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groupon <tsp> ( business insider ) -- groupon , the fastest-growing web company on the planet , reportedly turned down a $ 6 billion buyout offer from google late last week . sounds crazy , right ? for most two-year-old companies , the idea of getting a $ 6 billion offer -- never mind turning it down -- is a wild dream . especially for an idea like groupon that seems so simple : daily money-saving coupon offers for local businesses , delivered by e-mail and over the web ( a $ 50 credit to the gap on sale for $ 25 , for example ) . so it 's understandable that groupon 's decision surprised people . but groupon was actually smart to turn down google 's offer . why ? because groupon is wildly growing in popularity , and is picking up steam so fast that there is no knowing how much it could be worth in a year -- potentially much more than it is now . here 's a snapshot of the company 's growth : groupon says it currently has 40 million subscribers to its daily coupon e-mails , up from 1.5 million a year ago . it is offering deals in more than 300 markets in 35 countries , up from just 28 u.s. markets last year . and groupon says it has saved its customers more than $ 800 million so far this year , up from about $ 50 million last year . for consumers , that means spending less cash -- always a nice thing in tough economic times . and for local businesses , that means bringing new customers in the door , which makes them happy , too . that 's why so many restaurants , stores , and service providers are rushing to get their deals on groupon that the company has had to change its business model to keep up -- no longer just one deal per day , per city , ' but several potential deals , customized for the user . as for the company itself , groupon has more than 3,000 employees -- up from about 125 last year -- including about 1,000 in its wacky chicago headquarters . ( do n't miss our photo tour -- it 's truly wild . ) and while there are competitors like livingsocial , which has some 10 million subscribers , attracting a lot of attention and investment , groupon is still leading the pack . therefore , the promise of further explosive growth is the biggest reason that groupon was smart to turn down google 's offer . imagine facebook selling to yahoo for $ 1 billion in 2006 -- it would n't have been worth $ 50 billion right now . or imagine that google had taken yahoo 's meager offer early in its history , too . it would n't be worth almost $ 200 billion as it is today . but there 's another big reason why it 's smart for groupon to remain independent , for now : the idea that google could destroy groupon under its leadership , due to a massive culture clash . if history is any indication , google would probably have tried to change groupon , to make it more googly . but the two companies have vastly different structures and cultures . and based on our understanding of groupon , google could potentially ruin groupon very easily . why ? because groupon is primarily a sales and writing organization , built on people-power and smiles . of its 3,000 employees around the world , most are in sales , customer support , and editorial . the company employs comedy writers and improv actors , and nurtures corporate gags like an office elaborately decorated as a bedroom for an imaginary , deranged tenant . it 's very funny , but also the kind of thing that the brains at google probably would n't find funny , or support . i 'm not sure this is a tech company that gets built in san francisco or palo alto , ' groupon co-founder and ceo andrew mason told us when we visited his office last month . it 's so heavily people-dependent -- not really consistent with the way people think about building startups in [ silicon ] valley . ' google , meanwhile , is the prototypical silicon valley tech company -- the master algorithm . yes , there are lots of people at google , too , including many sales and support staff . but google 's culture is dominated by engineers , the sort of high-gpa geniuses who can answer all of the brain-teaser google interview questions . and that clash could have been a big problem for groupon . so for those reasons , groupon actually looks smart for turning down google 's $ 6 billion offer . of course , that 's not to say that the companies wo n't figure out a deal in the future , or that there is n't a chance that groupon could stumble , and be worth less in the future . but based on the way groupon is growing in popularity today -- and is expected to generate more than $ 2 billion in sales next year -- turning down google 's offer is n't as crazy as it sounds . copyright © 2011 business insider .	google would probably have tried to change groupon , ' writes dan frommer
groupon <tsp> ( business insider ) -- groupon , the fastest-growing web company on the planet , reportedly turned down a $ 6 billion buyout offer from google late last week . sounds crazy , right ? for most two-year-old companies , the idea of getting a $ 6 billion offer -- never mind turning it down -- is a wild dream . especially for an idea like groupon that seems so simple : daily money-saving coupon offers for local businesses , delivered by e-mail and over the web ( a $ 50 credit to the gap on sale for $ 25 , for example ) . so it 's understandable that groupon 's decision surprised people . but groupon was actually smart to turn down google 's offer . why ? because groupon is wildly growing in popularity , and is picking up steam so fast that there is no knowing how much it could be worth in a year -- potentially much more than it is now . here 's a snapshot of the company 's growth : groupon says it currently has 40 million subscribers to its daily coupon e-mails , up from 1.5 million a year ago . it is offering deals in more than 300 markets in 35 countries , up from just 28 u.s. markets last year . and groupon says it has saved its customers more than $ 800 million so far this year , up from about $ 50 million last year . for consumers , that means spending less cash -- always a nice thing in tough economic times . and for local businesses , that means bringing new customers in the door , which makes them happy , too . that 's why so many restaurants , stores , and service providers are rushing to get their deals on groupon that the company has had to change its business model to keep up -- no longer just one deal per day , per city , ' but several potential deals , customized for the user . as for the company itself , groupon has more than 3,000 employees -- up from about 125 last year -- including about 1,000 in its wacky chicago headquarters . ( do n't miss our photo tour -- it 's truly wild . ) and while there are competitors like livingsocial , which has some 10 million subscribers , attracting a lot of attention and investment , groupon is still leading the pack . therefore , the promise of further explosive growth is the biggest reason that groupon was smart to turn down google 's offer . imagine facebook selling to yahoo for $ 1 billion in 2006 -- it would n't have been worth $ 50 billion right now . or imagine that google had taken yahoo 's meager offer early in its history , too . it would n't be worth almost $ 200 billion as it is today . but there 's another big reason why it 's smart for groupon to remain independent , for now : the idea that google could destroy groupon under its leadership , due to a massive culture clash . if history is any indication , google would probably have tried to change groupon , to make it more googly . but the two companies have vastly different structures and cultures . and based on our understanding of groupon , google could potentially ruin groupon very easily . why ? because groupon is primarily a sales and writing organization , built on people-power and smiles . of its 3,000 employees around the world , most are in sales , customer support , and editorial . the company employs comedy writers and improv actors , and nurtures corporate gags like an office elaborately decorated as a bedroom for an imaginary , deranged tenant . it 's very funny , but also the kind of thing that the brains at google probably would n't find funny , or support . i 'm not sure this is a tech company that gets built in san francisco or palo alto , ' groupon co-founder and ceo andrew mason told us when we visited his office last month . it 's so heavily people-dependent -- not really consistent with the way people think about building startups in [ silicon ] valley . ' google , meanwhile , is the prototypical silicon valley tech company -- the master algorithm . yes , there are lots of people at google , too , including many sales and support staff . but google 's culture is dominated by engineers , the sort of high-gpa geniuses who can answer all of the brain-teaser google interview questions . and that clash could have been a big problem for groupon . so for those reasons , groupon actually looks smart for turning down google 's $ 6 billion offer . of course , that 's not to say that the companies wo n't figure out a deal in the future , or that there is n't a chance that groupon could stumble , and be worth less in the future . but based on the way groupon is growing in popularity today -- and is expected to generate more than $ 2 billion in sales next year -- turning down google 's offer is n't as crazy as it sounds . copyright © 2011 business insider .	groupon says 40 million people subscribe to its daily-coupon e-mails
