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libya <tsp> ( cnn ) the head of the libyan army has rejected the possibility of cooperating with any eu military intervention in his country intended to stem the flow of undocumented migrants trying to reach europe . in an exclusive interview friday with cnn 's becky anderson , libyan army head gen. khalifa haftar said libyan authorities had not been consulted and , in any event , military action would not solve the problem . we will certainly not cooperate , because we were not involved in resolving this issue , ' haftar said . the decision was taken without consulting the legitimate libyan side . ' the european union is struggling to cope with an increasing number of people crowding into unseaworthy boats and trying to reach european shores . many of the travelers are fleeing violence and poverty in libya and elsewhere in the region . the capsizing of one vessel last weekend left an estimated 900 people dead . eu leaders are considering a plan that would involve military action against people smugglers at the source -- before they load their boats with human cargo . of necessity , such an operation would involve operations within the territory of north african countries . but haftar expressed dismay at the prospect in his interview with cnn . military action against libyan territory is an unwise decision , ' he said . you need to deal with the libyan crisis as a whole . we are a sovereign country that needs to be respected despite what we are going through right now . ' haftar did not respond directly when he was asked whether libyan authorities would confront any european forces within its territory . the european union needs to stand with the libyan people to solve the crisis instead of taking such decisions , ' the general said . the migrant crisis affects them . but why do n't they see that our problems are also very important ? it 's important for them to support us either on the humanitarian front or on the security front . ' pressed on the point , haftar replied , we do what 's in the interest of the libyan people . the european union is looking after its own interests so we will also look after ours . ' but he said libya is open to other kinds of cooperation on the issue of migration . if they take the right approach , we will certainly cooperate , ' he said , referring to eu authorities . the appropriate approach will benefit libya and its fight against terrorism . and i repeat , that means lifting sanctions against libya -- specifically those against the army . ' | gen. khalifa haftar says libya will look after ' its interests |
khalifa haftar <tsp> ( cnn ) the head of the libyan army has rejected the possibility of cooperating with any eu military intervention in his country intended to stem the flow of undocumented migrants trying to reach europe . in an exclusive interview friday with cnn 's becky anderson , libyan army head gen. khalifa haftar said libyan authorities had not been consulted and , in any event , military action would not solve the problem . we will certainly not cooperate , because we were not involved in resolving this issue , ' haftar said . the decision was taken without consulting the legitimate libyan side . ' the european union is struggling to cope with an increasing number of people crowding into unseaworthy boats and trying to reach european shores . many of the travelers are fleeing violence and poverty in libya and elsewhere in the region . the capsizing of one vessel last weekend left an estimated 900 people dead . eu leaders are considering a plan that would involve military action against people smugglers at the source -- before they load their boats with human cargo . of necessity , such an operation would involve operations within the territory of north african countries . but haftar expressed dismay at the prospect in his interview with cnn . military action against libyan territory is an unwise decision , ' he said . you need to deal with the libyan crisis as a whole . we are a sovereign country that needs to be respected despite what we are going through right now . ' haftar did not respond directly when he was asked whether libyan authorities would confront any european forces within its territory . the european union needs to stand with the libyan people to solve the crisis instead of taking such decisions , ' the general said . the migrant crisis affects them . but why do n't they see that our problems are also very important ? it 's important for them to support us either on the humanitarian front or on the security front . ' pressed on the point , haftar replied , we do what 's in the interest of the libyan people . the european union is looking after its own interests so we will also look after ours . ' but he said libya is open to other kinds of cooperation on the issue of migration . if they take the right approach , we will certainly cooperate , ' he said , referring to eu authorities . the appropriate approach will benefit libya and its fight against terrorism . and i repeat , that means lifting sanctions against libya -- specifically those against the army . ' | gen. khalifa haftar says libya will look after ' its interests |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) the head of the libyan army has rejected the possibility of cooperating with any eu military intervention in his country intended to stem the flow of undocumented migrants trying to reach europe . in an exclusive interview friday with cnn 's becky anderson , libyan army head gen. khalifa haftar said libyan authorities had not been consulted and , in any event , military action would not solve the problem . we will certainly not cooperate , because we were not involved in resolving this issue , ' haftar said . the decision was taken without consulting the legitimate libyan side . ' the european union is struggling to cope with an increasing number of people crowding into unseaworthy boats and trying to reach european shores . many of the travelers are fleeing violence and poverty in libya and elsewhere in the region . the capsizing of one vessel last weekend left an estimated 900 people dead . eu leaders are considering a plan that would involve military action against people smugglers at the source -- before they load their boats with human cargo . of necessity , such an operation would involve operations within the territory of north african countries . but haftar expressed dismay at the prospect in his interview with cnn . military action against libyan territory is an unwise decision , ' he said . you need to deal with the libyan crisis as a whole . we are a sovereign country that needs to be respected despite what we are going through right now . ' haftar did not respond directly when he was asked whether libyan authorities would confront any european forces within its territory . the european union needs to stand with the libyan people to solve the crisis instead of taking such decisions , ' the general said . the migrant crisis affects them . but why do n't they see that our problems are also very important ? it 's important for them to support us either on the humanitarian front or on the security front . ' pressed on the point , haftar replied , we do what 's in the interest of the libyan people . the european union is looking after its own interests so we will also look after ours . ' but he said libya is open to other kinds of cooperation on the issue of migration . if they take the right approach , we will certainly cooperate , ' he said , referring to eu authorities . the appropriate approach will benefit libya and its fight against terrorism . and i repeat , that means lifting sanctions against libya -- specifically those against the army . ' | head of libyan army tells cnn libyan authorities have not been consulted |
pistorius <tsp> pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- an emotional oscar pistorius apologized monday to the family of reeva steenkamp , the girlfriend he killed on valentine 's day last year , saying he woke up thinking of them and praying for them every day . i would like to take this opportunity to apologize -- to mr. and mrs. steenkamp , to reeva 's family -- to those who are here today who knew her , ' pistorius said as he took the stand for the first time at his murder trial . i ca n't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that i have caused you and your family . ... i can promise you that when she went to bed that night , she felt loved , ' he said , his voice breaking as if he was fighting back tears . it was the first time he has spoken in public about steenkamp 's death , which he says was an accident . he pleaded not guilty to murder when the high-profile trial opened last month . steenkamp 's mother , june , sat stony-faced in court as south africa 's onetime olympic golden boy choked out his statement . judge thokozile masipa also betrayed no emotion as pistorius spoke but did once ask him to talk louder , saying she could hardly hear him . monday was the first day of the defense phase of the trial , following three weeks of prosecution in march . pistorius , who says he mistook steenkamp for an intruder in his house in the dark , testified that he has been suffering nightmares since the killing and wakes up smelling blood . he told the pretoria court that he is afraid to sleep , and if i hear noise , i wake up just in a complete state of terror . ' he said he is on medication , including an antidepressant and sleeping aids . earlier , the first defense witness , pathologist jan botha , talked about the wounds steenkamp suffered when pistorius shot her and about when she last ate . the south african amputee sprinter put his head in his hands as botha said that the shot that hit steenkamp 's arm was akin to a traumatic amputation ' and that she died fairly quickly after sustaining the head wound . ' botha went first because of family health reasons , ' roux said , breaking with the south african legal custom of the defendant testifying first . he said botha was the only defense witness who will go out of order . ' childhood remembered pistorius , 27 , is accused of intentionally murdering steenkamp , 29 . the defense team will call 14 to 17 witnesses , barry roux , pistorius'lead lawyer , said as he opened his case . the prosecution rested its case on march 25 after 15 days and 21 witnesses . oscar pistorius on trial : explore each side 's case pistorius took the stand late monday morning after the pathologist finished his testimony . roux spent much of the day trying to build up a picture of pistorius as a dedicated athlete , responsible person and devoted christian who was bowled over ' by his love for steenkamp . pistorius was also prompted to talk about his awareness of crime , including having come to the aid of victims of crime . talking about his childhood , pistorius said his mother kept a firearm in a padded bag under her pillow . his father was often not around , and pistorius said his mother would sometimes wake her children up , thinking they were being burgled . he said she was very supportive of him and never made me feel any different from the rest of the kids . ' everything i learned in life , i learned from her , ' he said . he spoke about her death when he was 15 and attending boarding school . he did not know she was sick until he got a call asking him to come visit her at a hospital , he said . later , he got a call from doctors telling him to come immediately and arrived when she was on her deathbed . she died 10 minutes after he arrived , pistorius testified . she had encouraged him to be a normal child and participate in sports despite his disability , he said . roux took him through his athletic triumphs , including his success as a paralympic sprinter , but also highlighted times he felt vulnerable or afraid . he was badly injured in a boating accident in 2009 , he said , which left him a lot more vigilant about losing my life ... more fearful . ' and he said he can not stand still without his prosthetics on . i do n't have balance on my stumps , ' he said . i ca n't stand still on my stumps . ' that could be a key to his defense . he says he fired his gun because he would have been unable to defend himself or run away when he heard what he thought was a burglar . roux asked for court to adjourn for the day about 20 minutes early after pistorius testified that he did not sleep the previous night . prosecutor gerrie nel seemed to be on the verge of objecting when masipa intervened , saying , he does look exhausted . ' the trial is due to resume tuesday morning . trial to last until mid-may pistorius admits that he killed steenkamp , firing four shots through a closed door in his house in the early hours of february 14 , 2013 . three hit her , with the last one probably killing her almost instantly , according to the pathologist who performed the autopsy . but pistorius says he thought she was a nighttime intruder in his pitch-black house and believed he was firing in self-defense . the trial , which began on march 3 , is scheduled to continue until the middle of may . pistorius first achieved global fame as an outstanding double-amputee sprinter who ran with special prostheses that earned him the nickname blade runner . ' masipa will decide the verdict in collaboration with two experts called assessors . south africa does not have jury trials . in south africa , premeditated murder carries a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison . pistorius also could get five years for each of two unrelated gun indictments and 15 years for a firearms charge he also faces . if he is n't convicted of premeditated murder , the sprinter could face a lesser charge of culpable homicide , a crime based on negligence . the sentence for culpable homicide is at the judge 's discretion . reeva to oscar pistorius :'i 'm scared of you sometimes' gory details lend oscar pistorius trial a'csi'flavor ex-police commander 's testimony aids defense at oscar pistorius'murder trial cnn 's richard allen greene reported and wrote from london ; nicola goulding reported from pretoria , south africa ; and emily smith reported from atlanta . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian and legal analyst kelly phelps contributed to this report . | pistorius says he thought steenkamp was an intruder and shot in self-defense |
pistorius <tsp> pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- an emotional oscar pistorius apologized monday to the family of reeva steenkamp , the girlfriend he killed on valentine 's day last year , saying he woke up thinking of them and praying for them every day . i would like to take this opportunity to apologize -- to mr. and mrs. steenkamp , to reeva 's family -- to those who are here today who knew her , ' pistorius said as he took the stand for the first time at his murder trial . i ca n't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that i have caused you and your family . ... i can promise you that when she went to bed that night , she felt loved , ' he said , his voice breaking as if he was fighting back tears . it was the first time he has spoken in public about steenkamp 's death , which he says was an accident . he pleaded not guilty to murder when the high-profile trial opened last month . steenkamp 's mother , june , sat stony-faced in court as south africa 's onetime olympic golden boy choked out his statement . judge thokozile masipa also betrayed no emotion as pistorius spoke but did once ask him to talk louder , saying she could hardly hear him . monday was the first day of the defense phase of the trial , following three weeks of prosecution in march . pistorius , who says he mistook steenkamp for an intruder in his house in the dark , testified that he has been suffering nightmares since the killing and wakes up smelling blood . he told the pretoria court that he is afraid to sleep , and if i hear noise , i wake up just in a complete state of terror . ' he said he is on medication , including an antidepressant and sleeping aids . earlier , the first defense witness , pathologist jan botha , talked about the wounds steenkamp suffered when pistorius shot her and about when she last ate . the south african amputee sprinter put his head in his hands as botha said that the shot that hit steenkamp 's arm was akin to a traumatic amputation ' and that she died fairly quickly after sustaining the head wound . ' botha went first because of family health reasons , ' roux said , breaking with the south african legal custom of the defendant testifying first . he said botha was the only defense witness who will go out of order . ' childhood remembered pistorius , 27 , is accused of intentionally murdering steenkamp , 29 . the defense team will call 14 to 17 witnesses , barry roux , pistorius'lead lawyer , said as he opened his case . the prosecution rested its case on march 25 after 15 days and 21 witnesses . oscar pistorius on trial : explore each side 's case pistorius took the stand late monday morning after the pathologist finished his testimony . roux spent much of the day trying to build up a picture of pistorius as a dedicated athlete , responsible person and devoted christian who was bowled over ' by his love for steenkamp . pistorius was also prompted to talk about his awareness of crime , including having come to the aid of victims of crime . talking about his childhood , pistorius said his mother kept a firearm in a padded bag under her pillow . his father was often not around , and pistorius said his mother would sometimes wake her children up , thinking they were being burgled . he said she was very supportive of him and never made me feel any different from the rest of the kids . ' everything i learned in life , i learned from her , ' he said . he spoke about her death when he was 15 and attending boarding school . he did not know she was sick until he got a call asking him to come visit her at a hospital , he said . later , he got a call from doctors telling him to come immediately and arrived when she was on her deathbed . she died 10 minutes after he arrived , pistorius testified . she had encouraged him to be a normal child and participate in sports despite his disability , he said . roux took him through his athletic triumphs , including his success as a paralympic sprinter , but also highlighted times he felt vulnerable or afraid . he was badly injured in a boating accident in 2009 , he said , which left him a lot more vigilant about losing my life ... more fearful . ' and he said he can not stand still without his prosthetics on . i do n't have balance on my stumps , ' he said . i ca n't stand still on my stumps . ' that could be a key to his defense . he says he fired his gun because he would have been unable to defend himself or run away when he heard what he thought was a burglar . roux asked for court to adjourn for the day about 20 minutes early after pistorius testified that he did not sleep the previous night . prosecutor gerrie nel seemed to be on the verge of objecting when masipa intervened , saying , he does look exhausted . ' the trial is due to resume tuesday morning . trial to last until mid-may pistorius admits that he killed steenkamp , firing four shots through a closed door in his house in the early hours of february 14 , 2013 . three hit her , with the last one probably killing her almost instantly , according to the pathologist who performed the autopsy . but pistorius says he thought she was a nighttime intruder in his pitch-black house and believed he was firing in self-defense . the trial , which began on march 3 , is scheduled to continue until the middle of may . pistorius first achieved global fame as an outstanding double-amputee sprinter who ran with special prostheses that earned him the nickname blade runner . ' masipa will decide the verdict in collaboration with two experts called assessors . south africa does not have jury trials . in south africa , premeditated murder carries a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison . pistorius also could get five years for each of two unrelated gun indictments and 15 years for a firearms charge he also faces . if he is n't convicted of premeditated murder , the sprinter could face a lesser charge of culpable homicide , a crime based on negligence . the sentence for culpable homicide is at the judge 's discretion . reeva to oscar pistorius :'i 'm scared of you sometimes' gory details lend oscar pistorius trial a'csi'flavor ex-police commander 's testimony aids defense at oscar pistorius'murder trial cnn 's richard allen greene reported and wrote from london ; nicola goulding reported from pretoria , south africa ; and emily smith reported from atlanta . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian and legal analyst kelly phelps contributed to this report . | oscar pistorius starts with apology , saying he can not imagine the pain he caused |
pistorius <tsp> pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- an emotional oscar pistorius apologized monday to the family of reeva steenkamp , the girlfriend he killed on valentine 's day last year , saying he woke up thinking of them and praying for them every day . i would like to take this opportunity to apologize -- to mr. and mrs. steenkamp , to reeva 's family -- to those who are here today who knew her , ' pistorius said as he took the stand for the first time at his murder trial . i ca n't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that i have caused you and your family . ... i can promise you that when she went to bed that night , she felt loved , ' he said , his voice breaking as if he was fighting back tears . it was the first time he has spoken in public about steenkamp 's death , which he says was an accident . he pleaded not guilty to murder when the high-profile trial opened last month . steenkamp 's mother , june , sat stony-faced in court as south africa 's onetime olympic golden boy choked out his statement . judge thokozile masipa also betrayed no emotion as pistorius spoke but did once ask him to talk louder , saying she could hardly hear him . monday was the first day of the defense phase of the trial , following three weeks of prosecution in march . pistorius , who says he mistook steenkamp for an intruder in his house in the dark , testified that he has been suffering nightmares since the killing and wakes up smelling blood . he told the pretoria court that he is afraid to sleep , and if i hear noise , i wake up just in a complete state of terror . ' he said he is on medication , including an antidepressant and sleeping aids . earlier , the first defense witness , pathologist jan botha , talked about the wounds steenkamp suffered when pistorius shot her and about when she last ate . the south african amputee sprinter put his head in his hands as botha said that the shot that hit steenkamp 's arm was akin to a traumatic amputation ' and that she died fairly quickly after sustaining the head wound . ' botha went first because of family health reasons , ' roux said , breaking with the south african legal custom of the defendant testifying first . he said botha was the only defense witness who will go out of order . ' childhood remembered pistorius , 27 , is accused of intentionally murdering steenkamp , 29 . the defense team will call 14 to 17 witnesses , barry roux , pistorius'lead lawyer , said as he opened his case . the prosecution rested its case on march 25 after 15 days and 21 witnesses . oscar pistorius on trial : explore each side 's case pistorius took the stand late monday morning after the pathologist finished his testimony . roux spent much of the day trying to build up a picture of pistorius as a dedicated athlete , responsible person and devoted christian who was bowled over ' by his love for steenkamp . pistorius was also prompted to talk about his awareness of crime , including having come to the aid of victims of crime . talking about his childhood , pistorius said his mother kept a firearm in a padded bag under her pillow . his father was often not around , and pistorius said his mother would sometimes wake her children up , thinking they were being burgled . he said she was very supportive of him and never made me feel any different from the rest of the kids . ' everything i learned in life , i learned from her , ' he said . he spoke about her death when he was 15 and attending boarding school . he did not know she was sick until he got a call asking him to come visit her at a hospital , he said . later , he got a call from doctors telling him to come immediately and arrived when she was on her deathbed . she died 10 minutes after he arrived , pistorius testified . she had encouraged him to be a normal child and participate in sports despite his disability , he said . roux took him through his athletic triumphs , including his success as a paralympic sprinter , but also highlighted times he felt vulnerable or afraid . he was badly injured in a boating accident in 2009 , he said , which left him a lot more vigilant about losing my life ... more fearful . ' and he said he can not stand still without his prosthetics on . i do n't have balance on my stumps , ' he said . i ca n't stand still on my stumps . ' that could be a key to his defense . he says he fired his gun because he would have been unable to defend himself or run away when he heard what he thought was a burglar . roux asked for court to adjourn for the day about 20 minutes early after pistorius testified that he did not sleep the previous night . prosecutor gerrie nel seemed to be on the verge of objecting when masipa intervened , saying , he does look exhausted . ' the trial is due to resume tuesday morning . trial to last until mid-may pistorius admits that he killed steenkamp , firing four shots through a closed door in his house in the early hours of february 14 , 2013 . three hit her , with the last one probably killing her almost instantly , according to the pathologist who performed the autopsy . but pistorius says he thought she was a nighttime intruder in his pitch-black house and believed he was firing in self-defense . the trial , which began on march 3 , is scheduled to continue until the middle of may . pistorius first achieved global fame as an outstanding double-amputee sprinter who ran with special prostheses that earned him the nickname blade runner . ' masipa will decide the verdict in collaboration with two experts called assessors . south africa does not have jury trials . in south africa , premeditated murder carries a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison . pistorius also could get five years for each of two unrelated gun indictments and 15 years for a firearms charge he also faces . if he is n't convicted of premeditated murder , the sprinter could face a lesser charge of culpable homicide , a crime based on negligence . the sentence for culpable homicide is at the judge 's discretion . reeva to oscar pistorius :'i 'm scared of you sometimes' gory details lend oscar pistorius trial a'csi'flavor ex-police commander 's testimony aids defense at oscar pistorius'murder trial cnn 's richard allen greene reported and wrote from london ; nicola goulding reported from pretoria , south africa ; and emily smith reported from atlanta . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian and legal analyst kelly phelps contributed to this report . | pistorius defense teams will call 14 to 17 witnesses , lawyer barry roux says |
bernice king <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- calling the latest battle over the rev . martin luther king jr. 's possessions a spiritually violent ' moment in her family 's history , the civil rights icon 's sole surviving daughter said thursday she already had won the moral high ground , ' regardless of a court 's decision . at issue are her father 's 1964 nobel peace prize and traveling bible , used to swear in president barack obama for his second term . bernice king declined to hand the items over on wednesday , as mandated in a february court order . she has previously said her brothers would sell the items if she gave them up . the fulton county superior court in georgia extended the deadline for king to produce the items until monday , saying it would hold them in a safe-deposit box until the litigation between king and her brothers is settled . i must say it is deep-in-my-soul difficult to place my father 's prized , precious heirlooms under the custody of the state , even if only for a season , ' she told supporters who gathered at atlanta 's historic ebenezer baptist church . yet i recognize that justice and righteousness are not always aligned , ' she continued , and there 's often a disconnect between god 's law and man 's law . as dad said ,'we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope .' king said she was led by the holy spirit to comply ' with the new monday deadline . king further told the assembled crowd , made up of supporters and civil rights activists , that the public tug-of-war was a defining moment for our family ' and an embarrassing chapter in our family 's history . ' she pleaded with her brothers , who were not in attendance , and any prospective buyers to step up to reason and do what your consciousness says is right . ' according to an affidavit filed in the lawsuit , king wrote an e-mail to her brother dexter in 2007 , saying she was ok with selling some of her father 's possessions . she now says the bible and nobel prize are too sacred to part with . emphasizing her deep love for her brothers , bernice king said she 'd ask them to reconsider their stance on the heirlooms and noted that only one brother would need to agree to keep the items in the family . however , bernice king told cnn she did not foresee her and her brothers reaching any middle ground . she has not spoken to them in some time , she said . cnn 's attempts to reach the attorney for the martin luther king estate were not immediately successful . the three king siblings make up the surviving board of the estate . they took a vote before the lawsuit over whether to sell the items , which bernice king lost 1-2 . the king brothers say that the future of the estate would be threatened if a sale could not be made . no prospective buyers or dollar amount have been publicly disclosed . bernice king says she wants to keep the items for reasons other than money . if it was about money , hey , i should have just been quiet and took my cut from the sale of these items , but i try to live my life on principle . ' the case is scheduled to be heard september 29 . | mlk siblings have been feuding , and bernice king says brothers plan to sell items |
bernice king <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- calling the latest battle over the rev . martin luther king jr. 's possessions a spiritually violent ' moment in her family 's history , the civil rights icon 's sole surviving daughter said thursday she already had won the moral high ground , ' regardless of a court 's decision . at issue are her father 's 1964 nobel peace prize and traveling bible , used to swear in president barack obama for his second term . bernice king declined to hand the items over on wednesday , as mandated in a february court order . she has previously said her brothers would sell the items if she gave them up . the fulton county superior court in georgia extended the deadline for king to produce the items until monday , saying it would hold them in a safe-deposit box until the litigation between king and her brothers is settled . i must say it is deep-in-my-soul difficult to place my father 's prized , precious heirlooms under the custody of the state , even if only for a season , ' she told supporters who gathered at atlanta 's historic ebenezer baptist church . yet i recognize that justice and righteousness are not always aligned , ' she continued , and there 's often a disconnect between god 's law and man 's law . as dad said ,'we must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope .' king said she was led by the holy spirit to comply ' with the new monday deadline . king further told the assembled crowd , made up of supporters and civil rights activists , that the public tug-of-war was a defining moment for our family ' and an embarrassing chapter in our family 's history . ' she pleaded with her brothers , who were not in attendance , and any prospective buyers to step up to reason and do what your consciousness says is right . ' according to an affidavit filed in the lawsuit , king wrote an e-mail to her brother dexter in 2007 , saying she was ok with selling some of her father 's possessions . she now says the bible and nobel prize are too sacred to part with . emphasizing her deep love for her brothers , bernice king said she 'd ask them to reconsider their stance on the heirlooms and noted that only one brother would need to agree to keep the items in the family . however , bernice king told cnn she did not foresee her and her brothers reaching any middle ground . she has not spoken to them in some time , she said . cnn 's attempts to reach the attorney for the martin luther king estate were not immediately successful . the three king siblings make up the surviving board of the estate . they took a vote before the lawsuit over whether to sell the items , which bernice king lost 1-2 . the king brothers say that the future of the estate would be threatened if a sale could not be made . no prospective buyers or dollar amount have been publicly disclosed . bernice king says she wants to keep the items for reasons other than money . if it was about money , hey , i should have just been quiet and took my cut from the sale of these items , but i try to live my life on principle . ' the case is scheduled to be heard september 29 . | bernice king says it 's deep-in-my-soul difficult ' to hand over precious heirlooms |
nevada <tsp> las vegas , nevada ( cnn ) -- nevada republican senate candidate sharron angle just might be the tea party 's biggest gamble yet . a staunch conservative with a history of making bold and sometimes controversial comments , angle insists her comments have been taken out of context in her campaign to oust senate majority leader harry reid in upcoming midterm congressional elections . i 'll be a mainstream senator , ' said angle . a grandmother of 10 children who secured the backing of tea party leaders on her way to winning the gop nomination for u.s. senate , angle has been both praised and criticized for her views . in past remarks during the campaign , angle has said social security and medicare should be phased out . she 's also advocated the elimination of the departments of education and energy , the environmental protection agency and the irs . angle established herself as an ardent conservative during her six-year tenure in the nevada state assembly . sharron angle was the tea party before the tea party existed , ' nevada political journalist jon ralston said of the republican , adding she was a far right ' candidate . while angle 's controversial stances have bolstered her standing with the tea party , they have provided fodder for democrats , who perceive the 60-year-old tea party candidate a threat to one of washington 's most prominent democrats . in response , reid has called his opponent too extreme ' in tv ads airing across the state , and even president obama weighed in at a july event for reid , saying , [ angle ] favors an approach that 's even more extreme than the republicans we 've got in washington . that 's saying something . ' when cnn caught up with angle at one of her las vegas , nevada , campaign stops , she complained some of her more controversial statements had been taken out of context . as you speak , as we 're conversationally speaking , sometimes when you pick out words , they 're not the best words you could have used , ' she told cnn in a rare one-on-one interview . when taken out of context , you can make anybody look like they do n't know what they 're talking about , ' she said . it 's a little hard to take out of context when they say they want to phase out social security , ' reid responded to cnn . her words are what she is . my words are what i am . so i do n't think you can run from what you say and what you do . ' angle has also made some contentious comments on friendly conservative talk radio programs , which have bolstered her detractors'views that she is an extremist . in a january appearance on the reno , nevada-based bill manders show , angle implied the purpose of the second amendment right to bear arms might be to keep the federal government in check . i 'm hoping that we 're not getting to second amendment remedies . i hope that the vote will be the cure for the harry reid problems , ' she said , generating a slew of questions about her intent . when cnn asked about angle 's ominous-sounding warning , she laughed off the notion she was promoting an armed revolution . those are not the issues people are concerned about . they 're concerned about our economy , our homes , our jobs . that 's what people are concerned about , ' she said , not offering an explanation of her remarks . cnn also asked angle about her affirmation of the same conservative host 's observation that there are home-born , homegrown ' enemies operating in congress . the larger focus of that conversation is what has happened domestically here and our country for the last 18 months , ' angle said , pointing out that no names were mentioned during the conversation , and again not addressing directly the intent of her statement . it 's easy to see how angle 's staunch views appeal to the tea party , but even some of her fellow nevada republicans are wary that she is too conservative . in an interview with cnn affiliate klas , reno mayor bob cashell , who is a republican from angle 's hometown , called angle an ultra-right winger ' who he will not support in november . another prominent nevada republican , former rep. barbara vucanovich described angle as rigid ' in her beliefs in an interview to the las vegas review journal . she 's a very difficult person . she 's very positive in her own way , but when you 're elected you have to work for everybody , ' vucanovich told the newspaper . but it 's not just politicians who are concerned . in a poll released by the las vegas review journal on august 27 , 71 percent of nevada republicans admit they would prefer to see a different republican candidate take on reid . of those republicans who voted for angle in the primary election , 66 percent now say they 'd like another nominee . reid fares better with his own party , but is still far from a perfect candidate in the eyes of nevada voters , many of whom see the high-profile democrat as a washington insider who brokered deals infamously known as the cornhusker kickback ' and the louisiana purchase ' to pass health care reform . harry reid is the most negatively viewed person in this state and there is a hardened opposition to him . i think sharron angle could be arrested for a felony tomorrow and still get percent 40 percent of the vote , ' ralston told cnn . that explains why , despite angle 's controversial candidacy , polls show nevada voters evenly split between the extremist ' challenger and the establishment ' senator . the high-profile race is considered a statistical dead heat where , even in the gambling capital of the world , there is no odds-on favorite , making it a bellwether of just how influential the tea party might be in future elections . | despite her controversial candidacy , polls show nevada voters split between angle and reid |
nevada <tsp> las vegas , nevada ( cnn ) -- nevada republican senate candidate sharron angle just might be the tea party 's biggest gamble yet . a staunch conservative with a history of making bold and sometimes controversial comments , angle insists her comments have been taken out of context in her campaign to oust senate majority leader harry reid in upcoming midterm congressional elections . i 'll be a mainstream senator , ' said angle . a grandmother of 10 children who secured the backing of tea party leaders on her way to winning the gop nomination for u.s. senate , angle has been both praised and criticized for her views . in past remarks during the campaign , angle has said social security and medicare should be phased out . she 's also advocated the elimination of the departments of education and energy , the environmental protection agency and the irs . angle established herself as an ardent conservative during her six-year tenure in the nevada state assembly . sharron angle was the tea party before the tea party existed , ' nevada political journalist jon ralston said of the republican , adding she was a far right ' candidate . while angle 's controversial stances have bolstered her standing with the tea party , they have provided fodder for democrats , who perceive the 60-year-old tea party candidate a threat to one of washington 's most prominent democrats . in response , reid has called his opponent too extreme ' in tv ads airing across the state , and even president obama weighed in at a july event for reid , saying , [ angle ] favors an approach that 's even more extreme than the republicans we 've got in washington . that 's saying something . ' when cnn caught up with angle at one of her las vegas , nevada , campaign stops , she complained some of her more controversial statements had been taken out of context . as you speak , as we 're conversationally speaking , sometimes when you pick out words , they 're not the best words you could have used , ' she told cnn in a rare one-on-one interview . when taken out of context , you can make anybody look like they do n't know what they 're talking about , ' she said . it 's a little hard to take out of context when they say they want to phase out social security , ' reid responded to cnn . her words are what she is . my words are what i am . so i do n't think you can run from what you say and what you do . ' angle has also made some contentious comments on friendly conservative talk radio programs , which have bolstered her detractors'views that she is an extremist . in a january appearance on the reno , nevada-based bill manders show , angle implied the purpose of the second amendment right to bear arms might be to keep the federal government in check . i 'm hoping that we 're not getting to second amendment remedies . i hope that the vote will be the cure for the harry reid problems , ' she said , generating a slew of questions about her intent . when cnn asked about angle 's ominous-sounding warning , she laughed off the notion she was promoting an armed revolution . those are not the issues people are concerned about . they 're concerned about our economy , our homes , our jobs . that 's what people are concerned about , ' she said , not offering an explanation of her remarks . cnn also asked angle about her affirmation of the same conservative host 's observation that there are home-born , homegrown ' enemies operating in congress . the larger focus of that conversation is what has happened domestically here and our country for the last 18 months , ' angle said , pointing out that no names were mentioned during the conversation , and again not addressing directly the intent of her statement . it 's easy to see how angle 's staunch views appeal to the tea party , but even some of her fellow nevada republicans are wary that she is too conservative . in an interview with cnn affiliate klas , reno mayor bob cashell , who is a republican from angle 's hometown , called angle an ultra-right winger ' who he will not support in november . another prominent nevada republican , former rep. barbara vucanovich described angle as rigid ' in her beliefs in an interview to the las vegas review journal . she 's a very difficult person . she 's very positive in her own way , but when you 're elected you have to work for everybody , ' vucanovich told the newspaper . but it 's not just politicians who are concerned . in a poll released by the las vegas review journal on august 27 , 71 percent of nevada republicans admit they would prefer to see a different republican candidate take on reid . of those republicans who voted for angle in the primary election , 66 percent now say they 'd like another nominee . reid fares better with his own party , but is still far from a perfect candidate in the eyes of nevada voters , many of whom see the high-profile democrat as a washington insider who brokered deals infamously known as the cornhusker kickback ' and the louisiana purchase ' to pass health care reform . harry reid is the most negatively viewed person in this state and there is a hardened opposition to him . i think sharron angle could be arrested for a felony tomorrow and still get percent 40 percent of the vote , ' ralston told cnn . that explains why , despite angle 's controversial candidacy , polls show nevada voters evenly split between the extremist ' challenger and the establishment ' senator . the high-profile race is considered a statistical dead heat where , even in the gambling capital of the world , there is no odds-on favorite , making it a bellwether of just how influential the tea party might be in future elections . | angle challenging senate majority leader harry reid in nevada |
ayatollah ruhollah khomeini <tsp> ( cnn ) -- they may wear a uniform , or ordinary street clothes . their numbers are unclear . they rush the streets with brute strength . members of the basij militia enter tehran university , where students were protesting on monday . they are the basij , iran 's volunteer paramilitary group that for more than a week has cracked down on the thousands of protesters in the bloody aftermath of the islamic republic 's disputed presidential election . amateur video shows members of the basij , wearing plain shirts and pants and wielding clubs and hoses , dispersing protesters and beating a handful of iranians at a time . the basij militia forces tried to break up the demonstrations using batons , electric shock and water cannons , ' a student in tehran , whose name was withheld for his safety , told cnn 's don lemon on sunday . the student said he was injured at a protest by the feared militia . monday 's demonstrators dismissed a warning from the revolutionary guard that people who disturb the peace and stand up to security forces ' would be met with a strong response . the guardians of the islamic revolution and the courageous basiji together with the security forces are following the orders of the supreme leader and following him unquestioningly , ' the guard said , according to the state-run islamic republic news agency . watch protesters clash with basij militia » while the basij -- the word means mobilization ' in the farsi language -- is often described by outsiders as shadowy and mysterious , iranians have had run-ins with the militia for three decades . the basij was established in 1979 by ayatollah ruhollah khomeini , who famously declared that iran could never be destroyed with a 20-million-man militia . khomeini , who ushered in the islamic revolution that ousted iran 's ruling shah 30 years ago , felt that his country suffered from western influences that the shah embraced . he created the basij as a popular auxiliary arm of the islamic revolutionary guard , a military unit under the direct control of iran 's supreme leader , to defend the principles of the movement . the group , at least at first , was made up of men either too old or young to serve in the revolutionary guard . until now , they were perhaps best known for the human wave ' attacks during the iran-iraq war that reportedly cleared out minefields for the professional military . many of the basij reportedly received plastic keys to wear around their necks like dog tags , marking their entry to paradise ' when they died in martyrdom . basij members made up with zeal what they lacked in military professionalism , ' said michael eisenstadt , a senior fellow and director of the washington institute 's military and security studies program . after the iran-iraq war , the basij returned to its role as an internal security force to enforce islamic morality . while iran in recent years has claimed more than 12 million in the ranks of the group , middle east experts put the figure closer to 300,000 -- though they concede it 's difficult to quantify a sprawling militia that has full-time and reservist cadres . the militia is known to recruit members from rural and urban areas and to organize mainly at mosques around tehran and other major cities . watch report on basij militia » ' through the mosques , they have funds , ideological and political indoctrination and military training , ' said ali alfoneh , a fellow at the washington-based american enterprise institute who has researched the relationship between iranian civilians and the revolutionary guard . the basij has had a growing role since 2003 , when it was beefed up as a first line of defense amid suspicions of a possible u.s.-led invasion , eisenstadt said ' i think cannon fodder is a fair way to characterize them , ' said eisenstadt , who noted the militia seems to emerge during the initial moments of an uprising as the revolutionary guard and law enforcement forces organized their reaction . see timeline of events in iran » while experts say there is a hardline ideological core to basij , its members , who often come from lower-class backgrounds , are attracted to the perks that the basij ( and its superior agency , the revolutionary guard ) has to offer : a little cash , a seat at a university and a bit of authority . not every single one is devout , not every single one is ready to kill , ' said alfoneh , a native of iran . the basij noticeably took the lead in crowd control last week when tens of thousands of iranian demonstrators spilled into the streets of tehran to protest the presidential election . iran 's election authority declared hardline incumbent president mahmoud ahmadinejad as the winner of the presidential race , sparking outrage in supporters of popular opposition leader mir hossein moussavi . the first people who were really available were the basij , ' eisenstadt told cnn . there are basij bases throughout the city and beyond , and they were able to respond quickly . ' as the government got a handle on the massive demonstrations in recent days , the basij remains present and vigilant in the aftermath of the june 12 election . badi badiozamani , an iran analyst , has sifted through scores of amateur video from the frontlines of the protests . dozens of those clips show basij members , wearing black shirts and pants or plainclothes with camouflaged vests , detaining young men outside their homes as their mothers and sisters scream in the background . one clip shows a young man whose head is hooded in a dark cloth , squatting behind a car , while another man is shown face down with his hands tied behind his back . we saw that these forces took the detained person out into the alley , and into an unmarked car , ' badiozamani said . today i saw again basijis grab a young man , put him on a unmarked motorcycle and take him away . ' | mysterious militia was established in 1979 by ayatollah ruhollah khomeini |
ramina badal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the third body recovered in yosemite national park near where three hikers were swept over a waterfall in july has been identified as missing 21-year-old ramina badal , park officials said tuesday . the bodies of the other two hikers had previously been identified . in july , witnesses said the three -- two men and a woman -- climbed over the guardrail at the top of a trail and went into the gushing river that feeds the waterfall , known as vernal fall . they were quickly swept over . park officials had said previously that a body found by a park ranger on november 29 was determined to be that of ninos yacoub , 27 , of turlock , california . his body was found in the merced river about half a mile below the base of the waterfall . hidden dangers in yosemite yacoub was with hormiz david , 22 , of modesto , california , and badal , of manteca , california , when the three disappeared . david 's body was recovered in august about 240 feet from the base of the waterfall . badal 's body was found saturday in the same general location where yacoub 's body was discovered , park officials said . | ramina badal , 21 , was one of three hikers swept over a waterfall in july |
