hotel expenses for family members staying near the medical center where the two are being treated , she said . i do n't know why the band perry reached out to the family other than they are just very gracious , ' burden said . the family does n't have any personal connection to the band before now . ' the band perry 's publicist , brian bumbery , confirmed the group 's offer . watson is listed in critical condition , and his daughter is in stable condition at vanderbilt university medical center , burden said . the mother was identified as 35-year-old larae watson . the eight children who died in the fire ranged in age from 4 to 15 . investigators have ruled the fire accidental , according to kentucky state police . it appears that an electric baseboard heater located in a bedroom ignited some nearby combustibles , ' it said in a statement . greenville is a small city , with a population of just 4,300 and a median income of $ 39,000 . as news of the group 's offer spread , hundreds of people posted messages of gratitude on the band 's facebook page . i 'm a volunteer firefighter here in muhlenberg county and i want to thank you for your generosity and support you have given to the watson family , ' wrote willam michael vick . you guys are truly amazing . ' the band perry , made up of siblings kimberly , neil and reid perry , burst onto the country music scene in 2010 with their self-titled debut album , which spawned the hit single if i die young . ' the group released its sophomore album pioneer ' in 2013 . the band is set to perform sunday as part of the super bowl xlviii pregame show in east rutherford , new jersey . cnn 's kevin conlon contributed to this report . | authorities say the cause of the kentucky fire appears to be accidental |
errol louis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for all its swagger , new york city -- especially its business establishment -- does not particularly like to be the punchline of a national joke . that is why , for months , corporate leaders have been grumbling with dismay about the possibility of anthony weiner becoming mayor . with the latest revival of the scandal that drove him from congress , weiner runs a real risk of being hounded out of the race by new york 's business and civic leaders -- the very circle he would need to lead as mayor . there are 52 fortune 500 companies headquartered in new york state , with the vast majority based in the city , including brand names such as verizon , citigroup , american express , jet blue and time warner ( the parent company of cnn ) . the executives who run these firms expect a mayor cut in their mold -- a serious and energetic manager who will keep the city a safe , clean , comfortable place to do business . by admitting he has spent years engaged in frivolous , compulsive misconduct -- made worse by repeated lying about his habit -- weiner , for many real estate barons and corporate titans , utterly failed a crucial test of leadership . opinion : why anthony weiner 's problem is ours , too which is why weiner has nobody to blame but himself for the waves of condemnation raining down on him from the editorial boards of new york 's most powerful newspapers -- the news , the times and the wall street journal -- which agree on little else but have all decided weiner should quit the race for mayor . new yorkers react to scandal the latest revelation is that weiner continued sending obscene messages and photos to a 22-year-old stranger more than a year after resigning from congress in disgrace over exactly the same behavior in 2011 . that was a deal breaker for the new york times . he has already disqualified himself , ' the paper wrote in a blistering editorial , accusing weiner of a familiar but repellent pattern of misleading and evasion . ' he is not fit to lead america 's premier city , ' said the new york daily news in a front-page message about the candidate . lacking the dignity and discipline that new york deserves in a mayor , weiner must recognize that his demons have no place in city hall . having built his campaign on deception , he has badly damaged the process of selecting the city 's next chief executive . ' and so on . a summer of lies politically , it has seemed for months as if weiner might be able to survive moral outrage over his weird compulsion to send lewd texts and photos of himself to young women . recent polls ranked him first or second in a crowded field of democrats running for mayor . the much higher hurdle to overcome is public exasperation over his repeated evasions about what he did and when he did it . in 2011 , he went on cnn and other news channels with a preposterous , utterly false claim that sexual messages from his accounts were the work of hackers , a charge he later admitted was a fabrication . more recently , weiner has made repeated , heartfelt claims that the destructive behavior is behind him , clearly implying the bombshell revelations that drove him from office in 2011 marked the end of his compulsions . it turns out that weiner and his wife , huma abedin , were playing a game , posing in people magazine with their child and claiming weiner was on a path to emotional health and solid family life last summer -- at the same time an unrehabilitated weiner was sending obscene photos and holding extended text chats and phone sex sessions with a 22-year-old stranger . opinion : why does huma abedin put up with weiner ? maybe the couple did n't outright lie , but they did n't tell the full truth , either , ' new york post noted in an editorial . all of this leaves weiner in a damaged position . his half-dozen rivals for mayor have , until now , carefully avoided directly calling attention to his problems with the truth : in at least one public forum , a crowd booed when a candidate referred to the lying . but the latest revelations , coming less than 50 days before the all-important september 10 democratic primary , have encouraged candidates to stop pulling punches . the sideshows of this election have gotten in the way of the debate we should be having about the future of this city , ' says one of weiner 's rivals , bill de blasio . enough is enough . ' de blasio 's call is an indirect reference to another candidate -- former gov . eliot spitzer , who is running for city comptroller after resigning as governor in the wake of revelations he hired prostitutes . the national media will continue to have an extended field day reporting on the flaws of the candidates for new york 's top two political slots . the mayor of new york city should be a leader that all the residents of our city , especially our children , can look up to , ' says republican candidate john catsimatidis . anthony weiner should do what is right for his family and our city and drop out of the race for mayor so we can end this soap opera . ' that , by all indications is not going to happen . this behavior is behind me , ' weiner said at a hastily called press conference . will the voters buy it ? we 'll find out on primary day , september 10 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of errol louis . | errol louis : weiner should know new yorkers hate to be punchline of a national joke |