groupon <tsp> ( business insider ) -- groupon , the fastest-growing web company on the planet , reportedly turned down a $ 6 billion buyout offer from google late last week . sounds crazy , right ? for most two-year-old companies , the idea of getting a $ 6 billion offer -- never mind turning it down -- is a wild dream . especially for an idea like groupon that seems so simple : daily money-saving coupon offers for local businesses , delivered by e-mail and over the web ( a $ 50 credit to the gap on sale for $ 25 , for example ) . so it 's understandable that groupon 's decision surprised people . but groupon was actually smart to turn down google 's offer . why ? because groupon is wildly growing in popularity , and is picking up steam so fast that there is no knowing how much it could be worth in a year -- potentially much more than it is now . here 's a snapshot of the company 's growth : groupon says it currently has 40 million subscribers to its daily coupon e-mails , up from 1.5 million a year ago . it is offering deals in more than 300 markets in 35 countries , up from just 28 u.s. markets last year . and groupon says it has saved its customers more than $ 800 million so far this year , up from about $ 50 million last year . for consumers , that means spending less cash -- always a nice thing in tough economic times . and for local businesses , that means bringing new customers in the door , which makes them happy , too . that 's why so many restaurants , stores , and service providers are rushing to get their deals on groupon that the company has had to change its business model to keep up -- no longer just one deal per day , per city , ' but several potential deals , customized for the user . as for the company itself , groupon has more than 3,000 employees -- up from about 125 last year -- including about 1,000 in its wacky chicago headquarters . ( do n't miss our photo tour -- it 's truly wild . ) and while there are competitors like livingsocial , which has some 10 million subscribers , attracting a lot of attention and investment , groupon is still leading the pack . therefore , the promise of further explosive growth is the biggest reason that groupon was smart to turn down google 's offer . imagine facebook selling to yahoo for $ 1 billion in 2006 -- it would n't have been worth $ 50 billion right now . or imagine that google had taken yahoo 's meager offer early in its history , too . it would n't be worth almost $ 200 billion as it is today . but there 's another big reason why it 's smart for groupon to remain independent , for now : the idea that google could destroy groupon under its leadership , due to a massive culture clash . if history is any indication , google would probably have tried to change groupon , to make it more googly . but the two companies have vastly different structures and cultures . and based on our understanding of groupon , google could potentially ruin groupon very easily . why ? because groupon is primarily a sales and writing organization , built on people-power and smiles . of its 3,000 employees around the world , most are in sales , customer support , and editorial . the company employs comedy writers and improv actors , and nurtures corporate gags like an office elaborately decorated as a bedroom for an imaginary , deranged tenant . it 's very funny , but also the kind of thing that the brains at google probably would n't find funny , or support . i 'm not sure this is a tech company that gets built in san francisco or palo alto , ' groupon co-founder and ceo andrew mason told us when we visited his office last month . it 's so heavily people-dependent -- not really consistent with the way people think about building startups in [ silicon ] valley . ' google , meanwhile , is the prototypical silicon valley tech company -- the master algorithm . yes , there are lots of people at google , too , including many sales and support staff . but google 's culture is dominated by engineers , the sort of high-gpa geniuses who can answer all of the brain-teaser google interview questions . and that clash could have been a big problem for groupon . so for those reasons , groupon actually looks smart for turning down google 's $ 6 billion offer . of course , that 's not to say that the companies wo n't figure out a deal in the future , or that there is n't a chance that groupon could stumble , and be worth less in the future . but based on the way groupon is growing in popularity today -- and is expected to generate more than $ 2 billion in sales next year -- turning down google 's offer is n't as crazy as it sounds . copyright © 2011 business insider .	groupon is primarily a sales and writing organization , built on people-power and smiles
venezuelan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it is a surprising scene -- a picnic-like atmosphere with children playing in the pool under the tropical sun . the adults are also in celebration mode . the crowd is listening to a couple of rappers and some people dance to the beat . but this is not a park or a recreational facility . it 's not somebody 's backyard either . this is pavilion 1234 at one of the largest correctional facilities in venezuela : san antonio prison . the prison is located on venezuela 's margarita island , also home to a popular beach resort that attracts international tourists . carlos nieto palma , a venezuelan human rights advocate , says san antonio , located in nueva esparta state , has become a recreational facility where you can find anything from weapons to drugs and alcohol . inmates allegedly even have access to cockfighting rings and prostitutes , but that 's not the most shocking part . nieto palma , who 's also the general coordinator of a window to freedom , a prison watchdog group , says the inmates recently had a grand opening for a discotheque with capacity for 600 people . he learned about the night club after getting an invitation by email and confirming the news with prisoners . this invitation talked about a discotheque with stage lights and led screens . it also talked about a party lasting until sunrise where there would be'bad girls ,'with'toys'to play with them . you can then assume that they also had drugs , alcohol , and other things , ' nieto palma said . this is not the first time conditions at the san antonio prison have raised eyebrows . a new york times report in 2011 called the prison a hugh heffner-inspired fleshpot . ' nieto palma , who has been at san antonio several times , says the prison is actually run by teófilo rodríguez , a convicted drug trafficker known as el conejo ' or the rabbit . ' nothing happens at san antonio without the approval of the rabbit or his gang , he says . the state has n't been able to do anything against them in spite of the multiple statements made by the minister of prisons vowing to end the power of the mafias , ' nieto palma said . cnn tried for weeks to get a response to the allegations from the venezuelan ministry of prisons . in a phone call , ministry spokesman francisco solórzano dismissed the discotheque claim . that 's a lie . someone came up with that lie because they were trafficking drugs inside the prison and we ruined their business . we do not respond to lies , ' solórzano said , before abruptly ending the call . the possible existence of a discotheque inside a venezuela prison is just the latest example of a prison system that human rights groups including a window to freedom , the venezuelan observatory of prisons and human rights watch say is in a state of crisis . they say in the best cases , prisoners control their own affairs to preserve a fragile peace , while the worst involve constant riots and a climate of violence and murder . read more : report -- prison riot kills dozens in venezuela according to the venezuelan observatory of prisons , a prisoner rights organization , there are 45,500 inmates in 33 venezuelan prisons that were built for 17,500 . this means the overcrowding rate in the country 's prison system is 176 % . marianela sánchez , an attorney with the group , says the observatory estimates that about 5,300 inmates have died inside prison walls since 1999 and more than 15,000 have been injured . many of the fatalities and injuries have been the result of prison uprisings . in january , 56 prisoners and one member of the venezuelan national guard were killed during riots at uribana prison in lara state , according to a report by human rights watch . forty-six other prisoners suffered serious injuries . during a weekend riot in june 2011 , 19 people died at el rodeo i prison near caracas , the venezuelan capital , as reported by the venezuelan interior ministry . this government has been an accomplice by omission . we have a population of more than 