turks <tsp> ankara , turkey ( cnn ) -- president obama ended his first overseas trip in turkey -- a location he said he chose to send a clear message . president obama and turkish president abdullah gul hold a joint news conference monday . i 'm trying to make a statement about the importance of turkey , not just to the united states but to the world , ' obama said at a joint news conference monday with turkish president abdullah gul . this is a country that has been often said lies at the crossroads between east and west . it 's a country that possesses an extraordinarily rich heritage but also represents a blend of those ancient traditions with a modern nation state that respects democracy , respects rule of law and is striving toward a modern economy . ' obama said monday that the united states and turkey can send a powerful message to the world through their friendship . i think that where there 's the most promise of building stronger u.s.-turkish relations is in the recognition that turkey and the united states can build a model partnership in which a predominantly christian nation , a predominantly muslim nation -- a western nation and a nation that straddles two continents , ' he continued , that we can create a modern international community that is respectful , that is secure , that is prosperous , that there are not tensions -- inevitable tensions between cultures -- which i think is extraordinarily important . ' watch obama on the importance of the u.s.-turkish relationship » u.s. approval ratings among turks hit dismal lows throughout the bush administration , largely because of the war in neighboring iraq , which was widely unpopular in turkey . the turks seem to be captivated , however , by the new american president , according to one influential newspaper . on monday , the hurriyet published a front-page headline saying , welcome mr. president . ... our hearts have been broken over the last eight years , now it is time to mend hearts . ' middle east analyst reza aslan said monday that following years of frosty relations , obama wants to strengthen ties with turkey to send a signal to other muslim nations . turkey is the most important majority-muslim state when it comes to the united states'interest in the region , ' he said . he wants to make the u.s.-turkey relations the bedrock for the way in which he 's going to reach out to the rest of the muslim world , ' aslan added . obama said monday that one of the great strengths of the united states ' is that it does not consider itself a christian nation or a jewish nation or a muslim nation . we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values . i think modern turkey was founded with a similar set of principles . ' in an address before the turkish parliament later monday , obama acknowledged that the trust that binds the united states and turkey has been strained , and i know that strain is shared in many places where the muslim faith is practiced . ' obama said , so let me say this as clearly as i can : the united states is not and will never be at war with islam . ' watch what obama says about islam » on his first presidential visit to a muslim country , obama highlighted that he too had muslims in his family and had lived in a muslim-majority country . obama also called on turkey , nato 's only muslim member country , to work side by side with the united states to resolve conflicts across the turbulent middle east . the president reiterated american support for turkey 's bid to join the european union , a position that was recently criticized by french president nicolas sarkozy . former u.s. defense secretary william cohen said obama 's visit to turkey is an important step for the president . ' turkey is a very important country -- one of our critical members of nato . they play an important role in helping to support troops in both iraq and afghanistan . they will hopefully play a role in helping to bring about a middle east peace settlement , ' he said . turkey sends a very important signal to the rest of the muslim world that the united states is not anti-muslim as so many have thought we have been , but rather here is a very strong muslim nation that is working hand in hand with the united states , ' cohen said . obama on monday avoided pushing for a pledge he made during his presidential campaign to recognize officially the massacre of ethnic armenians in 1915 as a genocide . turkey vehemently denies armenian claims that 1 million armenians were killed in the last days of the ottoman empire . instead , the american president highlighted recent diplomatic progress made between the governments of turkey and armenia , saying he was not interested in the u.s. tilting this negotiation in any way . ' turkey and armenia do not have formal diplomatic relations and their borders are closed . however , last fall the turkish president went to a soccer match in armenia , and armenia 's top diplomat was expected to attend a u.n.-sponsored alliance of civilizations ' forum monday in istanbul , turkey . obama hinted that a major diplomatic breakthrough between the two rivals may come soon . my sense is they are moving forward quickly , ' he said at an earlier press conference with gul . i do n't want to pre-empt any arrangements that could be made in the near future . ' cnn 's ivan watson contributed to this report . | u.s. approval ratings among turks hit low during bush administration |
obama <tsp> ankara , turkey ( cnn ) -- president obama ended his first overseas trip in turkey -- a location he said he chose to send a clear message . president obama and turkish president abdullah gul hold a joint news conference monday . i 'm trying to make a statement about the importance of turkey , not just to the united states but to the world , ' obama said at a joint news conference monday with turkish president abdullah gul . this is a country that has been often said lies at the crossroads between east and west . it 's a country that possesses an extraordinarily rich heritage but also represents a blend of those ancient traditions with a modern nation state that respects democracy , respects rule of law and is striving toward a modern economy . ' obama said monday that the united states and turkey can send a powerful message to the world through their friendship . i think that where there 's the most promise of building stronger u.s.-turkish relations is in the recognition that turkey and the united states can build a model partnership in which a predominantly christian nation , a predominantly muslim nation -- a western nation and a nation that straddles two continents , ' he continued , that we can create a modern international community that is respectful , that is secure , that is prosperous , that there are not tensions -- inevitable tensions between cultures -- which i think is extraordinarily important . ' watch obama on the importance of the u.s.-turkish relationship » u.s. approval ratings among turks hit dismal lows throughout the bush administration , largely because of the war in neighboring iraq , which was widely unpopular in turkey . the turks seem to be captivated , however , by the new american president , according to one influential newspaper . on monday , the hurriyet published a front-page headline saying , welcome mr. president . ... our hearts have been broken over the last eight years , now it is time to mend hearts . ' middle east analyst reza aslan said monday that following years of frosty relations , obama wants to strengthen ties with turkey to send a signal to other muslim nations . turkey is the most important majority-muslim state when it comes to the united states'interest in the region , ' he said . he wants to make the u.s.-turkey relations the bedrock for the way in which he 's going to reach out to the rest of the muslim world , ' aslan added . obama said monday that one of the great strengths of the united states ' is that it does not consider itself a christian nation or a jewish nation or a muslim nation . we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values . i think modern turkey was founded with a similar set of principles . ' in an address before the turkish parliament later monday , obama acknowledged that the trust that binds the united states and turkey has been strained , and i know that strain is shared in many places where the muslim faith is practiced . ' obama said , so let me say this as clearly as i can : the united states is not and will never be at war with islam . ' watch what obama says about islam » on his first presidential visit to a muslim country , obama highlighted that he too had muslims in his family and had lived in a muslim-majority country . obama also called on turkey , nato 's only muslim member country , to work side by side with the united states to resolve conflicts across the turbulent middle east . the president reiterated american support for turkey 's bid to join the european union , a position that was recently criticized by french president nicolas sarkozy . former u.s. defense secretary william cohen said obama 's visit to turkey is an important step for the president . ' turkey is a very important country -- one of our critical members of nato . they play an important role in helping to support troops in both iraq and afghanistan . they will hopefully play a role in helping to bring about a middle east peace settlement , ' he said . turkey sends a very important signal to the rest of the muslim world that the united states is not anti-muslim as so many have thought we have been , but rather here is a very strong muslim nation that is working hand in hand with the united states , ' cohen said . obama on monday avoided pushing for a pledge he made during his presidential campaign to recognize officially the massacre of ethnic armenians in 1915 as a genocide . turkey vehemently denies armenian claims that 1 million armenians were killed in the last days of the ottoman empire . instead , the american president highlighted recent diplomatic progress made between the governments of turkey and armenia , saying he was not interested in the u.s. tilting this negotiation in any way . ' turkey and armenia do not have formal diplomatic relations and their borders are closed . however , last fall the turkish president went to a soccer match in armenia , and armenia 's top diplomat was expected to attend a u.n.-sponsored alliance of civilizations ' forum monday in istanbul , turkey . obama hinted that a major diplomatic breakthrough between the two rivals may come soon . my sense is they are moving forward quickly , ' he said at an earlier press conference with gul . i do n't want to pre-empt any arrangements that could be made in the near future . ' cnn 's ivan watson contributed to this report . | obama on first state visit to largely muslim nation |
obama <tsp> ankara , turkey ( cnn ) -- president obama ended his first overseas trip in turkey -- a location he said he chose to send a clear message . president obama and turkish president abdullah gul hold a joint news conference monday . i 'm trying to make a statement about the importance of turkey , not just to the united states but to the world , ' obama said at a joint news conference monday with turkish president abdullah gul . this is a country that has been often said lies at the crossroads between east and west . it 's a country that possesses an extraordinarily rich heritage but also represents a blend of those ancient traditions with a modern nation state that respects democracy , respects rule of law and is striving toward a modern economy . ' obama said monday that the united states and turkey can send a powerful message to the world through their friendship . i think that where there 's the most promise of building stronger u.s.-turkish relations is in the recognition that turkey and the united states can build a model partnership in which a predominantly christian nation , a predominantly muslim nation -- a western nation and a nation that straddles two continents , ' he continued , that we can create a modern international community that is respectful , that is secure , that is prosperous , that there are not tensions -- inevitable tensions between cultures -- which i think is extraordinarily important . ' watch obama on the importance of the u.s.-turkish relationship » u.s. approval ratings among turks hit dismal lows throughout the bush administration , largely because of the war in neighboring iraq , which was widely unpopular in turkey . the turks seem to be captivated , however , by the new american president , according to one influential newspaper . on monday , the hurriyet published a front-page headline saying , welcome mr. president . ... our hearts have been broken over the last eight years , now it is time to mend hearts . ' middle east analyst reza aslan said monday that following years of frosty relations , obama wants to strengthen ties with turkey to send a signal to other muslim nations . turkey is the most important majority-muslim state when it comes to the united states'interest in the region , ' he said . he wants to make the u.s.-turkey relations the bedrock for the way in which he 's going to reach out to the rest of the muslim world , ' aslan added . obama said monday that one of the great strengths of the united states ' is that it does not consider itself a christian nation or a jewish nation or a muslim nation . we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values . i think modern turkey was founded with a similar set of principles . ' in an address before the turkish parliament later monday , obama acknowledged that the trust that binds the united states and turkey has been strained , and i know that strain is shared in many places where the muslim faith is practiced . ' obama said , so let me say this as clearly as i can : the united states is not and will never be at war with islam . ' watch what obama says about islam » on his first presidential visit to a muslim country , obama highlighted that he too had muslims in his family and had lived in a muslim-majority country . obama also called on turkey , nato 's only muslim member country , to work side by side with the united states to resolve conflicts across the turbulent middle east . the president reiterated american support for turkey 's bid to join the european union , a position that was recently criticized by french president nicolas sarkozy . former u.s. defense secretary william cohen said obama 's visit to turkey is an important step for the president . ' turkey is a very important country -- one of our critical members of nato . they play an important role in helping to support troops in both iraq and afghanistan . they will hopefully play a role in helping to bring about a middle east peace settlement , ' he said . turkey sends a very important signal to the rest of the muslim world that the united states is not anti-muslim as so many have thought we have been , but rather here is a very strong muslim nation that is working hand in hand with the united states , ' cohen said . obama on monday avoided pushing for a pledge he made during his presidential campaign to recognize officially the massacre of ethnic armenians in 1915 as a genocide . turkey vehemently denies armenian claims that 1 million armenians were killed in the last days of the ottoman empire . instead , the american president highlighted recent diplomatic progress made between the governments of turkey and armenia , saying he was not interested in the u.s. tilting this negotiation in any way . ' turkey and armenia do not have formal diplomatic relations and their borders are closed . however , last fall the turkish president went to a soccer match in armenia , and armenia 's top diplomat was expected to attend a u.n.-sponsored alliance of civilizations ' forum monday in istanbul , turkey . obama hinted that a major diplomatic breakthrough between the two rivals may come soon . my sense is they are moving forward quickly , ' he said at an earlier press conference with gul . i do n't want to pre-empt any arrangements that could be made in the near future . ' cnn 's ivan watson contributed to this report . | president obama : u.s. a nation of citizens , not any particular religion |
obama <tsp> ankara , turkey ( cnn ) -- president obama ended his first overseas trip in turkey -- a location he said he chose to send a clear message . president obama and turkish president abdullah gul hold a joint news conference monday . i 'm trying to make a statement about the importance of turkey , not just to the united states but to the world , ' obama said at a joint news conference monday with turkish president abdullah gul . this is a country that has been often said lies at the crossroads between east and west . it 's a country that possesses an extraordinarily rich heritage but also represents a blend of those ancient traditions with a modern nation state that respects democracy , respects rule of law and is striving toward a modern economy . ' obama said monday that the united states and turkey can send a powerful message to the world through their friendship . i think that where there 's the most promise of building stronger u.s.-turkish relations is in the recognition that turkey and the united states can build a model partnership in which a predominantly christian nation , a predominantly muslim nation -- a western nation and a nation that straddles two continents , ' he continued , that we can create a modern international community that is respectful , that is secure , that is prosperous , that there are not tensions -- inevitable tensions between cultures -- which i think is extraordinarily important . ' watch obama on the importance of the u.s.-turkish relationship » u.s. approval ratings among turks hit dismal lows throughout the bush administration , largely because of the war in neighboring iraq , which was widely unpopular in turkey . the turks seem to be captivated , however , by the new american president , according to one influential newspaper . on monday , the hurriyet published a front-page headline saying , welcome mr. president . ... our hearts have been broken over the last eight years , now it is time to mend hearts . ' middle east analyst reza aslan said monday that following years of frosty relations , obama wants to strengthen ties with turkey to send a signal to other muslim nations . turkey is the most important majority-muslim state when it comes to the united states'interest in the region , ' he said . he wants to make the u.s.-turkey relations the bedrock for the way in which he 's going to reach out to the rest of the muslim world , ' aslan added . obama said monday that one of the great strengths of the united states ' is that it does not consider itself a christian nation or a jewish nation or a muslim nation . we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values . i think modern turkey was founded with a similar set of principles . ' in an address before the turkish parliament later monday , obama acknowledged that the trust that binds the united states and turkey has been strained , and i know that strain is shared in many places where the muslim faith is practiced . ' obama said , so let me say this as clearly as i can : the united states is not and will never be at war with islam . ' watch what obama says about islam » on his first presidential visit to a muslim country , obama highlighted that he too had muslims in his family and had lived in a muslim-majority country . obama also called on turkey , nato 's only muslim member country , to work side by side with the united states to resolve conflicts across the turbulent middle east . the president reiterated american support for turkey 's bid to join the european union , a position that was recently criticized by french president nicolas sarkozy . former u.s. defense secretary william cohen said obama 's visit to turkey is an important step for the president . ' turkey is a very important country -- one of our critical members of nato . they play an important role in helping to support troops in both iraq and afghanistan . they will hopefully play a role in helping to bring about a middle east peace settlement , ' he said . turkey sends a very important signal to the rest of the muslim world that the united states is not anti-muslim as so many have thought we have been , but rather here is a very strong muslim nation that is working hand in hand with the united states , ' cohen said . obama on monday avoided pushing for a pledge he made during his presidential campaign to recognize officially the massacre of ethnic armenians in 1915 as a genocide . turkey vehemently denies armenian claims that 1 million armenians were killed in the last days of the ottoman empire . instead , the american president highlighted recent diplomatic progress made between the governments of turkey and armenia , saying he was not interested in the u.s. tilting this negotiation in any way . ' turkey and armenia do not have formal diplomatic relations and their borders are closed . however , last fall the turkish president went to a soccer match in armenia , and armenia 's top diplomat was expected to attend a u.n.-sponsored alliance of civilizations ' forum monday in istanbul , turkey . obama hinted that a major diplomatic breakthrough between the two rivals may come soon . my sense is they are moving forward quickly , ' he said at an earlier press conference with gul . i do n't want to pre-empt any arrangements that could be made in the near future . ' cnn 's ivan watson contributed to this report . | obama says he is trying to make a statement by ending trip in turkey |
cnn student news <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- may 10 , 2013 download pdf maps related to today 's show : syria washington click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . teachers : we 're looking for your feedback about cnn student news . please use this page to leave us comments about today 's program , including what you think about our stories and our resources . also , feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom . the educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well . thank you for using cnn student news ! | use the weekly newsquiz to test your knowledge of stories you saw on cnn student news |
cnn student news <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- may 10 , 2013 download pdf maps related to today 's show : syria washington click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . teachers : we 're looking for your feedback about cnn student news . please use this page to leave us comments about today 's program , including what you think about our stories and our resources . also , feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom . the educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well . thank you for using cnn student news ! | the daily transcript is a written version of each day 's cnn student news program |
iraq <tsp> this is what an isis rout looks like in iraq : up to 300 troops killed . others missing , possibly dead or having fled . dozens of military vehicles , from tanks to ambulances , destroyed or seized . and the iraqi military in disarray , so much so the country 's prime minister has sent anti-terrorism forces ... to hold the negligent ( military ) leaders responsible . ' what happened sunday east of falluja , around military encampments in saqlawiyah and sejar , is bad enough for the iraqi government . yet what makes it worse is that it 's happened before . this latest incident was particularly galling because , according to surviving iraqi soldiers , military commanders did n't follow up on troops'pleas for airstrikes or other help , and instead stranded them . and the fact this is n't an isolated episode raises big questions about whether the iraqi military is up to the fight against isis and whether other nations -- the united states being chief among them -- should devote manpower and air power to supporting them . bill roggio -- the editor of the long war journal , which provides information and analysis on terrorists and efforts to combat them -- said thursday that those who believe iraqi troops , like moderate syrian opposition forces , can beat back isis fighters on the ground , on their own , are in for a very rude awakening . ' i think the events since the islamic state invasion , ' said roggio -- using the term that isis calls itself -- have shown the iraqi military is incapable of going toe-to-toe ( with isis ) . ' iraq 's military has been overrun before isis , which is also sometimes referred to as isil or daiish , is n't new to the fighting game . it emerged in the early 2000s as al qaeda in iraq , developing a grisly reputation for attacking u.s. and allied forces , assassinating officials and beheading hostages . a u.s.-led push significantly weakened the islamist extremist group , which contains some former members of ousted iraqi dictator saddam hussein 's military , but did n't wipe it out entirely . instead , the group was reborn as isis , then the islamic state , with a new mission to control as much territory as possible under its strict interpretation of islamic law , or sharia . in many ways , isis has succeeded . it took advantage of instability in syria to take large swaths of that country . and the group advanced into iraq , bringing with it its brutal tactics of killing men , women and children who did n't subscribe to its extreme beliefs or just got in the way . iraq , though , was n't supposed to be syria . it 's not in the middle of a bloody , complicated , years-long civil war . it has a large military that is not being challenged by opposition forces on all sides . and , in theory , this armed forces should be somewhat battle-tested from the 2000s . yet iraq 's military has n't always fared well against isis . the most glaring example came in june , when soldiers and police dropped their weapons and fled their posts in mosul , iraq 's second-largest city . militants overrun mosul , as iraqi soldiers flee since then , a lot has changed . chief among them : international forces have gotten involved . a u.s.-led coalition has conducted airstrikes against isis targets in iraq , and more recently in syria , while calling on allied iraqi troops to do their part on the ground to turn back the terrorist group . but one thing that has n't necessarily changed much is the iraqi military 's capability to do just that -- as this week 's incident showed . soldiers : no response to requests for help in a statement , isis explained that its mobilized fighters overran an iraqi military checkpoint , destroyed several tanks and cut off the iraqi military 's supply routes . then , its attack really began . an injured iraqi man -- apparently recounting the ordeal in a video posted to youtube , though his account could n't wholly be confirmed by cnn -- said he was stationed with eight other soldiers on a school 's rooftop when he saw two black humvees drive in and several men , all dressed in black , get out . thinking it was iraqi special forces , i called my commander ... and he said ,'let me check ,'' the man said . the men in black were n't iraqi special forces . the iraqi soldier said he eventually engaged the men , claiming he killed four militants before getting shot himself . he stayed there for hours , waiting for support . from 2:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. , no one came to help us , ' the man said , claiming he kept calling his commander . ... no one responded , and they sent us nothing . ' another man who said he is an iraqi soldier , featured in a video posted sunday to youtube , described how militants blew up two humvees . ( isis credited one of these blasts to a saudi man who detonated an armored vehicle with two tons of explosives . ) this second iraqi soldier said he alerted an iraqi military leader about the suicide bombing . he said ,'yes , yes , air support is on its way ,'' he added . since i made the call to him until i reached ( a ) base about three hours later , i did not see a single plane . ' two senior iraqi senior security officials in ramadi told cnn that 113 troops died in the isis attack on the sejar military base and the fate of 78 others is unknown . iraqi security forces tried , but failed , to deliver food and water to nearly 300 more stranded iraqi soldiers , the officials said . isis , meanwhile , claimed that nearly 300 iraqi troops were killed in the onslaught . it also reported destroying 65 iraqi military vehicles , including 41 humvees , and seizing 37 others . can iraqi forces defeat isis on the ground ? the whole ordeal spurred haider al-abadi -- who , as iraq 's prime minister , is also commander in chief of its military -- to issue orders to detain and interrogate the army commanders of the regiments who showed negligence , ' according to a statement issued through his military spokesman . al-abadi also called for reinforcements and supplies to the affected area , as well as intensified airstrikes . the ... commander praises the sacrifices made by the security forces stationed in combat positions and defending the homeland against terrorists , noting the battle with isis will end in victory , god willing , for iraq and its people , ' the statement said . and isis will be defeated at the hands of the brave men of our security forces . ' not everyone agrees -- at least given how things stand now on the ground . roggio notes isis has managed to defeat iraqi troops , syrian troops , other anti-government fighters in syria , and they 've done it all at the same time . ' one big thing these militants have going for them , especially compared to iraq 's military , is their ruthlessness and drive . it 's a level of commitment the iraqi forces do n't display , ' roggio said . you ca n't coach aggressiveness . ' yet the united states and others are counting on what u.s. rear adm. john kirby called competent partners on the ground ' to finish off isis and keep it at bay . he characterized the iraqi security forces capabilities thursday as a mix , ' with some doing well and others not . but even if there are failures , that does n't mean american combat troops will be fighting in iraq anytime soon . it 's going to be the iraqi security forces and the kurdish forces , ' said kirby , who is pentagon spokesman . we 're continuing to strike targets in iraq . ' how effective will airstrikes be in degrading and destroying ' isis , as u.s. officials have repeatedly stated is the end goal ? can local ground forces be counted on to do their part ? and how long will this all last ? we can continue indefinitely , ' said retired u.s. army col. peter mansoor , a cnn analyst who was gen. david petraeus'executive officer in iraq in 2007 and 2008 . but ( battling militants like isis ) is like mowing the grass . the grass will come back . ' | expert : instances like this show iraq 's military ca n't go toe-to-toe ' with isis |
berlusconi <tsp> rome ( cnn ) -- italy 's high court has upheld a prison sentence for former prime minister silvio berlusconi in a tax fraud case . the court thursday said it supported a lower court 's four-year prison sentence for berlusconi . three years of that sentence are covered in an amnesty aimed at cutting down on prison overcrowding , effectively reducing berlusconi 's sentence to one year . the high court also ordered a lower court to reconsider whether berlusconi , 76 , should be banned from public office -- a controversial issue that could play a key role in the country 's political future . a lower court convicted berlusconi of tax evasion last october , sentencing him to four years in prison and barring him from public office for five years . in may , an italian appeals court in milan upheld that decision . the former prime minister ca n't appeal the high court 's decision in the case . but it 's unlikely he 'll spend time behind bars , because of his age and the shortness of the sentence . berlusconi is a member of italy 's senate and therefore enjoys immunity from any type of arrest . the senate would have to vote to have his immunity lifted in order to serve any sentence . berlusconi , who served on and off as prime minister between 1994 and 2011 , is one of the most colorful and controversial figures in the lively history of italian politics . a look at the life of silvio berlusconi for years , he has been entangled in fraud , corruption and sex scandals that have often reached italian courts . in june , a panel of judges sentenced berlusconi to seven years in prison for abusing power and having sex with an underage prostitute . berlusconi 's attorney told reporters he plans to appeal that conviction . undaunted by the court battles , berlusconi has not only launched appeals , but in december made two significant announcements : his engagement to 27-year-old francesca pascale , and then , his political comeback . in italy 's february elections , the three-time prime minister appealed to italian voters by denouncing the unpopular austerity policies of technocrat mario monti . for all his critics , berlusconi won almost 30 % of the vote in february and remains an influential figure in prime minister enrico letta 's fragile coalition government . cnn 's becky anderson , peter wilkinson and paul armstrong contributed to this report . | berlusconi 's conviction is upheld , but the impact on his political career is unclear |
simona halep <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marion bartoli has retired from tennis with immediate effect , just six weeks after winning her first grand slam title at wimbledon . the frenchwoman , who beat germany 's sabine lisicki to be crowned champion at the all england club , broke down in tears as she told reporters her body could no longer handle the strain of competing at the top level . the announcement came following the world no . 7 's 3-6 6-4 6-1 defeat to romania 's simona halep in the second round of the western and southern open . this was actually the last match of my career . sorry , ' the 28-year-old said during an emotional press conference in cincinnati . my body just ca n't do it anymore . i 've already been through a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year . i 've been on the tour for so long , and i really pushed through and left it all during that wimbledon . i really felt i gave all the energy i have left in my body . i made my dream a reality and it will stay with me forever , but now my body just ca n't cope with everything . i have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play . i 've been doing this for so long , and body-wise i just ca n't do it anymore . ' bartoli had not planned on calling time on her career prior to the match , but she knew once the contest had finished that it was time to hang up her racket . you never know before the match that it 's going to be your last match , ' she explained , but i just felt that way after the match . i felt i just could n't do this anymore . after one set , my whole body was just in pain . it 's been a tough decision to make . i did n't make this decision easily . i 've been a tennis player for a long time , and i had the chance to make my biggest dream a reality . i felt i really , really pushed through the ultimate limits to make it happen . but now i just ca n't do it anymore . ' bartoli turned pro in 2000 and , after battling for 13 years to win one of tennis'four grand slams , she now feels the time has earned the right to focus on other areas of her life . as a tennis player you had to be at 100 % , ' she added . i 'm the kind of person , when i 'm doing something , i 'm doing it 100 % . i have to be on the practice court preparing for the next tournament tomorrow . there are so many things to do in life rather than playing tennis , so i 'm sure i 'll find something . i just need a bit of time to settle down . there is a lot of excitement as a woman . there is a lot of excitement as a wife . there is a lot of excitement as a mother . there is a lot of excitement to come up . ' bartoli was taught tennis as a child by her father walter , a doctor who coached her for most of her playing days until they split earlier this year and she began working with former world no . 1 amelie mauresmo . i called him , yes . but my dad knows me enough to know it a bit when he saw me leaving home for the states , ' bartoli said . he kind of felt i was tired and i was exhausted , and he was not surprised by the decision . he said ,'i kind of felt it somehow . i can see it in your eyes and see your body and i know all the work you 've done to make it happen . i 'm so proud of you . i will support you in anything you 're doing .' bartoli first came to prominence when she reached the 2007 wimbledon final , losing to venus williams . an unorthodox player with a distinctive serving style , she earned more than $ 11 million on the court -- $ 2.87 million of that this year -- with eight wta tour titles . i congratulate marion on her long , successful career , ' said wta tour chief stacey allaster . she is an inspirational champion and a great ambassador for women 's tennis that has dedicated her life to the sport and given so much back to the game . ' courtney nguyen , a tennis writer with si.com , said the timing of bartoli 's decision has stunned everyone . it is quite shocking , even before this tournament she had been making plans to play in exhibitions in australia in january , she had been talking about still being motivated and wanting to achieve more goals in tennis , ' nguyen told cnn . i think a lot of people are either second guessing her decision or just saying'you know what , marion bartoli played her tennis career on her own terms , in her own way , this is exactly the way marion bartoli would go out .' goran ivanisevic , who was unable to defend his wimbledon title in 2002 due to injury , said bartoli might regret her decision when next year 's tournament starts in late june . there is nothing like playing at wimbledon as'wimbledon champion .'i could n't defend . ' the croatian told the website of the senior players'champions tour . guy forget , who was bartoli 's captain in france 's 2004 fed cup team , said she may have made a hasty decision . marion is a very smart girl , she is so dedicated about the sport that i 'm always very cautious about someone 's quote right after a defeat , and that happened right after she lost , ' the former world no . 4 told the champions tour website . i hope she is going to change her mind . you do n't want to have regrets looking back . being a professional player is such an exceptional job and you do n't want to look back in a few months or years later and think ,'why did i stop ?' go to the beach for a few days , go running in the park , just get your head together , spend some time with your friends . and , if you do n't want to play the next week , just do n't play it -- if you want to miss the u.s. open , fine . but just do n't quit , do n't take such a radical decision only a few weeks after winning the biggest tournament in the world . ' | the frenchwoman made the announcement after losing to romania 's simona halep |
clown prince of crime <tsp> ( cnn ) love it or hate it , jared leto 's interpretation of the joker is an internet sensation . the oscar winner put on white makeup ( and a lot of tattoos this time ) to portray the clown prince of crime in the upcoming movie suicide squad . ' set for release august 5 , 2016 , suicide squad ' is based on the dc comics series and also stars will smith , margot robbie and viola davis . twitter users got their first look at leto in character friday night , and the memes started almost immediately . from comparisons to home alone ' to an imagining of ben affleck tatted up , people on social media put their photoshopping skills to work all weekend . which is your favorite ? | leto will play the clown prince of crime in 2016 's suicide squad ' |
leto <tsp> ( cnn ) love it or hate it , jared leto 's interpretation of the joker is an internet sensation . the oscar winner put on white makeup ( and a lot of tattoos this time ) to portray the clown prince of crime in the upcoming movie suicide squad . ' set for release august 5 , 2016 , suicide squad ' is based on the dc comics series and also stars will smith , margot robbie and viola davis . twitter users got their first look at leto in character friday night , and the memes started almost immediately . from comparisons to home alone ' to an imagining of ben affleck tatted up , people on social media put their photoshopping skills to work all weekend . which is your favorite ? | the first picture of leto in character led to a series of spoof photos |
leto <tsp> ( cnn ) love it or hate it , jared leto 's interpretation of the joker is an internet sensation . the oscar winner put on white makeup ( and a lot of tattoos this time ) to portray the clown prince of crime in the upcoming movie suicide squad . ' set for release august 5 , 2016 , suicide squad ' is based on the dc comics series and also stars will smith , margot robbie and viola davis . twitter users got their first look at leto in character friday night , and the memes started almost immediately . from comparisons to home alone ' to an imagining of ben affleck tatted up , people on social media put their photoshopping skills to work all weekend . which is your favorite ? | leto will play the clown prince of crime in 2016 's suicide squad ' |
suicide squad <tsp> ( cnn ) love it or hate it , jared leto 's interpretation of the joker is an internet sensation . the oscar winner put on white makeup ( and a lot of tattoos this time ) to portray the clown prince of crime in the upcoming movie suicide squad . ' set for release august 5 , 2016 , suicide squad ' is based on the dc comics series and also stars will smith , margot robbie and viola davis . twitter users got their first look at leto in character friday night , and the memes started almost immediately . from comparisons to home alone ' to an imagining of ben affleck tatted up , people on social media put their photoshopping skills to work all weekend . which is your favorite ? | leto will play the clown prince of crime in 2016 's suicide squad ' |
west <tsp> the 2013 fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and wounded another 226 in west , texas , should never have occurred , ' the chairman of the u.s. chemical safety board said tuesday . though the board 's report says that at least 14 people were killed , the death toll was updated to 15 people in the days after the blast . the board 's investigation , released a few days after the first anniversary of the explosion , indicates the incident was preventable , ' chairman rafael moure-eraso said . the statement from his agency , which was given tuesday to reporters , blamed the company that owned the fertilizer plant , government regulators and other authorities for the incident . it resulted from the failure of a company to take the necessary steps to avert a preventable fire and explosion and from the inability of federal , state and local regulatory agencies to identify a serious hazard and correct it , ' moure-eraso said . mclennan county , for example , did n't have an emergency response plan in place , and the community clearly was not aware of the potential hazard at west fertilizer , ' the report said . a lack of fire codes was repeatedly cited in the report , with investigators noting texas did n't have a fire code and small counties are prohibited from having them . but , the chairman said , local fire departments need fire codes to hold industrial operators accountable for safe storage and handling of chemicals . ' texas town tighter than ever one year later the board 's supervisory investigator , johnnie banks , said all levels of government also failed to adopt codes to keep populated areas away from hazardous facilities . this is not unique to west , banks said . we found 1,351 facilities across the country that store ammonium nitrate , ' he said , adding that farm communities are just beginning to collect information on the proximity of homes and schools to ammonium nitrate storage facilities . the investigation determined that lessons learned ' from responses to similar incidents were not disseminated to firefighters , 11 of whom died when the west plant exploded . the probe said guidelines from the national fire protection association and u.s. department of transportation recommend that firefighters evacuate the area surrounding massive ' ammonium nitrate fires and that the area be doused with water from a distance . ' however , the report said , the guidance is vague because of the use of subjective words like massive , ' large ' and distance . ' all of these provisions should be reviewed and harmonized in light of the west disaster to ensure that firefighters are adequately protected and are not put into danger protecting property alone , ' banks said . u.s. guidelines for ammonium nitrate storage have been static for decades , the board said , but the united kingdom in 1996 mandated that storage facilities be one story , well-ventilated and constructed of concrete , brick or steel . moure-eraso lauded the fertilizer institute for recently establishing guidelines for the storage and transportation of ammonium nitrate , along with recommendations for first responders in the event of a fire . he further called on all states and counties to likewise update their guidelines . the state of texas , mclennan county , ( the occupational safety and health administration ) and the ( u.s. environmental protection agency ) have work to do because this hazard exists in hundreds of locations across the u.s. , ' moure-eraso wrote . however , it is important to note that there is no substitute for an efficient regulatory system that ensures that all companies are operating to the same high standards . we can not depend on voluntary compliance . ' though the chemical safety board investigates serious chemical accidents and makes safety recommendations , it does not issue fines or citations . the bureau of alcohol , tobacco , firearms and explosives and the state fire marshal 's office said last week that their investigation into the cause of the fire remains active . west 's mayor , tommy muska , told cnn last week that doing more policywise , like instituting a statewide fire code , would have been a wonderful thing . ' you do n't want to overregulate , ' muska said . but you also have to look at what ( could ) make us safer . ' rep. joe c. pickett , chairman of the homeland security and public safety committee in the state house of representatives , said local authorities should go beyond having every place subject to a fire code . the democrat from el paso is pushing to give the state fire marshal 's office more authority , particularly over unincorporated areas , where about 60 of the over 100 facilities storing ammonium nitrate , like what exploded at west fertilizer , are located . unlike those falling within city or county limits , these facilities do n't have to have things like sprinklers or other safety measures . other steps would include getting the word out about places that store ammonium nitrate and other potentially explosive materials . we do n't want this to happen again , ' said pickett , noting that state authorities took some immediate actions and that other , more deliberate ones are in the works . there have got to be some changes ... but i do n't want to rush and do the wrong thing . ' newly released video shows moment of deadly blast | u.s. chemical safety board says west , texas , explosion should never have occurred ' |
kemp <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- former congressman and republican vice presidential candidate jack kemp died saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer , his family announced . jack kemp , a former congressman from new york , was the gop 's vice presidential candidate in 1996 . a onetime professional football player , kemp served nine terms in congress as a representative from new york and was former sen. bob dole 's running mate in 1996 . he was a leading advocate of supply-side ' tax cuts , advancing the argument that cutting taxes would boost economic growth and yield more revenue for the federal government . the only way to oppose a bad idea is to replace it with a good idea , and i like to think that i have spent my life trying to promote good ideas , ' he told cnn in a 1996 interview . kemp passed peacefully into the presence of the lord ' sunday evening , a family statement said . he disclosed his illness in january . watch ' during the treatment of his cancer , jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends , a gratitude which the kemp family shares , ' the family said . watch how jack kemp made transition from football to politics » kemp quarterbacked the buffalo bills to back-to-back american football league championships in 1964 and 1965 , before the merger that created the modern nfl . when he retired in 1970 after 13 seasons , the california native ran for congress and represented the buffalo area for 18 years in the house of representatives . view photos of jack kemp 's life » ' he championed free-market principles that improved the lives of millions of americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today , ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , said in a statement issued late saturday . the 1981 tax cuts signed into law by ronald reagan , which cut marginal tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent , bore kemp 's name as a co-sponsor . critics mocked the policy as trickle-down ' economics and pointed to the decade 's growing budget deficits as evidence that supply-side theories did n't work , but it has been gop orthodoxy ever since . kemp mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988 , losing the republican primaries to george h.w . bush . but once in office , bush made kemp his secretary of housing and urban development -- a post kemp used to promote what he called an empowerment ' agenda of tax breaks for urban businesses and expanded home ownership . ireport.com : share your memories of kemp unlike many of the other conservatives of his era , kemp actively courted african-american support . in 1992 , he told cnn 's larry king live ' that the gop could be a lincoln party in terms of attracting black and brown and men and women of color and low-income status and immigrant status who want a shot at the american dream for their children . ' cnn political director sam feist contributed to this report . | kemp also served as secretary of housing and urban development ( 1989-1993 ) |