weiner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for all its swagger , new york city -- especially its business establishment -- does not particularly like to be the punchline of a national joke . that is why , for months , corporate leaders have been grumbling with dismay about the possibility of anthony weiner becoming mayor . with the latest revival of the scandal that drove him from congress , weiner runs a real risk of being hounded out of the race by new york 's business and civic leaders -- the very circle he would need to lead as mayor . there are 52 fortune 500 companies headquartered in new york state , with the vast majority based in the city , including brand names such as verizon , citigroup , american express , jet blue and time warner ( the parent company of cnn ) . the executives who run these firms expect a mayor cut in their mold -- a serious and energetic manager who will keep the city a safe , clean , comfortable place to do business . by admitting he has spent years engaged in frivolous , compulsive misconduct -- made worse by repeated lying about his habit -- weiner , for many real estate barons and corporate titans , utterly failed a crucial test of leadership . opinion : why anthony weiner 's problem is ours , too which is why weiner has nobody to blame but himself for the waves of condemnation raining down on him from the editorial boards of new york 's most powerful newspapers -- the news , the times and the wall street journal -- which agree on little else but have all decided weiner should quit the race for mayor . new yorkers react to scandal the latest revelation is that weiner continued sending obscene messages and photos to a 22-year-old stranger more than a year after resigning from congress in disgrace over exactly the same behavior in 2011 . that was a deal breaker for the new york times . he has already disqualified himself , ' the paper wrote in a blistering editorial , accusing weiner of a familiar but repellent pattern of misleading and evasion . ' he is not fit to lead america 's premier city , ' said the new york daily news in a front-page message about the candidate . lacking the dignity and discipline that new york deserves in a mayor , weiner must recognize that his demons have no place in city hall . having built his campaign on deception , he has badly damaged the process of selecting the city 's next chief executive . ' and so on . a summer of lies politically , it has seemed for months as if weiner might be able to survive moral outrage over his weird compulsion to send lewd texts and photos of himself to young women . recent polls ranked him first or second in a crowded field of democrats running for mayor . the much higher hurdle to overcome is public exasperation over his repeated evasions about what he did and when he did it . in 2011 , he went on cnn and other news channels with a preposterous , utterly false claim that sexual messages from his accounts were the work of hackers , a charge he later admitted was a fabrication . more recently , weiner has made repeated , heartfelt claims that the destructive behavior is behind him , clearly implying the bombshell revelations that drove him from office in 2011 marked the end of his compulsions . it turns out that weiner and his wife , huma abedin , were playing a game , posing in people magazine with their child and claiming weiner was on a path to emotional health and solid family life last summer -- at the same time an unrehabilitated weiner was sending obscene photos and holding extended text chats and phone sex sessions with a 22-year-old stranger . opinion : why does huma abedin put up with weiner ? maybe the couple did n't outright lie , but they did n't tell the full truth , either , ' new york post noted in an editorial . all of this leaves weiner in a damaged position . his half-dozen rivals for mayor have , until now , carefully avoided directly calling attention to his problems with the truth : in at least one public forum , a crowd booed when a candidate referred to the lying . but the latest revelations , coming less than 50 days before the all-important september 10 democratic primary , have encouraged candidates to stop pulling punches . the sideshows of this election have gotten in the way of the debate we should be having about the future of this city , ' says one of weiner 's rivals , bill de blasio . enough is enough . ' de blasio 's call is an indirect reference to another candidate -- former gov . eliot spitzer , who is running for city comptroller after resigning as governor in the wake of revelations he hired prostitutes . the national media will continue to have an extended field day reporting on the flaws of the candidates for new york 's top two political slots . the mayor of new york city should be a leader that all the residents of our city , especially our children , can look up to , ' says republican candidate john catsimatidis . anthony weiner should do what is right for his family and our city and drop out of the race for mayor so we can end this soap opera . ' that , by all indications is not going to happen . this behavior is behind me , ' weiner said at a hastily called press conference . will the voters buy it ? we 'll find out on primary day , september 10 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of errol louis . | louis : weiner seems to think he 'll be forgiven , but voters will decide on primary day |
weiner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for all its swagger , new york city -- especially its business establishment -- does not particularly like to be the punchline of a national joke . that is why , for months , corporate leaders have been grumbling with dismay about the possibility of anthony weiner becoming mayor . with the latest revival of the scandal that drove him from congress , weiner runs a real risk of being hounded out of the race by new york 's business and civic leaders -- the very circle he would need to lead as mayor . there are 52 fortune 500 companies headquartered in new york state , with the vast majority based in the city , including brand names such as verizon , citigroup , american express , jet blue and time warner ( the parent company of cnn ) . the executives who run these firms expect a mayor cut in their mold -- a serious and energetic manager who will keep the city a safe , clean , comfortable place to do business . by admitting he has spent years engaged in frivolous , compulsive misconduct -- made worse by repeated lying about his habit -- weiner , for many real estate barons and corporate titans , utterly failed a crucial test of leadership . opinion : why anthony weiner 's problem is ours , too which is why weiner has nobody to blame but himself for the waves of condemnation raining down on him from the editorial boards of new york 's most powerful newspapers -- the news , the times and the wall street journal -- which agree on little else but have all decided weiner should quit the race for mayor . new yorkers react to scandal the latest revelation is that weiner continued sending obscene messages and photos to a 22-year-old stranger more than a year after resigning from congress in disgrace over exactly the same behavior in 2011 . that was a deal breaker for the new york times . he has already disqualified himself , ' the paper wrote in a blistering editorial , accusing weiner of a familiar but repellent pattern of misleading and evasion . ' he is not fit to lead america 's premier city , ' said the new york daily news in a front-page message about the candidate . lacking the dignity and discipline that new york deserves in a mayor , weiner must recognize that his demons have no place in city hall . having built his campaign on deception , he has badly damaged the process of selecting the city 's next chief executive . ' and so on . a summer of lies politically , it has seemed for months as if weiner might be able to survive moral outrage over his weird compulsion to send lewd texts and photos of himself to young women . recent polls ranked him first or second in a crowded field of democrats running for mayor . the much higher hurdle to overcome is public exasperation over his repeated evasions about what he did and when he did it . in 2011 , he went on cnn and other news channels with a preposterous , utterly false claim that sexual messages from his accounts were the work of hackers , a charge he later admitted was a fabrication . more recently , weiner has made repeated , heartfelt claims that the destructive behavior is behind him , clearly implying the bombshell revelations that drove him from office in 2011 marked the end of his compulsions . it turns out that weiner and his wife , huma abedin , were playing a game , posing in people magazine with their child and claiming weiner was on a path to emotional health and solid family life last summer -- at the same time an unrehabilitated weiner was sending obscene photos and holding extended text chats and phone sex sessions with a 22-year-old stranger . opinion : why does huma abedin put up with weiner ? maybe the couple did n't outright lie , but they did n't tell the full truth , either , ' new york post noted in an editorial . all of this leaves weiner in a damaged position . his half-dozen rivals for mayor have , until now , carefully avoided directly calling attention to his problems with the truth : in at least one public forum , a crowd booed when a candidate referred to the lying . but the latest revelations , coming less than 50 days before the all-important september 10 democratic primary , have encouraged candidates to stop pulling punches . the sideshows of this election have gotten in the way of the debate we should be having about the future of this city , ' says one of weiner 's rivals , bill de blasio . enough is enough . ' de blasio 's call is an indirect reference to another candidate -- former gov . eliot spitzer , who is running for city comptroller after resigning as governor in the wake of revelations he hired prostitutes . the national media will continue to have an extended field day reporting on the flaws of the candidates for new york 's top two political slots . the mayor of new york city should be a leader that all the residents of our city , especially our children , can look up to , ' says republican candidate john catsimatidis . anthony weiner should do what is right for his family and our city and drop out of the race for mayor so we can end this soap opera . ' that , by all indications is not going to happen . this behavior is behind me , ' weiner said at a hastily called press conference . will the voters buy it ? we 'll find out on primary day , september 10 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of errol louis . | errol louis : weiner should know new yorkers hate to be punchline of a national joke |
weiner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for all its swagger , new york city -- especially its business establishment -- does not particularly like to be the punchline of a national joke . that is why , for months , corporate leaders have been grumbling with dismay about the possibility of anthony weiner becoming mayor . with the latest revival of the scandal that drove him from congress , weiner runs a real risk of being hounded out of the race by new york 's business and civic leaders -- the very circle he would need to lead as mayor . there are 52 fortune 500 companies headquartered in new york state , with the vast majority based in the city , including brand names such as verizon , citigroup , american express , jet blue and time warner ( the parent company of cnn ) . the executives who run these firms expect a mayor cut in their mold -- a serious and energetic manager who will keep the city a safe , clean , comfortable place to do business . by admitting he has spent years engaged in frivolous , compulsive misconduct -- made worse by repeated lying about his habit -- weiner , for many real estate barons and corporate titans , utterly failed a crucial test of leadership . opinion : why anthony weiner 's problem is ours , too which is why weiner has nobody to blame but himself for the waves of condemnation raining down on him from the editorial boards of new york 's most powerful newspapers -- the news , the times and the wall street journal -- which agree on little else but have all decided weiner should quit the race for mayor . new yorkers react to scandal the latest revelation is that weiner continued sending obscene messages and photos to a 22-year-old stranger more than a year after resigning from congress in disgrace over exactly the same behavior in 2011 . that was a deal breaker for the new york times . he has already disqualified himself , ' the paper wrote in a blistering editorial , accusing weiner of a familiar but repellent pattern of misleading and evasion . ' he is not fit to lead america 's premier city , ' said the new york daily news in a front-page message about the candidate . lacking the dignity and discipline that new york deserves in a mayor , weiner must recognize that his demons have no place in city hall . having built his campaign on deception , he has badly damaged the process of selecting the city 's next chief executive . ' and so on . a summer of lies politically , it has seemed for months as if weiner might be able to survive moral outrage over his weird compulsion to send lewd texts and photos of himself to young women . recent polls ranked him first or second in a crowded field of democrats running for mayor . the much higher hurdle to overcome is public exasperation over his repeated evasions about what he did and when he did it . in 2011 , he went on cnn and other news channels with a preposterous , utterly false claim that sexual messages from his accounts were the work of hackers , a charge he later admitted was a fabrication . more recently , weiner has made repeated , heartfelt claims that the destructive behavior is behind him , clearly implying the bombshell revelations that drove him from office in 2011 marked the end of his compulsions . it turns out that weiner and his wife , huma abedin , were playing a game , posing in people magazine with their child and claiming weiner was on a path to emotional health and solid family life last summer -- at the same time an unrehabilitated weiner was sending obscene photos and holding extended text chats and phone sex sessions with a 22-year-old stranger . opinion : why does huma abedin put up with weiner ? maybe the couple did n't outright lie , but they did n't tell the full truth , either , ' new york post noted in an editorial . all of this leaves weiner in a damaged position . his half-dozen rivals for mayor have , until now , carefully avoided directly calling attention to his problems with the truth : in at least one public forum , a crowd booed when a candidate referred to the lying . but the latest revelations , coming less than 50 days before the all-important september 10 democratic primary , have encouraged candidates to stop pulling punches . the sideshows of this election have gotten in the way of the debate we should be having about the future of this city , ' says one of weiner 's rivals , bill de blasio . enough is enough . ' de blasio 's call is an indirect reference to another candidate -- former gov . eliot spitzer , who is running for city comptroller after resigning as governor in the wake of revelations he hired prostitutes . the national media will continue to have an extended field day reporting on the flaws of the candidates for new york 's top two political slots . the mayor of new york city should be a leader that all the residents of our city , especially our children , can look up to , ' says republican candidate john catsimatidis . anthony weiner should do what is right for his family and our city and drop out of the race for mayor so we can end this soap opera . ' that , by all indications is not going to happen . this behavior is behind me , ' weiner said at a hastily called press conference . will the voters buy it ? we 'll find out on primary day , september 10 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of errol louis . | he says city 's big papers want weiner to drop out , and he has only himself to blame |
far east <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- space travel , security threats and increasing passenger numbers are forcing major changes in the way airports are designed . elegant space : the interior of the proposed virgin galactic spaceport in new mexico in fact , when discussing the future of the airport it is now appropriate to consider both conventional air travel hubs we are familiar with , as well as the imminent'spaceports'. the rush of interest in setting up'space tourism'companies has seen proposed spaceport projects in dubai in the united arab emirates , and california , oklahoma , new mexico , florida , virginia , alaska and wisconsin in the united states . russia , australia , sweden and portugal have also been rumored as potential spaceport locations . meanwhile , the air travel industry is continuing to expand operations despite the challenges facing some airlines . and there are some radical new ideas being developed for future air and spaceports . see a picture gallery of futuristic airport and spaceport designs » the adventurous views of dave evans , chief technologist at business solutions company cisco systems , highlight the types of changes we could soon see in airports and indeed the new features we may witness in spaceports . speaking at a faa/nasa/industry airport planning workshop in 2006 , evans suggested that pilots of the future could fly without hands and from the comfort of their own home ( using brain-machine interfaces , in which the human brain actually exchanges electronic signals with a computer ) . he also said future airports would have virtual intelligence personnel to perform the jobs of many airport workers ; and that people would be able to check-in remotely using a cell phone embedded with a rfid ( radio frequency identification ) chip . but what will these new airports and spaceports look like ? graeme johns , who is an architect at british airport design company , the design solution , believes airports of the future will continue to expand , with bigger security and commercial areas . johns , who is involved in projects in london ( the new heathrow t2 terminal ) , delhi , mumbai , doha , abu dhabi and oman , said many new airports were being more adventurous with designs . i think there is definitely a move towards more avant-garde designs . people are trying to do things more site-specific rather than keeping to the same old formula . definitely in the middle east they throw everything at it , also in the far east there are some large developments . they are all vying for transit passages , ' he said . johns said one of the biggest challenges was balancing commercial space with operational space . there 's lots of pressure to make larger security areas ... but a big thing for us is trying to move up the commercial side of airports . ' future airports would likely include a better range of shops , he said . we are definitely looking at broadening the offering of shops and bringing in things that have n't traditionally been in airports , ' john said . if all of this is n't exciting enough for you -- then of course there are spaceports . internationally renowned design company foster and partners won a competition to build virgin galactic 's spaceport in new mexico . company founder lord norman foster said the project was one of the most exciting and futuristic he had been involved in ' this technically complex building will not only provide a dramatic experience for the astronauts and visitors , but will set an ecologically sound model for future spaceport facilities . ' and what will this magnificent new structure include ? a tunneled entrance , a'super-hangar'for the space-craft , and retaining walls that form an exhibition documenting the history of space exploration alongside the story of the region , are just some of the features . so whether or not you have the money to make the space flight , virgin galactic 's spaceport is going to be a place well worth visiting . | the middle east and far east are creating the most futuristic new airports |