20,000 inmates who have been the victims of violence in jails . some have lost their lives others have been injured . the state does not have the ability and has not demonstrated in practice that it can protect the life of prisoners , ' sanchez said . read more : venezuelan prison standoff comes to an end [ 2011 ] last december , minister iris varela issued a statement after launching an investigation into the savage beating of inmates at a federal prison in falcon state . the investigation was launched after a video showed prisoners forced to strip completely naked and hit in the buttocks , one by one , with what appeared to be a baseball bat . we strongly repudiate those actions against the inmates . it 's abominable . if there 's a government that has respected the human rights of prisoners , that is the revolutionary government led by [ then ] president chavez , ' the statement said . but nieto palma , the prisoner rights activist , says the government has done little to improve the situation and suggests the minister knows what happens inside prisons like san antonio , on margarita island . he showed cnn a picture of varela posing with the rabbit to make a point : gangsters have plenty of clout . what makes san antonio different is a lower homicide rate . in other facilities , where overcrowding can be at dangerous levels , violence is common . last year alone , nearly 600 people died inside venezuelan prisons , according to human rights watch . but at san antonio , hard-core criminals seem to be content for the most part . their perks include free access to entertainment and women and a pool awaits those ready for a splash under venezuela 's tropical sun . additional reporting by osmary hernández in caracas	but a venezuelan government spokesman says claims of the prison discotheque are a lie '
bales <tsp> ( cnn ) -- afghans continued to grieve , and continued to fume , as a new day dawned on sunday , exactly one week after a u.s. soldier -- described by some who knew him as happy ' and a nice guy ' -- allegedly went house to house , shooting dead 16 villagers . much to the villagers'disgust , decorated combat veteran army staff sgt . robert bales is more than 7,000 miles away from where he is suspected of single-handedly carrying out the grisly attack . attorney emma scanlan said in a statement late saturday that she and two other members of bales'defense team plan to spend several days meeting ' with their client next week . she said others have accurately cast bales as a level-headed , experienced soldier . ' sgt . bales'family is stunned in the face of this tragedy , but they stand behind the man they know as a devoted husband , father and dedicated members of the armed services , ' scanlan said . bales is accused of leaving a remote u.s. combat outpost on foot before dawn on march 10 and killing people in their homes in villages in the panjwai district of afghanistan 's southern kandahar province . he arrived late friday at fort leavenworth , kansas , where he is being held in solitary pre-trial confinement at the midwest joint regional correctional facility , the army said saturday in a statement . the chilling images of bloodied , limp bodies -- among the dead , nine children -- from that rampage are difficult to reconcile with positive recollections of some who know him growing up , as well as an official military account documenting his humanitarian battlefield exploits . bales attended elementary , middle and high school in norwood , ohio , a suburb of just over 19,000 people , located five miles northeast of cincinnati , according to people who knew him . family friends who knew him growing up spoke highly of bales . he played football and graduated in 1991 from norwood high school . he was quiet , ' one woman said . he 's just a very nice person , not arrogant , just a nice guy . ' he then attended and played football at the college of mount st. joseph in cincinnati , two family friends said saturday . records indicate bales later lived at multiple addresses in the columbus area , not far from ohio state university . he joined the army two months after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks and was assigned in september 2002 to joint base lewis-mcchord near tacoma , washington , according to a brief summary released saturday by the army . it listed multiple decorations for bales , including three army good conduct ' medals . he deployed to iraq right after the 2003 invasion and then again in 2006 , when he served 15 straight months as part of then-president bush 's so-called surge of 20,000 additional troops . according to one of bales'attorneys john henry browne , the soldier was wounded that tour and had to have part of his foot amputated . an army account recalled a 2007 incident in iraq , when an operation to recover a helicopter that had been shot down near najaf turned into more of a humanitarian one to help wounded civilians . bales , who was serving then as a team leader , said he was proud ' and his unit discriminated between the bad guys and the noncombatants and then afterward we ended up helping the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us . ' i think that 's the real difference between being an american as opposed to being a bad guy , someone who puts his family in harm 's way like that , ' he said in the account , posted online in february 2009 . the soldier went to iraq a final time between 2009 and 2010 , according to the military . this time , he suffered a traumatic brain injury after his vehicle flipped after striking a roadside bomb , his attorney said . bales deployed to afghanistan in january with the 3rd stryker brigade combat team , 2nd infantry division for his fourth combat tour . before then , he 'd been living near lewis-mcchord with his wife and two young children in lake tapps , in a house that he and his wife purchased for $ 280,000 in 2006 , according to records . that two-story house was put on the market this week with a $ 229,000 asking price , according to realty records . it was vacant friday afternoon , its front porch littered with boxes and children 's toys . neighbor cassie holland described the bales family as happy ' and normal . ' i mean , we would go over there for birthday parties and they would come to my kids'birthday parties , ' she said . i would describe ( bales ) as super fun to hang around with , kind of the life of the party kinda guy . super loving , great with his kids . i do n't see how this has happened . ' bales and his family were not happy ' that he 'd been deployed to afghanistan on what ultimately became his fourth combat tour , his lawyer said , citing conversations with the soldier 's family . he was told that he was not going to be redeployed , ' browne said . the family was counting on him not being redeployed . ' according to excerpts of blog posts written by bales'wife a year ago and published friday by the tacoma news-tribune , the family was disappointed that bales had not been promoted to sergeant first class . it is very disappointing after all of the work bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country , family and friends , ' karilyn bales wrote . i am sad and disappointed too , but i am also relieved , we can finally move on to the next phase of our lives . ' the family was preparing to move last year and hoped to be stationed in either germany , italy , hawaii , kentucky to be near bob 's family , ' or georgia to be a sniper teacher , ' she said , according to the news-tribune . on the homefront , public records show that bales had a brush with the law in 2002 , when he faced a criminal assault charge in a tacoma court . he pleaded not guilty . a judge ordered anger-management counseling for bales , the wall street journal reported . the case was dismissed , records show . he has not yet been formally charged in relation to the afghanistan killings , though the military has made a determination of probable cause that allows him to be detained . the military has seven days to bring bales in front of a magistrate and 120 days to take him to trial , said greg rinckey , a former judge advocate . neighbors and relatives of those killed , meanwhile , are demanding bales return to afghanistan to face justice . punish him in afghanistan . put him on trial here and heal our broken hearts , ' one villager told afghan president hamid karzai during a meeting with the victims'families on friday . at this meeting , karzai suggested u.s.-afghan relations were at a breaking point . it is by all means the end of the rope here , ' he said . the end of the rope that nobody can afford such luxuries anymore . ' cnn 's susan candiotti , ross levitt , casey wian , moni basu , chelsea j. carter and tom watkins contributed to this report .	bales is accused of killing 16 afghan villagers inside their homes last sunday