kemp <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- former congressman and republican vice presidential candidate jack kemp died saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer , his family announced . jack kemp , a former congressman from new york , was the gop 's vice presidential candidate in 1996 . a onetime professional football player , kemp served nine terms in congress as a representative from new york and was former sen. bob dole 's running mate in 1996 . he was a leading advocate of supply-side ' tax cuts , advancing the argument that cutting taxes would boost economic growth and yield more revenue for the federal government . the only way to oppose a bad idea is to replace it with a good idea , and i like to think that i have spent my life trying to promote good ideas , ' he told cnn in a 1996 interview . kemp passed peacefully into the presence of the lord ' sunday evening , a family statement said . he disclosed his illness in january . watch ' during the treatment of his cancer , jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends , a gratitude which the kemp family shares , ' the family said . watch how jack kemp made transition from football to politics » kemp quarterbacked the buffalo bills to back-to-back american football league championships in 1964 and 1965 , before the merger that created the modern nfl . when he retired in 1970 after 13 seasons , the california native ran for congress and represented the buffalo area for 18 years in the house of representatives . view photos of jack kemp 's life » ' he championed free-market principles that improved the lives of millions of americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today , ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , said in a statement issued late saturday . the 1981 tax cuts signed into law by ronald reagan , which cut marginal tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent , bore kemp 's name as a co-sponsor . critics mocked the policy as trickle-down ' economics and pointed to the decade 's growing budget deficits as evidence that supply-side theories did n't work , but it has been gop orthodoxy ever since . kemp mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988 , losing the republican primaries to george h.w . bush . but once in office , bush made kemp his secretary of housing and urban development -- a post kemp used to promote what he called an empowerment ' agenda of tax breaks for urban businesses and expanded home ownership . ireport.com : share your memories of kemp unlike many of the other conservatives of his era , kemp actively courted african-american support . in 1992 , he told cnn 's larry king live ' that the gop could be a lincoln party in terms of attracting black and brown and men and women of color and low-income status and immigrant status who want a shot at the american dream for their children . ' cnn political director sam feist contributed to this report . | jack kemp , former congressman and vice presidential candidate , dies at 73 |
kemp <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- former congressman and republican vice presidential candidate jack kemp died saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer , his family announced . jack kemp , a former congressman from new york , was the gop 's vice presidential candidate in 1996 . a onetime professional football player , kemp served nine terms in congress as a representative from new york and was former sen. bob dole 's running mate in 1996 . he was a leading advocate of supply-side ' tax cuts , advancing the argument that cutting taxes would boost economic growth and yield more revenue for the federal government . the only way to oppose a bad idea is to replace it with a good idea , and i like to think that i have spent my life trying to promote good ideas , ' he told cnn in a 1996 interview . kemp passed peacefully into the presence of the lord ' sunday evening , a family statement said . he disclosed his illness in january . watch ' during the treatment of his cancer , jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends , a gratitude which the kemp family shares , ' the family said . watch how jack kemp made transition from football to politics » kemp quarterbacked the buffalo bills to back-to-back american football league championships in 1964 and 1965 , before the merger that created the modern nfl . when he retired in 1970 after 13 seasons , the california native ran for congress and represented the buffalo area for 18 years in the house of representatives . view photos of jack kemp 's life » ' he championed free-market principles that improved the lives of millions of americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today , ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , said in a statement issued late saturday . the 1981 tax cuts signed into law by ronald reagan , which cut marginal tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent , bore kemp 's name as a co-sponsor . critics mocked the policy as trickle-down ' economics and pointed to the decade 's growing budget deficits as evidence that supply-side theories did n't work , but it has been gop orthodoxy ever since . kemp mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988 , losing the republican primaries to george h.w . bush . but once in office , bush made kemp his secretary of housing and urban development -- a post kemp used to promote what he called an empowerment ' agenda of tax breaks for urban businesses and expanded home ownership . ireport.com : share your memories of kemp unlike many of the other conservatives of his era , kemp actively courted african-american support . in 1992 , he told cnn 's larry king live ' that the gop could be a lincoln party in terms of attracting black and brown and men and women of color and low-income status and immigrant status who want a shot at the american dream for their children . ' cnn political director sam feist contributed to this report . | kemp announced in january he was battling cancer |
kemp <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- former congressman and republican vice presidential candidate jack kemp died saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer , his family announced . jack kemp , a former congressman from new york , was the gop 's vice presidential candidate in 1996 . a onetime professional football player , kemp served nine terms in congress as a representative from new york and was former sen. bob dole 's running mate in 1996 . he was a leading advocate of supply-side ' tax cuts , advancing the argument that cutting taxes would boost economic growth and yield more revenue for the federal government . the only way to oppose a bad idea is to replace it with a good idea , and i like to think that i have spent my life trying to promote good ideas , ' he told cnn in a 1996 interview . kemp passed peacefully into the presence of the lord ' sunday evening , a family statement said . he disclosed his illness in january . watch ' during the treatment of his cancer , jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends , a gratitude which the kemp family shares , ' the family said . watch how jack kemp made transition from football to politics » kemp quarterbacked the buffalo bills to back-to-back american football league championships in 1964 and 1965 , before the merger that created the modern nfl . when he retired in 1970 after 13 seasons , the california native ran for congress and represented the buffalo area for 18 years in the house of representatives . view photos of jack kemp 's life » ' he championed free-market principles that improved the lives of millions of americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today , ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , said in a statement issued late saturday . the 1981 tax cuts signed into law by ronald reagan , which cut marginal tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent , bore kemp 's name as a co-sponsor . critics mocked the policy as trickle-down ' economics and pointed to the decade 's growing budget deficits as evidence that supply-side theories did n't work , but it has been gop orthodoxy ever since . kemp mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988 , losing the republican primaries to george h.w . bush . but once in office , bush made kemp his secretary of housing and urban development -- a post kemp used to promote what he called an empowerment ' agenda of tax breaks for urban businesses and expanded home ownership . ireport.com : share your memories of kemp unlike many of the other conservatives of his era , kemp actively courted african-american support . in 1992 , he told cnn 's larry king live ' that the gop could be a lincoln party in terms of attracting black and brown and men and women of color and low-income status and immigrant status who want a shot at the american dream for their children . ' cnn political director sam feist contributed to this report . | before politics , kemp was a professional football quarterback |
curley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors say gary schultz , a former penn state vice president who oversaw campus police , held a file that detailed alleged incidents pertinent to the investigation of former football coach jerry sandusky , who faces more than 50 counts involving sexual acts with 10 boys since 1994 . schultz and tim curley , penn state 's former athletic director , have pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury and failing to report an alleged sexual assault of a child . the file , which prosecutors say was initially withheld during the investigation , shows inconsistencies with what schultz and curley told a grand jury , according to court documents filed by prosecutors and obtained by cnn on tuesday . prosecutors say e-mails from schultz , curley and others further contradict that testimony . the commonwealth is entirely justified in using those documents as evidence to support the charge of perjury against schultz , ' the court documents say . read the document ( pdf ) tom farrell , schultz 's attorney , said , to be clear , mr. schultz did not possess any secret files . all his files were left behind after he retired and were available to his secretaries and his successor . the only'secret'information revealed was the privileged grand jury information inaccurately described by unidentified law enforcement sources to the media . ' curley , 57 , is on leave , and schultz , 62 , retired after the allegations . days after the grand jury presentment against sandusky came to light , penn state ousted president graham spanier and head football coach joe paterno amid criticism they could and should have done more . curley was not immediately available for comment .'victim 1'testifies in sandusky trial who is'victim 1'? hln sandusky trial overview penn state said in a statement tuesday that it has responded to several subpoenas and gathered documents from many sources across the institution . ' as soon as any relevant documents were discovered , the university immediately provided them to the office of the attorney general and the freeh group , ' it said . out of respect for the ongoing legal process , the university can not discuss specific information as it pertains to these issues . ' the firm representing louis freeh , a former fbi director investigating the university 's handling of the scandal , also said tuesday that his office discovered these e-mails in the course of its work . ' these e-mails were then provided to the state attorney general , consistent with the investigation 's prior commitment to share certain information , ' the firm said . these materials will be fully discussed in the report to the task force , and beyond that judge freeh and the investigation team has no further comment . ' cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | prosecutors say e-mails from schultz , curley and others contradict grand jury testimony |
schultz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors say gary schultz , a former penn state vice president who oversaw campus police , held a file that detailed alleged incidents pertinent to the investigation of former football coach jerry sandusky , who faces more than 50 counts involving sexual acts with 10 boys since 1994 . schultz and tim curley , penn state 's former athletic director , have pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury and failing to report an alleged sexual assault of a child . the file , which prosecutors say was initially withheld during the investigation , shows inconsistencies with what schultz and curley told a grand jury , according to court documents filed by prosecutors and obtained by cnn on tuesday . prosecutors say e-mails from schultz , curley and others further contradict that testimony . the commonwealth is entirely justified in using those documents as evidence to support the charge of perjury against schultz , ' the court documents say . read the document ( pdf ) tom farrell , schultz 's attorney , said , to be clear , mr. schultz did not possess any secret files . all his files were left behind after he retired and were available to his secretaries and his successor . the only'secret'information revealed was the privileged grand jury information inaccurately described by unidentified law enforcement sources to the media . ' curley , 57 , is on leave , and schultz , 62 , retired after the allegations . days after the grand jury presentment against sandusky came to light , penn state ousted president graham spanier and head football coach joe paterno amid criticism they could and should have done more . curley was not immediately available for comment .'victim 1'testifies in sandusky trial who is'victim 1'? hln sandusky trial overview penn state said in a statement tuesday that it has responded to several subpoenas and gathered documents from many sources across the institution . ' as soon as any relevant documents were discovered , the university immediately provided them to the office of the attorney general and the freeh group , ' it said . out of respect for the ongoing legal process , the university can not discuss specific information as it pertains to these issues . ' the firm representing louis freeh , a former fbi director investigating the university 's handling of the scandal , also said tuesday that his office discovered these e-mails in the course of its work . ' these e-mails were then provided to the state attorney general , consistent with the investigation 's prior commitment to share certain information , ' the firm said . these materials will be fully discussed in the report to the task force , and beyond that judge freeh and the investigation team has no further comment . ' cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | prosecutors say e-mails from schultz , curley and others contradict grand jury testimony |
schultz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors say gary schultz , a former penn state vice president who oversaw campus police , held a file that detailed alleged incidents pertinent to the investigation of former football coach jerry sandusky , who faces more than 50 counts involving sexual acts with 10 boys since 1994 . schultz and tim curley , penn state 's former athletic director , have pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury and failing to report an alleged sexual assault of a child . the file , which prosecutors say was initially withheld during the investigation , shows inconsistencies with what schultz and curley told a grand jury , according to court documents filed by prosecutors and obtained by cnn on tuesday . prosecutors say e-mails from schultz , curley and others further contradict that testimony . the commonwealth is entirely justified in using those documents as evidence to support the charge of perjury against schultz , ' the court documents say . read the document ( pdf ) tom farrell , schultz 's attorney , said , to be clear , mr. schultz did not possess any secret files . all his files were left behind after he retired and were available to his secretaries and his successor . the only'secret'information revealed was the privileged grand jury information inaccurately described by unidentified law enforcement sources to the media . ' curley , 57 , is on leave , and schultz , 62 , retired after the allegations . days after the grand jury presentment against sandusky came to light , penn state ousted president graham spanier and head football coach joe paterno amid criticism they could and should have done more . curley was not immediately available for comment .'victim 1'testifies in sandusky trial who is'victim 1'? hln sandusky trial overview penn state said in a statement tuesday that it has responded to several subpoenas and gathered documents from many sources across the institution . ' as soon as any relevant documents were discovered , the university immediately provided them to the office of the attorney general and the freeh group , ' it said . out of respect for the ongoing legal process , the university can not discuss specific information as it pertains to these issues . ' the firm representing louis freeh , a former fbi director investigating the university 's handling of the scandal , also said tuesday that his office discovered these e-mails in the course of its work . ' these e-mails were then provided to the state attorney general , consistent with the investigation 's prior commitment to share certain information , ' the firm said . these materials will be fully discussed in the report to the task force , and beyond that judge freeh and the investigation team has no further comment . ' cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | new : schultz attorney says his client did not have secret files |
brotherhood <tsp> ( cnn ) -- more than a week after the egyptian military ousted the islamist-led presidency of mohamed morsy , the muslim brothers , from which morsy hails , continue to mobilize their followers on the streets and demand the reinstatement of morsy . far from backing down , the islamist organization has pledged to resist what it has called a fascist coup , ' and has rejected any dialogue with the transitional government that does not restore the popularly elected morsy . opinion : egypt 's secularists repeating islamists'mistakes for the military , the brotherhood 's demand is a non-starter , and both camps and their supporters face a deadlock that can now only be broken through either a political compromise or an all-out confrontation . there is a real danger of further polarization and escalation in egypt , where the writing is already on the wall with the arrest of morsy and the demonization of the brotherhood by the egyptian media and elements of the secular-leaning opposition . analysis : will egypt 's muslim brotherhood survive ? the interim authorities are clamping down on the brothers , accusing senior leaders of inciting violence while arresting eight of its top figures , including the group 's most influential leader , khairat al-shater , and the former speaker of parliament . prosecutors have also issued another arrest warrant for the brotherhood 's supreme guide , mohammed badie , and four others . human rights organizations have criticized the government 's clampdown on the brotherhood 's television channel and others channels sympathetic to the group , as well as the deaths of dozens of protesters in recent weeks . cnn explains : what is the muslim brotherhood ? the muslim brothers can not politically afford to climb down because that would be an acknowledgment of their defeat and probably cause cleavages within their social base . so instead they will continue to peacefully resist and flex their muscle and exert pressure on the country 's interim rulers . the goal is to force the military-led authority to come to terms with the muslim brothers and stop persecuting them . the goal of our peaceful mass rallies and peaceful sit-ins in squares across egypt is to force the coup plotters to reverse their action , ' essam el-erian , acting head of the brotherhood 's freedom and justice party , said on his facebook page . if history is our guide , in the short and midterm , islamist leaders will prioritize unity and solidarity of the organization . the muslim brothers have already begun to mobilize tens thousands of followers , a task made easier by a strongly-held belief that the islamists are defending constitutional legitimacy against military putschists . opinion : overthrow of muslim brotherhood leader'has international reverberations' as one of the most powerfully organized social and political movements in egypt and the region , the brotherhood can rely on its power base , which represents between 20 to 30 percent of the electorate , to remain a force to be reckoned with either at the ballot box or in the streets . in the eyes of the brotherhood leadership , conceding defeat would harm the base and fracture it . the advantages of resistance outweigh any potential disadvantages ; the 85-year old islamist organization is better equipped to endure repression by the post-mubarak military than internal dissention and fragmentation . it is worth remembering that mainstream islamists of the brotherhood variety have survived decades of persecution , incarceration , and exile by military-led authoritarian regimes -- and they will most likely weather the latest coup that has swept away morsy . despite concerted efforts in the last six decades by secular strongmen like the late egyptian president gamal abdel nasser to weaken and isolate their religious rivals , the islamists'close-knit networks and asabiya ' ( group loyalty ) have allowed them to withstand the brutal onslaught of secular authorities and grow their organization . opinion : egyptians are fed up with morsy in my interviews with the islamist rank-and-file over the past 20 years in egypt and elsewhere , it has become clear to me that religious activists are nourished on a belief in the movement 's divine victory and they are willing to endure sacrifice , hardship , and loss to bring about that desired end . but the decades of persecution that drove the islamists underground left deep scars on their psychology and imagination -- and as a result , they often view wider society as intrinsically hostile to their cause . the egyptian military 's ouster of morsy will reinforce this siege mentality and the sense of victimhood and injustice among the muslim brothers and their followers . the likelihood of the brotherhood taking up arms against the military like their algerian counterparts in the early 1990s is minimal . the most influential islamist group in the arab world renounced the use of force and violence in the late 1960s and early 1970s . one of the lessons learned by the brothers from their experience underground from the 1940s until the late 1960s is that violence is counterproductive and endangers the very survival of the movement . in particular , the old guard , including badie , who have a vivid institutional memory of the underground years , wo n't fall into the trap of militarily confronting the state ; they would not risk it all . the real potential danger is that individual members could join extremist groups in the sinai desert and elsewhere to exact vengeance against egypt 's security forces . if the political deadlock continues , the brotherhood might not be able or willing to control some of its followers , a recipe for creeping armed clashes with the security apparatus . the longer the muslim brothers continue their protests and resistance , the more likely the military is to intensify its crackdown against them . at this stage , it is unconceivable that the military would reinstate morsy as his supporters demand -- far from it , in fact . in his first address , as an interim president last week , adly mansour , previously head of the constitutional court , warned against stoking unrest and promised to fight those he said wanted to destabilize the state . his warning is designed to convey a message to the brotherhood by the military . we are going through a critical stage and some want us to move towards chaos , and we want to move towards stability . some want a bloody path , ' mansour said in a televised address . we will fight a battle for security until the end . ' the interim governing body is rapidly shaping up with a newly-formed cabinet and a roadmap for drafting a constitution and then holding presidential and parliamentary elections . the interim authority has obtained de facto legitimation and recognition at home and abroad . the islamists are pitted against an influential alliance composed of a substantive segment of egyptians , together with the military , the police and entrenched elements of the old regime . u.s. secretary of state john kerry telephoned egypt 's new foreign minister , nabil fahmy , and expressed hopes that the transitional period of government would be successful , according to the egyptian foreign ministry . neither the obama administration nor the european union has taken the military to task for toppling morsy . the gulf states , particularly saudi arabia , the united arab emirates and kuwait , have already pledged $ 12 billion in financial and material aid , a substantial package that gives the transitional authority breathing space to get its economic house in order . there is a race against time between escalation and a political dialogue , and neither the military nor morsy 's supporters are disposed to compromise . while the military is emboldened and in charge , the muslim brothers have their backs against the wall . regardless of the outcome , this titanic and seemingly intractable struggle undermines egypt 's fragile democratic experiment because there is a real danger that once again the islamists will be suppressed and excluded from the country 's political space . this does not bode well for egypt 's democratic transition because there will be no institutionalization of democracy without the brotherhood , the biggest and oldest mainstream religiously based islamist movement in the middle east . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of fawaz a. gerges . | he argues there will be no institutionalization of democracy without the brotherhood |
manchester united <tsp> gerardo martino was unveiled as barcelona 's new manager friday -- promising not to change their attacking style of play but introducing new ideas ' to help the catalan giants dominate european club football . the 50-year-old martino has replaced tito vilanova , who stood down last week to undergo further treatment for throat cancer . martino , who took newell 's old boys to the argentine clausura championship , has signed a two-year deal at the nou camp . he will take charge of a side which romped to the la liga title last season with a record points tally , but suffered a crushing humiliation in the semifinals of the champions league , going down 7-0 on aggregate to eventual winners bayern munich . it led to suggestions that barcelona needed to make tactical changes , having gone out at the same stage of the competition for the past two years , but martino believes it will not need a major revamp . every team , even barcelona which has already attained certain moments of excellence , can always improve , and barca still has things to win , ' he told gathered reporters . analysis : martino who ? is el tata the right man for barca ? we are going to try to recover certain things that we 've seen when barca have been at their best , and add a few ideas of our own . ' martino confirmed that barca 's talisman and fellow argentinian lionel messi would continue to operate in his current role . he will continue to play in exactly the same position . he has to feel comfortable , after that he 'll do the rest . ' messi will be joined by big-name brazilian signing neymar for the new campaign , while martino appeared to rule out the departure of midfielder cesc fabregas , who is the subject of a bid from english premier league champions manchester united . asked about united 's attempts to sign the spanish international with a $ 38 million bid on the table , martino gave a firm reply . if the club has signaled its refusal twice , then i signal it a third time - and so he ( fabregas ) will be staying here , ' club vice-president josep maria bartomeu , who flanked martino with president sandro rosell , also chipped in . we are not thinking of selling cesc , ' he said . that united are showing interest in cesc is normal , because he 's a great player . that does n't upset us , that makes us proud that they want one of our players . but whatever the offer , we wo n't be selling him . we are relying on him . ' martino 's appointment tuesday came as a surprise as he has no managerial experience in europe . but his pedigree is clear , winning four championship titles in paraguay , before guiding their national team to the quarterfinals of the 2010 world cup . he has also been a success at newell 's , a former club of messi . martino is the fourth argentine to take the helm at barcelona after roque olsen , helenio herrera and cesar luis menotti . | says cesc fabregas is staying despite bid from manchester united . |
gerardo martino <tsp> gerardo martino was unveiled as barcelona 's new manager friday -- promising not to change their attacking style of play but introducing new ideas ' to help the catalan giants dominate european club football . the 50-year-old martino has replaced tito vilanova , who stood down last week to undergo further treatment for throat cancer . martino , who took newell 's old boys to the argentine clausura championship , has signed a two-year deal at the nou camp . he will take charge of a side which romped to the la liga title last season with a record points tally , but suffered a crushing humiliation in the semifinals of the champions league , going down 7-0 on aggregate to eventual winners bayern munich . it led to suggestions that barcelona needed to make tactical changes , having gone out at the same stage of the competition for the past two years , but martino believes it will not need a major revamp . every team , even barcelona which has already attained certain moments of excellence , can always improve , and barca still has things to win , ' he told gathered reporters . analysis : martino who ? is el tata the right man for barca ? we are going to try to recover certain things that we 've seen when barca have been at their best , and add a few ideas of our own . ' martino confirmed that barca 's talisman and fellow argentinian lionel messi would continue to operate in his current role . he will continue to play in exactly the same position . he has to feel comfortable , after that he 'll do the rest . ' messi will be joined by big-name brazilian signing neymar for the new campaign , while martino appeared to rule out the departure of midfielder cesc fabregas , who is the subject of a bid from english premier league champions manchester united . asked about united 's attempts to sign the spanish international with a $ 38 million bid on the table , martino gave a firm reply . if the club has signaled its refusal twice , then i signal it a third time - and so he ( fabregas ) will be staying here , ' club vice-president josep maria bartomeu , who flanked martino with president sandro rosell , also chipped in . we are not thinking of selling cesc , ' he said . that united are showing interest in cesc is normal , because he 's a great player . that does n't upset us , that makes us proud that they want one of our players . but whatever the offer , we wo n't be selling him . we are relying on him . ' martino 's appointment tuesday came as a surprise as he has no managerial experience in europe . but his pedigree is clear , winning four championship titles in paraguay , before guiding their national team to the quarterfinals of the 2010 world cup . he has also been a success at newell 's , a former club of messi . martino is the fourth argentine to take the helm at barcelona after roque olsen , helenio herrera and cesar luis menotti . | barcelona new manager gerardo martino unveiled friday |
barca <tsp> gerardo martino was unveiled as barcelona 's new manager friday -- promising not to change their attacking style of play but introducing new ideas ' to help the catalan giants dominate european club football . the 50-year-old martino has replaced tito vilanova , who stood down last week to undergo further treatment for throat cancer . martino , who took newell 's old boys to the argentine clausura championship , has signed a two-year deal at the nou camp . he will take charge of a side which romped to the la liga title last season with a record points tally , but suffered a crushing humiliation in the semifinals of the champions league , going down 7-0 on aggregate to eventual winners bayern munich . it led to suggestions that barcelona needed to make tactical changes , having gone out at the same stage of the competition for the past two years , but martino believes it will not need a major revamp . every team , even barcelona which has already attained certain moments of excellence , can always improve , and barca still has things to win , ' he told gathered reporters . analysis : martino who ? is el tata the right man for barca ? we are going to try to recover certain things that we 've seen when barca have been at their best , and add a few ideas of our own . ' martino confirmed that barca 's talisman and fellow argentinian lionel messi would continue to operate in his current role . he will continue to play in exactly the same position . he has to feel comfortable , after that he 'll do the rest . ' messi will be joined by big-name brazilian signing neymar for the new campaign , while martino appeared to rule out the departure of midfielder cesc fabregas , who is the subject of a bid from english premier league champions manchester united . asked about united 's attempts to sign the spanish international with a $ 38 million bid on the table , martino gave a firm reply . if the club has signaled its refusal twice , then i signal it a third time - and so he ( fabregas ) will be staying here , ' club vice-president josep maria bartomeu , who flanked martino with president sandro rosell , also chipped in . we are not thinking of selling cesc , ' he said . that united are showing interest in cesc is normal , because he 's a great player . that does n't upset us , that makes us proud that they want one of our players . but whatever the offer , we wo n't be selling him . we are relying on him . ' martino 's appointment tuesday came as a surprise as he has no managerial experience in europe . but his pedigree is clear , winning four championship titles in paraguay , before guiding their national team to the quarterfinals of the 2010 world cup . he has also been a success at newell 's , a former club of messi . martino is the fourth argentine to take the helm at barcelona after roque olsen , helenio herrera and cesar luis menotti . | fourth argentine manager in barca 's history |
psv <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south korean star park ji-sung has signed a two-year contract extension at english premier league champions manchester united . the 28-year-old park has been handed a contract extension at manchester united . the attacking midfielder is now tied to old trafford until 2012 as reward for his dogged displays for united since joining from psv eindhoven in 2005 . i am so pleased to have a new contract , ' park told www.manutd.com . we have achieved great success over the last four years and won many trophies . ' park has had to work hard to establish himself as a regular member of united 's starting line-up and was devastated to be left out of the squad for their 2008 champions league final success against chelsea . but last season he was a key figure as united completed a hat-trick of premier league titles . park also gained selection for the champions league final against barcelona , becoming the first player from asia to play in the european club showpiece . his popularity in his home region is undoubted and united have been able to capitalize with two highly-profitable visits to the continent with park a key draw . park , who will be a driving force in south korea 's world cup challenge in south africa next year , has played 127 times for united , scoring 12 goals . we are always pleased to secure the future of our star players and ji-sung has proved himself to be a fantastic professional as well as an important versatile player in our squad , ' said manager alex ferguson . park has been rewarded with an improved deal worth a reported $ 5.9 million per year . | park has made 127 appearances for united since joining from psv in 2005 |
tea party <tsp> princeton , new jersey ( cnn ) -- former president george w. bush loomed large throughout the 2010 campaign even though he has been out of office for nearly two years . the upcoming publication of bush 's memoirs , decision points , ' offers us an opportunity to consider the relationship between the former commander-in-chief and the tea party activists who played such a major role in energizing the gop this summer and fall . while the tea party attacks on president obama and his policies were front and center , their anger was also directed toward the nature of republican politics in the age of bush . the tea party movement has opened up a civil war within the republican party . recently these tensions exploded when bush 's top political adviser , karl rove , said the tea party was not very sophisticated . ' former arkansas governor and presidential candidate mike huckabee called rove an elitist ' and said that unfortunately , there is an elitism within the republican establishment . and it 's one of the reasons the republicans have not been able to solidify not only the tea party movement but solidify conservatives across america . ' the tea party movement was born out of a rebellion against one of president bush 's signature policies : tarp , the bailout for wall street investment banks . tea party activists have been extremely critical of the willingness of republicans to turn to the federal government to solve some domestic problems . bush 's support for the financial bailout was part of a longer tradition of big government conservatism that has been around since the 1960s . in addition to national security spending , republicans in power have always lived with an expansive view of government . ronald reagan came to accept the permanence of programs like social security and medicare when he discovered they were more popular than the right wing of his party expected . george h.w . bush pushed through congress one of the biggest civil rights initiatives since 1965 , the americans with disabilities act . under george w. bush , republicans undertook a series of major government initiatives , including no child left behind and the medicare prescription drug program . for bush the question was not government versus no government , but rather , what priorities were most important . when the financial markets collapsed in fall 2008 , it was not surprising that he opted to use the federal government to help . tea party activists have called for a return to a kind of pristine , libertarian conservatism that they feel once existed . they have attacked all forms of federal intervention and called for their party to embrace a purer form of opposition to big government . a second concern for tea party activists has been the political process in washington . they have frequently employed the rhetoric of good government reformers in explaining what 's wrong with the system . the tea party has complained that lobbyists on k street wield too much influence on capitol hill . they warn that interest groups will be the biggest beneficiaries of new policies . and they have expressed their frustration about how congressional practices such as earmarks have been used to unfairly allocate public funds . these attacks touch directly on how republican politics worked throughout bush 's presidency . by 2001 , republicans had learned to work within the political system to advance their objectives and to secure their power . indeed , between 2005 and 2006 , republicans came under fire for having practiced politics as usual . investigations revealed that there were tight connections between republicans and lobbyists such as jack abramoff that had been nurtured by the k street project . the k street project was an operation set up after the 1994 elections whereby republican house and senate leaders met regularly with lobbyists to talk about legislative strategy and to find possible employment for gop staffers . congressional republicans also relied on earmarks as much as their democratic colleagues . after all , most voters like their legislators to bring home a little pork . finally , many tea party activists have pushed back against the multicultural vision that president bush promoted for his party . since his time in texas , bush had worked hard to bring new voters into the republican coalition , particularly hispanic-americans . he stood firm for liberalized immigration policies in 2005 , even as hard-line conservatives stifled his proposal to overhaul the system . after 9/11 , bush had been careful to make very clear that he was conducting a war against terrorist networks rather than a war against islam ( to be sure , many of his policies , like the use of torture and the war in iraq , undercut those efforts ) . the backlash against bush 's vision of conservatism has been strong . tea party activists have focused on issues like immigration restriction and opposition to gay rights . some leaders were at the forefront of turning the debate over a mosque in new york into a debate over the role of islam in american life . bush has also felt that the proper role for him was to stay out of the political arena , which has created a bigger opportunity for these voices . now that the election campaign is just about over , the party 's leaders will have to reconcile the tensions between where the party had been under george w. bush and where tea party leaders would like to see it heading . the impact of the movement on the gop will create intense pressure on elected officials to listen to what the activists have been demanding if they want their support in 2012 . the question will be whether tea party activists will decide that the gop is just no longer a home for them and if other republicans , like former president bush , will be left wondering what has become of their party . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian e. zelizer . | he says it 's a reminder that tea party arose out of dissatisfaction with bush policies |
tea party <tsp> princeton , new jersey ( cnn ) -- former president george w. bush loomed large throughout the 2010 campaign even though he has been out of office for nearly two years . the upcoming publication of bush 's memoirs , decision points , ' offers us an opportunity to consider the relationship between the former commander-in-chief and the tea party activists who played such a major role in energizing the gop this summer and fall . while the tea party attacks on president obama and his policies were front and center , their anger was also directed toward the nature of republican politics in the age of bush . the tea party movement has opened up a civil war within the republican party . recently these tensions exploded when bush 's top political adviser , karl rove , said the tea party was not very sophisticated . ' former arkansas governor and presidential candidate mike huckabee called rove an elitist ' and said that unfortunately , there is an elitism within the republican establishment . and it 's one of the reasons the republicans have not been able to solidify not only the tea party movement but solidify conservatives across america . ' the tea party movement was born out of a rebellion against one of president bush 's signature policies : tarp , the bailout for wall street investment banks . tea party activists have been extremely critical of the willingness of republicans to turn to the federal government to solve some domestic problems . bush 's support for the financial bailout was part of a longer tradition of big government conservatism that has been around since the 1960s . in addition to national security spending , republicans in power have always lived with an expansive view of government . ronald reagan came to accept the permanence of programs like social security and medicare when he discovered they were more popular than the right wing of his party expected . george h.w . bush pushed through congress one of the biggest civil rights initiatives since 1965 , the americans with disabilities act . under george w. bush , republicans undertook a series of major government initiatives , including no child left behind and the medicare prescription drug program . for bush the question was not government versus no government , but rather , what priorities were most important . when the financial markets collapsed in fall 2008 , it was not surprising that he opted to use the federal government to help . tea party activists have called for a return to a kind of pristine , libertarian conservatism that they feel once existed . they have attacked all forms of federal intervention and called for their party to embrace a purer form of opposition to big government . a second concern for tea party activists has been the political process in washington . they have frequently employed the rhetoric of good government reformers in explaining what 's wrong with the system . the tea party has complained that lobbyists on k street wield too much influence on capitol hill . they warn that interest groups will be the biggest beneficiaries of new policies . and they have expressed their frustration about how congressional practices such as earmarks have been used to unfairly allocate public funds . these attacks touch directly on how republican politics worked throughout bush 's presidency . by 2001 , republicans had learned to work within the political system to advance their objectives and to secure their power . indeed , between 2005 and 2006 , republicans came under fire for having practiced politics as usual . investigations revealed that there were tight connections between republicans and lobbyists such as jack abramoff that had been nurtured by the k street project . the k street project was an operation set up after the 1994 elections whereby republican house and senate leaders met regularly with lobbyists to talk about legislative strategy and to find possible employment for gop staffers . congressional republicans also relied on earmarks as much as their democratic colleagues . after all , most voters like their legislators to bring home a little pork . finally , many tea party activists have pushed back against the multicultural vision that president bush promoted for his party . since his time in texas , bush had worked hard to bring new voters into the republican coalition , particularly hispanic-americans . he stood firm for liberalized immigration policies in 2005 , even as hard-line conservatives stifled his proposal to overhaul the system . after 9/11 , bush had been careful to make very clear that he was conducting a war against terrorist networks rather than a war against islam ( to be sure , many of his policies , like the use of torture and the war in iraq , undercut those efforts ) . the backlash against bush 's vision of conservatism has been strong . tea party activists have focused on issues like immigration restriction and opposition to gay rights . some leaders were at the forefront of turning the debate over a mosque in new york into a debate over the role of islam in american life . bush has also felt that the proper role for him was to stay out of the political arena , which has created a bigger opportunity for these voices . now that the election campaign is just about over , the party 's leaders will have to reconcile the tensions between where the party had been under george w. bush and where tea party leaders would like to see it heading . the impact of the movement on the gop will create intense pressure on elected officials to listen to what the activists have been demanding if they want their support in 2012 . the question will be whether tea party activists will decide that the gop is just no longer a home for them and if other republicans , like former president bush , will be left wondering what has become of their party . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian e. zelizer . | republican leaders will have to reconcile tensions between tea party and rest of gop |
gervais <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ricky gervais says he 's not sure if the lead in ghost town ' -- an anti-social , cynical dentist named bertram pincus -- was written for him . ricky gervais has established a career playing characters with an abrasive edge . and he 's not sure if he wants to know . i 'm scared to ask , ' he says in a phone interview from los angeles , california . [ writer-director david koepp ] says that when they first had the idea , that it should be played by me , [ and ] they never looked back . now i do n't know whether that was as they were coming up with it , or whether it was because they found out no one else was available . steve carell had said no , will ferrell had said no , jack black had said no , ben stiller had said no ... everyone had said no , and they went ,'oh , is there no one ... i wonder if he 's available .' i do n't know which is closer . i 'd like to think the first one 's closer . ' but , he adds , he was more than happy to take the role . when i read it , i thought ,'this is me ,' he says . it was my voice ; it 's something i could have written . even the lines sounded like that grumpy misanthrope i often play . and then they made it even more me . ' watch a clip from ghost town ' with mr. moviefone » indeed , gervais , 47 , has risen to fame playing characters who are , let us say , less than friendly . on the original uk version of the office , ' which he created with longtime writing partner stephen merchant , he played david brent , the socially tone-deaf general manager of a paper company branch office who continually shocked co-workers with his immature jokes and patronizing attitude . he followed that as andy millman in extras , ' a borderline performer always angling for the main chance . and in ghost town , ' which came out on dvd sunday , gervais'dr. pincus ca n't stand to communicate with the ghosts he starts meeting after a near-death experience . he does have a bit of redemption . he strikes up a romance with gwen ( tea leoni ) , an antiquities expert , and ends up helping out a few of his late comrades . but in gervais'portrayal , pincus retains his abrasive edge . the movie earned generally good reviews and a decent box office upon its late-summer release , with the boston globe 's ty burr comparing gervais to a hollywood legend . someone once said about w.c. fields that he had the rare ability to despise amusingly . i can imagine no greater compliment than to say that ricky gervais seems , at his best , like a young fields , ' burr wrote . that kind of misanthrope is the furthest thing from the gervais of the phone interview , an engaging man who answers questions with patience and thoughtfulness . asked why british actors play socially unpleasant roles so well , he ponders the question , makes asides to how often british actors play villains and bumbling fops ' and soon offers a disquisition on the differences between british and american culture . watch more insight on interviewing ricky gervais » ' i think we play the loser well because england 's full of them , ' he says . we celebrate our losers , we celebrate our underdogs , we celebrate those people -- [ and then ] we build them up and then we do n't like them anymore . whereas americans celebrate success . americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the united states . british people are told it wo n't happen to you . it sounds like a generalization , but it 's true . ' he adds that he just finished writing a film with merchant called the man from the pru , ' set in early-'70s england . it 's about class , and it 's about can you escape being born living , growing up and dying in the same street , ' he says . i know that 's the same the world over ... but it 's because britain is so small and so diverse . you really could n't get out of your class before celebrity came along . the american class system always seemed a bit fairer to me , because it was built on achievement as opposed to blood . ' since gervais likes to write his own material , he 's careful about the roles he takes , even with hollywood beckoning . ghost town ' was a good fit , he says , because he and koepp hit it off so well . the whole thing was really collaborative , ' he says . i 'm not usually an actor for hire , but this was great . ' indeed , it 's the collaboration that made it , he says . he welcomes that kind of bouncing ideas back and forth , and says he 'd love to do something with steve carell , who plays the american version of brent , michael scott , on the u.s. version of office . ' the two had a memorably hilarious exchange at this year 's often unfunny emmy show . i would love to host anything with steve carell , ' he says . i would do a cat show with steve carell . i would do computer nerds'mr. universe with steve carell . so if anyone asks me if i will host a show with steve carell , the answer 's yes . ' perhaps that could happen soon : gervais'name is often bandied about in rumors about awards show hosting duties . however , he adds , he remains in the dark about it all . i 'm on a list , ' he says . but i do n't know what that means . ' | gervais rose to fame with uk office , ' extras ' |