pakistani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a single phone call by osama bin laden 's trusted courier tipped off u.s. officials to his pakistan compound , ultimately leading to the raid that killed the al qaeda leader , a senior pakistani intelligence official told cnn saturday . the telephone call the courier made was not the final one -- it was the initial piece of evidence ' that sparked the focus on the compound in abbottabad , the official said . four years ago , u.s. officials uncovered the identity of a trusted bin laden courier -- later identified as a kuwaiti named abu ahmad -- whom they believed was living with and protecting the al qaeda leader . the washington post , citing u.s. intelligence officials , reported friday that americans had intercepted a catch-up phone call ' ahmad took from an old friend . this is where you start the movie about the hunt for bin laden , ' one u.s. official briefed on the intelligence-gathering leading up to the early monday raid on the compound told the washington post . the pakistani official told cnn the phone call was made by the courier , though he did n't know when . the courier and his brother were among those killed in monday 's raid . in recent days , the materials taken from bin laden 's compound continued to yield a trove of intelligence , including details about a possible attack on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 . at a briefing saturday focusing on the intelligence aspects of the raid , u.s. officials released five videos showing the al qaeda leader . they were seized at his compound . one video looks like a home movie , a portrait of a graying man watching television , but it is an image that suggests how conscious bin laden was of his image . the other videos showed him in more formal attire , making remarks , but u.s. officials removed the audio in all five videos . as early as february 2010 , al qaeda members discussed a plan to derail trains in the united states by placing obstructions on tracks over bridges and valleys , the alert said , according to one law enforcement official . the plan was to be executed later this year , coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the september 11 attacks , though no specific rail system was identified , the official said . the department of homeland security confirmed a notice was sent to federal , state , local and tribal authorities . we have no information of any imminent terrorist threat to the u.s. rail sector , but wanted to make sure our partners are aware of the alleged plotting . it is unclear if any further planning has been conducted since february of last year , ' spokesman matt chandler said . rail agencies across the united states heightened security . a u.s. official said that valuable information has been gleaned already ' from the information gathered at bin laden 's compound , though no specific plots or terrorist suspects were identified . but the material suggests that al qaeda was particularly interested in striking washington , new york , los angeles and chicago , according to the law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity . u.s. authorities have found that al qaeda appeared especially interested in striking on significant dates like july 4 , christmas and the opening day of the united nations . the material seized from the compound included audio and video equipment , suggesting bin laden may have taped messages there , a u.s. official said . ten hard drives , five computers and more than 100 storage devices , such as disks and thumb drives , were also found , a senior u.s. official told cnn . dozens of people in abbottabad have been arrested because of their suspected connections to the compound where osama bin laden was shot and killed , a pakistani intelligence official said friday . investigators want to know whether any of the people are al qaeda members or sympathizers . the united states and pakistan have been allies for years in the anti-terrorism effort , but u.s. concerns that pakistanis have n't been robust enough in the fight against islamic militants and suspected u.s. drone attacks that killed innocent civilians have heightened tensions . another suspected drone strike killed 12 suspected militants on friday in the pakistani tribal region . questions remain over why and how pakistani intelligence officials could not have known bin laden was hiding out in the city , which is home to a military academy and has a strong military presence . pakistani armed forces chiefs issued a statement thursday admitting shortcomings in developing intelligence ' on the terrorist leader 's presence in the country . the army chief of staff , gen. ashfaq parvez kayani , made it very clear that any similar action , violating the sovereignty of pakistan , will warrant a review on the level of military/intelligence cooperation with the united states , ' the statement said . since the raid , pakistan has ordered u.s. military personnel on its territory drawn down to the minimum essential ' level , the statement said . cnn 's nick paton walsh contributed to this report | phone call was the initial piece of evidence ' leading to compound , pakistani official says |
red bull <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as if sebastian vettel 's eighth straight win was n't rubbing the opposition 's noses in it , red bull claimed another formula one first by clocking the first sub two-second pit stop at the u.s. grand prix on sunday . according to the british-based team 's website , no.2 driver mark webber was stationary for 1.923 seconds in his one pit stop during the race at the circuit of the americas . the team , who secured a fourth consecutive constructors'championship at the indian grand prix in october , described the time as an incredible feat . ' read more : girl power in texas the mark surpasses red bull 's f1 record of 2.05 seconds set at the malaysian grand prix last april -- a substantial improvement on the sport 's previous best time of 2.31 seconds set by mclaren in 2012 . there 's always a quicker stop out there , ' the team said in april before predicting the magical two-second barrier ' could be broken this season . team boss christian horner said it had been an incredible team performance ' at austin . read more : vettel goes into the record books ' for sebastian to achieve a new record of the most consecutive wins in a season is a fantastic performance and to be joined on the podium by mark , who tried everything in the closing laps , gave a team a fantastic podium at the united states grand prix , ' horner said . to achieve this result in front of so many of our team partners and supporters , as well as setting a potential new pit stop record on mark 's stop , has topped off a fantastic weekend for the whole team . ' | red bull dominated u.s. grand prix with sebastian vettel taking his eighth straight win |