bales <tsp> ( cnn ) -- afghans continued to grieve , and continued to fume , as a new day dawned on sunday , exactly one week after a u.s. soldier -- described by some who knew him as happy ' and a nice guy ' -- allegedly went house to house , shooting dead 16 villagers . much to the villagers'disgust , decorated combat veteran army staff sgt . robert bales is more than 7,000 miles away from where he is suspected of single-handedly carrying out the grisly attack . attorney emma scanlan said in a statement late saturday that she and two other members of bales'defense team plan to spend several days meeting ' with their client next week . she said others have accurately cast bales as a level-headed , experienced soldier . ' sgt . bales'family is stunned in the face of this tragedy , but they stand behind the man they know as a devoted husband , father and dedicated members of the armed services , ' scanlan said . bales is accused of leaving a remote u.s. combat outpost on foot before dawn on march 10 and killing people in their homes in villages in the panjwai district of afghanistan 's southern kandahar province . he arrived late friday at fort leavenworth , kansas , where he is being held in solitary pre-trial confinement at the midwest joint regional correctional facility , the army said saturday in a statement . the chilling images of bloodied , limp bodies -- among the dead , nine children -- from that rampage are difficult to reconcile with positive recollections of some who know him growing up , as well as an official military account documenting his humanitarian battlefield exploits . bales attended elementary , middle and high school in norwood , ohio , a suburb of just over 19,000 people , located five miles northeast of cincinnati , according to people who knew him . family friends who knew him growing up spoke highly of bales . he played football and graduated in 1991 from norwood high school . he was quiet , ' one woman said . he 's just a very nice person , not arrogant , just a nice guy . ' he then attended and played football at the college of mount st. joseph in cincinnati , two family friends said saturday . records indicate bales later lived at multiple addresses in the columbus area , not far from ohio state university . he joined the army two months after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks and was assigned in september 2002 to joint base lewis-mcchord near tacoma , washington , according to a brief summary released saturday by the army . it listed multiple decorations for bales , including three army good conduct ' medals . he deployed to iraq right after the 2003 invasion and then again in 2006 , when he served 15 straight months as part of then-president bush 's so-called surge of 20,000 additional troops . according to one of bales'attorneys john henry browne , the soldier was wounded that tour and had to have part of his foot amputated . an army account recalled a 2007 incident in iraq , when an operation to recover a helicopter that had been shot down near najaf turned into more of a humanitarian one to help wounded civilians . bales , who was serving then as a team leader , said he was proud ' and his unit discriminated between the bad guys and the noncombatants and then afterward we ended up helping the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us . ' i think that 's the real difference between being an american as opposed to being a bad guy , someone who puts his family in harm 's way like that , ' he said in the account , posted online in february 2009 . the soldier went to iraq a final time between 2009 and 2010 , according to the military . this time , he suffered a traumatic brain injury after his vehicle flipped after striking a roadside bomb , his attorney said . bales deployed to afghanistan in january with the 3rd stryker brigade combat team , 2nd infantry division for his fourth combat tour . before then , he 'd been living near lewis-mcchord with his wife and two young children in lake tapps , in a house that he and his wife purchased for $ 280,000 in 2006 , according to records . that two-story house was put on the market this week with a $ 229,000 asking price , according to realty records . it was vacant friday afternoon , its front porch littered with boxes and children 's toys . neighbor cassie holland described the bales family as happy ' and normal . ' i mean , we would go over there for birthday parties and they would come to my kids'birthday parties , ' she said . i would describe ( bales ) as super fun to hang around with , kind of the life of the party kinda guy . super loving , great with his kids . i do n't see how this has happened . ' bales and his family were not happy ' that he 'd been deployed to afghanistan on what ultimately became his fourth combat tour , his lawyer said , citing conversations with the soldier 's family . he was told that he was not going to be redeployed , ' browne said . the family was counting on him not being redeployed . ' according to excerpts of blog posts written by bales'wife a year ago and published friday by the tacoma news-tribune , the family was disappointed that bales had not been promoted to sergeant first class . it is very disappointing after all of the work bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country , family and friends , ' karilyn bales wrote . i am sad and disappointed too , but i am also relieved , we can finally move on to the next phase of our lives . ' the family was preparing to move last year and hoped to be stationed in either germany , italy , hawaii , kentucky to be near bob 's family , ' or georgia to be a sniper teacher , ' she said , according to the news-tribune . on the homefront , public records show that bales had a brush with the law in 2002 , when he faced a criminal assault charge in a tacoma court . he pleaded not guilty . a judge ordered anger-management counseling for bales , the wall street journal reported . the case was dismissed , records show . he has not yet been formally charged in relation to the afghanistan killings , though the military has made a determination of probable cause that allows him to be detained . the military has seven days to bring bales in front of a magistrate and 120 days to take him to trial , said greg rinckey , a former judge advocate . neighbors and relatives of those killed , meanwhile , are demanding bales return to afghanistan to face justice . punish him in afghanistan . put him on trial here and heal our broken hearts , ' one villager told afghan president hamid karzai during a meeting with the victims'families on friday . at this meeting , karzai suggested u.s.-afghan relations were at a breaking point . it is by all means the end of the rope here , ' he said . the end of the rope that nobody can afford such luxuries anymore . ' cnn 's susan candiotti , ross levitt , casey wian , moni basu , chelsea j. carter and tom watkins contributed to this report .	sgt . bales'family is stunned ' and stands by him , one of his lawyers says
bales <tsp> ( cnn ) -- afghans continued to grieve , and continued to fume , as a new day dawned on sunday , exactly one week after a u.s. soldier -- described by some who knew him as happy ' and a nice guy ' -- allegedly went house to house , shooting dead 16 villagers . much to the villagers'disgust , decorated combat veteran army staff sgt . robert bales is more than 7,000 miles away from where he is suspected of single-handedly carrying out the grisly attack . attorney emma scanlan said in a statement late saturday that she and two other members of bales'defense team plan to spend several days meeting ' with their client next week . she said others have accurately cast bales as a level-headed , experienced soldier . ' sgt . bales'family is stunned in the face of this tragedy , but they stand behind the man they know as a devoted husband , father and dedicated members of the armed services , ' scanlan said . bales is accused of leaving a remote u.s. combat outpost on foot before dawn on march 10 and killing people in their homes in villages in the panjwai district of afghanistan 's southern kandahar province . he arrived late friday at fort leavenworth , kansas , where he is being held in solitary pre-trial confinement at the midwest joint regional correctional facility , the army said saturday in a statement . the chilling images of bloodied , limp bodies -- among the dead , nine children -- from that rampage are difficult to reconcile with positive recollections of some who know him growing up , as well as an official military account documenting his humanitarian battlefield exploits . bales attended elementary , middle and high school in norwood , ohio , a suburb of just over 19,000 people , located five miles northeast of cincinnati , according to people who knew him . family friends who knew him growing up spoke highly of bales . he played football and graduated in 1991 from norwood high school . he was quiet , ' one woman said . he 's just a very nice person , not arrogant , just a nice guy . ' he then attended and played football at the college of mount st. joseph in cincinnati , two family friends said saturday . records indicate bales later lived at multiple addresses in the columbus area , not far from ohio state university . he joined the army two months after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks and was assigned in september 2002 to joint base