gervais <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ricky gervais says he 's not sure if the lead in ghost town ' -- an anti-social , cynical dentist named bertram pincus -- was written for him . ricky gervais has established a career playing characters with an abrasive edge . and he 's not sure if he wants to know . i 'm scared to ask , ' he says in a phone interview from los angeles , california . [ writer-director david koepp ] says that when they first had the idea , that it should be played by me , [ and ] they never looked back . now i do n't know whether that was as they were coming up with it , or whether it was because they found out no one else was available . steve carell had said no , will ferrell had said no , jack black had said no , ben stiller had said no ... everyone had said no , and they went ,'oh , is there no one ... i wonder if he 's available .' i do n't know which is closer . i 'd like to think the first one 's closer . ' but , he adds , he was more than happy to take the role . when i read it , i thought ,'this is me ,' he says . it was my voice ; it 's something i could have written . even the lines sounded like that grumpy misanthrope i often play . and then they made it even more me . ' watch a clip from ghost town ' with mr. moviefone » indeed , gervais , 47 , has risen to fame playing characters who are , let us say , less than friendly . on the original uk version of the office , ' which he created with longtime writing partner stephen merchant , he played david brent , the socially tone-deaf general manager of a paper company branch office who continually shocked co-workers with his immature jokes and patronizing attitude . he followed that as andy millman in extras , ' a borderline performer always angling for the main chance . and in ghost town , ' which came out on dvd sunday , gervais'dr. pincus ca n't stand to communicate with the ghosts he starts meeting after a near-death experience . he does have a bit of redemption . he strikes up a romance with gwen ( tea leoni ) , an antiquities expert , and ends up helping out a few of his late comrades . but in gervais'portrayal , pincus retains his abrasive edge . the movie earned generally good reviews and a decent box office upon its late-summer release , with the boston globe 's ty burr comparing gervais to a hollywood legend . someone once said about w.c. fields that he had the rare ability to despise amusingly . i can imagine no greater compliment than to say that ricky gervais seems , at his best , like a young fields , ' burr wrote . that kind of misanthrope is the furthest thing from the gervais of the phone interview , an engaging man who answers questions with patience and thoughtfulness . asked why british actors play socially unpleasant roles so well , he ponders the question , makes asides to how often british actors play villains and bumbling fops ' and soon offers a disquisition on the differences between british and american culture . watch more insight on interviewing ricky gervais » ' i think we play the loser well because england 's full of them , ' he says . we celebrate our losers , we celebrate our underdogs , we celebrate those people -- [ and then ] we build them up and then we do n't like them anymore . whereas americans celebrate success . americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the united states . british people are told it wo n't happen to you . it sounds like a generalization , but it 's true . ' he adds that he just finished writing a film with merchant called the man from the pru , ' set in early-'70s england . it 's about class , and it 's about can you escape being born living , growing up and dying in the same street , ' he says . i know that 's the same the world over ... but it 's because britain is so small and so diverse . you really could n't get out of your class before celebrity came along . the american class system always seemed a bit fairer to me , because it was built on achievement as opposed to blood . ' since gervais likes to write his own material , he 's careful about the roles he takes , even with hollywood beckoning . ghost town ' was a good fit , he says , because he and koepp hit it off so well . the whole thing was really collaborative , ' he says . i 'm not usually an actor for hire , but this was great . ' indeed , it 's the collaboration that made it , he says . he welcomes that kind of bouncing ideas back and forth , and says he 'd love to do something with steve carell , who plays the american version of brent , michael scott , on the u.s. version of office . ' the two had a memorably hilarious exchange at this year 's often unfunny emmy show . i would love to host anything with steve carell , ' he says . i would do a cat show with steve carell . i would do computer nerds'mr. universe with steve carell . so if anyone asks me if i will host a show with steve carell , the answer 's yes . ' perhaps that could happen soon : gervais'name is often bandied about in rumors about awards show hosting duties . however , he adds , he remains in the dark about it all . i 'm on a list , ' he says . but i do n't know what that means . ' | ricky gervais plays misanthropic dentist in ghost town , ' now out on dvd |
uae <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at first glance , the uae seems ill-suited to ice hockey . the country boasts summer temperatures of up to 120 degrees fahrenheit ( 48 degrees celsius ) , and the only snow and ice to be found is usually in fabricated form in a shopping mall . despite the country 's many disadvantages in championing the cold-weather sport , in 2010 the uae became the first arab nation to play in an international ice hockey federation world championship . granted , they finished last , but that has n't dampened the enthusiasm of the handful of emiratis who have taken to the sport . i feel so proud , so proud to be representing the country , ' says mohamed aref al jachi , a founding member of the uae 's national ice hockey team . the first time al jachi saw snow was five years ago . now , he trains with his team four nights a week at the abu dhabi ice rink . coaches from canada and belarus -- two ice hockey heavyweight nations -- are helping the team learn the right moves . the process is n't always straightforward . it will take time to teach , ' admits lee becker , the team 's equipment manager , who hails from canada . it 's not something that 's going to happen overnight . they have to take some time to adapt . ' some of the players admit that they do n't always get taken seriously , being from the uae . they sometimes say ,'ah , you 're a desert country . where do you play ? in the desert ?'come on ! ' says saeed al nuaimi , a business student who plays on the team in his spare time . despite the players'enthusiasm , the fan base has n't yet developed around the sport . at a recent regional tournament in which they played against mongolia , the stadium seats were mostly empty . it feels bad , ' admits al nuaimi . but this game is not really popular in the uae . people like football . but if they came to watch , it 's a very fast and tough game , and they would enjoy it . ' for many of the players , ice hockey is , at the moment , a side hobby . al jachi , for instance , has a day job as a government employee . and while many of the players harbor olympic ambitions , for the time being , they 're just happy to be playing . you do n't have to win every time , ' says al jachi . many teams play in the world championships and they never win , but they 're still playing . they are saying ,'we are there , we can play the game .'this is our aim . ' | uae became first arab nation to play an international ice hockey federation world championship |
international ice hockey federation <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at first glance , the uae seems ill-suited to ice hockey . the country boasts summer temperatures of up to 120 degrees fahrenheit ( 48 degrees celsius ) , and the only snow and ice to be found is usually in fabricated form in a shopping mall . despite the country 's many disadvantages in championing the cold-weather sport , in 2010 the uae became the first arab nation to play in an international ice hockey federation world championship . granted , they finished last , but that has n't dampened the enthusiasm of the handful of emiratis who have taken to the sport . i feel so proud , so proud to be representing the country , ' says mohamed aref al jachi , a founding member of the uae 's national ice hockey team . the first time al jachi saw snow was five years ago . now , he trains with his team four nights a week at the abu dhabi ice rink . coaches from canada and belarus -- two ice hockey heavyweight nations -- are helping the team learn the right moves . the process is n't always straightforward . it will take time to teach , ' admits lee becker , the team 's equipment manager , who hails from canada . it 's not something that 's going to happen overnight . they have to take some time to adapt . ' some of the players admit that they do n't always get taken seriously , being from the uae . they sometimes say ,'ah , you 're a desert country . where do you play ? in the desert ?'come on ! ' says saeed al nuaimi , a business student who plays on the team in his spare time . despite the players'enthusiasm , the fan base has n't yet developed around the sport . at a recent regional tournament in which they played against mongolia , the stadium seats were mostly empty . it feels bad , ' admits al nuaimi . but this game is not really popular in the uae . people like football . but if they came to watch , it 's a very fast and tough game , and they would enjoy it . ' for many of the players , ice hockey is , at the moment , a side hobby . al jachi , for instance , has a day job as a government employee . and while many of the players harbor olympic ambitions , for the time being , they 're just happy to be playing . you do n't have to win every time , ' says al jachi . many teams play in the world championships and they never win , but they 're still playing . they are saying ,'we are there , we can play the game .'this is our aim . ' | uae became first arab nation to play an international ice hockey federation world championship |
vancouver <tsp> it was a simple ceremony on the northern bank of washington 's tidal basin , attended by only a few people . first lady helen taft and viscountess chinda , wife of the japanese ambassador to the united states , planted two yoshino cherry trees , part of a gift of 3,000 cherry trees from japan to the united states . one hundred years later , those two trees -- still standing -- and thousands more will be at the center of washington 's annual national cherry blossom festival , starting march 20 and continuing through april 27 . diplomats still honor the friendship symbolized by the gift of the cherry trees . at press conference thursday , kazuhide ishikawa , the charge d'affaires of the embassy of japan , emphasized his country 's commitment to deepening our bond and friendship for another 100 years . ' nature may cooperate with the festival schedule this year : a national park service official predicted the peak of the blossoming will be between march 24 and 31 , when 70 % of the buds will open . the buds usually last 10 to 14 days . the japanese traditionally celebrate the spring blossoming of the flowering cherry trees , and the japanese government and citizens have made many gifts of cherry trees to welcoming cities around the world . wherever cherry trees thrive and are beloved , look for cherry blossom festivals as an annual rite of spring . ( whether or not nature 's calendar will coincide with the festivals is always an unknown . ) washington the u.s. capital 's first festival was held in 1927 and lasted three days , featuring schoolchildren doing a tree-planting re-enactment . the event became two weeks long in 1994 , and this year there will be five weeks of food , arts , cultural and outdoors events in honor of the 100th anniversary of the gift of the trees . the liaison capitol hill is offering room rates starting at $ 199 that include a commemorative cherry blossom branch ( legally supplied by the hotel ) , a box of chocolates , picnic goodies and metro passes . the hotel 's restaurant , art and soul , is owned by renowned chef art smith , known as personal chef to oprah winfrey and top chef masters ' contestant . other hotels around washington and suburban virginia and maryland are offering cherry blossom and springtime package deals . call ( 877 ) 44bloom ( 887-442-5666 ) or go online to book a reservation . brooklyn , new york the brooklyn botanic garden , which claims a more diverse collection of japanese flowering cherries in one place than anywhere in the world outside japan , celebrates cherry blossom season april 1-29 . the four weeks of hanami , the japanese tradition of experiencing every moment of the cherry blossoming process , include weekend tours of the garden 's japanese plant collections and specialty gardens , and a packed weekend of celebrations april 28-29 . san francisco san francisco 's japantown will host the 45th annual northern california cherry blossom festival , including food , culture , martial arts and music , on april 14-15 and april 21-22 . the pageant to choose the cherry blossom queen and her court will be held april 14 . the festival will recognize the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in japan . festival organizers will also pay tribute to the 100th infantry battalion , the 442nd regimental combat team and the military intelligence service , comprised mostly of japanese americans who fought in world war ii . the 442nd ( which absorbed the 100th in 1944 ) became the most highly decorated unit for its size and length of service . vancouver , british columbia leave it to vancouver to organize a cherry blossom umbrella flash mob dance on april 14 , complete with a pink festival umbrella ( if you register for the umbrella and a gift bundle costing $ 10 ) . details about the in-person rehearsal and an instructional video are online . the dance is but one part of the city 's annual cherry blossom festival , to be held april 5-28 . vancouver , which has more than 40,000 cherry trees gracing its streets , officially welcomes spring with this month-long celebration of the cherry blossom . the festival includes dance , demonstrations by japanese chefs , haiku , painting and outdoor events . the city began planting cherry trees in significant numbers in the early 1930s after the mayors of kobe and yokohama presented vancouver with 500 japanese cherry trees to honor japanese canadians who served in world war i. fukuoka , japan the most dedicated of cherry blossom lovers will head to japan to celebrate the blossom as the japanese do . japan travel expert duff trimble lived in fukuoka for three years and spent a lot of time running and biking in maizuru park and ohori park , where cherry trees blossom . the ruins of fukuoka castle had the more typical concentration of cherry trees on top of the ruins and was one of the most popular cherry blossom-viewing areas in fukuoka , ' says trimble , whose toronto-based wabi-sabi japan runs custom-guided japan adventures . during the hanami ( flower viewing ) season , it was full of revelers celebrating the onset of spring . these hanami parties are always quite boisterous . ' trimble would often continue from maizuru park into ohori park , which also had a number of cherry blossom trees in the spring . for lodging , trimble recommends the grand hyatt fukuoka , the traditional hotel okura and with the style , a boutique hotel . | vancouver , british columbia , will have a dance party to honor the blossom |
fema <tsp> new orleans , louisiana ( cnn ) -- as floodwaters washed away homes in the lower 9th ward , robert green watched with horror as his mother got swept away in the storm . robert green stands on the porch of his family 's fema trailer in front of his new home earlier this year . four months later , green and other family members found joyce green 's remains in the splintered wreckage of the house where they left her . robert green 's granddaughter shanay also drowned the night hurricane katrina hit . green spent almost the entire last four years living in a small fema trailer on his land , sharing his story with anyone who came through the lower 9th . one of the people he met was tom darden , executive director of the make it right foundation , brad pitt 's nonprofit vision for building green , sustainable houses in the lower 9th ward of new orleans . only a handful of homes have returned to the lower 9th , one of the areas hardest hit by the killer storm . we have 14 neighbors and feel crowded , ' green said but we have 3,000 houses that are gone , and we would love to see those houses come back . ' darden and pitt felt compelled to help provide green and his family a second chance , and on july 9 green officially became a proud homeowner once again . getting a fresh start has helped green and his family deal with the tragedy that turned their lives upside down and took away their loved ones . that 's what gave me the strength to endure all that we 've been through , ' green said . people constantly coming by , volunteers constantly coming by . people that really care about us and let us know that we were n't in this alone . it gave us the hope that one day we would come back and be a community again . ' watch as green talks about his family 's tragedies and life in new orleans after katrina » the make it right foundation has built 15 homes in the lower 9th so far ; the group 's goal is to have 150 built by the end of next year . darden said the program is designed as a hand up , not a handout . we ask the families to contribute as much as they can afford , ' he said . on average that 's been about $ 75,000 , but we work with the families very closely to make sure that a family is not spending more than 30 percent of their income towards housing costs , and that 's how we ensure they are affordable . ' safety and energy efficiency are among the group 's primary concerns . [ the houses ] are all elevated at least above katrina-level flooding . a family has the option to build even higher than that if they want . we 've got hurricane-resistant features like impact-resistant glass , or a certain type of fabric that protects the windows , ' darden said . see photos detailing the features of the make it right homes » another of the driving forces instrumental in rebuilding the lower 9th ward in a sustainable fashion is global green , the american arm of former soviet president mikhail gorbachev 's green cross international . immediately after the storm , we saw a failure in government in every level : local , state and federal , ' said matt petersen , president of global green . there 's still so much work to be done that we ca n't wait , we ca n't rely on the federal government . this is an era where i think the citizens of this great country need to take responsibility for our nation , and it starts right here . how we respond affects the future of our country . ' shaun donovan , secretary of the u.s. department of housing and urban development , knows mistakes were made in the efforts to get people back into their homes , both in the lower 9th ward and other devastated parts of new orleans . we have to be more flexible , we have to be more responsive , and make sure the programs do n't just work in theory , but they will work for families , ' donovan said . we 've been very focused in the first seven months [ of the obama administration ] on cutting red tape , making sure that recovery moves ahead . and that we can get as fast as possible to the completion of the recovery phase . ' donovan said hud 's plans will help hundreds of millions of federal dollars be directed to areas across new orleans , helping rebuild communities and get families into permanent houses . but donovan also said this could still take another 18-24 months , and that if it were n't for nonprofits there would be little to no progress , even four years after the storm . we have to say ,'look , there are groups on the ground that have solutions , they are able to make it work , we 've put barriers in the way for them to be able to get their work done as quickly and effectively as possible . we 've got to get those barriers out of the way .' for robert green , seeing any progress at all gives him hope that one day the place he calls home will no longer be dominated by concrete slabs , abandoned homes and overgrown weeds . we have children back in this community , we have families back , ' green said . so basically when those families come back , it gives the other relatives and friends and other people a jump off point . ' | since then he has lived in a fema trailer in new orleans'lower 9th ward |
janet napolitano <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- homeland security secretary janet napolitano announced friday she is resigning and will be nominated to become president of the university of california system . in an e-mail to associates , napolitano said she will leave the department of homeland security in september . while her nomination must be approved by the university 's board of regents at a meeting next week , napolitano sounded confident of the outcome . departing a job and community you love is never easy , but i am passionate about educating the next generation of leaders and the university of california is like no other institution in affording such an opportunity , ' her e-mail said . she graduated from the university of santa clara in california in 1979 as its first female valedictorian . napolitano , 55 , was confirmed as the nation 's third homeland security secretary and the first woman to hold the post the day after president barack obama took office in 2009 . janet napolitano : fast facts in an earlier statement on friday , she called working with homeland security personnel who protect the nation the highlight of my professional career . ' obama thanked napolitano for what he called outstanding work in dealing with some of the toughest challenges facing our country . ' he cited her leadership in recovery efforts from natural disasters like superstorm sandy , dealing with the volatile immigration issue and protecting the nation against terrorist attacks . i 've come to rely on janet 's judgment and advice , but i 've also come to value her friendship , ' obama said , wishing her luck as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service . ' a breast cancer survivor , napolitano was attorney general and then governor of arizona before joining obama 's cabinet . as head of the vast department involved in all aspects of national security including anti-terrorism efforts , napolitano was involved in some of the most high-profile moments of obama 's first term . she was criticized for defending screening efforts after the 2009 attempted terrorist attack in which a man on a flight from europe failed to ignite explosives in his underwear . during her tenure , the administration deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants . however , gop critics complained napolitano ignored the law by halting deportations of some young immigrants living illegally in the united states as part of administration reforms of the broken immigration system . some officials at the immigration and customs enforcement agency complained that the policy change forced agents to violate laws . conservative republican sen. jeff sessions of alabama said napolitano 's tenure was defined by a consistent disrespect for the rule of law . ' any selection -- interim or permanent -- to replace secretary napolitano must disavow these aggressive non-enforcement directives or there is very little hope for successful immigration reform , ' sessions said in a statement . other legislators called for obama to swiftly name a replacement . names previously mentioned as possible successors include new york city police commissioner raymond kelly and retired u.s. coast guard adm. thad allen , the service 's former commandant . the homeland security department was created in the aftermath of the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on new york and washington . former pennsylvania gov . tom ridge was the first secretary , followed by michael chertoff , both during the administration of gop president george w. bush . in a statement friday , kelly and new york mayor michael bloomberg praised napolitano for prioritizing federal funding for the city 's anti-terrorism programs during an era of budget austerity . secretary napolitano never lost sight of the fact that new york city was on the top of the terrorist target list and acted accordingly in funding important initiatives , ' kelly 's statement said . she performed a great public service not only for new york city but for the nation at large . ' at the university of california , napolitano will lead a system with more than 234,000 students at 10 campuses , five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories . sherry lansing , the former film studio executive who headed the search committee , said napolitano received unanimous support from the nominating panel . while some may consider her to be an unconventional choice , secretary napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time ' to lead the university , lansing said in a statement . she will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty , students and staff at a time when great changes in our state , and across the globe , are presenting as many opportunities as challenges . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , deirdre walsh , greg seaby and carol cratty contributed to this report . | janet napolitano says she will leave the cabinet in september |
napolitano <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- homeland security secretary janet napolitano announced friday she is resigning and will be nominated to become president of the university of california system . in an e-mail to associates , napolitano said she will leave the department of homeland security in september . while her nomination must be approved by the university 's board of regents at a meeting next week , napolitano sounded confident of the outcome . departing a job and community you love is never easy , but i am passionate about educating the next generation of leaders and the university of california is like no other institution in affording such an opportunity , ' her e-mail said . she graduated from the university of santa clara in california in 1979 as its first female valedictorian . napolitano , 55 , was confirmed as the nation 's third homeland security secretary and the first woman to hold the post the day after president barack obama took office in 2009 . janet napolitano : fast facts in an earlier statement on friday , she called working with homeland security personnel who protect the nation the highlight of my professional career . ' obama thanked napolitano for what he called outstanding work in dealing with some of the toughest challenges facing our country . ' he cited her leadership in recovery efforts from natural disasters like superstorm sandy , dealing with the volatile immigration issue and protecting the nation against terrorist attacks . i 've come to rely on janet 's judgment and advice , but i 've also come to value her friendship , ' obama said , wishing her luck as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service . ' a breast cancer survivor , napolitano was attorney general and then governor of arizona before joining obama 's cabinet . as head of the vast department involved in all aspects of national security including anti-terrorism efforts , napolitano was involved in some of the most high-profile moments of obama 's first term . she was criticized for defending screening efforts after the 2009 attempted terrorist attack in which a man on a flight from europe failed to ignite explosives in his underwear . during her tenure , the administration deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants . however , gop critics complained napolitano ignored the law by halting deportations of some young immigrants living illegally in the united states as part of administration reforms of the broken immigration system . some officials at the immigration and customs enforcement agency complained that the policy change forced agents to violate laws . conservative republican sen. jeff sessions of alabama said napolitano 's tenure was defined by a consistent disrespect for the rule of law . ' any selection -- interim or permanent -- to replace secretary napolitano must disavow these aggressive non-enforcement directives or there is very little hope for successful immigration reform , ' sessions said in a statement . other legislators called for obama to swiftly name a replacement . names previously mentioned as possible successors include new york city police commissioner raymond kelly and retired u.s. coast guard adm. thad allen , the service 's former commandant . the homeland security department was created in the aftermath of the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on new york and washington . former pennsylvania gov . tom ridge was the first secretary , followed by michael chertoff , both during the administration of gop president george w. bush . in a statement friday , kelly and new york mayor michael bloomberg praised napolitano for prioritizing federal funding for the city 's anti-terrorism programs during an era of budget austerity . secretary napolitano never lost sight of the fact that new york city was on the top of the terrorist target list and acted accordingly in funding important initiatives , ' kelly 's statement said . she performed a great public service not only for new york city but for the nation at large . ' at the university of california , napolitano will lead a system with more than 234,000 students at 10 campuses , five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories . sherry lansing , the former film studio executive who headed the search committee , said napolitano received unanimous support from the nominating panel . while some may consider her to be an unconventional choice , secretary napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time ' to lead the university , lansing said in a statement . she will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty , students and staff at a time when great changes in our state , and across the globe , are presenting as many opportunities as challenges . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , deirdre walsh , greg seaby and carol cratty contributed to this report . | janet napolitano says she will leave the cabinet in september |
napolitano <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- homeland security secretary janet napolitano announced friday she is resigning and will be nominated to become president of the university of california system . in an e-mail to associates , napolitano said she will leave the department of homeland security in september . while her nomination must be approved by the university 's board of regents at a meeting next week , napolitano sounded confident of the outcome . departing a job and community you love is never easy , but i am passionate about educating the next generation of leaders and the university of california is like no other institution in affording such an opportunity , ' her e-mail said . she graduated from the university of santa clara in california in 1979 as its first female valedictorian . napolitano , 55 , was confirmed as the nation 's third homeland security secretary and the first woman to hold the post the day after president barack obama took office in 2009 . janet napolitano : fast facts in an earlier statement on friday , she called working with homeland security personnel who protect the nation the highlight of my professional career . ' obama thanked napolitano for what he called outstanding work in dealing with some of the toughest challenges facing our country . ' he cited her leadership in recovery efforts from natural disasters like superstorm sandy , dealing with the volatile immigration issue and protecting the nation against terrorist attacks . i 've come to rely on janet 's judgment and advice , but i 've also come to value her friendship , ' obama said , wishing her luck as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service . ' a breast cancer survivor , napolitano was attorney general and then governor of arizona before joining obama 's cabinet . as head of the vast department involved in all aspects of national security including anti-terrorism efforts , napolitano was involved in some of the most high-profile moments of obama 's first term . she was criticized for defending screening efforts after the 2009 attempted terrorist attack in which a man on a flight from europe failed to ignite explosives in his underwear . during her tenure , the administration deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants . however , gop critics complained napolitano ignored the law by halting deportations of some young immigrants living illegally in the united states as part of administration reforms of the broken immigration system . some officials at the immigration and customs enforcement agency complained that the policy change forced agents to violate laws . conservative republican sen. jeff sessions of alabama said napolitano 's tenure was defined by a consistent disrespect for the rule of law . ' any selection -- interim or permanent -- to replace secretary napolitano must disavow these aggressive non-enforcement directives or there is very little hope for successful immigration reform , ' sessions said in a statement . other legislators called for obama to swiftly name a replacement . names previously mentioned as possible successors include new york city police commissioner raymond kelly and retired u.s. coast guard adm. thad allen , the service 's former commandant . the homeland security department was created in the aftermath of the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on new york and washington . former pennsylvania gov . tom ridge was the first secretary , followed by michael chertoff , both during the administration of gop president george w. bush . in a statement friday , kelly and new york mayor michael bloomberg praised napolitano for prioritizing federal funding for the city 's anti-terrorism programs during an era of budget austerity . secretary napolitano never lost sight of the fact that new york city was on the top of the terrorist target list and acted accordingly in funding important initiatives , ' kelly 's statement said . she performed a great public service not only for new york city but for the nation at large . ' at the university of california , napolitano will lead a system with more than 234,000 students at 10 campuses , five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories . sherry lansing , the former film studio executive who headed the search committee , said napolitano received unanimous support from the nominating panel . while some may consider her to be an unconventional choice , secretary napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time ' to lead the university , lansing said in a statement . she will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty , students and staff at a time when great changes in our state , and across the globe , are presenting as many opportunities as challenges . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , deirdre walsh , greg seaby and carol cratty contributed to this report . | new : gop critics say napolitano ignored laws regarding undocumented immigrants |
napolitano <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- homeland security secretary janet napolitano announced friday she is resigning and will be nominated to become president of the university of california system . in an e-mail to associates , napolitano said she will leave the department of homeland security in september . while her nomination must be approved by the university 's board of regents at a meeting next week , napolitano sounded confident of the outcome . departing a job and community you love is never easy , but i am passionate about educating the next generation of leaders and the university of california is like no other institution in affording such an opportunity , ' her e-mail said . she graduated from the university of santa clara in california in 1979 as its first female valedictorian . napolitano , 55 , was confirmed as the nation 's third homeland security secretary and the first woman to hold the post the day after president barack obama took office in 2009 . janet napolitano : fast facts in an earlier statement on friday , she called working with homeland security personnel who protect the nation the highlight of my professional career . ' obama thanked napolitano for what he called outstanding work in dealing with some of the toughest challenges facing our country . ' he cited her leadership in recovery efforts from natural disasters like superstorm sandy , dealing with the volatile immigration issue and protecting the nation against terrorist attacks . i 've come to rely on janet 's judgment and advice , but i 've also come to value her friendship , ' obama said , wishing her luck as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service . ' a breast cancer survivor , napolitano was attorney general and then governor of arizona before joining obama 's cabinet . as head of the vast department involved in all aspects of national security including anti-terrorism efforts , napolitano was involved in some of the most high-profile moments of obama 's first term . she was criticized for defending screening efforts after the 2009 attempted terrorist attack in which a man on a flight from europe failed to ignite explosives in his underwear . during her tenure , the administration deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants . however , gop critics complained napolitano ignored the law by halting deportations of some young immigrants living illegally in the united states as part of administration reforms of the broken immigration system . some officials at the immigration and customs enforcement agency complained that the policy change forced agents to violate laws . conservative republican sen. jeff sessions of alabama said napolitano 's tenure was defined by a consistent disrespect for the rule of law . ' any selection -- interim or permanent -- to replace secretary napolitano must disavow these aggressive non-enforcement directives or there is very little hope for successful immigration reform , ' sessions said in a statement . other legislators called for obama to swiftly name a replacement . names previously mentioned as possible successors include new york city police commissioner raymond kelly and retired u.s. coast guard adm. thad allen , the service 's former commandant . the homeland security department was created in the aftermath of the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on new york and washington . former pennsylvania gov . tom ridge was the first secretary , followed by michael chertoff , both during the administration of gop president george w. bush . in a statement friday , kelly and new york mayor michael bloomberg praised napolitano for prioritizing federal funding for the city 's anti-terrorism programs during an era of budget austerity . secretary napolitano never lost sight of the fact that new york city was on the top of the terrorist target list and acted accordingly in funding important initiatives , ' kelly 's statement said . she performed a great public service not only for new york city but for the nation at large . ' at the university of california , napolitano will lead a system with more than 234,000 students at 10 campuses , five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories . sherry lansing , the former film studio executive who headed the search committee , said napolitano received unanimous support from the nominating panel . while some may consider her to be an unconventional choice , secretary napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time ' to lead the university , lansing said in a statement . she will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty , students and staff at a time when great changes in our state , and across the globe , are presenting as many opportunities as challenges . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , deirdre walsh , greg seaby and carol cratty contributed to this report . | napolitano was the first woman to be homeland security secretary |
gop <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- homeland security secretary janet napolitano announced friday she is resigning and will be nominated to become president of the university of california system . in an e-mail to associates , napolitano said she will leave the department of homeland security in september . while her nomination must be approved by the university 's board of regents at a meeting next week , napolitano sounded confident of the outcome . departing a job and community you love is never easy , but i am passionate about educating the next generation of leaders and the university of california is like no other institution in affording such an opportunity , ' her e-mail said . she graduated from the university of santa clara in california in 1979 as its first female valedictorian . napolitano , 55 , was confirmed as the nation 's third homeland security secretary and the first woman to hold the post the day after president barack obama took office in 2009 . janet napolitano : fast facts in an earlier statement on friday , she called working with homeland security personnel who protect the nation the highlight of my professional career . ' obama thanked napolitano for what he called outstanding work in dealing with some of the toughest challenges facing our country . ' he cited her leadership in recovery efforts from natural disasters like superstorm sandy , dealing with the volatile immigration issue and protecting the nation against terrorist attacks . i 've come to rely on janet 's judgment and advice , but i 've also come to value her friendship , ' obama said , wishing her luck as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service . ' a breast cancer survivor , napolitano was attorney general and then governor of arizona before joining obama 's cabinet . as head of the vast department involved in all aspects of national security including anti-terrorism efforts , napolitano was involved in some of the most high-profile moments of obama 's first term . she was criticized for defending screening efforts after the 2009 attempted terrorist attack in which a man on a flight from europe failed to ignite explosives in his underwear . during her tenure , the administration deported record numbers of undocumented immigrants . however , gop critics complained napolitano ignored the law by halting deportations of some young immigrants living illegally in the united states as part of administration reforms of the broken immigration system . some officials at the immigration and customs enforcement agency complained that the policy change forced agents to violate laws . conservative republican sen. jeff sessions of alabama said napolitano 's tenure was defined by a consistent disrespect for the rule of law . ' any selection -- interim or permanent -- to replace secretary napolitano must disavow these aggressive non-enforcement directives or there is very little hope for successful immigration reform , ' sessions said in a statement . other legislators called for obama to swiftly name a replacement . names previously mentioned as possible successors include new york city police commissioner raymond kelly and retired u.s. coast guard adm. thad allen , the service 's former commandant . the homeland security department was created in the aftermath of the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on new york and washington . former pennsylvania gov . tom ridge was the first secretary , followed by michael chertoff , both during the administration of gop president george w. bush . in a statement friday , kelly and new york mayor michael bloomberg praised napolitano for prioritizing federal funding for the city 's anti-terrorism programs during an era of budget austerity . secretary napolitano never lost sight of the fact that new york city was on the top of the terrorist target list and acted accordingly in funding important initiatives , ' kelly 's statement said . she performed a great public service not only for new york city but for the nation at large . ' at the university of california , napolitano will lead a system with more than 234,000 students at 10 campuses , five medical centers and three affiliated national laboratories . sherry lansing , the former film studio executive who headed the search committee , said napolitano received unanimous support from the nominating panel . while some may consider her to be an unconventional choice , secretary napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time ' to lead the university , lansing said in a statement . she will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty , students and staff at a time when great changes in our state , and across the globe , are presenting as many opportunities as challenges . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , deirdre walsh , greg seaby and carol cratty contributed to this report . | new : gop critics say napolitano ignored laws regarding undocumented immigrants |
ebola <tsp> the campaign trail for two candidates in top-tier senate races took a detour thursday to a capitol hill committee room for a high-profile hearing on ebola . the outbreak has become a wild card issue in the midterm elections , and both iowa democratic rep. bruce braley and colorado republican rep. cory gardner were eager to question top obama administration officials about the federal response at a hearing that was carried live on most television networks . braley is running neck-and-neck for the open senate seat against gop state sen. joni ernst , who repeatedly tries to tie him to president barack obama and his policies . but braley used his opening statement to criticize the federal efforts to date , saying , the administration did not act fast enough in responding in texas . ' braley also name-dropped an iowa company that is working on an ebola vaccine and pressed dr. anthony fauci , director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases , for information on how quickly the government could help advance the company 's research . like many other gop senate candidates , gardner , who is competing against democratic sen. mark udall , came out in favor of a travel ban for those flying to and from countries in africa fighting the ebola epidemic . he used his time at thursday 's hearing to question tom frieden , the director of the centers for disease control and prevention , about his reluctance to put more limits on travel . federal officials worry that a travel ban would make it harder to track people because they could take circuitous routes to get into the country . their reasons today are basically the same thing as saying that all children with chicken pox stay in school so we know who they are . it simply makes no sense . we must make sure we are protecting the american people by making sure that travel from the affected area is restricted , ' gardner said . it was clear that members of both parties who traveled back to washington during a week when congress was n't in session wanted to show voters back home they are responding to the crisis and holding federal officials accountable . it 's become the top issue , ' the no . 3 house republican leader , rep. steve scalise , r-louisiana , said about ebola and the midterm elections , which are just 19 days away . rob collins , the executive director of the national republican senatorial committee , told reporters thursday that concern about ebola is showing up in his party 's internal polling and that gop candidates are responding to the public 's worries about the spread of the disease . it think the republicans have been offering pretty concrete leadership on this issue , including calls for travel bans and such that you 're starting to see the democrats mirror , ' he said . on thursday , a pair of house democrats -- reps. john barrow of georgia and nick rahall of west virginia , who are in competitive races -- also publicly called for the administration to enact travel restrictions . barrow also recommended a 21-day voluntary quarantine for those traveling to the united states from countries affected by ebola . louisiana gop rep. bill cassidy , a physician who is running against democratic sen. mary landrieu , did n't return to washington for the hearing , but he scheduled a conference call with reporters thursday afternoon . he said that voters are approaching him as he travels around the state , and he slammed obama 's handling of the issue . it seems to be part of a broader narrative that that administration lacks leadership , and that the senator whom i 'm running against frankly enables the administration and is part of their lack of leadership , ' cassidy said . landrieu focused her response to the ebola outbreak by calling on the federal government to increase airport screenings . i urge the administration to expand the current screenings from five to all 20 airports in the united states where tourists , international workers and business leaders from west africa arrive , ' landrieu said . in addition , it is important to remember , in the face of constant calls for budget cuts , that the investments we make today in our health care system , nih research and emergency response training at our hospitals can help prevent and quickly contain diseases like ebola . ' | the outbreak of the ebola disease has become a wild card issue in the midterm elections |