ukraine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- u.s. president barack obama begins a key european trip monday during a pivotal moment of his presidency . he will use a series of key meetings this week to re-assert u.s. global leadership at a time when the united states , and the wider west , has appeared to be on the back foot following russia 's incursion into ukraine and subsequent annexation of crimea . the immediate focal point will be an emergency meeting of the g7 which will take place at the nuclear security summit ( nss ) monday and tuesday in the hague . the g7 session will convene on the margins of the nss to discuss next steps for tackling the crisis in ukraine , including deterring the prospect of russian military moves into eastern and southern ukraine . the agenda here is at least two-fold : bolstering the new leadership in kiev , and threatening further economic punishment of moscow . on the former , ukraine signed last friday an agreement on closer economic and political cooperation with the eu . moreover , washington has confirmed that it is providing kiev with non-lethal assistance ' that could include intelligence and satellite imagery , and/or key equipment such as night-vision goggles . coordinated new waves of sanctions against russia will also be discussed . the united states and the 28 member eu have already imposed travel bans and selective asset freezes against key russian and crimea officials , and a bank deemed to have close ties with the kremlin . it is recognized , however , that further escalation may be needed , and obama will seek to find consensus on this given the differing bilateral interests with russia of the g7 countries . potential measures include widening the punitive measures against targeted russian and crimean officials and institutions ; an arms embargo ; moscow 's expulsion from the g8 ; and wider , more politically sensitive economic sanctions . the scene was set for the latter last thursday when obama signed an executive order expanding the u.s. government 's authority to take financial and trade measures with the european union against key russian industries . in the face of some strident recent domestic u.s. criticism of his foreign policy , obama will also have platforms to showcase presidential leadership at both the eu-u.s. summit on wednesday , and the nss where he will meet with more than 50 national leaders including chinese president xi . nuclear terrorism the nss , which will focus on measures to enhance security of nuclear material stockpiles and facilities across the world , is the brainchild of obama who believes that nuclear terrorism represents the most immediate and extreme threat to global security . ' the downturn in relations between russia and the west is unfortunate here given that moscow is a pre-eminent player in attempts to counter the nuclear terrorism threat . indeed , this issue first came prominently onto the international radar screen following the collapse of the soviet union when major concerns were raised about safeguarding its nuclear weaponry . more recently , the urgency of tackling this agenda was given impetus by the september 2001 attacks . this was widely interpreted as a wake-up call ' about the possibility that a terrorist group could detonate a small nuclear weapon , or a radiological dispersal device ( a so-called dirty bomb ' ) . while the conventional wisdom is that the probability of a major nuclear terrorism event is very low , the consequences would be so dramatic that it remains a major pre-occupation of the international community . given the difficulties of terrorist groups obtaining weapons grade material , perhaps the bigger danger is a dirty bomb attack . here , conventional explosives would be used to spread radiation from a radioactive source . such radioactive sources are relatively widely available , including at hospitals . only last december , law enforcement authorities in mexico discovered a vehicle believed to have been stolen by thieves which contained radioactive medical materials that could have been used to power a dirty bomb . nuclear security summit goals amongst the ambitious goals for the nss include : ratification of the amended convention on the physical protection of nuclear material by more countries to ensure that the amendment enters into force as soon as possible ; more frequent reviews of state security structures by the international atomic energy authority ; national registration and protection of highly radioactive sources ( e.g . medical equipment ) ; and a greater role for industry in nuclear security to enhance the security culture and existing regulations . following up on the summit , a significant body of further work will be needed to achieve obama 's stated ambition to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world ' during his presidency . the next nss will be in washington dc in 2016 and will coincide with his last year in the white house . given recent criticism of his foreign policy , and conscious of his place in history , obama sees enhancing global nuclear security as a key part of his presidential legacy , especially following the agreement he signed with moscow on the new strategic arms reduction treaty ( new start ) which will see both countries reduce their deployed nuclear arsenals . building upon this success , he will now seek to secure the strongest possible outcomes from the nss process , and also push hard for a comprehensive nuclear deal to be reached with iran to follow-up on last year 's breakthrough preliminary agreement . read more : obama 's europe trip shifts focus to ukraine read more : how west can respond to russia 's aggression read more : sanctions target key aides from putin 's inner circle the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of andrew hammond . | an emergency g7 summit on the ukraine crisis will be held on the sidelines of the nuclear summit |
hague <tsp> ( cnn ) -- u.s. president barack obama begins a key european trip monday during a pivotal moment of his presidency . he will use a series of key meetings this week to re-assert u.s. global leadership at a time when the united states , and the wider west , has appeared to be on the back foot following russia 's incursion into ukraine and subsequent annexation of crimea . the immediate focal point will be an emergency meeting of the g7 which will take place at the nuclear security summit ( nss ) monday and tuesday in the hague . the g7 session will convene on the margins of the nss to discuss next steps for tackling the crisis in ukraine , including deterring the prospect of russian military moves into eastern and southern ukraine . the agenda here is at least two-fold : bolstering the new leadership in kiev , and threatening further economic punishment of moscow . on the former , ukraine signed last friday an agreement on closer economic and political cooperation with the eu . moreover , washington has confirmed that it is providing kiev with non-lethal assistance ' that could include intelligence