lewis-mcchord near tacoma , washington , according to a brief summary released saturday by the army . it listed multiple decorations for bales , including three army good conduct ' medals . he deployed to iraq right after the 2003 invasion and then again in 2006 , when he served 15 straight months as part of then-president bush 's so-called surge of 20,000 additional troops . according to one of bales'attorneys john henry browne , the soldier was wounded that tour and had to have part of his foot amputated . an army account recalled a 2007 incident in iraq , when an operation to recover a helicopter that had been shot down near najaf turned into more of a humanitarian one to help wounded civilians . bales , who was serving then as a team leader , said he was proud ' and his unit discriminated between the bad guys and the noncombatants and then afterward we ended up helping the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us . ' i think that 's the real difference between being an american as opposed to being a bad guy , someone who puts his family in harm 's way like that , ' he said in the account , posted online in february 2009 . the soldier went to iraq a final time between 2009 and 2010 , according to the military . this time , he suffered a traumatic brain injury after his vehicle flipped after striking a roadside bomb , his attorney said . bales deployed to afghanistan in january with the 3rd stryker brigade combat team , 2nd infantry division for his fourth combat tour . before then , he 'd been living near lewis-mcchord with his wife and two young children in lake tapps , in a house that he and his wife purchased for $ 280,000 in 2006 , according to records . that two-story house was put on the market this week with a $ 229,000 asking price , according to realty records . it was vacant friday afternoon , its front porch littered with boxes and children 's toys . neighbor cassie holland described the bales family as happy ' and normal . ' i mean , we would go over there for birthday parties and they would come to my kids'birthday parties , ' she said . i would describe ( bales ) as super fun to hang around with , kind of the life of the party kinda guy . super loving , great with his kids . i do n't see how this has happened . ' bales and his family were not happy ' that he 'd been deployed to afghanistan on what ultimately became his fourth combat tour , his lawyer said , citing conversations with the soldier 's family . he was told that he was not going to be redeployed , ' browne said . the family was counting on him not being redeployed . ' according to excerpts of blog posts written by bales'wife a year ago and published friday by the tacoma news-tribune , the family was disappointed that bales had not been promoted to sergeant first class . it is very disappointing after all of the work bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country , family and friends , ' karilyn bales wrote . i am sad and disappointed too , but i am also relieved , we can finally move on to the next phase of our lives . ' the family was preparing to move last year and hoped to be stationed in either germany , italy , hawaii , kentucky to be near bob 's family , ' or georgia to be a sniper teacher , ' she said , according to the news-tribune . on the homefront , public records show that bales had a brush with the law in 2002 , when he faced a criminal assault charge in a tacoma court . he pleaded not guilty . a judge ordered anger-management counseling for bales , the wall street journal reported . the case was dismissed , records show . he has not yet been formally charged in relation to the afghanistan killings , though the military has made a determination of probable cause that allows him to be detained . the military has seven days to bring bales in front of a magistrate and 120 days to take him to trial , said greg rinckey , a former judge advocate . neighbors and relatives of those killed , meanwhile , are demanding bales return to afghanistan to face justice . punish him in afghanistan . put him on trial here and heal our broken hearts , ' one villager told afghan president hamid karzai during a meeting with the victims'families on friday . at this meeting , karzai suggested u.s.-afghan relations were at a breaking point . it is by all means the end of the rope here , ' he said . the end of the rope that nobody can afford such luxuries anymore . ' cnn 's susan candiotti , ross levitt , casey wian , moni basu , chelsea j. carter and tom watkins contributed to this report .	family friends who knew bales growing up speak highly of him
turkey <tsp> istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- turkish officials engaged in last-minute shuttle diplomacy with their restive neighbor syria and repeated calls for restraint ahead of what is expected to be another violent day of protests across the arab nation on friday . turkey 's national security council met on thursday in ankara to specifically address the increasingly bloody crisis , which some analysts fear could spill over to the turkish side of the border . the council issued a statement calling for syrian security forces to act with restraint and for the government to implement swift reforms to satisfy demonstrators . it is important that necessary steps are taken rapidly and in a determined way in order to establish social peace and stability in brotherly , friendly syria , to put an end to the violence and to maintain security of life , basic rights and freedoms , ' the council announced . also , the head of turkey 's national intelligence agency , the mit , traveled to damascus on thursday for high-level talks . the wave of unrest that has swept across the arab world this year surprised the turkish government as it was dramatically expanding ties with its arab neighbors . syria has perhaps been the greatest beneficiary of what the turkish government calls its zero problems ' foreign policy initiative with turkey 's neighbors . in the late 1990s , syria and turkey were on the brink of war because of syrian support for kurdish rebels battling the turkish state . but in recent years , turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and syrian president bashar al-assad have become close political allies . the two leaders have vacationed together with their wives along the turkish coast . and last year , erdogan lifted visa restrictions on syrian visitors and announced syrians should treat turkey as their second home . ' when pro-democracy protests erupted in egypt , erdogan was swift to call for embattled egyptian president hosni mubarak to listen to the voices of his people and step down . but erdogan has been much more restrained about criticizing al-assad , even as syrian tanks encircled the rebellious southern town of daraa and more than 400 demonstrators were killed across the country in the growing government crackdown . turkey has to reckon that in some cases of the arab spring , it just may be on the wrong side of history , ' wrote turkey expert henri barkey , in an article released this week by the carnegie endowment for peace . as much as turkey thought it was on the side of change , it has become a status quo power ... with its own vested interests , commercial concerns , and close ties with regimes . ' as the death toll mounts in syria , a growing number of voices in turkish newspapers normally sympathetic to the erdogan government have been calling for turkey to re-evaluate its cozy relationship with the assad regime . 'zero problems'with neighbors who know how to kill , ' wrote yavuz baydar in the pro-government today 's zaman newspaper this week . ankara should not resort to double standards when it comes to autocratic regimes in the middle east killing their own people , ' wrote columnist lale kemal in the same newspaper . turkey has also come under fire in libya from rebels who have accused ankara of supporting the moammar gadhafi regime in tripoli . last year , erdogan received a human rights prize from gadhafi , and earlier this month , the libyan opposition movement refused to allow a turkish ship to dock in the rebel stronghold of benghazi . demonstrators also staged a protest outside the turkish consulate in benghazi . the escalating syrian conflict may not only embarrass the turkish government ; some analysts warn it could destabilize turkey . experts point to saddam hussein 's crackdown on rebellious kurds in northern iraq in 1991 , which resulted in a flood of refugees spilling over the turkish border . over the past two years , much smaller numbers of refugees fled to turkey to escape the crushing of pro-democracy protests in iran -- another authoritarian neighbor that enjoys booming economic ties with turkey . so far , turkish officials say they have not seen an increase in the number of syrians fleeing government persecution . but officials are clearly worried about this possibility . you have to think of all kinds of scenarios , ' said selim yenel , undersecretary of turkey 's ministry of foreign affairs , in a phone interview with cnn . people have asked if we are our reassessing our visa policy [ with syria ] . and we 're not , ' yenel said . instead , yenel said turkey 's intelligence chief traveled to damascus on thursday leading a delegation that is offering to advise the assad regime on how to implement reforms aimed at satisfying the growing protest movement . they were going to talk about public administration , how to reform it economically and politically , ' yenel said . all this has to be done as quickly as possible so people can feel the changes . '	some analysts say the syrian conflict could destabilize turkey