ebola <tsp> the campaign trail for two candidates in top-tier senate races took a detour thursday to a capitol hill committee room for a high-profile hearing on ebola . the outbreak has become a wild card issue in the midterm elections , and both iowa democratic rep. bruce braley and colorado republican rep. cory gardner were eager to question top obama administration officials about the federal response at a hearing that was carried live on most television networks . braley is running neck-and-neck for the open senate seat against gop state sen. joni ernst , who repeatedly tries to tie him to president barack obama and his policies . but braley used his opening statement to criticize the federal efforts to date , saying , the administration did not act fast enough in responding in texas . ' braley also name-dropped an iowa company that is working on an ebola vaccine and pressed dr. anthony fauci , director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases , for information on how quickly the government could help advance the company 's research . like many other gop senate candidates , gardner , who is competing against democratic sen. mark udall , came out in favor of a travel ban for those flying to and from countries in africa fighting the ebola epidemic . he used his time at thursday 's hearing to question tom frieden , the director of the centers for disease control and prevention , about his reluctance to put more limits on travel . federal officials worry that a travel ban would make it harder to track people because they could take circuitous routes to get into the country . their reasons today are basically the same thing as saying that all children with chicken pox stay in school so we know who they are . it simply makes no sense . we must make sure we are protecting the american people by making sure that travel from the affected area is restricted , ' gardner said . it was clear that members of both parties who traveled back to washington during a week when congress was n't in session wanted to show voters back home they are responding to the crisis and holding federal officials accountable . it 's become the top issue , ' the no . 3 house republican leader , rep. steve scalise , r-louisiana , said about ebola and the midterm elections , which are just 19 days away . rob collins , the executive director of the national republican senatorial committee , told reporters thursday that concern about ebola is showing up in his party 's internal polling and that gop candidates are responding to the public 's worries about the spread of the disease . it think the republicans have been offering pretty concrete leadership on this issue , including calls for travel bans and such that you 're starting to see the democrats mirror , ' he said . on thursday , a pair of house democrats -- reps. john barrow of georgia and nick rahall of west virginia , who are in competitive races -- also publicly called for the administration to enact travel restrictions . barrow also recommended a 21-day voluntary quarantine for those traveling to the united states from countries affected by ebola . louisiana gop rep. bill cassidy , a physician who is running against democratic sen. mary landrieu , did n't return to washington for the hearing , but he scheduled a conference call with reporters thursday afternoon . he said that voters are approaching him as he travels around the state , and he slammed obama 's handling of the issue . it seems to be part of a broader narrative that that administration lacks leadership , and that the senator whom i 'm running against frankly enables the administration and is part of their lack of leadership , ' cassidy said . landrieu focused her response to the ebola outbreak by calling on the federal government to increase airport screenings . i urge the administration to expand the current screenings from five to all 20 airports in the united states where tourists , international workers and business leaders from west africa arrive , ' landrieu said . in addition , it is important to remember , in the face of constant calls for budget cuts , that the investments we make today in our health care system , nih research and emergency response training at our hospitals can help prevent and quickly contain diseases like ebola . ' | two candidates in high-profile senate races sat on panel holding ebola hearing thursday |
brian flemming <tsp> inspiration can come from unlikely places . brian flemming found the will to change his life in a drawing game . flemming was addicted to alcohol , severely morbidly obese and full of self-pity when he met jackie eastham through a random match on draw something , the pictionary-like mobile game . it was the spring of 2012 . most nights flemming drank around a fifth of vodka mixed with a liter of soda while he zoned out in front of the tv . the last time he had been weighed , on a special scale at the hospital , he was 625 pounds . eastham lived in england and was 20 years flemming 's senior . at first , the players shared casual banter between rounds . their friendship eventually moved to facebook , where they began to confide in each other . flemming was at a low point . besides being an alcoholic and morbidly obese , he was pre-diabetic and had a recurring cellulitis infection . eastham was the first person he was totally honest with -- no one in his life knew about the drinking . he expected sympathy . but she was n't having it . she said there were people struggling for their lives and then there 's you -- you have all these opportunities and you 're throwing it all away , ' said flemming , 32 , now a business relations representative and part-time music teacher in canton , michigan . it was personal for eastham , who lives with myotonic dystrophy , an inherited type of muscular dystrophy that causes progressive muscle weakness and can affect various systems and organs . her symptoms have been relatively mild so far , but she never takes her health for granted . i just thought bloody hell , you 're a guy who 's 30 ... and you 're wasting your life , ' she said , remembering how she felt as the recipient of his drunken , maudlin messages . my future is a lot gloomier . i 'm trying to make the brightest future i can , and ... you 're dragging yourself down . ' it was the wake-up call flemming needed . he 'd show her he could change . that day -- october 13 , 2012 -- he vowed to quit drinking cold turkey . that was the first step toward what would become a remarkable transformation . less than two years later , flemming has lost more than 380 pounds from his 6 foot 2 frame . he went from a size 60 waist to a size 38 . the days after he gave up alcohol were grueling , he said . he had cold sweats , shaky hands and could n't sleep . he kept busy to distract himself and found comfort in daily chats with eastham . they progressed from facebook to skype video chats , where eastham said she was initially shocked by his size . the weight began to fall off . without the extra calories from alcohol , flemming lost 100 pounds in a couple months . that was motivation enough to make other changes . he had been consuming upwards of 7,000 calories a day , according to an app he used to record his meals . he stopped eating fast food and cut out sugar and red meat . now , a typical day for flemming starts with a few ounces of low or no-sodium turkey breast , a serving of dry cereal , a bowl of non-fat greek yogurt with artificial sweetener and a glass of low-sodium vegetable juice . for lunch and dinner , he often eats chicken and vegetables with rice . and every friday night , he treats himself to a scoop of ice cream . now that he 's doing more exercise , he 's not as strict about his diet . adding in physical activity was a gradual process . flemming says he began by walking in place in his parents'basement for five minutes a day every morning , adding minutes as he felt ready . when he was finally comfortable to exercise outside , he only went when it was dark and the neighbors could n't see him . eastham kept him company on skype sometimes while he walked . she was a huge motivation . she 'd try to push me to walk a little further each time , ' he said . in july 2013 , he walked his first half-marathon . shortly after that he took up cycling , and then running , completing his third 5-kilometer run on his birthday a few weeks ago . he used running and calorie tracker apps to stay accountable and started seeing a psychotherapist to manage his depression and make sure he was approaching his weight loss in a healthy way . upwave : try it now ! track your progress with trackit eastham said she encouraged it , not wanting him to be dependent on their friendship to stay sober and motivated . flemming is now down to 234 pounds , with about 30 pounds of excess skin around his waist . he 's trying to save the money for surgery to have it removed . this past december , he went to europe and finally met eastham in person , where he was able to climb the eiffel tower after barely being able to walk up a flight of stairs less than two years earlier . they continue to talk every day -- and are still playing draw something . flemming now hopes to go back to school to become a therapist specializing in weight loss , depression and anxiety . jackie is the best thing that 's ever happened to me . i feel that she saved my life , even though she would never take credit , ' flemming wrote in a blog post . brian is so inspiring , ' eastham said . i hope he gets what he wants out of life . ' visit brian flemming 's facebook group to follow his journey . he invites readers to share their own stories about weight loss , addiction and eating disorders there . | brian flemming weighed 625 pounds |
sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the tamil tigers have been invited by sri lankan president mahinda rajapaksa to lay down their arms after government forces retook the city of kilinochchi friday , once the center of power for the rebel group . sri lanka 's president mahinda rajapaksa has called on the tamil tigers to stop fighting . but while colombo celebrated the government success with fireworks , within an hour a suicide bomber abruptly shattered whatever hopes the president may have had for immediate peace . the bomber , riding a motorcycle , blew himself up outside air force headquarters in colombo , killing two air force police officers and a member of the bomb-disposal unit , authorities said . the new year may signal a turn in sri lanka 's conflict -- but it is unlikely to be an end . the tamil tigers have their roots in the earliest days of sri lanka 's independence in 1948 . but since then they have grown from a political group intent on protecting their rights to a fierce rebel movement classified by the united states and others as a terrorist organization . the conflict between the tigers and the government has lasted more than 25 years and left at least 65,000 people dead . the tigers are part of the island 's minority tamils , an ethnic group that has lived on the island for centuries since their ancestors came over from southern india . these sri lankan tamils are distinct from indian tamils , an even smaller minority , who came with the british colonists in the 19th century . sri lanka 's majority sinhalese have lived on the island much longer than the tamils and represent about three-quarters of the population , according to the u.s. state department . most historians believe they came over from northern india in the 6th century b.c . it was sri lanka 's post-independence government that sparked the rise of the tamil tigers . after 1948 , tamils started growing uneasy with the country 's unitary government and apprehensive that the sinhalese might abuse tamil rights . they felt marginalized when s.w.r.d . bandaranaike became prime minister after winning the 1956 elections on a platform of sinhalese nationalism . the tamils bristled at his declaration that sinhala would be the official language and protested against government policies deemed favorable to the sinhalese . violence and radicalization started to grow during the following decades , and by the 1970s , tamil politicians were demanding a separate tamil state -- tamil eelam -- in northern and eastern sri lanka , the tamils'traditional homeland . other tamil groups , however , sought a separate state by force . among them were the liberation tigers of tamil eelam ( ltte ) , founded in 1976 -- and now simply known as the tamil tigers . the violence still raging today intensified in 1983 , when the tamil tigers killed 13 sinhalese soldiers . it led to the largest outburst of violence in the island 's history , with hundreds of tamils killed , tens of thousands left homeless and more than 100,000 fleeting to south india , according to the u.s. state department . the government began trying to suppress the tamil tigers in the north and east while the tigers launched terrorist attacks in the capital of colombo and elsewhere . fighting has continued for the most part since then , halted briefly by a handful of peace agreements , some of them high-profile . under an accord signed with india in 1987 , the government gave in to some tamil demands , including devolution of power to the provinces and official status for the tamil language . but fighting continued . the tamils fought an indian peacekeeping force deployed in the north and east as part of the 1987 accord , and after years of bloody fighting , the indians withdrew in early 1990 . the united states designated the ltte as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 . in february 2002 , sri lanka 's government and the ltte signed a cease-fire agreement at norwegian-sponsored talks . but the ltte dropped out of the negotiations a year later , claiming they were being marginalized . they launched a suicide bombing campaign the next year . the tigers stepped up their attacks in april 2006 with an explosion at a sinhalese market and two suicide bombings that killed a top army commander and seriously wounded another . weeks later , the european union designated the ltte as a terrorist organization . sri lankan government forces engaged the rebels in heavy fighting in 2008 in the kilinochchi region , once the capital and center of political power for the tamil tigers . the tigers ran a parallel administration from kilinochchi with their own police force , courts , prisons and taxes . but after sri lanka launched a new offensive against the rebels in the autumn , the insurgents moved their nerve center and logistics bases to mullaitivu , on the northeastern coast . after hovering on the outskirts of kilinochchi for more than a month , government troops retook the city . rajapaksa declared it a victory against separatism ' -- but violence soon followed . | tigers have their roots in the earliest days of sri lanka 's independence in 1948 |
sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the tamil tigers have been invited by sri lankan president mahinda rajapaksa to lay down their arms after government forces retook the city of kilinochchi friday , once the center of power for the rebel group . sri lanka 's president mahinda rajapaksa has called on the tamil tigers to stop fighting . but while colombo celebrated the government success with fireworks , within an hour a suicide bomber abruptly shattered whatever hopes the president may have had for immediate peace . the bomber , riding a motorcycle , blew himself up outside air force headquarters in colombo , killing two air force police officers and a member of the bomb-disposal unit , authorities said . the new year may signal a turn in sri lanka 's conflict -- but it is unlikely to be an end . the tamil tigers have their roots in the earliest days of sri lanka 's independence in 1948 . but since then they have grown from a political group intent on protecting their rights to a fierce rebel movement classified by the united states and others as a terrorist organization . the conflict between the tigers and the government has lasted more than 25 years and left at least 65,000 people dead . the tigers are part of the island 's minority tamils , an ethnic group that has lived on the island for centuries since their ancestors came over from southern india . these sri lankan tamils are distinct from indian tamils , an even smaller minority , who came with the british colonists in the 19th century . sri lanka 's majority sinhalese have lived on the island much longer than the tamils and represent about three-quarters of the population , according to the u.s. state department . most historians believe they came over from northern india in the 6th century b.c . it was sri lanka 's post-independence government that sparked the rise of the tamil tigers . after 1948 , tamils started growing uneasy with the country 's unitary government and apprehensive that the sinhalese might abuse tamil rights . they felt marginalized when s.w.r.d . bandaranaike became prime minister after winning the 1956 elections on a platform of sinhalese nationalism . the tamils bristled at his declaration that sinhala would be the official language and protested against government policies deemed favorable to the sinhalese . violence and radicalization started to grow during the following decades , and by the 1970s , tamil politicians were demanding a separate tamil state -- tamil eelam -- in northern and eastern sri lanka , the tamils'traditional homeland . other tamil groups , however , sought a separate state by force . among them were the liberation tigers of tamil eelam ( ltte ) , founded in 1976 -- and now simply known as the tamil tigers . the violence still raging today intensified in 1983 , when the tamil tigers killed 13 sinhalese soldiers . it led to the largest outburst of violence in the island 's history , with hundreds of tamils killed , tens of thousands left homeless and more than 100,000 fleeting to south india , according to the u.s. state department . the government began trying to suppress the tamil tigers in the north and east while the tigers launched terrorist attacks in the capital of colombo and elsewhere . fighting has continued for the most part since then , halted briefly by a handful of peace agreements , some of them high-profile . under an accord signed with india in 1987 , the government gave in to some tamil demands , including devolution of power to the provinces and official status for the tamil language . but fighting continued . the tamils fought an indian peacekeeping force deployed in the north and east as part of the 1987 accord , and after years of bloody fighting , the indians withdrew in early 1990 . the united states designated the ltte as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 . in february 2002 , sri lanka 's government and the ltte signed a cease-fire agreement at norwegian-sponsored talks . but the ltte dropped out of the negotiations a year later , claiming they were being marginalized . they launched a suicide bombing campaign the next year . the tigers stepped up their attacks in april 2006 with an explosion at a sinhalese market and two suicide bombings that killed a top army commander and seriously wounded another . weeks later , the european union designated the ltte as a terrorist organization . sri lankan government forces engaged the rebels in heavy fighting in 2008 in the kilinochchi region , once the capital and center of political power for the tamil tigers . the tigers ran a parallel administration from kilinochchi with their own police force , courts , prisons and taxes . but after sri lanka launched a new offensive against the rebels in the autumn , the insurgents moved their nerve center and logistics bases to mullaitivu , on the northeastern coast . after hovering on the outskirts of kilinochchi for more than a month , government troops retook the city . rajapaksa declared it a victory against separatism ' -- but violence soon followed . | the group has demanded a separate tamil state in northern and eastern sri lanka |
elliott <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if you want to understand the way prescription drugs are marketed today , have a look at the 1928 book , propaganda , ' by edward bernays , the father of public relations in america . for bernays , the public relations business was less about selling things than about creating the conditions for things to sell themselves . when bernays was working as a salesman for mozart pianos , for example , he did not simply place advertisements for pianos in newspapers . that would have been too obvious . instead , bernays persuaded reporters to write about a new trend : sophisticated people were putting aside a special room in the home for playing music . once a person had a music room , bernays believed , he would naturally think of buying a piano . as bernays wrote , it will come to him as his own idea . ' just as bernays sold pianos by selling the music room , pharmaceutical marketers now sell drugs by selling the diseases that they treat . the buzzword is disease branding . ' to brand a disease is to shape its public perception in order to make it more palatable to potential patients . panic disorder , reflux disease , erectile dysfunction , restless legs syndrome , bipolar disorder , overactive bladder , adhd , premenstrual dysphoric disorder , even clinical depression : all these conditions were once regarded as rare until a marketing campaign transformed the brand . once a branded disease has achieved a degree of cultural legitimacy , there is no need to convince anyone that a drug to treat it is necessary . it will come to him as his own idea . disease branding works especially well for two kinds of conditions . the first is the shameful condition that can be destigmatized . for instance , when pharmacia launched detrol in the late 1990s , the condition the drug treated was known to doctors as urge incontinence . ' patients called it accidentally peeing in my pants ' and were embarrassed to bring it up with their physicians . pharmacia fixed the problem by rebranding the condition as overactive bladder . ' whereas incontinence ' suggested weakness and was associated mainly with elderly women , the phrase overactive bladder ' evoked a supercharged organ frantically working overtime . to qualify for a diagnosis of overactive bladder , ' patients did not actually have to lose bladder control . ' they simply needed to go to the bathroom a lot . the vice president of pharmacia , neil wolf , explained the branding strategy in a 2002 presentation called positioning detrol : creating a disease . ' by creating the disease of overactive bladder , ' wolf claimed , pharmacia created a market of 21 million potential patients . another good candidate for branding is a condition that can be plausibly portrayed as under-diagnosed . branding such a condition assures potential patients that they are part of a large and credible community of sufferers . for example , in 1999 , the fda approved the antidepressant paxil for the treatment of social anxiety disorder , ' a condition previously known as shyness . ' see more cnn.com opinion articles in order to convince shy people they had social anxiety disorder , glaxosmithkline , the maker of paxil , hired a pr firm called cohn and wolfe . cohn and wolfe put together a public awareness campaign called imagine being allergic to people , ' which was allegedly sponsored by a group called the social anxiety disorders coalition . ' glaxosmithkline also recruited celebrities like ricky williams , the nfl running back , and paid them to give interviews to the press about their own social anxiety disorder . finally , they hired academic psychiatrists working on social anxiety disorder and sent them out on the lecture circuit in the top 25 media markets . the results were remarkable . in the two years before paxil was approved for social anxiety , there were only about 50 references to social anxiety disorder in the press . but in 1999 , during the pr campaign , there were over a billion references . within two years paxil had become the seventh most profitable drug in america , and cohn and wolfe had picked up an award for the best pr campaign of 1999 . today , social anxiety disorder , far from being rare , is often described as the third most common mental illness in the world . it is hard to brand a disease without the help of physicians , of course . so drug companies typically recruit academic thought leaders ' to write and speak about any new conditions they are trying to introduce . it also helps if the physicians believe the branded condition is dangerous . when astrazeneca introduced prilosec ( and later nexium ) for heartburn , for example , it famously repositioned heartburn as gastroesophageal reflux disease , ' or gerd . but it also commissioned research to demonstrate the devastating consequences of failing to treat it . if all drugs were harmless , disease branding would be relatively harmless , too . but no drug is completely benign . for example , detrol can make elderly people delirious and may cause memory problems . paxil is associated with sexual dysfunction and dependence . it also carries a black-box warning for suicide in children and adolescents . side effects like these are a part of every drug . but they are never part of the brand . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of carl elliott . | elliott : paxil was marketed to treat social anxiety disorder , ' once known as shyness ' |
elliott <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if you want to understand the way prescription drugs are marketed today , have a look at the 1928 book , propaganda , ' by edward bernays , the father of public relations in america . for bernays , the public relations business was less about selling things than about creating the conditions for things to sell themselves . when bernays was working as a salesman for mozart pianos , for example , he did not simply place advertisements for pianos in newspapers . that would have been too obvious . instead , bernays persuaded reporters to write about a new trend : sophisticated people were putting aside a special room in the home for playing music . once a person had a music room , bernays believed , he would naturally think of buying a piano . as bernays wrote , it will come to him as his own idea . ' just as bernays sold pianos by selling the music room , pharmaceutical marketers now sell drugs by selling the diseases that they treat . the buzzword is disease branding . ' to brand a disease is to shape its public perception in order to make it more palatable to potential patients . panic disorder , reflux disease , erectile dysfunction , restless legs syndrome , bipolar disorder , overactive bladder , adhd , premenstrual dysphoric disorder , even clinical depression : all these conditions were once regarded as rare until a marketing campaign transformed the brand . once a branded disease has achieved a degree of cultural legitimacy , there is no need to convince anyone that a drug to treat it is necessary . it will come to him as his own idea . disease branding works especially well for two kinds of conditions . the first is the shameful condition that can be destigmatized . for instance , when pharmacia launched detrol in the late 1990s , the condition the drug treated was known to doctors as urge incontinence . ' patients called it accidentally peeing in my pants ' and were embarrassed to bring it up with their physicians . pharmacia fixed the problem by rebranding the condition as overactive bladder . ' whereas incontinence ' suggested weakness and was associated mainly with elderly women , the phrase overactive bladder ' evoked a supercharged organ frantically working overtime . to qualify for a diagnosis of overactive bladder , ' patients did not actually have to lose bladder control . ' they simply needed to go to the bathroom a lot . the vice president of pharmacia , neil wolf , explained the branding strategy in a 2002 presentation called positioning detrol : creating a disease . ' by creating the disease of overactive bladder , ' wolf claimed , pharmacia created a market of 21 million potential patients . another good candidate for branding is a condition that can be plausibly portrayed as under-diagnosed . branding such a condition assures potential patients that they are part of a large and credible community of sufferers . for example , in 1999 , the fda approved the antidepressant paxil for the treatment of social anxiety disorder , ' a condition previously known as shyness . ' see more cnn.com opinion articles in order to convince shy people they had social anxiety disorder , glaxosmithkline , the maker of paxil , hired a pr firm called cohn and wolfe . cohn and wolfe put together a public awareness campaign called imagine being allergic to people , ' which was allegedly sponsored by a group called the social anxiety disorders coalition . ' glaxosmithkline also recruited celebrities like ricky williams , the nfl running back , and paid them to give interviews to the press about their own social anxiety disorder . finally , they hired academic psychiatrists working on social anxiety disorder and sent them out on the lecture circuit in the top 25 media markets . the results were remarkable . in the two years before paxil was approved for social anxiety , there were only about 50 references to social anxiety disorder in the press . but in 1999 , during the pr campaign , there were over a billion references . within two years paxil had become the seventh most profitable drug in america , and cohn and wolfe had picked up an award for the best pr campaign of 1999 . today , social anxiety disorder , far from being rare , is often described as the third most common mental illness in the world . it is hard to brand a disease without the help of physicians , of course . so drug companies typically recruit academic thought leaders ' to write and speak about any new conditions they are trying to introduce . it also helps if the physicians believe the branded condition is dangerous . when astrazeneca introduced prilosec ( and later nexium ) for heartburn , for example , it famously repositioned heartburn as gastroesophageal reflux disease , ' or gerd . but it also commissioned research to demonstrate the devastating consequences of failing to treat it . if all drugs were harmless , disease branding would be relatively harmless , too . but no drug is completely benign . for example , detrol can make elderly people delirious and may cause memory problems . paxil is associated with sexual dysfunction and dependence . it also carries a black-box warning for suicide in children and adolescents . side effects like these are a part of every drug . but they are never part of the brand . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of carl elliott . | carl elliott : drug makers have mastered the art of branding medical conditions to sell cures |
netherlands <tsp> donetsk , ukraine ( cnn ) -- long lines of cars jammed the roads leading south out of donetsk in eastern ukraine saturday , as residents attempted to flee the city center after a night of heavy shelling on the city 's northern outskirts . hundreds of vehicles were caught in heavy traffic , and trains are no longer running in and out of the city , which is a stronghold for the pro-russia rebels . there was heavy shelling and antiaircraft fire on the outskirts of the city to the north throughout the night . there has been sustained fighting in the area for weeks , but it appeared more intense overnight than in recent days . russian news agency interfax reported a dramatic increase in the number of ukrainian refugees seeking refuge over the border in russia . the ukrainian government officials were seeking to encircle the city , really squeeze the remaining pro-russian separatist forces that had fallen back there since being driven out of other strongholds across eastern ukraine , ' said cnn 's phil black , reporting from a congested road in donetsk while scores of people attempted to leave . it appears the ukrainian government forces moving closer to the city , perhaps with the intention of retaking it , ' said black . at the southern outskirts of the city again , we saw a very big presence of ukrainian armored vehicles ; tanks , artillery , armored personnel carriers . ' an additional 4,600 people have moved into temporary camps over the past 24 hours , interfax cited russian emergency situations ministry spokesman alexander drobyshevsky as saying . this has pushed the total number of refugees staying in such camps above 31,000 , he said . russia has opened 20 new temporary settlements for ukrainian refugees in the past day , drobyshevsky told interfax , bringing the total number provided to 433 . more than 11,000 children are among those staying there , he said . cnn can not independently confirm the report . according to the latest figures from the united nations'refugee agency , unhcr , a total of 141,972 ukrainians have fled to russia this year because of unrest in eastern ukraine , based on information from the russian federal migration service as of july 22 . more than 41,000 of those ukrainians are reported to have applied for asylum . an additional 101,617 ukrainians were reported as internally displaced within ukraine as of july 22 , the unhcr said . however , the refugee agency noted that because of the lack of a centralized registration system , the real number of those who have fled their homes is unknown and is likely to be higher . various organizations report that some displaced persons from the east are reluctant to apply to the authorities because they fear retribution , want to maintain a low profile , and moreover , see little benefit in identifying themselves as there is no special reception procedures established for them , ' the unhcr said . cnn freelancer released by pro-russian rebels a ukrainian journalist detained tuesday by pro-russian rebels while working as a freelance producer for cnn has been freed . anton skiba called cnn on saturday to confirm his release . cnn also received visual confirmation that skiba is free from sources on the ground in donetsk . on tuesday evening , armed fighters led by a senior official from the self-declared donetsk people 's republic were waiting outside the donbass palace hotel , in the rebel-controlled city of donetsk , as a cnn television crew returned from a day 's work at the crash site of malaysia airlines flight 17 . skiba had worked for one day with the cnn crew when he was detained . an official with the donetsk people 's republic initially accused skiba of terrorism ' and of posting offers , on his facebook page , of cash rewards for the killing of rebel fighters . the official later dropped the accusation about the facebook posts and said skiba was being questioned for having multiple forms of identification with different surnames . investigation into crash hampered more than a week after malaysia airlines flight 17 came down in eastern ukraine , malaysian investigators have not yet been able to access the entire crash site , malaysian prime minister najib razak said saturday . he urged both the pro-russia rebels and ukraine 's armed forces to cooperate so investigators can access the site fully . all 298 people aboard the plane died when it crashed on july 17 . of that number , 43 were malaysian , including 15 crew and two infants , according to malaysia airlines . nine days later , some human remains still lie scattered amid the debris . the rebels controlling the area -- the same rebels that ukraine and the united states accuse of downing the plane -- hinted on friday to an international monitoring group that they 've nearly had enough of the crash investigation , even with the limited number of investigators they 've let in so far . we were given the indication ... that their patience is almost wearing out , ' said michael bociurkiw , a spokesman for the organization for security and co-operation in europe , which has had a small team touring the site for days . they 're saying maybe another week and then they do n't know what would happen . ' more coffins flown out of ukraine another 38 coffins arrived on two planes from the ukrainian city of kharkiv and were given a somber welcome in the dutch city of eindhoven on saturday . this is expected to be the last transfer of coffins from ukraine to netherlands for the time being . the search for further remains at the crash site will continue when possible . meantime , authorities for the first time released the identity of a victim of dutch nationality . a team of more than 200 specialists are busy with the identification process , but officials have stressed the process could take months . a group of dutch forensic experts was unable to reach the crash site saturday because of safety concerns prompted by renewed fighting in the donetsk area , a spokesman for the dutch ministry of defense said . he said it was also too dangerous for osce observers to return to the site . the site is still not secured by the ukrianian government or any international force . of the 298 people on board the downed airliner , 193 were dutch citizens . pentagon : russia getting ready to send more powerful weapons into ukraine u.s. has'evidence that russia is firing'into ukraine russia woman joins rebel movement in ukraine cnn 's ingrid formanek and phil black reported from donetsk and laura smith-spark wrote and reported in london . journalist victoria butenko contributed to this report . | coffins of more plane crash victims arrive in netherlands |
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seven american service members were among the 11 people killed in a helicopter crash in southern afghanistan on thursday , nato 's international security assistance force said . three members of the afghan national security forces and an afghan civilian interpreter also died in the crash of the uh-60 black hawk helicopter . some of the u.s. troops killed are believed to be special operations forces , according to pentagon officials . the cause of the crash is under investigation , isaf said . pentagon officials added that investigators will look into the possibility that the aircraft was shot down or suffered a mechanical failure . the helicopter was on patrol when it went down in the chinarto area of shah wali kut district in kandahar province , the kandahar governor 's office said in a statement . it 's not clear whether the helicopter was in the area because of military operations , the office said . but military analyst bill roggio told cnn he thinks the helicopter could have been involved in a raid , a resupply mission or some sort of special operation because both afghans and americans from two different commands were aboard the flight . four of the americans were classified as isaf service members , and the other three were from united states forces-afghanistan . in a separate incident thursday , isaf said another service member died after a bombing in southern afghanistan . the nationality of the victim was not released . the violence comes two days after one of the bloodiest days in afghanistan so far this year , with three separate attacks leaving at least 47 people dead and as many as 145 wounded , according to government and police officials . six other helicopter crashes involving operation enduring freedom , the official name for the u.s. operation in afghanistan , occurred this year , according to a cnn count . sixteen americans died in the first five crashes : six in january , four in april and two each in may , june , and july . four of the crashes occurred in afghanistan and one was in oman . the ones in may and june involved hostilities , and the others have been classified as non-hostile , authorities said . and in march , 12 turkish service members died in a helicopter crash in kabul province . last august , 30 americans and eight afghans died when the taliban downed a helicopter near kabul . of the 30 killed , 22 were navy personnel . seventeen of them were members of the seals . the stories of those who lost their lives in the chinook crash the other eight u.s. troops killed were three air force forward air controllers and five army helicopter crew members . roggio -- the managing editor of long war journal , a blog that reports and analyzes the war against terror -- said historically , the number of crashes and shootdowns have been relatively low ' during the war . they are going to happen . they happen in training , ' he said . current figures are low , he said , compared to the afghan war against the soviets in the 1980s when the cia , he said , supplied and trained jihadis in the use of stinger missiles , the surface-to-air weapons . what 's different today , roggio said , is that taliban militants do n't have the same level of equipment , coalition helicopter crews perform better and the aircraft receive excellent maintenance . home and away : u.s. and coalition casualties cnn 's masoud popalzai , barbara starr and lindsey knight contributed to this report . | in a separate incident , another service member died in southern afghanistan |
epa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- critical water pipelines are breaking from coast to coast , triggered by this summer 's record high temperatures . it 's not a phenomenon or coincidence , experts say . it 's a clear sign that americans should brace for more water interruptions , accompanied by skyrocketing water bills . the heat wave of the past few weeks has burst hundreds of crucial pipes in california , kansas , oklahoma , texas , indiana , kentucky and new york , temporarily shutting off water to countless consumers just when they needed it most . it 's one of the worst summers , ' said debbie ragan of oklahoma city 's utilities department . as days of 100 degree-plus temperatures bake the region , the utility reports 685 water main breaks since july alone . that 's an estimated rate of four times normal . to keep up with repairs , ragan said , workers have been putting in 12-to 16-hour shifts 24/7 . it 's the heat and the high water usage , ' ragan said . high temperatures can dry soil so that it shrinks away from buried pipes . increased water usage raises pressure inside the water lines . both factors add strain to pipeline walls , making older pipes more susceptible to bursting . it underscores the fact that much of the nation 's underground water lines are 80 to 100 years old -- and approaching the end of their lives . experts call it america 's replacement era , ' when hundreds of water utilities nationwide will be forced to replace their aging infrastructure -- or suffer the consequences . who will probably have to pay for those hundreds of thousands of miles of new pipelines ? utility customers , industry experts say . water rates ranked for 50 cities for towns like kemp , texas , population 1,150 , the situation reached emergency levels this week . a historic drought throughout texas has left kemp with what mayor donald kile described as cracks so big in the ground , you could lose a small dog in them . ' fourteen major water line breaks august 7 emptied water towers and forced kemp to shut off water service until tuesday , officials said . the mayor blamed the crisis on 80-year-old pipelines and high demand as temperatures rose above 100 degrees for 37 straight days . texas town turns off water , leaving residents boiling mad it 's even worse in the texas town of robert lee . the hellish heat has left its entire reservoir dry as a bone . community leaders are considering trucking water in from elsewhere or laying a 12-mile pipeline to connect to water in a nearby town . get ready for more of the same , environmentalists say . shifting climate change in the coming decades , they warn , will probably bring more droughts , record high temperatures and other weather conditions that will damage water infrastructure . texas town threatened by dried-out reservoir options to ensure water for small towns like these are few and expensive , ranging from building larger reservoirs to connecting their water systems to utilities in nearby areas . that kind of interconnection might be life-saving for that community , ' said tom curtis of the american water works association . but the expense of laying miles of pipe may be too much for many utilities to handle . town turns sewer water into drinking water three facts hammer home the scary status of the nation 's water infrastructure : • the nation averages about 700 water main breaks nationwide each day , according to the epa . • u.s. water utilities lose an average of about 10 % of their water -- worth $ 2.8 billion per year -- through leaks and other causes , according the epa . • the american society of civil engineers grades the water infrastructure at a d minus . we 've gotten so good at capturing and transporting water that we 've really started to take it for granted , ' said alex prud'homme , author of the ripple effect , ' about the nation 's declining water infrastructure . we had better start looking ahead and repairing our water infrastructure , because with the pressure from climate change , population growth , shifting demographics and the way we use water , the problem is only going to get worse rather than better . ' skyrocketing water bills mystify , anger residents searching for answers with technology inside a control room in the nation 's capital , not far from the potomac river , experts are hoping technology will solve this problem . the room is filled with multiple monitors displaying brightly colored graphs . it looks like we should be launching rockets into space , ' said george hawkins , general manager of washington , d.c. 's water and sewer authority . the room helps stand guard over the city 's 13,000 miles of water pipes and 42,000 valves . strategically placed sensors detect leaks ranging from a trickle to full-blown water main bursts . data about the breach are sent from these sensors to the control room , and technicians respond immediately . this allows the utility to more quickly and easily identify aging pipes and valves before they blow . the highest cost we face is digging up the street on an emergency basis any time of day or night -- often overtime , ' hawkins said . the cost of replacing these aging systems is stunning . hawkins recalls a major water main break last year along the national mall that flooded parts of buildings housing the internal revenue service and justice department . the burst pipe buckled constitution avenue by about a foot and cost almost $ 1 million in repairs and restoration . smart water meters have slashed monthly meter readings from $ 3 per customer to just pennies . when these meters show a spike in customer 's water use , the utility sends an e-mail to alert customers that they may have a leak . the technology is credited with cutting water leaks from 36 percent to 22 percent , saving customers even more . quadruple hit ' the replacement era is going to be expensive . the epa estimated that between 2007 and 2027 , drinking water utilities will have to invest $ 334 billion on new infrastructure . the problem is worsened by the timing of it all . there 's budget-cutting talk at the local , state and federal level . hawkins called it a quadruple hit . ' i do n't see that there 's any way , other than rate increases for most cities given the size of the financial need , ' hawkins said . if we 're not able in parallel to demonstrate how we 're efficiently using the dollars we 're collecting , i think this industry is in for huge challenges with our customers . ' water officials in pittsburgh are considering raising rates more than 13 % for infrastructure improvements . in cleveland , authorities increased water fees for the same reason . leaders in baltimore took similar action . with this increase , we can either stop drinking water , stop showering , stop doing the laundry or get out of the city , ' complained a reader on cnn affiliate wbal 's website . the mayor and city council need to realize that we along with other homeowners are the tax base , and if we leave , they 're up the creek ! ' in southern california , los angeles water officials are thinking about raising rates to replace thousands of miles of decaying water pipes . the city of indianapolis is trying something different . hoping to save yearly operating costs by combining utilities , the city shifted control of its water and sewer system to a not-for-profit trust that also runs the local natural gas . it will free up $ 425 million in city funds that could be used for other expenses . taxpayers have been unwilling to look at the long-term , ' prud'homme said . but taxes and water rates go to maintaining this very important infrastructure that we take for granted , and if you 're not willing to pay those fees and taxes , then you 'll eventually suffer the consequences . ' national water dialogue those consequences , some warn , include shifting weather patterns due to global climate change . hotter summers and fluctuating water levels in lakes and oceans due to climate change will damage water and sewer systems in the coming decades , according to a new report from the natural resources defense council . i 'm not hearing any outrage , ' prud'homme said . i kind of feel like the crazy person on the roof yelling and shouting and saying ,'hey , everybody we 've got to wake up and pay attention to this ,'especially when it comes to our dams and levees . ' in a year that has seen historic flooding in several midwestern and southern states along the ohio and mississippi rivers , prud'homme says , he thought the levee failures during hurricane katrina would have prompted more alarm about flood defenses . more than 100 levees are at risk of catastrophic failure , ' he said . and this is from the u.s. army corps of engineers . ' prud'homme fears that u.s. water issues are so threatening , sweeping policy changes are needed . he 's calling for a national dialogue focusing on water infrastructure issues . we have no single federal office that 's overseeing the nation 's water supply , ' prud'homme said . there are n't really any easy answers to this , but these are issues that we have to tackle . ' | cost of new water infrastructure $ 334 billion through 2027 , epa says |
westpac <tsp> ( cnn ) -- is gail kelly the most powerful woman in australian business ? she 's got to be up there . this is the chief executive of the country 's second largest bank -- westpac -- overseeing a whopping us $ 613 billion in assets and over 36,000 employees . it 's quite a portfolio , and all the more impressive considering the 57-year-old mother-of-four started out as a bank teller a little over 30 years ago . born in south africa to british parents , kelly originally taught latin at high schools , before working at nedcor bank in johannesburg -- becoming head of human resources just five months after giving birth to triplets . the family moved to sydney and in 2002 kelly became the first female ceo of a major australian bank -- the commonwealth bank . today she is the 62nd most powerful woman in the world , according to forbes , but admits the notoriously male-dominated banking world has been a tough area to crack . ' now the boss at westpac , kelly made it her mission to have 40 % women in senior management positions by 2014 -- a target she smashed in 2012 . how has she achieved her phenomenal success and what is her vision for the future of australia 's oldest bank ? cnn 's leading women sat down with the financial trailblazer to find out . i grew up in a very strong , nuclear family . my father was a sportsman . he represented south africa in a couple of sports , so he was a very positive person and someone who encouraged you to be your best and give your best with everything that you do . and so i grew up in this environment that was nurturing , supporting , but certainly encouraging . ' 42 % of our management team are women . so we 've reset the goal to 50 % by 2017 . because that 's when westpac becomes 200 years old as an institution -- the oldest bank , and indeed the oldest company in australia . so that 's a lovely point to reflect on . ' when i got to be a ceo i said :'right . i 'm now going to tackle gender inequality head-on . i 'm going to make a difference , and lead by example , and actively put in place policies and practices to support women .'' the banking world is a particularly tough area to crack for women . i was in a forum yesterday where there would have been 60 leaders of banks and insurance companies and i was literally the only woman . ' my husband being a paediatrician was awesome . with four children -- three of them triplets -- i needed a lot of help and support at home . he did more than his fair share of everything in the home and i could not have done what i 've done without that . ' nelson mandela was an outstanding leader and a mentor for me . i was in south africa at the time he was released . i was in south africa when he was inaugurated as the first president . and he - after the 27 years of imprisonment , a lot of it in solitary confinement - truly understood that his vision , his purpose , was to transform south africa , a reconciled south africa . ' my advice would be : dig deep . gather all your courage in your hands . you 've been offered this opportunity because you are worthy . you do n't have to be 100 % ready for this job . you do n't have to be 80 % ready for this job . you do need support around you and you do need a determination and a preparedness to work hard . but back yourself . ' debate : is aussie politics too blokey ? learn : five things you did n't know about janet yellen | westpac now has 40 % women in senior management jobs , thanks to kelly |