and satellite imagery , and/or key equipment such as night-vision goggles . coordinated new waves of sanctions against russia will also be discussed . the united states and the 28 member eu have already imposed travel bans and selective asset freezes against key russian and crimea officials , and a bank deemed to have close ties with the kremlin . it is recognized , however , that further escalation may be needed , and obama will seek to find consensus on this given the differing bilateral interests with russia of the g7 countries . potential measures include widening the punitive measures against targeted russian and crimean officials and institutions ; an arms embargo ; moscow 's expulsion from the g8 ; and wider , more politically sensitive economic sanctions . the scene was set for the latter last thursday when obama signed an executive order expanding the u.s. government 's authority to take financial and trade measures with the european union against key russian industries . in the face of some strident recent domestic u.s. criticism of his foreign policy , obama will also have platforms to showcase presidential leadership at both the eu-u.s. summit on wednesday , and the nss where he will meet with more than 50 national leaders including chinese president xi . nuclear terrorism the nss , which will focus on measures to enhance security of nuclear material stockpiles and facilities across the world , is the brainchild of obama who believes that nuclear terrorism represents the most immediate and extreme threat to global security . ' the downturn in relations between russia and the west is unfortunate here given that moscow is a pre-eminent player in attempts to counter the nuclear terrorism threat . indeed , this issue first came prominently onto the international radar screen following the collapse of the soviet union when major concerns were raised about safeguarding its nuclear weaponry . more recently , the urgency of tackling this agenda was given impetus by the september 2001 attacks . this was widely interpreted as a wake-up call ' about the possibility that a terrorist group could detonate a small nuclear weapon , or a radiological dispersal device ( a so-called dirty bomb ' ) . while the conventional wisdom is that the probability of a major nuclear terrorism event is very low , the consequences would be so dramatic that it remains a major pre-occupation of the international community . given the difficulties of terrorist groups obtaining weapons grade material , perhaps the bigger danger is a dirty bomb attack . here , conventional explosives would be used to spread radiation from a radioactive source . such radioactive sources are relatively widely available , including at hospitals . only last december , law enforcement authorities in mexico discovered a vehicle believed to have been stolen by thieves which contained radioactive medical materials that could have been used to power a dirty bomb . nuclear security summit goals amongst the ambitious goals for the nss include : ratification of the amended convention on the physical protection of nuclear material by more countries to ensure that the amendment enters into force as soon as possible ; more frequent reviews of state security structures by the international atomic energy authority ; national registration and protection of highly radioactive sources ( e.g . medical equipment ) ; and a greater role for industry in nuclear security to enhance the security culture and existing regulations . following up on the summit , a significant body of further work will be needed to achieve obama 's stated ambition to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world ' during his presidency . the next nss will be in washington dc in 2016 and will coincide with his last year in the white house . given recent criticism of his foreign policy , and conscious of his place in history , obama sees enhancing global nuclear security as a key part of his presidential legacy , especially following the agreement he signed with moscow on the new strategic arms reduction treaty ( new start ) which will see both countries reduce their deployed nuclear arsenals . building upon this success , he will now seek to secure the strongest possible outcomes from the nss process , and also push hard for a comprehensive nuclear deal to be reached with iran to follow-up on last year 's breakthrough preliminary agreement . read more : obama 's europe trip shifts focus to ukraine read more : how west can respond to russia 's aggression read more : sanctions target key aides from putin 's inner circle the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of andrew hammond . | barack obama has arrived in europe for the nuclear security summit at the hague |
saudi <tsp> ( cnn ) thursday will mark three weeks since saudi arabia began airstrikes on houthi rebels in yemen . but there is as yet little sign that the rebels are being driven back , that the fighting in yemen is dying down or that lives there are being saved . to the contrary , increasingly more yemenis appear to be fleeing the country , attempting the dangerous trip in rickety fishing boats across the red sea to the horn of africa -- a trip historically made by people fleeing africa rather than the other way around . hopes for stability , not only in yemen but in the middle east in general , are fading as fears grow that saudia arabia and iran are fighting a proxy war in yemen for regional domination . and the number of dead continues to mount . yemen 's health ministry said over the weekend that 385 civilians had been killed and 342 others had been wounded . the world health organization has put a higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals . the houthis forced yemeni president abdu rabu mansour hadi from power in january , though hadi still claims he is yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to yemen . those allied with hadi have accused the iranian government of supporting the houthis in their uprising in yemen . like the iranians , the houthis are shiites . and like the saudis , hadi and his government are sunni . since it began on march 26 , saudi arabia has launched more than 1,200 airstrikes . saudi officials claim to have killed more than 500 houthi rebels . the u.n. security council voted tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of yemen , including its capital , sanaa -- and supporters of former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh . the resolution raises the cost ' for the houthis , according to mark lyall grant , britain 's ambassador to the united nations . in addition to the arms embargo , the resolution also demands that the shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism , according to grant . russia abstained from tuesday 's vote , saying it did n't like the inclusion of sanctions . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? | saudi officials say 500 houthi rebels killed , but signs of progress appear scant |