alfred dunhill championship <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's not uncommon for golfers of any level to hole in one , but it 's not often that one player does it twice in two days at a top-level tournament . keith horne shared the limelight with runaway leader charl schwartzel at the european tour 's alfred dunhill championship in their native south africa on saturday , landing a repeat ace that earned him an unexpected christmas present . the 41-year-old will take home a luxury car following his hole-in-one at the par-three 12th at leopard creek in the third round . unbelievable . it was the same club , but the wind was different , so i had to hit a full eight iron this time , ' he told the european tour website after matching his friday feat at the same hole . it was in all the way -- never looked like missing . went in a bit faster this time , so i did n't get to admire it as much as yesterday , but it really got the adrenaline going much more . ' under competition rules , it would not have earned him a prize as the car is only on offer for holes-in-one on the final day , but sponsor bmw made an exception . i 'm really chuffed . it was very kind of them to recognize that two holes-in-one were worthy of giving me the car , ' said horne , who is still waiting for his first european tour victory . i was n't expecting it , so i 'm over the moon . this was an unbelievable christmas present and i could n't have asked for a more beautiful car . ' the world no . 246 signed for a four-under-par 68 that put him sixth ahead of sunday 's final round -- 12 shots behind 23rd-ranked schwartzel . schwartzel won by 11 shots in thailand last weekend for his first victory since the 2011 masters , and he is poised for another convincing triumph after shooting 64 to go 10 clear . it is a nice comfort , and i 'd rather be 10 ahead than nine ahead . whatever lead you can build is great , ' said the 28-year-old , who won at the same venue eight years ago and has been runner-up there four times . we 've all see what can happen in this game . i do n't want to think about it -- if all goes well i 'm going to celebrate . ' schwartzel had shared the halfway lead with gregory bourdy , but the frenchman dropped back to second on 11-under 205 after slumping to a 74 . branden grace , who won four times on the european tour last season with the first two coming on home soil in south africa , was tied for third on 206 with sweden 's kristoffer broberg and englishman steve webster . meanwhile , europe will take a one-point lead against asia into sunday 's final round of the royal trophy teams event in brunei . led by former ryder cup captain jose maria olazabal , the europeans could not repeat friday 's strong opening and lost saturday 's fourball matches 3-1 for an overall 4â½ -- 3â½ scoreline . the veteran spaniard will play in the first of sunday 's deciding singles matches , taking on south korea 's bae sang-moon . the eighth and final match will be between ryder cup winner francesco molinari and veteran korean y.e.yang . francesco molinari played against tiger woods in the final match last time and got an excellent half point , so he was a good choice to go out last again , ' said olazabal , referring to september 's incredible final-day comeback against the u.s. at medinah .	he trails leading compatriot charl schwartzel by 12 shots at alfred dunhill championship
awlaki <tsp> a 36-year-old dane called morten storm says he was the man who led the cia to anwar al awlaki , the al qaeda cleric killed in a u.s. drone strike in yemen last year . and he says he did it with a computer thumb-drive that secretly contained a tracking device . among the evidence he 's produced : recorded telephone conversations , passport stamps showing multiple trips to yemen , correspondence with awlaki , and a recording of a conversation with an unidentified american - who acknowledges his role in the pursuit of awlaki . read more : anwar al-awlaki : al qaeda 's rock star no more the danish newspaper jyllands-posten has published details of his story over the past few days , after reviewing documents and tapes of the conversations storm provided . the danish intelligence service pet wo n't confirm or deny storm 's account ; cnn has yet to reach american officials for comment . storm appears to have led a life of many parts -- committed jihadist , family man and outdoor sports enthusiast . in fact , he helped run a uk-based enterprise called storm outdoors -- on which his instructor 's profile speaks of his time living with the beduins in the deserts in the north of yemen . ' read more : u.s. drone killing of american al-awlaki prompts legal , moral debate there is firm evidence that storm , a former biker and petty criminal , moved within jihadist circles after converting to islam in the late 1990s -- becoming known as murad storm . one video clearly shows him at a rally of militant islamists in london in 2005 , listening to a speech by the extremist preacher omar bakri mohammed . according to jyllands-posten , storm was by then on the radar of the pet because of his links with islamist militants . the following year , he says , he changed sides , becoming a double-agent run by the pet . meeting awlaki according to storm 's account , he first met anwar al awlaki at his father 's house in 2006 , while studying in the yemeni capital , sanaa . storm was attending al iman university -- which was renowned for militancy and where awlaki himself taught . we talked freely to each other , ' storm told jyllands-posten . read more : u.s. officials warn of possible retaliation after al qaeda cleric is killed that was before awlaki was arrested and spent some 17 months in a yemeni jail , accused in connection with an al qaeda plot . it was while awlaki was in jail that storm says he underwent a transformation . at some point in the winter of 2006 , storm approached the pet and offered his services . he says he was introduced to british intelligence and the cia , and was a given a handler by pet . jyllands-posten says it has confirmed the identity of that handler . read more : fbi official : hasan should have been asked about e-mails with radical cleric storm told the newspaper that the cia and pet knew that anwar saw me as his friend and confidant . they knew that i could reach him , and find out where he stayed . ' when awlaki was released from prison storm was able to bring materials and electronic equipment to him , ' using money provided by danish intelligence . al qaeda 's shopping list storm says the cia wanted to plant a tracking device in the equipment he was taking to yemen , but it was becoming more difficult to reach awlaki , who by 2009 was in hiding in remote shabwa province . storm 's last meeting with the militant cleric - by now perhaps al qaeda 's most influential propagandist - was in september 2009 , he told jyllans-posten . storm stayed at the house of an al qaeda sympathizer . at a desert hide-out , awlaki asked storm to acquire solar panels or a transportable fridge which could be used for cooling explosives components . we also discussed the terrorist attacks . he had some plans that would hit large shopping centers in the west or elsewhere with many people with poison attacks , ' according to storm 's account . storm 's passport includes an exit stamp from yemen dated september 19 , 2009 . a few weeks after he returned to copenhagen , storm says he met cia and pet officials . read more : al qaeda cell leader killed in family dispute he was shown satellite photographs of the area where he had met awlaki and identified the house where he had stayed . a short time later , yemeni forces launched an assault on the house , killing its owner . but awlaki had gone . jyllands-posten is in possession of an e-mail purportedly from awlaki to storm , dated january 17 , 2010 . do you remember the guy you lived with ? it is now confirmed that he has been killed , ' the cleric wrote . the newspaper says it also has taped telephone conversations between storm and pet agents . the usb gambit according to storm , it was more than a year before another attempt was made to track down awlaki . storm recounts a two-day meeting in april 2011 with pet agents at a hotel in helsingor , overlooking the baltic sea . it was decided it would be too dangerous for storm to return to try to meet awlaki , but he would travel to the yemeni capital and then send a usb stick to awlaki via a messenger . read more : from the grave , al-awlaki calls for bio-chem attacks on the u.s. before leaving , he sent a message to the editors of inspire , ' the online magazine