westpac <tsp> ( cnn ) -- is gail kelly the most powerful woman in australian business ? she 's got to be up there . this is the chief executive of the country 's second largest bank -- westpac -- overseeing a whopping us $ 613 billion in assets and over 36,000 employees . it 's quite a portfolio , and all the more impressive considering the 57-year-old mother-of-four started out as a bank teller a little over 30 years ago . born in south africa to british parents , kelly originally taught latin at high schools , before working at nedcor bank in johannesburg -- becoming head of human resources just five months after giving birth to triplets . the family moved to sydney and in 2002 kelly became the first female ceo of a major australian bank -- the commonwealth bank . today she is the 62nd most powerful woman in the world , according to forbes , but admits the notoriously male-dominated banking world has been a tough area to crack . ' now the boss at westpac , kelly made it her mission to have 40 % women in senior management positions by 2014 -- a target she smashed in 2012 . how has she achieved her phenomenal success and what is her vision for the future of australia 's oldest bank ? cnn 's leading women sat down with the financial trailblazer to find out . i grew up in a very strong , nuclear family . my father was a sportsman . he represented south africa in a couple of sports , so he was a very positive person and someone who encouraged you to be your best and give your best with everything that you do . and so i grew up in this environment that was nurturing , supporting , but certainly encouraging . ' 42 % of our management team are women . so we 've reset the goal to 50 % by 2017 . because that 's when westpac becomes 200 years old as an institution -- the oldest bank , and indeed the oldest company in australia . so that 's a lovely point to reflect on . ' when i got to be a ceo i said :'right . i 'm now going to tackle gender inequality head-on . i 'm going to make a difference , and lead by example , and actively put in place policies and practices to support women .'' the banking world is a particularly tough area to crack for women . i was in a forum yesterday where there would have been 60 leaders of banks and insurance companies and i was literally the only woman . ' my husband being a paediatrician was awesome . with four children -- three of them triplets -- i needed a lot of help and support at home . he did more than his fair share of everything in the home and i could not have done what i 've done without that . ' nelson mandela was an outstanding leader and a mentor for me . i was in south africa at the time he was released . i was in south africa when he was inaugurated as the first president . and he - after the 27 years of imprisonment , a lot of it in solitary confinement - truly understood that his vision , his purpose , was to transform south africa , a reconciled south africa . ' my advice would be : dig deep . gather all your courage in your hands . you 've been offered this opportunity because you are worthy . you do n't have to be 100 % ready for this job . you do n't have to be 80 % ready for this job . you do need support around you and you do need a determination and a preparedness to work hard . but back yourself . ' debate : is aussie politics too blokey ? learn : five things you did n't know about janet yellen | meet gail kelly , ceo of australia 's second largest bank , westpac |
united states <tsp> tooele , utah ( cnn ) -- syria has been given a year to eliminate its chemical weapons arsenal , or face the threat of a u.s. military strike . yet it may come as a surprise that the united states has still not destroyed all of its massive supply of deadly nerve agents . in fact , neither has russia . both washington and moscow signed the chemical weapons convention of the 1990s , which forbid the use , production and stockpiling of chemical weapons . and both countries missed the convention 's extended deadline last year to destroy all of their chemical weapons . this fact was highlighted during friday 's ceremony awarding the 2013 nobel peace prize to the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons , which is helping to eliminate the syrian army 's stockpiles of poison gas . certain states have not observed the deadline , which was april 2012 , for destroying their chemical weapons , ' the nobel committee noted in its official announcement of the coveted peace prize . this applies especially to the usa and russia . ' the united states estimates it will be at least another decade before it completes destruction of the remaining 10 % of its chemical weapons , estimated at more than 3,100 tons . russia has more than five times that amount left to destroy , according to the opcw . while it 's unclear exactly how many chemical weapons syria has , u.s. intelligence and other estimates put its chemical weapons stockpile at about 1,000 tons stored in dozens of sites . syria 's chemical arsenal at a glance the united nations has given syria until mid-2014 to destroy that arsenal and u.n. weapons inspectors have expressed optimism that this deadline can be reached , despite having to dart in and out of battle zones amid syria 's bloody civil war . wade mathews , who once worked on the u.s. project to destroy its chemical stockpile , is n't so sure that syria can meet that deadline . he said the u.s. effort took billions of dollars , the cooperation of many levels of government -- including the military -- and a safe environment to make sure the destruction was done safely . we had a coordinated effort , we had a government that insisted that it be done safely and that the community was protected , ' said mathews , who now works with the tooele county emergency management team , which makes sure the utah community is aware of the project . i do n't think those things are in place in syria . ' mathews briefly worked at the desert army chemical depot in tooele , a desert town bracketed by mountains outside of salt lake city where 43 % of the nation 's chemical weapons were once stored . the rest was stored at eight other sites around the country . the weapons were first warehoused at the tooele facility in 1942 , during world war ii , and grew over time . at one point , the united states once housed the majority of its chemical arsenal -- 13,000 tons -- and a million munitions at the facility . tooele was chosen because military leaders figured japanese warplanes could hit the west coast but not fly over the mountains to utah without refueling , said richard trujillo , who spent 40 years working at the facility . there was mustard gas originally ... a lot of smoke-type bombs , smoke pods , ' trujillo recalled . then , in the 1950s , a lot of nerve gas was transported to the facility , he said . eventually , the united states signed the international chemical treaty in the 1990s and got serious about getting rid of the chemicals in a way that would not harm the environment or the people working at the plant or living in the area . while the process was slow and expensive , trujillo said there was not a single casualty despite the volatility of some of the chemicals . you know the whole task is nothing short of miraculous in my mind , ' trujillo said . and i was part of it . ' today there are no weapons at the tooele facility . the process of safely getting rid of these chemicals and munitions took 16 years , and was finally completed last year . workers there will soon begin the process of dismantling the plants needed to do the job . yet , there are still more than 3,000 tons of chemical weapons left in the united states , stored at two remaining facilities at pueblo , colorado , and bluegrass , kentucky . the majority is in pueblo , where officials plan to start in 2015 destroying 2,600 tons of mustard blister chemicals stored in projectiles in liquid form . the process is expected to take four years . at the bluegrass plant outside lexington , kentucky , there are 523 tons of mustard agent , vx and sarin nerve agents . officials predict the job of destroying that arsenal , which is slated to start in 2020 , will be completed in 2023 . the world 's attention turned to syria 's chemical weapons stockpile after the united states and other countries accused syria of using chemical weapons in an august 21 attack outside damascus , a strike washington says killed more than 1,400 people -- including many women and children . syria denies the accusation and says its own troops have faced poison gas attacks by rebel forces in the civil war that began in 2011 . last month , the u.n. security council later voted unanimously to require syria to eliminate its arsenal of chemical weapons or face consequences . the u.n. team in syria overseeing the destruction of syria 's chemical weapons says the assad regime is cooperating . securing syria 's chemical weapons wo n't be easy it 's unclear how these weapons can be found , secured , and safely destroyed by next year in the middle of a protracted conflict , considering that it is expected to take the united states three years to destroy half of the chemical weapons that syria is estimated to have -- and that 's in a remote part of kentucky with no civil war . asked about that , the u.s. department of defense told cnn in a written statement that it 's inaccurate to draw parallels between the u.s. chemical demilitarization program and the international cooperation that will be required to destroy the chemical stockpile in syria . ' defected general says syria will never give up chemical weapons cnn 's elizabeth m. nunez contributed to this report . watch the situation room with wolf blitzer weekdays at 4pm to 6pm et and saturdays at 6pm et . for the latest from the situation room click here . | the united states still has more than 3,000 tons of chemical weapons |
kruse <tsp> copenhagen , denmark ( cnn ) -- be prepared , the next big thing facing a green makeover might just be your closet . the glitzy world of fashion and design does n't typically conjure up images of sustainability and social consciousness , but if its up to eva kruse , ceo of the danish fashion institute and chairman of the nordic fashion association , that 's all going to change . in the last month , she has pulled off the largest sustainable fashion summit in the world , and starting this week , she is launching a global social media campaign , aiming to forever change the way we look at our clothes . her goal is for all companies in the industry to declare sustainability a key value . i have worked in the fashion industry for nearly 20 years , and it is a wonderful and exciting industry , but it is also one of the largest and most polluting in the world , ' said kruse . from the massive consumption of water and fertilizer in cotton production , to the chemical processing at plants , the pollution of local waterways and environments , safety issues for workers , fair wages , child labor and other social concerns -- issues for the fashion industry are enormous , she says . that is why it is so important that we address this ... and because of the size of the industry , even a small change can make a big difference , ' says kruse . kruse , who founded the danish fashion institute as the only employee in 2005 , is credited by industry professionals and government ministers for having put danish design and sustainable fashion on the world map . last month , she gathered more than 1,000 people -- including hollywood celebrities , international designers and other industry professionals -- at the copenhagen fashion summit , to explore sustainable solutions . the culmination was a suggested code of conduct for the fashion and textile industry , created in conjunction with the united nations , and to be presented alongside the rio+20 united nations conference on sustainable development in brazil in june . it aims to drill into the supply chain , ' says soren mandrup petersen , head of partnerships and local networks at u.n . global compact , and if the sector responds , it will have a tremendous impact . ' there is a movement underway , ' says kruse . it is happening , and we can help shed light on it . ' that is also the goal of her latest venture launching this week -- an online campaign called nice , or the nordic initiative , clean and ethical . it aims to have the industry join forces around change , and to educate consumers to make conscious choices . the entire field is so heavily knowledge based that it makes it difficult for companies to get started . the key is to make ... knowledge accessible and to create networks , because there are solutions . ' she says new and sustainable fashions are already being made from innovative textiles such as milk fibers , corn , and bamboo . among those leading the charge are companies like swedish chain store h & m with their conscious collection , patagonia , danish design house trash-couture , and the ppr group with brands like gucci , stella mccartney , alexander mcqueen and puma . h & m 's head of sustainability , helena helmersson says this is the future . customers are becoming more and more aware and want transparency , which makes companies improve their sustainability performance and make more sustainable products . ' and , she says , as a big player we can help drive demand . ' at trash-couture , which boasts a massive list of celebrity clients like penelope cruz , rachel weisz , kirsten dunst , celine dion and many others -- ethical fashion and the way they reuse , redesign , respin , and recycle leftover fabric from their own collection and that of other design houses is part of the design . as pioneers we feel we have helped set the agenda on an issue that is about much more than just fashion , ' says managing director , nanna lowe . this way , fashion suddenly gets new meaning , becoming a statement , a value , an act . ' kruse agrees , saying it has the potential to push other industries with it , by making it look smart to consider your choices . if all the big brands and strong designers care -- and show and tell that they care -- then people could also begin to think differently about how they spend their money . her goal : to have people join forces to help us change the world . ' and to her , that change starts in our closets . but do n't worry , she says , the aim is n't for all of us to start wearing brown . sustainable fashion can be equally sexy , desirable and fantastic in every way . the aim is to create the brilliance with less impact on people and our planet . ' | kruse suggested code of conduct in conjunction with u.n. to be presented at rio summit in june |
kruse <tsp> copenhagen , denmark ( cnn ) -- be prepared , the next big thing facing a green makeover might just be your closet . the glitzy world of fashion and design does n't typically conjure up images of sustainability and social consciousness , but if its up to eva kruse , ceo of the danish fashion institute and chairman of the nordic fashion association , that 's all going to change . in the last month , she has pulled off the largest sustainable fashion summit in the world , and starting this week , she is launching a global social media campaign , aiming to forever change the way we look at our clothes . her goal is for all companies in the industry to declare sustainability a key value . i have worked in the fashion industry for nearly 20 years , and it is a wonderful and exciting industry , but it is also one of the largest and most polluting in the world , ' said kruse . from the massive consumption of water and fertilizer in cotton production , to the chemical processing at plants , the pollution of local waterways and environments , safety issues for workers , fair wages , child labor and other social concerns -- issues for the fashion industry are enormous , she says . that is why it is so important that we address this ... and because of the size of the industry , even a small change can make a big difference , ' says kruse . kruse , who founded the danish fashion institute as the only employee in 2005 , is credited by industry professionals and government ministers for having put danish design and sustainable fashion on the world map . last month , she gathered more than 1,000 people -- including hollywood celebrities , international designers and other industry professionals -- at the copenhagen fashion summit , to explore sustainable solutions . the culmination was a suggested code of conduct for the fashion and textile industry , created in conjunction with the united nations , and to be presented alongside the rio+20 united nations conference on sustainable development in brazil in june . it aims to drill into the supply chain , ' says soren mandrup petersen , head of partnerships and local networks at u.n . global compact , and if the sector responds , it will have a tremendous impact . ' there is a movement underway , ' says kruse . it is happening , and we can help shed light on it . ' that is also the goal of her latest venture launching this week -- an online campaign called nice , or the nordic initiative , clean and ethical . it aims to have the industry join forces around change , and to educate consumers to make conscious choices . the entire field is so heavily knowledge based that it makes it difficult for companies to get started . the key is to make ... knowledge accessible and to create networks , because there are solutions . ' she says new and sustainable fashions are already being made from innovative textiles such as milk fibers , corn , and bamboo . among those leading the charge are companies like swedish chain store h & m with their conscious collection , patagonia , danish design house trash-couture , and the ppr group with brands like gucci , stella mccartney , alexander mcqueen and puma . h & m 's head of sustainability , helena helmersson says this is the future . customers are becoming more and more aware and want transparency , which makes companies improve their sustainability performance and make more sustainable products . ' and , she says , as a big player we can help drive demand . ' at trash-couture , which boasts a massive list of celebrity clients like penelope cruz , rachel weisz , kirsten dunst , celine dion and many others -- ethical fashion and the way they reuse , redesign , respin , and recycle leftover fabric from their own collection and that of other design houses is part of the design . as pioneers we feel we have helped set the agenda on an issue that is about much more than just fashion , ' says managing director , nanna lowe . this way , fashion suddenly gets new meaning , becoming a statement , a value , an act . ' kruse agrees , saying it has the potential to push other industries with it , by making it look smart to consider your choices . if all the big brands and strong designers care -- and show and tell that they care -- then people could also begin to think differently about how they spend their money . her goal : to have people join forces to help us change the world . ' and to her , that change starts in our closets . but do n't worry , she says , the aim is n't for all of us to start wearing brown . sustainable fashion can be equally sexy , desirable and fantastic in every way . the aim is to create the brilliance with less impact on people and our planet . ' | eva kruse , ceo of the danish fashion institute : fashion industry one of the most polluting in the world ' |
goldman sachs <tsp> ( financial times ) -- barclays will take the axe to its controversial tax structuring unit , as the uk lender seeks to clean up its image in the wake of a succession of scandals . the business , which at its peak may have generated as much as three-quarters of profits at barclays'investment banking operation , will be shrunk dramatically as part of the bank 's project transform under new chief executive , antony jenkins . barclays'actions comes as global banks from goldman sachs to deutsche bank are reviewing their business models in response to new regulations and government enforcement efforts . we have to take a fresh look to see if there are products and services in which ... we no longer deem it appropriate to do business , regardless of financial return , ' rich ricci , barclays investment banking chief , said in an address to investors on monday night . for example , elements of our tax advisory business have generated negative media and political attention . ' mr ricci also signalled a likely withdrawal from selling derivatives products to consumers and small business customers , following an industry-wide scandal over the mis-selling of interest rate hedging contracts to smes . mr jenkins reaffirmed barclays'commitment to its investment bank more broadly , silencing predictions he would significantly reduce its size . but the new chief executive , formerly head of the group 's retail banking operation , was clear that ethical behaviour would become a priority in future . all activities would in future be screened for reputational impact ' as well as profitability , mr jenkins said . our ability to build a franchise over time depends on our reputation , ' he added , admitting the bank had made some serious mistakes ' in recent years . this summer barclays was fined £290m by global regulators over the attempted rigging of libor benchmark borrowing rates , triggering the abrupt resignation of chairman marcus agius and chief executive bob diamond . the tax business -- known as the structured capital markets ' unit -- has attracted unwelcome attention for at least three years . though legal , the avoidance strategies it used on behalf of its clients were politically controversial . barclays'own group tax affairs were thrown into the spotlight twice in recent months , first over the use of a tax loophole that the treasury retrospectively closed , then over a tax equalisation ' payment to mr diamond of about £6m . speaking to analysts and investors , mr jenkins also repeated an earlier promise to report back on his strategic plan -- including details of which businesses would be shrunk -- by the first quarter of next year . but he added : you should not expect me to announce the break-up of the bank or an exit from whole business lines . ' barclays'board last month drafted in city grandee sir david walker as the bank 's new chairman and elevated mr jenkins to chief executive three weeks later , in an effort to stabilise the group following mr agius and mr diamond 's resignations . there had been a widespread expectation that mr jenkins would shift barclays'focus away from investment banking , which has traditionally generated two-thirds to three-quarters of group profits . however , bankers believe more of the rebalancing will come from the projected revival of the group 's corporate banking unit and its troubled retail banking operations outside the uk . in a question-and-answer session with analysts , mr jenkins would not be drawn on the extent of any change of direction , but he did talk about the group being more balanced ' with lower risk ' . © the financial times limited 2012 | comes as global banks from goldman sachs to deutsche bank are reviewing their business |
swiss alps <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- despite the fact that some of the effects of climate change are still imperceptible to all but the most highly trained eyes , there can be no doubting the alarming picture painted by glacier melt . the iphone application includes audio , video , slideshows and a documentary film . as these rivers of ice retreat back up the valleys they carved out , so scientists'knowledge of climate change advances , in turn helping us recognize the signs of a warming world . now a new iphone app is helping visitors to the swiss alps understand how climate change is altering the landscape . developed by the oeschger center for climate change research at the university of bern in switzerland and swiss software company , texetera , the jungfrau climate guide is an interactive guide to glaciers and climate change . for a fee of 20 chf ( around $ 19 ) visitors to the jungfrau alpine region can hire an iphone loaded with the app . kaspar meuli , head of communications at the oeschger center , told cnn what people can expect from the device . there are many different levels to the application . audio pieces -- like the ones you might expect to find in a museum guide which guide you through paths on seven different trails . ' at different stages along each trail , the phones -- aided by the built-in gps -- alert visitors to particular points of interest by sounding a yodel . for example , ' meuli explained , if you are standing in front of a glacier you will be told why it is no longer as big and provided with images of what it looked like 100 years ago , and what it might look like in the future . ' there are more than 40 audio guides , plus a range of multimedia offerings including videos , slide shows and a documentary film . there are also sections which describe the various flora on the trails along with information on biodiversity . everyone who tries it is quite fascinated by it , ' meuli said . people are realizing that climate change is real when they see the consequences . ' the jungfrau region is home to the upper and lower grindelwald glaciers , which have retreated rapidly in recent years . in 2008 , the world glacier monitoring service reported that glaciers in some regions of the world were melting away at a rate of more than a meter a year recently . responding to the 2008 report , achim steiner , executive director of the u.n. environmental program , said : millions , if not billions , of people depend directly or indirectly on these natural water storage facilities for drinking water , agriculture , industry and power generation . ' there are many canaries emerging in the climate change coal mine , ' steiner added . the glaciers are perhaps among those making the most noise . ' in the future , meuli says the university hopes to produce features that can be used by teachers in preparation for taking classes to the glaciers . | new iphone app is helping visitors to swiss alps understand glacier melt |
peru <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a second-half brace from striker luis suarez secured uruguay a 2-0 win over peru and a place in the 2011 copa america final . the liverpool forward scored in the 52nd and 57th minute to down sergio markarian 's side , who were later reduced to 10 men . uruguay , three-time winners of the tournament in its modern format , will now face either venezuela , who have never lifted the continental competition , or 1979 champions paraguay in sunday 's final . the second semifinal will take place on wednesday at the estadio malvinas argentinas in mendoza . the deadlock was broken seven minutes after the break , when peru goalkeeper raul fernandez could only parry diego forlan 's shot and suarez , 24 , found the net from an acute angle . copa america flops : who is to blame ? victory was sealed for oscar tabarez 's side when suarez rushed onto a lofted ball up field before rounding fernandez and rolling a low shot into the unguarded goal . suarez now has three goals in the tournament , which leaves him level with argentina 's sergio aguero as the competition 's top goal scorer . peru 's misery was complete on 68 minutes with the dismissal of their captain juan manuel vargas for an elbow on defender sebastian coates . this victory is important , ' uruguay right-back alvaro pereira told the tournament 's official web site . i 'm very happy , but we must keep our feet on the ground . this team has demonstrated an amazing hunger for glory and now we must think about what is and how we did from the beginning , when we thought all games were finals . there are always mistakes and we made mistakes [ against peru ] , but now we must correct them and hopefully we can win this cup . ' the final will take place in buenos aires'estadio monumental on sunday . | uruguay beat peru 2-0 to reach the final of the 2011 copa america |
princess cruises <tsp> ( cnn ) -- another cruise ship , another problem with malfunctioning toilets . this time , carnival corp. subsidiary princess cruises had passengers feeling the impact of toilets that would n't flush . on april 11 , the cruise line 's crown princess was on a seven-day caribbean cruise when a blockage within the ship 's vacuum toilet system rendered 410 stateroom toilets inoperable from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. , according to princess cruises spokeswoman karen candy . the ship has more than 1,500 cabins . a small number of passengers continued to experience problems over the next few days which were addressed by the shipboard technical team , ' candy wrote in an e-mail . the ship 's itinerary was n't affected by the flushing problems , and affected passengers were offered $ 50 apiece in compensation , candy wrote . the blockages have been addressed and we are continuing to review the situation to ensure that the system is working with optimum pressure levels . ' although candy did n't answer questions about the cause of the problem , members of the cruisecritic.com website discussed the possibility of passengers tossing prohibited objects into the toilets and causing the blockage . toilet problems can happen on any ship when passengers flush the wrong things down the toilet , ' wrote member astro flyer , who was not aboard the crown princess . in february , an engine room fire left the carnival triumph adrift in the gulf of mexico , with passengers reporting overflowing toilets and human waste running down the walls in some parts of the ship . on a march cruise , the carnival dream lost power , and some toilets stopped working . both ships are part of carnival cruise line , another subsidiary of carnival corp. candy wrote that passengers were kept continuously updated about the progress of the repairs . ' but a cruisecritic member posting under the handle eb and curly said they were in an affected cabin and were never informed as to the status of repairs . ' however , they were only totally without a toilet for about 24 hours . it did overflow one night and we had to call maintenance to come up at 1:00 a.m. ' cruisecritic.com reported that the ship left galveston , texas , on april 13 for its scheduled trans-atlantic repositioning cruise to europe . | princess cruises'crown princess had non-working toilets in 410 staterooms |
crown princess <tsp> ( cnn ) -- another cruise ship , another problem with malfunctioning toilets . this time , carnival corp. subsidiary princess cruises had passengers feeling the impact of toilets that would n't flush . on april 11 , the cruise line 's crown princess was on a seven-day caribbean cruise when a blockage within the ship 's vacuum toilet system rendered 410 stateroom toilets inoperable from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. , according to princess cruises spokeswoman karen candy . the ship has more than 1,500 cabins . a small number of passengers continued to experience problems over the next few days which were addressed by the shipboard technical team , ' candy wrote in an e-mail . the ship 's itinerary was n't affected by the flushing problems , and affected passengers were offered $ 50 apiece in compensation , candy wrote . the blockages have been addressed and we are continuing to review the situation to ensure that the system is working with optimum pressure levels . ' although candy did n't answer questions about the cause of the problem , members of the cruisecritic.com website discussed the possibility of passengers tossing prohibited objects into the toilets and causing the blockage . toilet problems can happen on any ship when passengers flush the wrong things down the toilet , ' wrote member astro flyer , who was not aboard the crown princess . in february , an engine room fire left the carnival triumph adrift in the gulf of mexico , with passengers reporting overflowing toilets and human waste running down the walls in some parts of the ship . on a march cruise , the carnival dream lost power , and some toilets stopped working . both ships are part of carnival cruise line , another subsidiary of carnival corp. candy wrote that passengers were kept continuously updated about the progress of the repairs . ' but a cruisecritic member posting under the handle eb and curly said they were in an affected cabin and were never informed as to the status of repairs . ' however , they were only totally without a toilet for about 24 hours . it did overflow one night and we had to call maintenance to come up at 1:00 a.m. ' cruisecritic.com reported that the ship left galveston , texas , on april 13 for its scheduled trans-atlantic repositioning cruise to europe . | princess cruises'crown princess had non-working toilets in 410 staterooms |
xinjiang <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- sixteen people have been killed in violence in china 's volatile western region of xinjiang , state media reported monday . two police officers chasing suspects came under attack late sunday from people with machetes and explosive devices in shufu county , near the city of kashgar , said tianshan , a news website run by the xinjiang government . in the clash that ensued , two police officers died and 14 gang members ' were shot and killed , tianshan reported . deadly unrest frequently breaks out in xinjiang , a large , resource-rich region that is home to the uyghurs , a turkic-speaking , predominantly muslim ethnic group . the arrival of waves of han chinese people over the decades has fueled tensions with the uyghurs . chinese authorities have cracked down heavily on violence involving uyghurs , deepening resentment . the details of violent clashes in xinjiang often remain murky . uyghur diaspora groups , like the world uyghur congress , have criticized the chinese government for the lack of transparency over such events . police have detained six suspects , tianshan reported in an update late monday . it described the violence as an organized and premeditated terrorist attack ' carried out by a gang of 20 people , led by a person it named as hesen ismail , a uyghur-sounding name . the group advocated extremist religious thoughts , produced explosive devices and guns , and tested explosives several times in a bid to plot terrorist attacks , ' the report said . but the world uyghur congress disputed the government 's account . it cited unidentified sources on the ground ' who told it that the 14 people shot and killed were uyghur demonstrators . ' two of them were teenagers who were killed by indiscriminate shooting by the security forces , ' the organization alleged . luo fuyong , a spokesman for the xinjiang government , contested the world uyghur congress 's version of events . he said that no teenagers were killed in the violence and that those involved were n't demonstrators , noting that the clash took place at 11 p.m . he said he believed that all 14 people who were killed by police were uyghurs . cnn was n't able to independently verify the different claims about what happened . chinese authorities have blamed uyghurs for a vehicle attack in beijing 's tiananmen square in october that killed five people -- including the three in the vehicle -- and wounded 40 others . xinjiang 's worst violence in decades took place in july 2009 , when rioting in the capital , urumqi , between uyghurs and han chinese killed some 200 people and injured 1,700 . that unrest was followed by a crackdown by security forces . several deadly clashes have been reported this year . xinjiang is now home to more than 8 million han chinese , up from 220,000 in 1949 , and 10 million uyghurs . the newcomers take most of the new jobs , and unemployment among uyghurs is high . they complain of discrimination and harsh treatment by security forces , despite official promises of equal rights and ethnic harmony . beijing accuses some uyghur groups of trying to establish an independent state . in november : militant group says tiananmen attack in china was'jihadi operation ' | the violence took place in xinjiang , a resource-rich chinese region beset by unrest |
chinese <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- sixteen people have been killed in violence in china 's volatile western region of xinjiang , state media reported monday . two police officers chasing suspects came under attack late sunday from people with machetes and explosive devices in shufu county , near the city of kashgar , said tianshan , a news website run by the xinjiang government . in the clash that ensued , two police officers died and 14 gang members ' were shot and killed , tianshan reported . deadly unrest frequently breaks out in xinjiang , a large , resource-rich region that is home to the uyghurs , a turkic-speaking , predominantly muslim ethnic group . the arrival of waves of han chinese people over the decades has fueled tensions with the uyghurs . chinese authorities have cracked down heavily on violence involving uyghurs , deepening resentment . the details of violent clashes in xinjiang often remain murky . uyghur diaspora groups , like the world uyghur congress , have criticized the chinese government for the lack of transparency over such events . police have detained six suspects , tianshan reported in an update late monday . it described the violence as an organized and premeditated terrorist attack ' carried out by a gang of 20 people , led by a person it named as hesen ismail , a uyghur-sounding name . the group advocated extremist religious thoughts , produced explosive devices and guns , and tested explosives several times in a bid to plot terrorist attacks , ' the report said . but the world uyghur congress disputed the government 's account . it cited unidentified sources on the ground ' who told it that the 14 people shot and killed were uyghur demonstrators . ' two of them were teenagers who were killed by indiscriminate shooting by the security forces , ' the organization alleged . luo fuyong , a spokesman for the xinjiang government , contested the world uyghur congress 's version of events . he said that no teenagers were killed in the violence and that those involved were n't demonstrators , noting that the clash took place at 11 p.m . he said he believed that all 14 people who were killed by police were uyghurs . cnn was n't able to independently verify the different claims about what happened . chinese authorities have blamed uyghurs for a vehicle attack in beijing 's tiananmen square in october that killed five people -- including the three in the vehicle -- and wounded 40 others . xinjiang 's worst violence in decades took place in july 2009 , when rioting in the capital , urumqi , between uyghurs and han chinese killed some 200 people and injured 1,700 . that unrest was followed by a crackdown by security forces . several deadly clashes have been reported this year . xinjiang is now home to more than 8 million han chinese , up from 220,000 in 1949 , and 10 million uyghurs . the newcomers take most of the new jobs , and unemployment among uyghurs is high . they complain of discrimination and harsh treatment by security forces , despite official promises of equal rights and ethnic harmony . beijing accuses some uyghur groups of trying to establish an independent state . in november : militant group says tiananmen attack in china was'jihadi operation ' | new : chinese authorities disagree , saying those involved were a terrorist ' gang |
chinese <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- sixteen people have been killed in violence in china 's volatile western region of xinjiang , state media reported monday . two police officers chasing suspects came under attack late sunday from people with machetes and explosive devices in shufu county , near the city of kashgar , said tianshan , a news website run by the xinjiang government . in the clash that ensued , two police officers died and 14 gang members ' were shot and killed , tianshan reported . deadly unrest frequently breaks out in xinjiang , a large , resource-rich region that is home to the uyghurs , a turkic-speaking , predominantly muslim ethnic group . the arrival of waves of han chinese people over the decades has fueled tensions with the uyghurs . chinese authorities have cracked down heavily on violence involving uyghurs , deepening resentment . the details of violent clashes in xinjiang often remain murky . uyghur diaspora groups , like the world uyghur congress , have criticized the chinese government for the lack of transparency over such events . police have detained six suspects , tianshan reported in an update late monday . it described the violence as an organized and premeditated terrorist attack ' carried out by a gang of 20 people , led by a person it named as hesen ismail , a uyghur-sounding name . the group advocated extremist religious thoughts , produced explosive devices and guns , and tested explosives several times in a bid to plot terrorist attacks , ' the report said . but the world uyghur congress disputed the government 's account . it cited unidentified sources on the ground ' who told it that the 14 people shot and killed were uyghur demonstrators . ' two of them were teenagers who were killed by indiscriminate shooting by the security forces , ' the organization alleged . luo fuyong , a spokesman for the xinjiang government , contested the world uyghur congress 's version of events . he said that no teenagers were killed in the violence and that those involved were n't demonstrators , noting that the clash took place at 11 p.m . he said he believed that all 14 people who were killed by police were uyghurs . cnn was n't able to independently verify the different claims about what happened . chinese authorities have blamed uyghurs for a vehicle attack in beijing 's tiananmen square in october that killed five people -- including the three in the vehicle -- and wounded 40 others . xinjiang 's worst violence in decades took place in july 2009 , when rioting in the capital , urumqi , between uyghurs and han chinese killed some 200 people and injured 1,700 . that unrest was followed by a crackdown by security forces . several deadly clashes have been reported this year . xinjiang is now home to more than 8 million han chinese , up from 220,000 in 1949 , and 10 million uyghurs . the newcomers take most of the new jobs , and unemployment among uyghurs is high . they complain of discrimination and harsh treatment by security forces , despite official promises of equal rights and ethnic harmony . beijing accuses some uyghur groups of trying to establish an independent state . in november : militant group says tiananmen attack in china was'jihadi operation ' | the violence took place in xinjiang , a resource-rich chinese region beset by unrest |
senate <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- embattled libyan strongman moammar gadhafi 's forces have made significant strides against rebel fighters , as the united nations is working quickly to pass a resolution authorizing international intervention , a senior state department official told senators thursday . in remarks to the senate foreign relations committee , william burns , the undersecretary for political affairs at the state department , said gadhafi 's forces are only about 160 kilometers ( about 100 miles ) outside of the rebel stronghold of benghazi . they 've made advances taking full advantage of their overwhelming military superiority in military fire power , ' burns said . burns expressed fear that gadhafi , now isolated by the world community , could turn to terrorism again . i think there is also a very real danger that if gadhafi is successful on the ground , that you will also face a number of other considerable risks as well -- the danger of him returning to terrorism , and violent extremism himself , the dangers of the turmoil that he could help create at a critical moment elsewhere in the region , ' burns told the committee . senators , in turn , expressed frustration with the lack of progress by the united states in responding to gadhafi beyond sanctions and warnings , as the u.s. tries to build international consensus for any military intervention . when is that resolution going to happen , after the bloodbath , in the middle of the bloodbath ? ' asked florida republican sen. marco rubio . the united nations security council is meeting in new york thursday , debating forceful options that would go beyond a no-fly zone , burns told the senators . a vote is schedule for thursday evening . when sen. robert menendez , d-new jersey , asked what those options would include , such as targeted air strikes on gadhafi 's weapons , jamming of government radio signals , and using the tens of billions of dollars in gadhafi 's assets that have been frozen , burns would only say that diplomats are talking about a whole range of measures , ' including a number of the steps menendez mentioned . we are pursuing -- along with the lebanese , the british , french , other partners in the council -- measures that include a no-fly zone , but could go beyond that. , ' burns said . and i ca n't in this session , since the debate is going on the security council right now , go into a lot of detail about that . but there are measures short of boots on the ground that could be taken by the international community , including active air participation . ' burns'remarks echoed white house press secretary jay carney , who said thursday that the united states is still actively considering ' the imposition of a no-fly zone over libya , and that u.s. officials also are examining other options to put pressure on the gadhafi regime . with the ground situation evolving in libya , u.s . ambassador to the u.n. susan rice said previously this week that there are inherent limitations ' regarding a no-fly zone in terms of protecting civilians . ' the u.s. military does not view a no-fly zone as sufficient to stopping gadhafi . air force chief of staff gen. norton schwartz told a senate armed services committee hearing on thursday that establishing such a zone would not be sufficient ' to stop the gains made by gadhafi . schwartz told the committee that establishing a no-fly zone would take upwards of a week . ' defense secretary robert gates has cautioned about the use of a no-fly zone in the past weeks , saying it would involve a military attack on libya to take out air defenses . on thursday , pentagon spokesman col. dave lapan said gates'concern extends to other potential military operations in libya . it would be logical if one of his concerns about a no-fly zone is the element of attacking libyan air defenses , then an option of air strikes would be pretty similar , ' lapan told reporters at the pentagon . burns expects the u.n. security council to come to an agreement on a resolution thursday , but wants both operational and financial support from arab states on the measures decided upon . those are discussions that we 've begun including with particular arab states that have expressed an interest and a willingness to participate in this , ' burns said . | the official briefs a senate panel on the situation in libya |
the walking dead <tsp> ( cnn ) it does n't tell us much , but a new trailer for season five of the walking dead ' raises a few questions . who -- or what -- will be the gang 's next big foe ? what , exactly , is all that matters ' ? where 's carl ? it 's enough to get fans psyched for the mid-season premiere on february 8 . amc 's zombie apocalypse thriller took a break in november after killing off one of the main characters . otherwise , rick and the surviving members of his crew are back together , apparently , roaming foggy woods , in pursuit of an unidentified enemy , if the trailer is any indication . who do you think will be the next character to meet his or her demise ? tell us on cnn facebook . | the walking dead ' took a break in november after killing off a longstanding character |
ant-man <tsp> ( cnn ) at the rate marvel is going , all of its comic book characters will have their own movie , maybe two . ant-man ' is the latest to join the studio 's movie superhero ranks . marvel just unveiled the trailer this week . the character is little-known outside of hardcore fans , much like last summer 's guardians of the galaxy ' franchise , which turned out to be a big hit . playing ant-man is paul rudd , an actor largely known for his comedic chops . rudd 's character , the troubled scott lang , is recruited by hank pym ( michael douglas ) , to wear the shrinking ant-man suit . a keen sense of humor might be just what 's needed for this superhero , who becomes teeny tiny , but powerful , in his pursuit of justice . however , unlike guardians , ' reaction to the trailer from social media was decidedly mixed . ant-man ' hits theaters on july 17 . | ant-man ' hits theaters on july 17 |
dan tan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a man believed to be at the center of a global football match-fixing ring is co-operating with authorities in singapore , it was announced on friday . singaporean businessman tan seet eng , also known as dan tan , is thought to be a key figure in an ongoing investigation into corruption in soccer by global law enforcers interpol . the news follows thursday 's arrest of admir suljic in italy , a 31-year-old slovenian who has been accused of being directly involved with a transnational criminal group targeted by interpol 's last bet ' investigation . the group , thought to be composed of individuals from singapore and the balkans , is said to have influenced the results of italian league matches in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons . the singapore authorities have been offering assistance and sharing available information with affected countries and will continue to do so , ' read a statement from singapore police . dan tan seet eng , a singaporean who has been named in reports so far , is currently assisting singapore authorities in their investigations . ' police in the asian country passed on information to interpol which made possible the arrest of suljic , who had been a fugitive since december 2011 . the statement continued : in response to media queries , the singapore police force confirms that it had informed interpol national central bureau ( ncb ) rome and interpol 's command and coordination centre at interpol hq in lyon , france of the travel plans of a person wanted by the italian authorities for investigations into match-fixing . the singapore police provided this information as part of the regular and ongoing exchange that the singapore police force has with its counterparts . the person has since been arrested by the italian authorities and ncb rome has sent a message to ncb singapore thanking the police for its support in this matter . ' earlier this month , senior european crime fighters europol detailed how match-fixing had reached the upper echelons of european football . two matches in the continent 's leading club competition , the european champions league , were among 380 matches in 15 different countries deemed suspicious by europol . rob wainwright , director of the european law enforcement agency , branded it a sad day for european football ' while the general secretary of football 's global governing body fifa told cnn match-fixing was a disease . ' chinese club shanghai shenhua were stripped of a domestic league title won in 2003 and fined $ 160,000 on tuesday following a crackdown on corruption . shenhua were one of 12 clubs involved , along with 33 individuals . four former china national team players and a former world cup referee were banned for life , having been jailed a year ago for the same offenses . | tan seet eng , known as dan tan , a key figure in investigation by interpol |