houthi <tsp> ( cnn ) thursday will mark three weeks since saudi arabia began airstrikes on houthi rebels in yemen . but there is as yet little sign that the rebels are being driven back , that the fighting in yemen is dying down or that lives there are being saved . to the contrary , increasingly more yemenis appear to be fleeing the country , attempting the dangerous trip in rickety fishing boats across the red sea to the horn of africa -- a trip historically made by people fleeing africa rather than the other way around . hopes for stability , not only in yemen but in the middle east in general , are fading as fears grow that saudia arabia and iran are fighting a proxy war in yemen for regional domination . and the number of dead continues to mount . yemen 's health ministry said over the weekend that 385 civilians had been killed and 342 others had been wounded . the world health organization has put a higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals . the houthis forced yemeni president abdu rabu mansour hadi from power in january , though hadi still claims he is yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to yemen . those allied with hadi have accused the iranian government of supporting the houthis in their uprising in yemen . like the iranians , the houthis are shiites . and like the saudis , hadi and his government are sunni . since it began on march 26 , saudi arabia has launched more than 1,200 airstrikes . saudi officials claim to have killed more than 500 houthi rebels . the u.n. security council voted tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of yemen , including its capital , sanaa -- and supporters of former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh . the resolution raises the cost ' for the houthis , according to mark lyall grant , britain 's ambassador to the united nations . in addition to the arms embargo , the resolution also demands that the shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism , according to grant . russia abstained from tuesday 's vote , saying it did n't like the inclusion of sanctions . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? | saudi officials say 500 houthi rebels killed , but signs of progress appear scant |
houthi <tsp> ( cnn ) thursday will mark three weeks since saudi arabia began airstrikes on houthi rebels in yemen . but there is as yet little sign that the rebels are being driven back , that the fighting in yemen is dying down or that lives there are being saved . to the contrary , increasingly more yemenis appear to be fleeing the country , attempting the dangerous trip in rickety fishing boats across the red sea to the horn of africa -- a trip historically made by people fleeing africa rather than the other way around . hopes for stability , not only in yemen but in the middle east in general , are fading as fears grow that saudia arabia and iran are fighting a proxy war in yemen for regional domination . and the number of dead continues to mount . yemen 's health ministry said over the weekend that 385 civilians had been killed and 342 others had been wounded . the world health organization has put a higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals . the houthis forced yemeni president abdu rabu mansour hadi from power in january , though hadi still claims he is yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to yemen . those allied with hadi have accused the iranian government of supporting the houthis in their uprising in yemen . like the iranians , the houthis are shiites . and like the saudis , hadi and his government are sunni . since it began on march 26 , saudi arabia has launched more than 1,200 airstrikes . saudi officials claim to have killed more than 500 houthi rebels . the u.n. security council voted tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of yemen , including its capital , sanaa -- and supporters of former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh . the resolution raises the cost ' for the houthis , according to mark lyall grant , britain 's ambassador to the united nations . in addition to the arms embargo , the resolution also demands that the shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism , according to grant . russia abstained from tuesday 's vote , saying it did n't like the inclusion of sanctions . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? | u.n. security council favors houthi arms embargo |
u.n. security council <tsp> ( cnn ) thursday will mark three weeks since saudi arabia began airstrikes on houthi rebels in yemen . but there is as yet little sign that the rebels are being driven back , that the fighting in yemen is dying down or that lives there are being saved . to the contrary , increasingly more yemenis appear to be fleeing the country , attempting the dangerous trip in rickety fishing boats across the red sea to the horn of africa -- a trip historically made by people fleeing africa rather than the other way around . hopes for stability , not only in yemen but in the middle east in general , are fading as fears grow that saudia arabia and iran are fighting a proxy war in yemen for regional domination . and the number of dead continues to mount . yemen 's health ministry said over the weekend that 385 civilians had been killed and 342 others had been wounded . the world health organization has put a higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals . the houthis forced yemeni president abdu rabu mansour hadi from power in january , though hadi still claims he is yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to yemen . those allied with hadi have accused the iranian government of supporting the houthis in their uprising in yemen . like the iranians , the houthis are shiites . and like the saudis , hadi and his government are sunni . since it began on march 26 , saudi arabia has launched more than 1,200 airstrikes . saudi officials claim to have killed more than 500 houthi rebels . the u.n. security council voted tuesday in favor of an arms embargo on houthis -- the minority group that has taken over large swaths of yemen , including its capital , sanaa -- and supporters of former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh . the resolution raises the cost ' for the houthis , according to mark lyall grant , britain 's ambassador to the united nations . in addition to the arms embargo , the resolution also demands that the shiite group pull back and refrain from more violence and includes sanctions aimed at controlling the spread of terrorism , according to grant . russia abstained from tuesday 's vote , saying it did n't like the inclusion of sanctions . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? | u.n. security council favors houthi arms embargo |
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