published by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula ( aqap ) , using the codename awlaki had given him - polar bear . ' in june 2011 , he made a five-day visit to sanaa , followed by a longer one in july . storm says he was given three rendezvous on different days - one of them at a kfc in sanaa . read more : 21,000 people now on u.s. no fly list , official says it was a typical precaution on the part of awlaki and al qaeda . at the third location , the messenger passed him a list from awlaki of what he needed . the usb stick , with encrypted messages , became their means of communication . at one point , awlaki asked what was being reported in the west about alleged plans by aqap to use the poison ricin . at about the same time , the new york times reported : american counterterrorism officials are increasingly concerned that the most dangerous regional arm of al qaeda is trying to produce the lethal poison ricin , to be packed around small explosives for attacks against the united states . ' one typed message from awlaki included a personal request , perhaps illustrating the close relationship the two had forged . my wife needs some stuff from sanaa so can your wife buy it for her ? ' he asked . read more : state department calls family of american killed in drone strike storm says he was recalled to europe in august 2011 , and met with both cia agents and pet officials in malaga , spain . he claims he was told by the american ' that there was plenty of reward money should awlaki be killed . in september 2011 , storm says he received a message from an intermediary , who took the usb stick back to yemen . i heard later .... that the messenger had come to the shopping center , had the usb connector and was driven away in a toyota land cruiser , ' storm told jyllens-posten . three weeks later , anwar al awlaki was dead . u.s. officials maintained that a separate intelligence stream had led them to awlaki 's location . storm did n't believe them . falling out with the americans ' i am convinced that the cia seized the messenger ..... but the americans apparently wo n't recognize that it was an agent of pet and the small country , denmark , which led to the detection of anwar , ' storm told jyllands-posten . according to the newspaper 's account , a meeting was set up at the hotel marienlyst in helsingor a week after awlaki 's death in an attempt to mollify storm . the newspaper has obtained a nine-minute recording of that meeting - made by storm on his cell-phone . storm is heard talking to a man with an american accent by the name of michael , who acknowledges storm 's work for the pet and cia . read more : official : drone attack kills al-awlaki 's son in yemen ' he was my mentor . he was my sheikh , he was my teacher , he was a friend of mine . but ( because ) of the evil in him , i took the step , ' storm told the american .'michael'says at one point : i want you to understand - this is a team - it was all a team effort - a team from my organization - from me , who are here with you guys , from jed ( apparently morten storm 's previous u.s. contact ) ...... ' he adds that storm 's contribution was known to senior u.s. officials - adding : i 'm talking about the president of the united states . he knows you , he knows you . so the right people know your contribution . and we are grateful. read more : al-awlaki 's father denies endorsing terror but'michael'maintains in the conversation that it was a parallel operation that led to locating awlaki . there is no way of confirming michael 's identity as a u.s. official . but in a subsequent recorded telephone conversation from august , a pet agent code-named'olde'said he understood storm 's frustration and would try to get him some reward money . in a statement made saturday to jyllands-posten , the head of danish intelligence , jakob scharf , said : for the sake of pet 's operational work , pet can not and will not publicly confirm whether specific individuals have been used as sources . ' read more : new al qaeda video praises slain yemeni-american cleric as for storm , he maintains a facebook page which suggests he is living in a town in south-east england . among the messages posted in the last few days , a link to the theme song for the new james bond movie , with the comment : feels related . ' according to posts on an islamist forum in the past 24 hours ,'murad 's'former brothers ' in luton , a town in england where he once appears to have had a business , have not forgotten him . one wrote : this scumbag lived in luton and mixed with brothers for a few years and was an agent all along . ' another commented : murad was always a saudi salafy .... anyone who a had a one to one knew he was salafy to the core . ' and a note of caution from a third : he was such a loud mouth that nobody wanted anything to do with him . he would come out with the most absurd claims . ' maybe only michael , jed and a few pet agents know otherwise .	he says awlaki was his mentor , but he became a double agent
awlaki <tsp> a 36-year-old dane called morten storm says he was the man who led the cia to anwar al awlaki , the al qaeda cleric killed in a u.s. drone strike in yemen last year . and he says he did it with a computer thumb-drive that secretly contained a tracking device . among the evidence he 's produced : recorded telephone conversations , passport stamps showing multiple trips to yemen , correspondence with awlaki , and a recording of a conversation with an unidentified american - who acknowledges his role in the pursuit of awlaki . read more : anwar al-awlaki : al qaeda 's rock star no more the danish newspaper jyllands-posten has published details of his story over the past few days , after reviewing documents and tapes of the conversations storm provided . the danish intelligence service pet wo n't confirm or deny storm 's account ; cnn has yet to reach american officials for comment . storm appears to have led a life of many parts -- committed jihadist , family man and outdoor sports enthusiast . in fact , he helped run a uk-based enterprise called storm outdoors -- on which his instructor 's profile speaks of his time living with the beduins in the deserts in the north of yemen . ' read more : u.s. drone killing of american al-awlaki prompts legal , moral debate there is firm evidence that storm , a former biker and petty criminal , moved within jihadist circles after converting to islam in the late 1990s -- becoming known as murad storm . one video clearly shows him at a rally of militant islamists in london in 2005 , listening to a speech by the extremist preacher omar bakri mohammed . according to jyllands-posten , storm was by then on the radar of the pet because of his links with islamist militants . the following year , he says , he changed sides , becoming a double-agent run by the pet . meeting awlaki according to storm 's account , he first met anwar al awlaki at his father 's house in 2006 , while studying in the yemeni capital , sanaa . storm was attending al iman university -- which was renowned for militancy and where awlaki himself taught . we talked freely to each other , ' storm told jyllands-posten . read more : u.s. officials warn of possible retaliation after al qaeda cleric is killed that was before awlaki was arrested and spent some 17 months in a yemeni jail , accused in connection with an al qaeda plot . it was while awlaki was in jail that storm says he underwent a transformation . at some point in the winter of 2006 , storm approached the pet and offered his services . he says he was introduced to british intelligence and the cia , and was a given a handler by pet . jyllands-posten says it has confirmed the identity of that handler . read more : fbi official : hasan should have been asked about e-mails with radical cleric storm told the newspaper that the cia and pet knew that anwar saw me as his friend and confidant . they knew that i could reach him , and find out where he stayed . ' when awlaki was released from prison storm was able to bring materials and electronic equipment to him , ' using money provided by danish intelligence . al qaeda 's shopping list storm says the cia wanted to plant a tracking device in the equipment he was taking to yemen , but it was becoming more difficult to reach awlaki , who by 2009 was in hiding in remote shabwa province . storm 's last meeting with the militant cleric - by now perhaps al qaeda 's most influential propagandist - was in september 2009 , he told jyllans-posten . storm stayed at the house of an al qaeda sympathizer . at a desert hide-out , awlaki asked storm to acquire solar panels or a transportable fridge which could be used for cooling explosives components . we also discussed the terrorist attacks . he had some plans that would hit large shopping centers in the west or elsewhere with many people with poison attacks , ' according to storm 's account . storm 's passport includes an exit stamp from yemen dated september 19 , 2009 . a few weeks after he returned to copenhagen , storm says he met cia and pet officials . read more : al qaeda cell leader killed in family dispute