interpol <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a man believed to be at the center of a global football match-fixing ring is co-operating with authorities in singapore , it was announced on friday . singaporean businessman tan seet eng , also known as dan tan , is thought to be a key figure in an ongoing investigation into corruption in soccer by global law enforcers interpol . the news follows thursday 's arrest of admir suljic in italy , a 31-year-old slovenian who has been accused of being directly involved with a transnational criminal group targeted by interpol 's last bet ' investigation . the group , thought to be composed of individuals from singapore and the balkans , is said to have influenced the results of italian league matches in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons . the singapore authorities have been offering assistance and sharing available information with affected countries and will continue to do so , ' read a statement from singapore police . dan tan seet eng , a singaporean who has been named in reports so far , is currently assisting singapore authorities in their investigations . ' police in the asian country passed on information to interpol which made possible the arrest of suljic , who had been a fugitive since december 2011 . the statement continued : in response to media queries , the singapore police force confirms that it had informed interpol national central bureau ( ncb ) rome and interpol 's command and coordination centre at interpol hq in lyon , france of the travel plans of a person wanted by the italian authorities for investigations into match-fixing . the singapore police provided this information as part of the regular and ongoing exchange that the singapore police force has with its counterparts . the person has since been arrested by the italian authorities and ncb rome has sent a message to ncb singapore thanking the police for its support in this matter . ' earlier this month , senior european crime fighters europol detailed how match-fixing had reached the upper echelons of european football . two matches in the continent 's leading club competition , the european champions league , were among 380 matches in 15 different countries deemed suspicious by europol . rob wainwright , director of the european law enforcement agency , branded it a sad day for european football ' while the general secretary of football 's global governing body fifa told cnn match-fixing was a disease . ' chinese club shanghai shenhua were stripped of a domestic league title won in 2003 and fined $ 160,000 on tuesday following a crackdown on corruption . shenhua were one of 12 clubs involved , along with 33 individuals . four former china national team players and a former world cup referee were banned for life , having been jailed a year ago for the same offenses . | tan seet eng , known as dan tan , a key figure in investigation by interpol |
china <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- chinese officials in the northwestern xinjiang uygur autonomous region reported the death of a fourth baby thursday in the country 's expanding contaminated infant formula case . the tainted milk powder has already sickened more than 6,200 babies . earlier in the day , authorities announced the arrest of 12 more suspects in the investigation , provincial police said . the arrests bring to 18 the number of people detained , according to the hebei public security bureau . twelve of those arrested are involved in the collection of milk and the production of milk products , authorities said . authorities accuse the other six of illegally selling the chemical added to the milk . more than 1,300 infants are hospitalized , said li changjiang , china 's director of quarantine and inspection , on wednesday . their conditions include malnutrition , kidney stones and acute renal failure . inspectors have been deployed across the country to test producers'inventories . of china 's 175 baby milk powder production companies , 66 have stopped production , li said . watch parents scramble for safe milk » two brothers who sold fresh milk used to produce contaminated baby milk powder were arrested by chinese investigators monday . they could face death if convicted , according to china daily , a state-run newspaper . the raw milk had been watered down and a chemical added to fool quality checks , the newspaper said . investigators said the brothers confessed to watering down the raw milk and mixing in tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine . they said they did it to recover losses suffered when the factory rejected earlier milk shipments , the paper reported . learn more about the chemical melamine » the brothers are charged with producing and selling toxic and hazardous food , which carries a possible death penalty , the paper said . health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation . the chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . watch cnn visit the company at the center of the scandal » thousands of tons of the tainted milk powder have been recalled , including pullbacks by mengniu dairy group , china 's largest milk producer , and the sanlu group . chinese investigators have found melamine in nearly 70 milk products from more than 20 companies , li said wednesday . products made by sanlu had the highest concentration of the chemical . it is not the first time sanlu has been connected to a scandal involving tainted milk powder , according to china daily . in 2004 , at least 13 infants in the eastern anhui province died of malnutrition after drinking milk powder that had little to no nutrition . the illegally manufactured milk was falsely labeled with the sanlu brand , according to the paper . the vast majority of the tainted formula was consumed domestically , but it is known to have been exported to taiwan , bangladesh , myanmar , yemen , chad and burundi , according to li . the u.s. food and drug administration said no chinese baby formula has been allowed on the market in the united states . in a statement on its web site , the fda said it had reached out to all five companies making formula in the united states and none has used formula or source materials from china . this episode marks the latest in a string of tainted products produced in china : cnn 's yuli yang contributed to this story . | of china 's 175 baby milk powder production companies , 66 have stopped production |
china <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- chinese officials in the northwestern xinjiang uygur autonomous region reported the death of a fourth baby thursday in the country 's expanding contaminated infant formula case . the tainted milk powder has already sickened more than 6,200 babies . earlier in the day , authorities announced the arrest of 12 more suspects in the investigation , provincial police said . the arrests bring to 18 the number of people detained , according to the hebei public security bureau . twelve of those arrested are involved in the collection of milk and the production of milk products , authorities said . authorities accuse the other six of illegally selling the chemical added to the milk . more than 1,300 infants are hospitalized , said li changjiang , china 's director of quarantine and inspection , on wednesday . their conditions include malnutrition , kidney stones and acute renal failure . inspectors have been deployed across the country to test producers'inventories . of china 's 175 baby milk powder production companies , 66 have stopped production , li said . watch parents scramble for safe milk » two brothers who sold fresh milk used to produce contaminated baby milk powder were arrested by chinese investigators monday . they could face death if convicted , according to china daily , a state-run newspaper . the raw milk had been watered down and a chemical added to fool quality checks , the newspaper said . investigators said the brothers confessed to watering down the raw milk and mixing in tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine . they said they did it to recover losses suffered when the factory rejected earlier milk shipments , the paper reported . learn more about the chemical melamine » the brothers are charged with producing and selling toxic and hazardous food , which carries a possible death penalty , the paper said . health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation . the chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . watch cnn visit the company at the center of the scandal » thousands of tons of the tainted milk powder have been recalled , including pullbacks by mengniu dairy group , china 's largest milk producer , and the sanlu group . chinese investigators have found melamine in nearly 70 milk products from more than 20 companies , li said wednesday . products made by sanlu had the highest concentration of the chemical . it is not the first time sanlu has been connected to a scandal involving tainted milk powder , according to china daily . in 2004 , at least 13 infants in the eastern anhui province died of malnutrition after drinking milk powder that had little to no nutrition . the illegally manufactured milk was falsely labeled with the sanlu brand , according to the paper . the vast majority of the tainted formula was consumed domestically , but it is known to have been exported to taiwan , bangladesh , myanmar , yemen , chad and burundi , according to li . the u.s. food and drug administration said no chinese baby formula has been allowed on the market in the united states . in a statement on its web site , the fda said it had reached out to all five companies making formula in the united states and none has used formula or source materials from china . this episode marks the latest in a string of tainted products produced in china : cnn 's yuli yang contributed to this story . | china 's largest milk producer , mengniu dairy group , recalls three batches of formula |
denver international airport <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the continental airlines plane that crashed in clarence center , new york , late thursday is one of several major incidents over the past two months . the wreckage of a continental airlines 737 sits off a runway at denver international airport in december . • on february 12 , continental flight 3407 crashed en route to buffalo , new york , killing 49 people . • on january 27 , empire airlines flight 8284 crashed 300 feet short while on approach to a runway at lubbock international airport in texas . the plane was arriving from fort worth , texas . the aircraft was destroyed by the crash and a post-impact fire . two crew members suffered minor injuries . • on january 15 , u.s. airways flight 1549 ditched in the hudson river while en route from laguardia airport to charlotte , north carolina . all 155 passengers survived , with few injuries . • on december 20 , 2008 , continental flight 1404 departed the left side of the runway during takeoff from denver international airport in denver . the flight was en route to george bush intercontinental airport in houston , texas . a total of 38 passengers and crew were taken to hospitals , and five were admitted . there were no fatalities . the airplane was substantially damaged and experienced a post-crash fire , which was located on the right side of the aircraft . cnn 's mike ahlers contributed to this report . | continental flight 1404 slides off runway during takeoff at denver international airport |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's struggling presidential campaign is trying to change the subject this week with stark warnings of chaos in the middle east . it 's trying to scare voters into thinking that his tough talk will somehow make the situation better . yet in a recent op-ed calling for a new course ' for the region , romney refused , as usual , to outline any policy specifics , instead putting forth platitudes and falsehoods about president barack obama 's record . romney likes to criticize the president 's handling of israel and iran and to recycle tired attacks on his record on israel . but he repeatedly sidesteps the facts , ignoring obama 's unprecedented efforts to make our closest ally in the middle east more secure . under obama 's leadership , israel has received record levels of security assistance , including aid for rocket defenses that have saved israeli lives , and our defense and intelligence cooperation has never been better . the president has forged an international coalition to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon . under the most crippling sanctions ever imposed , tehran 's economy is floundering and has never been more isolated . obama has repeatedly vowed to use all instruments of national power to ensure iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon , taking no option off the table . opinion : debate coach -- obama , romney are top performers beyond romney 's cowboy rhetoric , there are zero actual policy differences with obama on iran -- unless romney thinks it 's time to rush to war . everything else he says he would do -- crippling sanctions , a credible military option -- the president is already doing . on terrorism , which romney never discusses in depth , he has failed to outline any policies to go after al qaeda and its affiliates . there is a reason for this : on the president 's watch , osama bin laden is dead and more al qaeda senior leaders have been taken off the battlefield than at any time since 9/11 . romney 's op-ed also tried out new arguments against the president 's handling of the arab spring . yet romney 's position on the arab spring is particularly incoherent . he has tacked between supporting freedom ' and fanning fears of islamism , without giving any sign that he understands the complexities of this volatile region . his criticism of the president is similarly erratic : sometimes accusing obama of not doing enough to support emerging democracies , and , at other times , seemingly critiquing him for doing too much to support democracy in places such as egypt . perhaps out of fear of offending his party 's warring neoconservatives , realists and isolationists , romney simply refuses to offer any clear position on democracy in the arab world . romney 's declarations on the middle east have been heavy on bold declarations of leadership ' but light on explanation . romney 's claim that his brash rhetoric will restore order to the region is naive , if not dangerous . indeed , the last time the united states enjoyed his brand of leadership , ' we found ourselves trapped in iraq , besieged by record levels of anti-americanism and confronting an ascendant al qaeda . bergen : dangerous new world of drones similarly , during the intervention in libya , romney never articulated anything resembling a coherent policy . he simply refused to take a stand . more disturbing , romney 's immediate impulse when americans were killed in benghazi three weeks ago was to try to exploit the issue for political gain -- and he 's been playing politics with the issue ever since . while romney has consistently appeared unsteady and unready to handle unfolding events , obama has effectively managed the tumult of the arab spring , demonstrating strategic patience and confident leadership . as millions flooded the streets of arab capitals , obama recognized that the united states should endorse their demands for democratic change and took the lead in helping to broker a peaceful transition in egypt . when moammar qaddafi turned his guns on peaceful protesters , obama led an international coalition that saved tens of thousands of civilians in benghazi , supported the opposition as it overthrew a brutal regime and helped pave the way toward a new libya . and in the face of president bashar al-assad 's brutality in syria , the administration is leading international efforts to isolate and sanction the regime , push back against russian intransigence at the united nations and work with european and regional partners to empower the opposition . opinion : debate coach : obama , romney are top performers the fact that romney 's approach to the middle east is all swagger and no substance should come as little surprise . after all , romney backed the war in iraq , the biggest foreign policy disaster in a generation , and his advisers -- the people who would populate the national security establishment in a romney administration -- are a who 's who of the war 's architects . not only did that war cost more than 4,400 american lives , leave more than 32,000 americans wounded and cost taxpayers nearly $ 1 trillion -- it empowered iran and syria and undermined u.s. credibility in the region and around the globe . the notion that romney and his team understand the contemporary middle east or how best to advance american interests in this volatile region is impossible to reconcile with this record of catastrophically bad judgment . so , while romney attempts to politicize overseas events to divert attention from his sagging numbers in the polls , obama will simply continue to do what he 's done consistently and effectively over the past four years : promote our values , protect our interests , defend our friends and bring to justice those who would do america harm . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michèle a. flournoy , colin h. kahl and marc lynch . | obama upped israel 's security , crippled iran with sanctions romney supports , they say |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's struggling presidential campaign is trying to change the subject this week with stark warnings of chaos in the middle east . it 's trying to scare voters into thinking that his tough talk will somehow make the situation better . yet in a recent op-ed calling for a new course ' for the region , romney refused , as usual , to outline any policy specifics , instead putting forth platitudes and falsehoods about president barack obama 's record . romney likes to criticize the president 's handling of israel and iran and to recycle tired attacks on his record on israel . but he repeatedly sidesteps the facts , ignoring obama 's unprecedented efforts to make our closest ally in the middle east more secure . under obama 's leadership , israel has received record levels of security assistance , including aid for rocket defenses that have saved israeli lives , and our defense and intelligence cooperation has never been better . the president has forged an international coalition to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon . under the most crippling sanctions ever imposed , tehran 's economy is floundering and has never been more isolated . obama has repeatedly vowed to use all instruments of national power to ensure iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon , taking no option off the table . opinion : debate coach -- obama , romney are top performers beyond romney 's cowboy rhetoric , there are zero actual policy differences with obama on iran -- unless romney thinks it 's time to rush to war . everything else he says he would do -- crippling sanctions , a credible military option -- the president is already doing . on terrorism , which romney never discusses in depth , he has failed to outline any policies to go after al qaeda and its affiliates . there is a reason for this : on the president 's watch , osama bin laden is dead and more al qaeda senior leaders have been taken off the battlefield than at any time since 9/11 . romney 's op-ed also tried out new arguments against the president 's handling of the arab spring . yet romney 's position on the arab spring is particularly incoherent . he has tacked between supporting freedom ' and fanning fears of islamism , without giving any sign that he understands the complexities of this volatile region . his criticism of the president is similarly erratic : sometimes accusing obama of not doing enough to support emerging democracies , and , at other times , seemingly critiquing him for doing too much to support democracy in places such as egypt . perhaps out of fear of offending his party 's warring neoconservatives , realists and isolationists , romney simply refuses to offer any clear position on democracy in the arab world . romney 's declarations on the middle east have been heavy on bold declarations of leadership ' but light on explanation . romney 's claim that his brash rhetoric will restore order to the region is naive , if not dangerous . indeed , the last time the united states enjoyed his brand of leadership , ' we found ourselves trapped in iraq , besieged by record levels of anti-americanism and confronting an ascendant al qaeda . bergen : dangerous new world of drones similarly , during the intervention in libya , romney never articulated anything resembling a coherent policy . he simply refused to take a stand . more disturbing , romney 's immediate impulse when americans were killed in benghazi three weeks ago was to try to exploit the issue for political gain -- and he 's been playing politics with the issue ever since . while romney has consistently appeared unsteady and unready to handle unfolding events , obama has effectively managed the tumult of the arab spring , demonstrating strategic patience and confident leadership . as millions flooded the streets of arab capitals , obama recognized that the united states should endorse their demands for democratic change and took the lead in helping to broker a peaceful transition in egypt . when moammar qaddafi turned his guns on peaceful protesters , obama led an international coalition that saved tens of thousands of civilians in benghazi , supported the opposition as it overthrew a brutal regime and helped pave the way toward a new libya . and in the face of president bashar al-assad 's brutality in syria , the administration is leading international efforts to isolate and sanction the regime , push back against russian intransigence at the united nations and work with european and regional partners to empower the opposition . opinion : debate coach : obama , romney are top performers the fact that romney 's approach to the middle east is all swagger and no substance should come as little surprise . after all , romney backed the war in iraq , the biggest foreign policy disaster in a generation , and his advisers -- the people who would populate the national security establishment in a romney administration -- are a who 's who of the war 's architects . not only did that war cost more than 4,400 american lives , leave more than 32,000 americans wounded and cost taxpayers nearly $ 1 trillion -- it empowered iran and syria and undermined u.s. credibility in the region and around the globe . the notion that romney and his team understand the contemporary middle east or how best to advance american interests in this volatile region is impossible to reconcile with this record of catastrophically bad judgment . so , while romney attempts to politicize overseas events to divert attention from his sagging numbers in the polls , obama will simply continue to do what he 's done consistently and effectively over the past four years : promote our values , protect our interests , defend our friends and bring to justice those who would do america harm . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michèle a. flournoy , colin h. kahl and marc lynch . | writers : romney lies about obama on foreign policy but only offers vague platitudes |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's struggling presidential campaign is trying to change the subject this week with stark warnings of chaos in the middle east . it 's trying to scare voters into thinking that his tough talk will somehow make the situation better . yet in a recent op-ed calling for a new course ' for the region , romney refused , as usual , to outline any policy specifics , instead putting forth platitudes and falsehoods about president barack obama 's record . romney likes to criticize the president 's handling of israel and iran and to recycle tired attacks on his record on israel . but he repeatedly sidesteps the facts , ignoring obama 's unprecedented efforts to make our closest ally in the middle east more secure . under obama 's leadership , israel has received record levels of security assistance , including aid for rocket defenses that have saved israeli lives , and our defense and intelligence cooperation has never been better . the president has forged an international coalition to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon . under the most crippling sanctions ever imposed , tehran 's economy is floundering and has never been more isolated . obama has repeatedly vowed to use all instruments of national power to ensure iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon , taking no option off the table . opinion : debate coach -- obama , romney are top performers beyond romney 's cowboy rhetoric , there are zero actual policy differences with obama on iran -- unless romney thinks it 's time to rush to war . everything else he says he would do -- crippling sanctions , a credible military option -- the president is already doing . on terrorism , which romney never discusses in depth , he has failed to outline any policies to go after al qaeda and its affiliates . there is a reason for this : on the president 's watch , osama bin laden is dead and more al qaeda senior leaders have been taken off the battlefield than at any time since 9/11 . romney 's op-ed also tried out new arguments against the president 's handling of the arab spring . yet romney 's position on the arab spring is particularly incoherent . he has tacked between supporting freedom ' and fanning fears of islamism , without giving any sign that he understands the complexities of this volatile region . his criticism of the president is similarly erratic : sometimes accusing obama of not doing enough to support emerging democracies , and , at other times , seemingly critiquing him for doing too much to support democracy in places such as egypt . perhaps out of fear of offending his party 's warring neoconservatives , realists and isolationists , romney simply refuses to offer any clear position on democracy in the arab world . romney 's declarations on the middle east have been heavy on bold declarations of leadership ' but light on explanation . romney 's claim that his brash rhetoric will restore order to the region is naive , if not dangerous . indeed , the last time the united states enjoyed his brand of leadership , ' we found ourselves trapped in iraq , besieged by record levels of anti-americanism and confronting an ascendant al qaeda . bergen : dangerous new world of drones similarly , during the intervention in libya , romney never articulated anything resembling a coherent policy . he simply refused to take a stand . more disturbing , romney 's immediate impulse when americans were killed in benghazi three weeks ago was to try to exploit the issue for political gain -- and he 's been playing politics with the issue ever since . while romney has consistently appeared unsteady and unready to handle unfolding events , obama has effectively managed the tumult of the arab spring , demonstrating strategic patience and confident leadership . as millions flooded the streets of arab capitals , obama recognized that the united states should endorse their demands for democratic change and took the lead in helping to broker a peaceful transition in egypt . when moammar qaddafi turned his guns on peaceful protesters , obama led an international coalition that saved tens of thousands of civilians in benghazi , supported the opposition as it overthrew a brutal regime and helped pave the way toward a new libya . and in the face of president bashar al-assad 's brutality in syria , the administration is leading international efforts to isolate and sanction the regime , push back against russian intransigence at the united nations and work with european and regional partners to empower the opposition . opinion : debate coach : obama , romney are top performers the fact that romney 's approach to the middle east is all swagger and no substance should come as little surprise . after all , romney backed the war in iraq , the biggest foreign policy disaster in a generation , and his advisers -- the people who would populate the national security establishment in a romney administration -- are a who 's who of the war 's architects . not only did that war cost more than 4,400 american lives , leave more than 32,000 americans wounded and cost taxpayers nearly $ 1 trillion -- it empowered iran and syria and undermined u.s. credibility in the region and around the globe . the notion that romney and his team understand the contemporary middle east or how best to advance american interests in this volatile region is impossible to reconcile with this record of catastrophically bad judgment . so , while romney attempts to politicize overseas events to divert attention from his sagging numbers in the polls , obama will simply continue to do what he 's done consistently and effectively over the past four years : promote our values , protect our interests , defend our friends and bring to justice those who would do america harm . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michèle a. flournoy , colin h. kahl and marc lynch . | they say romney 's mideast comments dangerous , but obama manages complexity |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's struggling presidential campaign is trying to change the subject this week with stark warnings of chaos in the middle east . it 's trying to scare voters into thinking that his tough talk will somehow make the situation better . yet in a recent op-ed calling for a new course ' for the region , romney refused , as usual , to outline any policy specifics , instead putting forth platitudes and falsehoods about president barack obama 's record . romney likes to criticize the president 's handling of israel and iran and to recycle tired attacks on his record on israel . but he repeatedly sidesteps the facts , ignoring obama 's unprecedented efforts to make our closest ally in the middle east more secure . under obama 's leadership , israel has received record levels of security assistance , including aid for rocket defenses that have saved israeli lives , and our defense and intelligence cooperation has never been better . the president has forged an international coalition to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon . under the most crippling sanctions ever imposed , tehran 's economy is floundering and has never been more isolated . obama has repeatedly vowed to use all instruments of national power to ensure iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon , taking no option off the table . opinion : debate coach -- obama , romney are top performers beyond romney 's cowboy rhetoric , there are zero actual policy differences with obama on iran -- unless romney thinks it 's time to rush to war . everything else he says he would do -- crippling sanctions , a credible military option -- the president is already doing . on terrorism , which romney never discusses in depth , he has failed to outline any policies to go after al qaeda and its affiliates . there is a reason for this : on the president 's watch , osama bin laden is dead and more al qaeda senior leaders have been taken off the battlefield than at any time since 9/11 . romney 's op-ed also tried out new arguments against the president 's handling of the arab spring . yet romney 's position on the arab spring is particularly incoherent . he has tacked between supporting freedom ' and fanning fears of islamism , without giving any sign that he understands the complexities of this volatile region . his criticism of the president is similarly erratic : sometimes accusing obama of not doing enough to support emerging democracies , and , at other times , seemingly critiquing him for doing too much to support democracy in places such as egypt . perhaps out of fear of offending his party 's warring neoconservatives , realists and isolationists , romney simply refuses to offer any clear position on democracy in the arab world . romney 's declarations on the middle east have been heavy on bold declarations of leadership ' but light on explanation . romney 's claim that his brash rhetoric will restore order to the region is naive , if not dangerous . indeed , the last time the united states enjoyed his brand of leadership , ' we found ourselves trapped in iraq , besieged by record levels of anti-americanism and confronting an ascendant al qaeda . bergen : dangerous new world of drones similarly , during the intervention in libya , romney never articulated anything resembling a coherent policy . he simply refused to take a stand . more disturbing , romney 's immediate impulse when americans were killed in benghazi three weeks ago was to try to exploit the issue for political gain -- and he 's been playing politics with the issue ever since . while romney has consistently appeared unsteady and unready to handle unfolding events , obama has effectively managed the tumult of the arab spring , demonstrating strategic patience and confident leadership . as millions flooded the streets of arab capitals , obama recognized that the united states should endorse their demands for democratic change and took the lead in helping to broker a peaceful transition in egypt . when moammar qaddafi turned his guns on peaceful protesters , obama led an international coalition that saved tens of thousands of civilians in benghazi , supported the opposition as it overthrew a brutal regime and helped pave the way toward a new libya . and in the face of president bashar al-assad 's brutality in syria , the administration is leading international efforts to isolate and sanction the regime , push back against russian intransigence at the united nations and work with european and regional partners to empower the opposition . opinion : debate coach : obama , romney are top performers the fact that romney 's approach to the middle east is all swagger and no substance should come as little surprise . after all , romney backed the war in iraq , the biggest foreign policy disaster in a generation , and his advisers -- the people who would populate the national security establishment in a romney administration -- are a who 's who of the war 's architects . not only did that war cost more than 4,400 american lives , leave more than 32,000 americans wounded and cost taxpayers nearly $ 1 trillion -- it empowered iran and syria and undermined u.s. credibility in the region and around the globe . the notion that romney and his team understand the contemporary middle east or how best to advance american interests in this volatile region is impossible to reconcile with this record of catastrophically bad judgment . so , while romney attempts to politicize overseas events to divert attention from his sagging numbers in the polls , obama will simply continue to do what he 's done consistently and effectively over the past four years : promote our values , protect our interests , defend our friends and bring to justice those who would do america harm . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michèle a. flournoy , colin h. kahl and marc lynch . | obama upped israel 's security , crippled iran with sanctions romney supports , they say |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney 's struggling presidential campaign is trying to change the subject this week with stark warnings of chaos in the middle east . it 's trying to scare voters into thinking that his tough talk will somehow make the situation better . yet in a recent op-ed calling for a new course ' for the region , romney refused , as usual , to outline any policy specifics , instead putting forth platitudes and falsehoods about president barack obama 's record . romney likes to criticize the president 's handling of israel and iran and to recycle tired attacks on his record on israel . but he repeatedly sidesteps the facts , ignoring obama 's unprecedented efforts to make our closest ally in the middle east more secure . under obama 's leadership , israel has received record levels of security assistance , including aid for rocket defenses that have saved israeli lives , and our defense and intelligence cooperation has never been better . the president has forged an international coalition to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon . under the most crippling sanctions ever imposed , tehran 's economy is floundering and has never been more isolated . obama has repeatedly vowed to use all instruments of national power to ensure iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon , taking no option off the table . opinion : debate coach -- obama , romney are top performers beyond romney 's cowboy rhetoric , there are zero actual policy differences with obama on iran -- unless romney thinks it 's time to rush to war . everything else he says he would do -- crippling sanctions , a credible military option -- the president is already doing . on terrorism , which romney never discusses in depth , he has failed to outline any policies to go after al qaeda and its affiliates . there is a reason for this : on the president 's watch , osama bin laden is dead and more al qaeda senior leaders have been taken off the battlefield than at any time since 9/11 . romney 's op-ed also tried out new arguments against the president 's handling of the arab spring . yet romney 's position on the arab spring is particularly incoherent . he has tacked between supporting freedom ' and fanning fears of islamism , without giving any sign that he understands the complexities of this volatile region . his criticism of the president is similarly erratic : sometimes accusing obama of not doing enough to support emerging democracies , and , at other times , seemingly critiquing him for doing too much to support democracy in places such as egypt . perhaps out of fear of offending his party 's warring neoconservatives , realists and isolationists , romney simply refuses to offer any clear position on democracy in the arab world . romney 's declarations on the middle east have been heavy on bold declarations of leadership ' but light on explanation . romney 's claim that his brash rhetoric will restore order to the region is naive , if not dangerous . indeed , the last time the united states enjoyed his brand of leadership , ' we found ourselves trapped in iraq , besieged by record levels of anti-americanism and confronting an ascendant al qaeda . bergen : dangerous new world of drones similarly , during the intervention in libya , romney never articulated anything resembling a coherent policy . he simply refused to take a stand . more disturbing , romney 's immediate impulse when americans were killed in benghazi three weeks ago was to try to exploit the issue for political gain -- and he 's been playing politics with the issue ever since . while romney has consistently appeared unsteady and unready to handle unfolding events , obama has effectively managed the tumult of the arab spring , demonstrating strategic patience and confident leadership . as millions flooded the streets of arab capitals , obama recognized that the united states should endorse their demands for democratic change and took the lead in helping to broker a peaceful transition in egypt . when moammar qaddafi turned his guns on peaceful protesters , obama led an international coalition that saved tens of thousands of civilians in benghazi , supported the opposition as it overthrew a brutal regime and helped pave the way toward a new libya . and in the face of president bashar al-assad 's brutality in syria , the administration is leading international efforts to isolate and sanction the regime , push back against russian intransigence at the united nations and work with european and regional partners to empower the opposition . opinion : debate coach : obama , romney are top performers the fact that romney 's approach to the middle east is all swagger and no substance should come as little surprise . after all , romney backed the war in iraq , the biggest foreign policy disaster in a generation , and his advisers -- the people who would populate the national security establishment in a romney administration -- are a who 's who of the war 's architects . not only did that war cost more than 4,400 american lives , leave more than 32,000 americans wounded and cost taxpayers nearly $ 1 trillion -- it empowered iran and syria and undermined u.s. credibility in the region and around the globe . the notion that romney and his team understand the contemporary middle east or how best to advance american interests in this volatile region is impossible to reconcile with this record of catastrophically bad judgment . so , while romney attempts to politicize overseas events to divert attention from his sagging numbers in the polls , obama will simply continue to do what he 's done consistently and effectively over the past four years : promote our values , protect our interests , defend our friends and bring to justice those who would do america harm . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michèle a. flournoy , colin h. kahl and marc lynch . | writers : romney 's bush-era foreign policy advisers behind iraq war , which romney backed |
benghazi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- before the start of libya 's civil war , you could count the number of newspapers in the country on one hand and all were heavily controlled by the government . now there are 120 independent newspapers in the city of benghazi alone , according to local journalists . these newspapers are mostly run and staffed by engineers , doctors and students , said international media support , one of several foreign organizations that is helping train journalists in libya . one , called sowt ' -- voice ' in arabic -- was launched by five medical , engineering and economics students in their early 20s in february . it began as an eight-page magazine , now increased to 12 pages and selling 3,000 copies a week across eastern libya and beyond . one of the editors , mohamed shembesh , a 22-year-old civil engineering student , said : at the time there was no email or mail service , so we put a physical box in freedom square and made a sign telling people they could post contributions to our newspaper . within 10 days we had tens of articles , which we edited and printed in the first issue of the paper , ' he added . the magazine had no source of income , so the editors put charity boxes on streets for contributions . in 10 days they had raised enough money to pay for the first print run of 2,000 copies . the eight-page magazine included four color pages . many other people eager to make their voices heard when moammar gadhafi lost control of the city in february set up their own newspapers . while it may seem surprising for newspapers to be flourishing in an internet age , libya 's uprising was not conducted as much through social media sites as those in egypt and other arab countries . internet penetration in libya is just 5.5 % , according to the itu , an agency of the united nations that focuses on the internet and communications . in addition there were frequent internet blackouts after the uprising began in february . the cause of the blackouts was not clear , but a regular connection was not restored until august . abdelsalam doma , local coordinator for international media support in benghazi , said : before the uprising we had five newspapers in the whole country and they were just mouthpieces of the government . all they had been doing was supporting gadhafi 's word , glorifying his personality and trying to eliminate anything else . after the revolution we had all these new newspapers taking the opposite view -- but it is not totally professional . in the beginning all they did was attack gadhafi . it was like someone writing on his facebook page . the articles had no structure , they were not informative , they took one side but never both sides , there were never any quotes . ' doma , a 25-year-old engineering student , has himself been on a steep learning curve since the start of this year . he started to work as an interpreter when foreign journalists arrived in benghazi and decided to train as a journalist on the job . i started going out with the crews and tried to learn their craft , ' said doma . the foreign journalists have been teaching me . they write a piece , and i write a piece and they tell me what 's wrong with mine . ' doma began submitting articles to local newspapers and made a radio documentary . he said : i submitted my first article to a local newspaper about military camps . i was really embarrassed to show it to anyone , but the editor was totally in love with it and asked me to keep giving them articles . i made a radio documentary called'the night visitor'about gadhafi 's secret police for a local station . nobody here really knows what a radio documentary is , but a lot of people loved it . here in libya there 's a social stigma , we do n't talk about things we fear , but i managed to get people to talk . ' torben brandt , a media expert for international media support , a danish organization , made his first mission to benghazi in june , and set up a permanent office there in august . he recruited doma as a local media coordinator to monitor the state of the media and write regular reports about the content and quality of radio stations , newspapers and the growing number of satellite television channels . the organization has run workshops and courses for local journalists on conflict reporting . it has also held a two-day workshop for 100 journalists all over the eastern part of libya in the city of derna . the organization plans to move into tripoli as soon as it is safe to do so . in benghazi , 80 % of people starting up newspapers are engineers because it 's the center for the oil refineries , ' said brandt . it 's amazing to see how hungry people are for knowledge . ' he knows that not all the newspapers can survive , but hopes those that do will become more professional . doma said that is already starting to happen . i 'm quite optimistic , ' he said . i read newspapers and nowadays people are providing analysis and holding the politicians to account . some of the new government are still trying to control the media , but the journalists are resisting that . some journalists now have contracts with foreign television channels from qatar , lebanon or united arab emirates . ' doma added : the biggest obstacle to the local media is financial sustainability . people are just paying to produce the newspapers out of their own pockets and the market is too loaded with 120 newspapers . people do n't know what to buy . most of the newspapers will die out and a few good ones will survive . ' the content of sowt ' too has changed in the eight months since it launched . shembesh said : at the beginning we had six pages of reader articles , and we simply edited them for language . now we only have two or three pages from readers and we have a couple of professional writers . we cover social and political events , social problems , interviews with military and rebel leaders . we now get contributions through facebook and we will be publishing on the internet so people abroad can read us . ' shembesh hopes that sowt ' will be one of the newspapers that can become sustainable . we have started to carry advertising , ' he said . we know it 's a hard time now and we have to focus and work hard to win the crowds over . it helps that we got in early and built up a base of readers very fast . ' shembesh still has another year of his studies and plans to become a civil engineer , but believes he can continue to publish sowt ' alongside his other work . doma is still undecided about becoming a full-time journalist and is juggling several career options and responsibilities . in addition to work for international media support , doma is volunteering in a blood bank , helping out at a local hospital , and acting as a guide and facilitator for a rehabilitation center for fighters with physical , mental and psychological scars from the war . and i 'm still a student preparing for my final project , ' he said . i 'm busy doing all kinds of things and i 'm really shattered . ' | 120 newspapers have launched in benghazi since february |
swift <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this week iran and world powers finally commence long-delayed nuclear negotiations in geneva . was it a coincidence that just a few days ago , barack obama and iranian president hassan rouhani engaged in a monumental 15-minute phone call and reopened a line of communication that has been closed for more than thirty years ? it 's clear that iran 's new president hopes to establish trust between the west and iran so that sanctions on iran 's economy are removed . in return rouhani , who says iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons , promises to offer complete transparency into the country 's uranium enrichment program . securing this trust between both iran and the united states , however , will be no easy feat . decades of political antagonism -- along with iran 's revolutionary guard and the u.s. congress -- stand in the way of a successfully negotiated outcome . iran and the u.s. have a number of areas of mutual interest : stability in iraq , peace and security in afghanistan , and the resolution of the conflict in syria . iran has control and influence over the region via its affairs with and support of hezbollah in lebanon and syria . all of these difficulties are compounded by the nuclear issue . but the resolution of the crisis through a grand bargain would in fact benefit not only the u.s. , but also its allies in the region . and although the thought of a compromise with iran concerns israel , saudi arabia , and the emiratis of the region , that does n't mean all is lost . analysis : u.s. hopeful , clear-eyed ' over talks the stringent sanctions on trade with the u.s. and europe have seen iran gradually shift its oil and gas trade toward asia -- namely china and india . but iran 's exclusion from the swift currency clearing system has forced tehran to deal in local currencies . when iran trades with india it receives rupees in exchange for its oil . iran then uses the rupees to buy indian products , but it has ended up selling more oil than it has made in imports , creating a trade imbalance . relaxation on sanctions on these trading partners will be easier to implement . while sanctions related to medical necessities have already been relaxed , and discussions about freer trade in petrochemicals and the loosening of trade controls on gold have been mentioned , iran will hardly perceive these steps as sufficient . in reality , in the short term , iran needs to be granted access to fund transfers via swift . in the longer term , the u.s. will be asked to ensure iran has access to the proper technology required for efficient oil and gas production . projects †” such as the pipeline that supplies iranian oil to pakistan and india , and thus benefits not only iran but also pakistan and india †” will need to be allowed to be implemented . in exchange for u.s. help in removing some of the sanctions and in the opening up of exportation channels , iran would need to agree to complete transparency and to the closure of some of its nuclear facilities . but the hurdles are many , and the most complicated and involved ones are with the u.s. congress . the obama administration has limited control over the actions of the legislative branch , and voting against iran may be more politically expedient for lawmakers on capitol hill . this is one of the reasons why ayatollah khamenei , iran 's supreme leader , has said he believes america is not reliable and can not be trusted . opinion : how tehran got back to the negotiating table despite these difficulties , i believe there remains room to strike a deal . iran may be willing to provide significant transparency , including extensive and thorough inspections of all nuclear operations , a reduction in the amount of nuclear material produced and stored in iran , and even the dismantling of a few thousand centrifuges . but iran will be reluctant to relinquish its 20 % -enriched uranium , which experts believe can easily be weaponized , unless the west is willing to provide similar material for use in iranian research facilities . for its part the p5+1 -- the united states , russia , china , france , britain and germany -- would need to make trade with iran less burdensome by allowing a specified set of iranian banks access to currency clearing via swift . the u.s. and its partners would also need to remove a number of sanctions to allow iran to more freely trade its oil with its partners to the east and be paid for it in tradable currencies . if trust can be established and a bargain can be struck , the sheer size of iran 's population of 75 million could make it the largest economy to rejoin the global system since the collapse of the eastern bloc economies . many iranians are well-educated and eager to participate in the global market , providing an ideal situation from which many future businesses could emerge . if it is perceived by the western world that iranian discussions with the u.s. seem to be going well , the americans will likely see enormous business pressure from others , including our european friends , to accelerate the process of reducing sanctions . despite the complex and often-conflicting interests of the negotiating parties , i believe at least a partial deal will be struck between iran and the west -- an agreement that begins to bring iran back into the international fold and provides steps to end 34 years of what has been a lose-lose situation for everyone involved . the opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of fariborz ghadar . | iran must be transparent over nuclear program ; u.s. must allow iran access to swift |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this week iran and world powers finally commence long-delayed nuclear negotiations in geneva . was it a coincidence that just a few days ago , barack obama and iranian president hassan rouhani engaged in a monumental 15-minute phone call and reopened a line of communication that has been closed for more than thirty years ? it 's clear that iran 's new president hopes to establish trust between the west and iran so that sanctions on iran 's economy are removed . in return rouhani , who says iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons , promises to offer complete transparency into the country 's uranium enrichment program . securing this trust between both iran and the united states , however , will be no easy feat . decades of political antagonism -- along with iran 's revolutionary guard and the u.s. congress -- stand in the way of a successfully negotiated outcome . iran and the u.s. have a number of areas of mutual interest : stability in iraq , peace and security in afghanistan , and the resolution of the conflict in syria . iran has control and influence over the region via its affairs with and support of hezbollah in lebanon and syria . all of these difficulties are compounded by the nuclear issue . but the resolution of the crisis through a grand bargain would in fact benefit not only the u.s. , but also its allies in the region . and although the thought of a compromise with iran concerns israel , saudi arabia , and the emiratis of the region , that does n't mean all is lost . analysis : u.s. hopeful , clear-eyed ' over talks the stringent sanctions on trade with the u.s. and europe have seen iran gradually shift its oil and gas trade toward asia -- namely china and india . but iran 's exclusion from the swift currency clearing system has forced tehran to deal in local currencies . when iran trades with india it receives rupees in exchange for its oil . iran then uses the rupees to buy indian products , but it has ended up selling more oil than it has made in imports , creating a trade imbalance . relaxation on sanctions on these trading partners will be easier to implement . while sanctions related to medical necessities have already been relaxed , and discussions about freer trade in petrochemicals and the loosening of trade controls on gold have been mentioned , iran will hardly perceive these steps as sufficient . in reality , in the short term , iran needs to be granted access to fund transfers via swift . in the longer term , the u.s. will be asked to ensure iran has access to the proper technology required for efficient oil and gas production . projects †” such as the pipeline that supplies iranian oil to pakistan and india , and thus benefits not only iran but also pakistan and india †” will need to be allowed to be implemented . in exchange for u.s. help in removing some of the sanctions and in the opening up of exportation channels , iran would need to agree to complete transparency and to the closure of some of its nuclear facilities . but the hurdles are many , and the most complicated and involved ones are with the u.s. congress . the obama administration has limited control over the actions of the legislative branch , and voting against iran may be more politically expedient for lawmakers on capitol hill . this is one of the reasons why ayatollah khamenei , iran 's supreme leader , has said he believes america is not reliable and can not be trusted . opinion : how tehran got back to the negotiating table despite these difficulties , i believe there remains room to strike a deal . iran may be willing to provide significant transparency , including extensive and thorough inspections of all nuclear operations , a reduction in the amount of nuclear material produced and stored in iran , and even the dismantling of a few thousand centrifuges . but iran will be reluctant to relinquish its 20 % -enriched uranium , which experts believe can easily be weaponized , unless the west is willing to provide similar material for use in iranian research facilities . for its part the p5+1 -- the united states , russia , china , france , britain and germany -- would need to make trade with iran less burdensome by allowing a specified set of iranian banks access to currency clearing via swift . the u.s. and its partners would also need to remove a number of sanctions to allow iran to more freely trade its oil with its partners to the east and be paid for it in tradable currencies . if trust can be established and a bargain can be struck , the sheer size of iran 's population of 75 million could make it the largest economy to rejoin the global system since the collapse of the eastern bloc economies . many iranians are well-educated and eager to participate in the global market , providing an ideal situation from which many future businesses could emerge . if it is perceived by the western world that iranian discussions with the u.s. seem to be going well , the americans will likely see enormous business pressure from others , including our european friends , to accelerate the process of reducing sanctions . despite the complex and often-conflicting interests of the negotiating parties , i believe at least a partial deal will be struck between iran and the west -- an agreement that begins to bring iran back into the international fold and provides steps to end 34 years of what has been a lose-lose situation for everyone involved . the opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of fariborz ghadar . | ghadar : a partial deal out of talks could bring iran back into global fold |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this week iran and world powers finally commence long-delayed nuclear negotiations in geneva . was it a coincidence that just a few days ago , barack obama and iranian president hassan rouhani engaged in a monumental 15-minute phone call and reopened a line of communication that has been closed for more than thirty years ? it 's clear that iran 's new president hopes to establish trust between the west and iran so that sanctions on iran 's economy are removed . in return rouhani , who says iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons , promises to offer complete transparency into the country 's uranium enrichment program . securing this trust between both iran and the united states , however , will be no easy feat . decades of political antagonism -- along with iran 's revolutionary guard and the u.s. congress -- stand in the way of a successfully negotiated outcome . iran and the u.s. have a number of areas of mutual interest : stability in iraq , peace and security in afghanistan , and the resolution of the conflict in syria . iran has control and influence over the region via its affairs with and support of hezbollah in lebanon and syria . all of these difficulties are compounded by the nuclear issue . but the resolution of the crisis through a grand bargain would in fact benefit not only the u.s. , but also its allies in the region . and although the thought of a compromise with iran concerns israel , saudi arabia , and the emiratis of the region , that does n't mean all is lost . analysis : u.s. hopeful , clear-eyed ' over talks the stringent sanctions on trade with the u.s. and europe have seen iran gradually shift its oil and gas trade toward asia -- namely china and india . but iran 's exclusion from the swift currency clearing system has forced tehran to deal in local currencies . when iran trades with india it receives rupees in exchange for its oil . iran then uses the rupees to buy indian products , but it has ended up selling more oil than it has made in imports , creating a trade imbalance . relaxation on sanctions on these trading partners will be easier to implement . while sanctions related to medical necessities have already been relaxed , and discussions about freer trade in petrochemicals and the loosening of trade controls on gold have been mentioned , iran will hardly perceive these steps as sufficient . in reality , in the short term , iran needs to be granted access to fund transfers via swift . in the longer term , the u.s. will be asked to ensure iran has access to the proper technology required for efficient oil and gas production . projects †” such as the pipeline that supplies iranian oil to pakistan and india , and thus benefits not only iran but also pakistan and india †” will need to be allowed to be implemented . in exchange for u.s. help in removing some of the sanctions and in the opening up of exportation channels , iran would need to agree to complete transparency and to the closure of some of its nuclear facilities . but the hurdles are many , and the most complicated and involved ones are with the u.s. congress . the obama administration has limited control over the actions of the legislative branch , and voting against iran may be more politically expedient for lawmakers on capitol hill . this is one of the reasons why ayatollah khamenei , iran 's supreme leader , has said he believes america is not reliable and can not be trusted . opinion : how tehran got back to the negotiating table despite these difficulties , i believe there remains room to strike a deal . iran may be willing to provide significant transparency , including extensive and thorough inspections of all nuclear operations , a reduction in the amount of nuclear material produced and stored in iran , and even the dismantling of a few thousand centrifuges . but iran will be reluctant to relinquish its 20 % -enriched uranium , which experts believe can easily be weaponized , unless the west is willing to provide similar material for use in iranian research facilities . for its part the p5+1 -- the united states , russia , china , france , britain and germany -- would need to make trade with iran less burdensome by allowing a specified set of iranian banks access to currency clearing via swift . the u.s. and its partners would also need to remove a number of sanctions to allow iran to more freely trade its oil with its partners to the east and be paid for it in tradable currencies . if trust can be established and a bargain can be struck , the sheer size of iran 's population of 75 million could make it the largest economy to rejoin the global system since the collapse of the eastern bloc economies . many iranians are well-educated and eager to participate in the global market , providing an ideal situation from which many future businesses could emerge . if it is perceived by the western world that iranian discussions with the u.s. seem to be going well , the americans will likely see enormous business pressure from others , including our european friends , to accelerate the process of reducing sanctions . despite the complex and often-conflicting interests of the negotiating parties , i believe at least a partial deal will be struck between iran and the west -- an agreement that begins to bring iran back into the international fold and provides steps to end 34 years of what has been a lose-lose situation for everyone involved . the opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of fariborz ghadar . | despite areas of mutual interest , securing trust between iran and u.s. wo n't be easy |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this week iran and world powers finally commence long-delayed nuclear negotiations in geneva . was it a coincidence that just a few days ago , barack obama and iranian president hassan rouhani engaged in a monumental 15-minute phone call and reopened a line of communication that has been closed for more than thirty years ? it 's clear that iran 's new president hopes to establish trust between the west and iran so that sanctions on iran 's economy are removed . in return rouhani , who says iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons , promises to offer complete transparency into the country 's uranium enrichment program . securing this trust between both iran and the united states , however , will be no easy feat . decades of political antagonism -- along with iran 's revolutionary guard and the u.s. congress -- stand in the way of a successfully negotiated outcome . iran and the u.s. have a number of areas of mutual interest : stability in iraq , peace and security in afghanistan , and the resolution of the conflict in syria . iran has control and influence over the region via its affairs with and support of hezbollah in lebanon and syria . all of these difficulties are compounded by the nuclear issue . but the resolution of the crisis through a grand bargain would in fact benefit not only the u.s. , but also its allies in the region . and although the thought of a compromise with iran concerns israel , saudi arabia , and the emiratis of the region , that does n't mean all is lost . analysis : u.s. hopeful , clear-eyed ' over talks the stringent sanctions on trade with the u.s. and europe have seen iran gradually shift its oil and gas trade toward asia -- namely china and india . but iran 's exclusion from the swift currency clearing system has forced tehran to deal in local currencies . when iran trades with india it receives rupees in exchange for its oil . iran then uses the rupees to buy indian products , but it has ended up selling more oil than it has made in imports , creating a trade imbalance . relaxation on sanctions on these trading partners will be easier to implement . while sanctions related to medical necessities have already been relaxed , and discussions about freer trade in petrochemicals and the loosening of trade controls on gold have been mentioned , iran will hardly perceive these steps as sufficient . in reality , in the short term , iran needs to be granted access to fund transfers via swift . in the longer term , the u.s. will be asked to ensure iran has access to the proper technology required for efficient oil and gas production . projects †” such as the pipeline that supplies iranian oil to pakistan and india , and thus benefits not only iran but also pakistan and india †” will need to be allowed to be implemented . in exchange for u.s. help in removing some of the sanctions and in the opening up of exportation channels , iran would need to agree to complete transparency and to the closure of some of its nuclear facilities . but the hurdles are many , and the most complicated and involved ones are with the u.s. congress . the obama administration has limited control over the actions of the legislative branch , and voting against iran may be more politically expedient for lawmakers on capitol hill . this is one of the reasons why ayatollah khamenei , iran 's supreme leader , has said he believes america is not reliable and can not be trusted . opinion : how tehran got back to the negotiating table despite these difficulties , i believe there remains room to strike a deal . iran may be willing to provide significant transparency , including extensive and thorough inspections of all nuclear operations , a reduction in the amount of nuclear material produced and stored in iran , and even the dismantling of a few thousand centrifuges . but iran will be reluctant to relinquish its 20 % -enriched uranium , which experts believe can easily be weaponized , unless the west is willing to provide similar material for use in iranian research facilities . for its part the p5+1 -- the united states , russia , china , france , britain and germany -- would need to make trade with iran less burdensome by allowing a specified set of iranian banks access to currency clearing via swift . the u.s. and its partners would also need to remove a number of sanctions to allow iran to more freely trade its oil with its partners to the east and be paid for it in tradable currencies . if trust can be established and a bargain can be struck , the sheer size of iran 's population of 75 million could make it the largest economy to rejoin the global system since the collapse of the eastern bloc economies . many iranians are well-educated and eager to participate in the global market , providing an ideal situation from which many future businesses could emerge . if it is perceived by the western world that iranian discussions with the u.s. seem to be going well , the americans will likely see enormous business pressure from others , including our european friends , to accelerate the process of reducing sanctions . despite the complex and often-conflicting interests of the negotiating parties , i believe at least a partial deal will be struck between iran and the west -- an agreement that begins to bring iran back into the international fold and provides steps to end 34 years of what has been a lose-lose situation for everyone involved . the opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of fariborz ghadar . | iran must be transparent over nuclear program ; u.s. must allow iran access to swift |
ramseur <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- one of four victims injured nearly three decades ago by bernhard goetz , a man new yorkers once dubbed the subway vigilante , ' has been found dead , according to a source with knowledge of the investigation . james ramseur , 45 , was found thursday , exactly 27 years to the day after a controversial subway shooting catapulted him and the others into the national spotlight , highlighting strained race relations and fears of widespread crime in new york city during the 1980s . ramseur was found unconscious in a bronx motel room by motel staff members . the cause of his death was not immediately clear . since that infamous 1984 shooting , ramseur had a largely troubled life , having been convicted on rape and robbery charges . he was sentenced in 1986 for those crimes , and served 25 years behind bars , according to the state 's department of corrections and community supervision website . it 's always sad when someone takes their own life , ' said former new york mayor ed koch , who was in office at the time of the shooting . koch 's comment was an apparent reference to media reports that say ramseur died of a drug overdose . cnn can not independently confirm that account . goetz shot ramseur and three other african-american teenagers on december 22,1984 , aboard a manhattan subway car . the four victims said they were panhandling for money to play video games and had asked goetz for $ 5 . goetz , a white man , testified that he felt threatened and thought he was being robbed , and he fired several rounds into the youths . a jury acquitted goetz of murder and assault charges in the shooting , but convicted him of illegal possession of a weapon . he served just over eight months behind bars . lawsuits filed against goetz were initially dismissed . but in 1996 , a jury awarded darrell cabey -- who was paralyzed in the shooting -- $ 43 million for his injuries . a judge later ruled that goetz , who had filed for bankruptcy , was still liable to pay the sum . the shooting garnered national attention and came during a period of high crime in new york , said mitchell moss , professor of urban policy and planning at new york university . the city 's crime levels peaked in 1990 , noted moss , when more than 2,200 homicides were reported across the five boroughs . as of thursday , police reported that the city 's 2011 numbers tallied less than 500 . we really had a city out of control ' during the 1980s , moss told cnn . new yorkers were living in an environment in which they had really become accustomed to a high level of crime , some of this due to the crack cocaine epidemic , the economy and the shrinking of the police department . ' some observers view the goetz shooting as a low point in relations between blacks and whites in new york . | james ramseur , 45 , is found dead in a new york city motel room |
ramseur <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- one of four victims injured nearly three decades ago by bernhard goetz , a man new yorkers once dubbed the subway vigilante , ' has been found dead , according to a source with knowledge of the investigation . james ramseur , 45 , was found thursday , exactly 27 years to the day after a controversial subway shooting catapulted him and the others into the national spotlight , highlighting strained race relations and fears of widespread crime in new york city during the 1980s . ramseur was found unconscious in a bronx motel room by motel staff members . the cause of his death was not immediately clear . since that infamous 1984 shooting , ramseur had a largely troubled life , having been convicted on rape and robbery charges . he was sentenced in 1986 for those crimes , and served 25 years behind bars , according to the state 's department of corrections and community supervision website . it 's always sad when someone takes their own life , ' said former new york mayor ed koch , who was in office at the time of the shooting . koch 's comment was an apparent reference to media reports that say ramseur died of a drug overdose . cnn can not independently confirm that account . goetz shot ramseur and three other african-american teenagers on december 22,1984 , aboard a manhattan subway car . the four victims said they were panhandling for money to play video games and had asked goetz for $ 5 . goetz , a white man , testified that he felt threatened and thought he was being robbed , and he fired several rounds into the youths . a jury acquitted goetz of murder and assault charges in the shooting , but convicted him of illegal possession of a weapon . he served just over eight months behind bars . lawsuits filed against goetz were initially dismissed . but in 1996 , a jury awarded darrell cabey -- who was paralyzed in the shooting -- $ 43 million for his injuries . a judge later ruled that goetz , who had filed for bankruptcy , was still liable to pay the sum . the shooting garnered national attention and came during a period of high crime in new york , said mitchell moss , professor of urban policy and planning at new york university . the city 's crime levels peaked in 1990 , noted moss , when more than 2,200 homicides were reported across the five boroughs . as of thursday , police reported that the city 's 2011 numbers tallied less than 500 . we really had a city out of control ' during the 1980s , moss told cnn . new yorkers were living in an environment in which they had really become accustomed to a high level of crime , some of this due to the crack cocaine epidemic , the economy and the shrinking of the police department . ' some observers view the goetz shooting as a low point in relations between blacks and whites in new york . | ramseur was one of four victims injured nearly three decades ago by bernhard goetz |
kathleen savio <tsp> an illinois jury on thursday found former chicago-area police sergeant drew peterson guilty of murder in the 2004 death of his ex-wife . the jury of seven men and five women deliberated for nearly 14 hours total before delivering its verdict convicting peterson in the death of his third wife , kathleen savio . finally somebody heard kathleen 's cry , ' her mother , marcia savio , told reporters after the verdict . twelve people did the right thing , oh thank god . ' savio was found dead in her dry , clean bathtub on march 1 , 2004 . while prosecutors claimed peterson killed savio , the defense contended that she fell , hit her head and drowned . the headline-grabbing case did not arise until after peterson 's fourth wife , stacy , disappeared in october 2007 . it was during the search for stacy peterson -- who has not been found -- that investigators said they would look again into savio 's death , which was initially ruled an accidental drowning . in february 2008 , authorities altered their judgment and ruled savio 's death a homicide . peterson was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder . peterson was married to savio in 2001 when he had an affair with then-17-year-old stacy cales , who later became his fourth wife . savio and peterson filed for divorce in october 2001 and their relationship remained contentious for the next several years . bolingbrook , illinois , police records indicate officers were called to savio 's home 18 times to intervene in domestic fights from 2002 to 2004 . peterson had savio arrested twice for domestic violence , though she was found not guilty in both cases . on february 27 , 2004 , peterson picked up his two sons from savio 's home and spent the next two days with them . prosecutors said he entered her home again early on february 29 and killed her . at the time of her death , a court was mulling how the couple 's marital assets would be divided , and savio was set to receive part of peterson 's pension and other support . we have left-front injuries , left-side injuries , left-back injuries , right injuries , right and left injuries , ' prosecutor chris koch said in his closing argument , disputing the defense assertion savio 's death was an accident . so it 's not just one side of her body ; it 's multiple sides , four sides . how can you get that in one fall ? you ca n't . you ca n't do it . it 's not possible . ' the jury released a statement , read outside the joliet courthouse by will county sheriff 's office deputy ken kaupas , in which they thanked the judge , bailiffs and sheriff 's office and said they took their responsibility seriously . we have reached a decision we believe is just , ' the jurors said . the more-than-monthlong trial was marked by repeated missteps by the prosecution that angered judge edward burmila and the defense . at least four times , prosecutors allowed witnesses to testify to details burmila had told them not to go into -- such as whether savio had a protective order against her husband or allowing a witness to demonstrate climbing into a bathtub . in some cases the defense sought a mistrial and in others they asked the judge to strike entire testimony . burmila instead ordered the jury to disregard elements of the testimony that went against his orders . the disrespect to the court is shocking , ' burmila told the prosecution last week . on thursday , will county state 's attorney james glasgow expressed confidence the conviction , which he called very sobering , ' will stand up against appeal . we took him on and we won , ' he said of peterson , whom he called a coward and a bully . ' this defendant brutally killed kathleen savio . ' hln : critical moments in the drew peterson trial after thursday 's verdict , peterson 's defense team stood by their client and promised to continue their fight on his behalf . lawyer joel brodsky contended there was a large amount of bias against peterson before the trial even began . he is absolutely innocent , ' brodsky said of peterson , claiming the prosecution 's case was based almost entirely on hearsay . ' he called savio 's death a household accident . ' the savio family , though , did n't hide their contempt for what the victim 's brother , nick , called peterson 's clown defense team who made fun of this whole trial . ' nick savio called thursday 's verdict bittersweet , ' describing the jury 's decision as fantastic ' while also lamenting it would n't bring back his sister . he added that his family wants drew peterson to next be held responsible for whatever happened to stacy peterson . although we can not have kathleen back , we hope she can now rest in peace and that she knows she has had her day , ' nick savio said , reading out a statement from family . she will be missed and remembered in our hearts always . stacy , you are now next for justice . ' cassandra cales , stacy peterson 's sister , said she hopes the verdict will spur someone to come forward who knows something about my sister , ( because ) they feel safe to talk now . ' while she says she is still trying to process the import of the jury 's decision , cales said one thought went through her mind immediately after hearing it : game over , drew . ' hln : peterson trial faq | authorities re-examined kathleen savio 's death after stacy peterson went missing |
savio <tsp> an illinois jury on thursday found former chicago-area police sergeant drew peterson guilty of murder in the 2004 death of his ex-wife . the jury of seven men and five women deliberated for nearly 14 hours total before delivering its verdict convicting peterson in the death of his third wife , kathleen savio . finally somebody heard kathleen 's cry , ' her mother , marcia savio , told reporters after the verdict . twelve people did the right thing , oh thank god . ' savio was found dead in her dry , clean bathtub on march 1 , 2004 . while prosecutors claimed peterson killed savio , the defense contended that she fell , hit her head and drowned . the headline-grabbing case did not arise until after peterson 's fourth wife , stacy , disappeared in october 2007 . it was during the search for stacy peterson -- who has not been found -- that investigators said they would look again into savio 's death , which was initially ruled an accidental drowning . in february 2008 , authorities altered their judgment and ruled savio 's death a homicide . peterson was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder . peterson was married to savio in 2001 when he had an affair with then-17-year-old stacy cales , who later became his fourth wife . savio and peterson filed for divorce in october 2001 and their relationship remained contentious for the next several years . bolingbrook , illinois , police records indicate officers were called to savio 's home 18 times to intervene in domestic fights from 2002 to 2004 . peterson had savio arrested twice for domestic violence , though she was found not guilty in both cases . on february 27 , 2004 , peterson picked up his two sons from savio 's home and spent the next two days with them . prosecutors said he entered her home again early on february 29 and killed her . at the time of her death , a court was mulling how the couple 's marital assets would be divided , and savio was set to receive part of peterson 's pension and other support . we have left-front injuries , left-side injuries , left-back injuries , right injuries , right and left injuries , ' prosecutor chris koch said in his closing argument , disputing the defense assertion savio 's death was an accident . so it 's not just one side of her body ; it 's multiple sides , four sides . how can you get that in one fall ? you ca n't . you ca n't do it . it 's not possible . ' the jury released a statement , read outside the joliet courthouse by will county sheriff 's office deputy ken kaupas , in which they thanked the judge , bailiffs and sheriff 's office and said they took their responsibility seriously . we have reached a decision we believe is just , ' the jurors said . the more-than-monthlong trial was marked by repeated missteps by the prosecution that angered judge edward burmila and the defense . at least four times , prosecutors allowed witnesses to testify to details burmila had told them not to go into -- such as whether savio had a protective order against her husband or allowing a witness to demonstrate climbing into a bathtub . in some cases the defense sought a mistrial and in others they asked the judge to strike entire testimony . burmila instead ordered the jury to disregard elements of the testimony that went against his orders . the disrespect to the court is shocking , ' burmila told the prosecution last week . on thursday , will county state 's attorney james glasgow expressed confidence the conviction , which he called very sobering , ' will stand up against appeal . we took him on and we won , ' he said of peterson , whom he called a coward and a bully . ' this defendant brutally killed kathleen savio . ' hln : critical moments in the drew peterson trial after thursday 's verdict , peterson 's defense team stood by their client and promised to continue their fight on his behalf . lawyer joel brodsky contended there was a large amount of bias against peterson before the trial even began . he is absolutely innocent , ' brodsky said of peterson , claiming the prosecution 's case was based almost entirely on hearsay . ' he called savio 's death a household accident . ' the savio family , though , did n't hide their contempt for what the victim 's brother , nick , called peterson 's clown defense team who made fun of this whole trial . ' nick savio called thursday 's verdict bittersweet , ' describing the jury 's decision as fantastic ' while also lamenting it would n't bring back his sister . he added that his family wants drew peterson to next be held responsible for whatever happened to stacy peterson . although we can not have kathleen back , we hope she can now rest in peace and that she knows she has had her day , ' nick savio said , reading out a statement from family . she will be missed and remembered in our hearts always . stacy , you are now next for justice . ' cassandra cales , stacy peterson 's sister , said she hopes the verdict will spur someone to come forward who knows something about my sister , ( because ) they feel safe to talk now . ' while she says she is still trying to process the import of the jury 's decision , cales said one thought went through her mind immediately after hearing it : game over , drew . ' hln : peterson trial faq | drew peterson , who 'd been married to both , is convicted of murder in savio 's 2004 death |
savio <tsp> an illinois jury on thursday found former chicago-area police sergeant drew peterson guilty of murder in the 2004 death of his ex-wife . the jury of seven men and five women deliberated for nearly 14 hours total before delivering its verdict convicting peterson in the death of his third wife , kathleen savio . finally somebody heard kathleen 's cry , ' her mother , marcia savio , told reporters after the verdict . twelve people did the right thing , oh thank god . ' savio was found dead in her dry , clean bathtub on march 1 , 2004 . while prosecutors claimed peterson killed savio , the defense contended that she fell , hit her head and drowned . the headline-grabbing case did not arise until after peterson 's fourth wife , stacy , disappeared in october 2007 . it was during the search for stacy peterson -- who has not been found -- that investigators said they would look again into savio 's death , which was initially ruled an accidental drowning . in february 2008 , authorities altered their judgment and ruled savio 's death a homicide . peterson was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder . peterson was married to savio in 2001 when he had an affair with then-17-year-old stacy cales , who later became his fourth wife . savio and peterson filed for divorce in october 2001 and their relationship remained contentious for the next several years . bolingbrook , illinois , police records indicate officers were called to savio 's home 18 times to intervene in domestic fights from 2002 to 2004 . peterson had savio arrested twice for domestic violence , though she was found not guilty in both cases . on february 27 , 2004 , peterson picked up his two sons from savio 's home and spent the next two days with them . prosecutors said he entered her home again early on february 29 and killed her . at the time of her death , a court was mulling how the couple 's marital assets would be divided , and savio was set to receive part of peterson 's pension and other support . we have left-front injuries , left-side injuries , left-back injuries , right injuries , right and left injuries , ' prosecutor chris koch said in his closing argument , disputing the defense assertion savio 's death was an accident . so it 's not just one side of her body ; it 's multiple sides , four sides . how can you get that in one fall ? you ca n't . you ca n't do it . it 's not possible . ' the jury released a statement , read outside the joliet courthouse by will county sheriff 's office deputy ken kaupas , in which they thanked the judge , bailiffs and sheriff 's office and said they took their responsibility seriously . we have reached a decision we believe is just , ' the jurors said . the more-than-monthlong trial was marked by repeated missteps by the prosecution that angered judge edward burmila and the defense . at least four times , prosecutors allowed witnesses to testify to details burmila had told them not to go into -- such as whether savio had a protective order against her husband or allowing a witness to demonstrate climbing into a bathtub . in some cases the defense sought a mistrial and in others they asked the judge to strike entire testimony . burmila instead ordered the jury to disregard elements of the testimony that went against his orders . the disrespect to the court is shocking , ' burmila told the prosecution last week . on thursday , will county state 's attorney james glasgow expressed confidence the conviction , which he called very sobering , ' will stand up against appeal . we took him on and we won , ' he said of peterson , whom he called a coward and a bully . ' this defendant brutally killed kathleen savio . ' hln : critical moments in the drew peterson trial after thursday 's verdict , peterson 's defense team stood by their client and promised to continue their fight on his behalf . lawyer joel brodsky contended there was a large amount of bias against peterson before the trial even began . he is absolutely innocent , ' brodsky said of peterson , claiming the prosecution 's case was based almost entirely on hearsay . ' he called savio 's death a household accident . ' the savio family , though , did n't hide their contempt for what the victim 's brother , nick , called peterson 's clown defense team who made fun of this whole trial . ' nick savio called thursday 's verdict bittersweet , ' describing the jury 's decision as fantastic ' while also lamenting it would n't bring back his sister . he added that his family wants drew peterson to next be held responsible for whatever happened to stacy peterson . although we can not have kathleen back , we hope she can now rest in peace and that she knows she has had her day , ' nick savio said , reading out a statement from family . she will be missed and remembered in our hearts always . stacy , you are now next for justice . ' cassandra cales , stacy peterson 's sister , said she hopes the verdict will spur someone to come forward who knows something about my sister , ( because ) they feel safe to talk now . ' while she says she is still trying to process the import of the jury 's decision , cales said one thought went through her mind immediately after hearing it : game over , drew . ' hln : peterson trial faq | authorities re-examined kathleen savio 's death after stacy peterson went missing |
mahmoud abbas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas said he will pursue a full united nations membership bid during a speech friday that was likely meant to both make the case for membership and manage domestic expectations . we are going to the united nations to attain full membership ' from the u.n. security council , abbas told an audience in ramallah , tempering his rhetoric by adding that we are not going to bring independence . let 's not exaggerate . we will continue to negotiate , ' he said . abbas says he wants the palestinian territories to be represented in its natural borders , ' calling disputed territories inhabited by israeli settlers illegal . ' we want a seat at the united nations , and we do n't want anything more , ' abbas said . he says palestinian leadership does not seek to isolate the state of israel , but rather isolate the policies of israel , ' saying he will head to the united nations headquarters in new york carrying an olive branch with us . ' israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu , who is also expected to speak next friday at the united nations , has said the move could complicate the peace process and further destabilize the region . we have been calling all along for the palestinians to return to negotiations , ' said israeli government spokesman mark regev . regev called the issue of settlements a red herring ' that he says palestinian leaders have used to avoid talks with israel , deciding to grandstand on the international stage instead of re-engaging in peace negotiations . hamas , the palestinian organization that holds sway in gaza , also was critical of abbas on friday , saying he is showing a willingness to negotiate and acknowledgement of israel , which would deprive the palestinian people from their right to come back to their homeland . ' we are warning him not to go , ' said senior hamas official mahmoud al-zahar . this is going to make more division inside the palestinian people . ' as regional pressure mounts over the prospective bid next week , u.s. diplomats have been scrambling to head off the burgeoning controversy , though some analysts suggest the decision to take the vote to the security council could reflect a political posturing by the palestinian leader . abbas concluded his speech friday by acknowledging other options , ' presumably referring to his government 's ability to weigh a host of decisions at the u.n. general assembly next week , which may or may not include the full membership bid . as for the other options , we have not taken a decision , ' he said . while the united states has vowed to veto a full membership application , should it actually come before the u.n. security council next friday , the palestinian government could also go to the general assembly , where only a majority vote would be needed to gain a lesser status , that of a permanent observer state , similar to the position that the vatican currently holds . a vote in its favor would be all but assured . the palestinians currently hold the status of a permanent observer entity . as an observer , the delegation can speak in the general assembly but not vote . a successful vote in either body will not lead to an established state ' with defined borders , but would afford the palestinian government an upgraded international status allowing them to pursue legal actions against israel . abbas is expected to personally submit the request for full membership . cnn 's kevin flower contributed to this report . | palestinian president mahmoud abbas presses for full u.n. membership |
benjamin netanyahu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas said he will pursue a full united nations membership bid during a speech friday that was likely meant to both make the case for membership and manage domestic expectations . we are going to the united nations to attain full membership ' from the u.n. security council , abbas told an audience in ramallah , tempering his rhetoric by adding that we are not going to bring independence . let 's not exaggerate . we will continue to negotiate , ' he said . abbas says he wants the palestinian territories to be represented in its natural borders , ' calling disputed territories inhabited by israeli settlers illegal . ' we want a seat at the united nations , and we do n't want anything more , ' abbas said . he says palestinian leadership does not seek to isolate the state of israel , but rather isolate the policies of israel , ' saying he will head to the united nations headquarters in new york carrying an olive branch with us . ' israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu , who is also expected to speak next friday at the united nations , has said the move could complicate the peace process and further destabilize the region . we have been calling all along for the palestinians to return to negotiations , ' said israeli government spokesman mark regev . regev called the issue of settlements a red herring ' that he says palestinian leaders have used to avoid talks with israel , deciding to grandstand on the international stage instead of re-engaging in peace negotiations . hamas , the palestinian organization that holds sway in gaza , also was critical of abbas on friday , saying he is showing a willingness to negotiate and acknowledgement of israel , which would deprive the palestinian people from their right to come back to their homeland . ' we are warning him not to go , ' said senior hamas official mahmoud al-zahar . this is going to make more division inside the palestinian people . ' as regional pressure mounts over the prospective bid next week , u.s. diplomats have been scrambling to head off the burgeoning controversy , though some analysts suggest the decision to take the vote to the security council could reflect a political posturing by the palestinian leader . abbas concluded his speech friday by acknowledging other options , ' presumably referring to his government 's ability to weigh a host of decisions at the u.n. general assembly next week , which may or may not include the full membership bid . as for the other options , we have not taken a decision , ' he said . while the united states has vowed to veto a full membership application , should it actually come before the u.n. security council next friday , the palestinian government could also go to the general assembly , where only a majority vote would be needed to gain a lesser status , that of a permanent observer state , similar to the position that the vatican currently holds . a vote in its favor would be all but assured . the palestinians currently hold the status of a permanent observer entity . as an observer , the delegation can speak in the general assembly but not vote . a successful vote in either body will not lead to an established state ' with defined borders , but would afford the palestinian government an upgraded international status allowing them to pursue legal actions against israel . abbas is expected to personally submit the request for full membership . cnn 's kevin flower contributed to this report . | israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is expected to speak at the u.n. security council |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas said he will pursue a full united nations membership bid during a speech friday that was likely meant to both make the case for membership and manage domestic expectations . we are going to the united nations to attain full membership ' from the u.n. security council , abbas told an audience in ramallah , tempering his rhetoric by adding that we are not going to bring independence . let 's not exaggerate . we will continue to negotiate , ' he said . abbas says he wants the palestinian territories to be represented in its natural borders , ' calling disputed territories inhabited by israeli settlers illegal . ' we want a seat at the united nations , and we do n't want anything more , ' abbas said . he says palestinian leadership does not seek to isolate the state of israel , but rather isolate the policies of israel , ' saying he will head to the united nations headquarters in new york carrying an olive branch with us . ' israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu , who is also expected to speak next friday at the united nations , has said the move could complicate the peace process and further destabilize the region . we have been calling all along for the palestinians to return to negotiations , ' said israeli government spokesman mark regev . regev called the issue of settlements a red herring ' that he says palestinian leaders have used to avoid talks with israel , deciding to grandstand on the international stage instead of re-engaging in peace negotiations . hamas , the palestinian organization that holds sway in gaza , also was critical of abbas on friday , saying he is showing a willingness to negotiate and acknowledgement of israel , which would deprive the palestinian people from their right to come back to their homeland . ' we are warning him not to go , ' said senior hamas official mahmoud al-zahar . this is going to make more division inside the palestinian people . ' as regional pressure mounts over the prospective bid next week , u.s. diplomats have been scrambling to head off the burgeoning controversy , though some analysts suggest the decision to take the vote to the security council could reflect a political posturing by the palestinian leader . abbas concluded his speech friday by acknowledging other options , ' presumably referring to his government 's ability to weigh a host of decisions at the u.n. general assembly next week , which may or may not include the full membership bid . as for the other options , we have not taken a decision , ' he said . while the united states has vowed to veto a full membership application , should it actually come before the u.n. security council next friday , the palestinian government could also go to the general assembly , where only a majority vote would be needed to gain a lesser status , that of a permanent observer state , similar to the position that the vatican currently holds . a vote in its favor would be all but assured . the palestinians currently hold the status of a permanent observer entity . as an observer , the delegation can speak in the general assembly but not vote . a successful vote in either body will not lead to an established state ' with defined borders , but would afford the palestinian government an upgraded international status allowing them to pursue legal actions against israel . abbas is expected to personally submit the request for full membership . cnn 's kevin flower contributed to this report . | israel is calling on palestinian leaders to return to peace talks , a spokesman says |
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