he was shown satellite photographs of the area where he had met awlaki and identified the house where he had stayed . a short time later , yemeni forces launched an assault on the house , killing its owner . but awlaki had gone . jyllands-posten is in possession of an e-mail purportedly from awlaki to storm , dated january 17 , 2010 . do you remember the guy you lived with ? it is now confirmed that he has been killed , ' the cleric wrote . the newspaper says it also has taped telephone conversations between storm and pet agents . the usb gambit according to storm , it was more than a year before another attempt was made to track down awlaki . storm recounts a two-day meeting in april 2011 with pet agents at a hotel in helsingor , overlooking the baltic sea . it was decided it would be too dangerous for storm to return to try to meet awlaki , but he would travel to the yemeni capital and then send a usb stick to awlaki via a messenger . read more : from the grave , al-awlaki calls for bio-chem attacks on the u.s. before leaving , he sent a message to the editors of inspire , ' the online magazine published by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula ( aqap ) , using the codename awlaki had given him - polar bear . ' in june 2011 , he made a five-day visit to sanaa , followed by a longer one in july . storm says he was given three rendezvous on different days - one of them at a kfc in sanaa . read more : 21,000 people now on u.s. no fly list , official says it was a typical precaution on the part of awlaki and al qaeda . at the third location , the messenger passed him a list from awlaki of what he needed . the usb stick , with encrypted messages , became their means of communication . at one point , awlaki asked what was being reported in the west about alleged plans by aqap to use the poison ricin . at about the same time , the new york times reported : american counterterrorism officials are increasingly concerned that the most dangerous regional arm of al qaeda is trying to produce the lethal poison ricin , to be packed around small explosives for attacks against the united states . ' one typed message from awlaki included a personal request , perhaps illustrating the close relationship the two had forged . my wife needs some stuff from sanaa so can your wife buy it for her ? ' he asked . read more : state department calls family of american killed in drone strike storm says he was recalled to europe in august 2011 , and met with both cia agents and pet officials in malaga , spain . he claims he was told by the american ' that there was plenty of reward money should awlaki be killed . in september 2011 , storm says he received a message from an intermediary , who took the usb stick back to yemen . i heard later .... that the messenger had come to the shopping center , had the usb connector and was driven away in a toyota land cruiser , ' storm told jyllens-posten . three weeks later , anwar al awlaki was dead . u.s. officials maintained that a separate intelligence stream had led them to awlaki 's location . storm did n't believe them . falling out with the americans ' i am convinced that the cia seized the messenger ..... but the americans apparently wo n't recognize that it was an agent of pet and the small country , denmark , which led to the detection of anwar , ' storm told jyllands-posten . according to the newspaper 's account , a meeting was set up at the hotel marienlyst in helsingor a week after awlaki 's death in an attempt to mollify storm . the newspaper has obtained a nine-minute recording of that meeting - made by storm on his cell-phone . storm is heard talking to a man with an american accent by the name of michael , who acknowledges storm 's work for the pet and cia . read more : official : drone attack kills al-awlaki 's son in yemen ' he was my mentor . he was my sheikh , he was my teacher , he was a friend of mine . but ( because ) of the evil in him , i took the step , ' storm told the american .'michael'says at one point : i want you to understand - this is a team - it was all a team effort - a team from my organization - from me , who are here with you guys , from jed ( apparently morten storm 's previous u.s. contact ) ...... ' he adds that storm 's contribution was known to senior u.s. officials - adding : i 'm talking about the president of the united states . he knows you , he knows you . so the right people know your contribution . and we are grateful. read more : al-awlaki 's father denies endorsing terror but'michael'maintains in the conversation that it was a parallel operation that led to locating awlaki . there is no way of confirming michael 's identity as a u.s. official . but in a subsequent recorded telephone conversation from august , a pet agent code-named'olde'said he understood storm 's frustration and would try to get him some reward money . in a statement made saturday to jyllands-posten , the head of danish intelligence , jakob scharf , said : for the sake of pet 's operational work , pet can not and will not publicly confirm whether specific individuals have been used as sources . ' read more : new al qaeda video praises slain yemeni-american cleric as for storm , he maintains a facebook page which suggests he is living in a town in south-east england . among the messages posted in the last few days , a link to the theme song for the new james bond movie , with the comment : feels related . ' according to posts on an islamist forum in the past 24 hours ,'murad 's'former brothers ' in luton , a town in england where he once appears to have had a business , have not forgotten him . one wrote : this scumbag lived in luton and mixed with brothers for a few years and was an agent all along . ' another commented : murad was always a saudi salafy .... anyone who a had a one to one knew he was salafy to the core . ' and a note of caution from a third : he was such a loud mouth that nobody wanted anything to do with him . he would come out with the most absurd claims . ' maybe only michael , jed and a few pet agents know otherwise .	u.s. officials maintain a separate intelligence stream led them to awlaki
hungarian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- step aside , willy wonka . according to its creator , vosges chocolate is not just chocolate , it 's an experiential chocolate story-telling vehicle that 's meant to be indulgent and sensual and opening to the mind . ' more than that , 38-year-old company founder katrina markoff intends to break down stereotypes through chocolate . ' having traveled around the world , markoff 's goal is to get people to try the exotic flavors she discovered , something that 's more achievable if those flavors are enrobed in chocolate . among her best-selling items is a truffle collection that includes sweet hungarian paprika and chinese star anise , fennel and pastis confections . while chocolate with once-unusual ingredients like chilli or sea salt is now increasingly commonplace , when markoff first tried selling her product to department store nieman marcus in chicago in 1998 , she recalls the guy looking at me like i 'm crazy when i 'm telling him what 's in it . ' but today , markoff 's product sells through 2,000 outlets worldwide , and in eight dedicated boutiques . last year , her business made $ 30 million , up 50 % on the previous year . this year , she has brought the vosges experience to a mass market , launching a new , less expensive brand that will sell in places like walmart and target . where a box of 16 vosges truffles costs $ 40 , a 2oz bar of wild ophelia , which features flavors such as beef jerky and bbq potato chips , is $ 3.99 . more from leading women : the woman hunting the higgs boson a vanderbilt university chemistry and psychology major , markoff moved to paris upon graduating , to study cuisine and patisserie . on the advice of renowned chef ferran adrià , who ran what was regularly described as the world 's greatest restaurant , el bulli , in spain , markoff toured southeast asia and australia . in keeping with her international perspective , markoff plans to devote her next few years to cultivating cacao in haiti , and opening a lodge in belize where tourists can learn about chocolate making . here , she tells cnn about how she came up with her winning concept . on her first chocolate epiphany ... i had my first chocolate experience in the place des vosges ( in paris ) . i went to this restaurant called l'ambroisie and they had taken chocolate ganache ( which is like the center of the truffle ) , they froze it and dipped it in a beignet batter and fried it . that experience of eating this donut-crusty exterior and , when you bit down , this molten explosion of chocolate ... that started piquing my curiosity about chocolate . on her second chocolate epiphany ... it was n't until i got back from my trip and moved to dallas to get a job with my uncle that i realized there was no innovation going on in chocolate . he wanted me to find chocolate for his catalog business , and ( everything ) was just loaded with sugars and artificial flavorings and extracts and wax , and there was no story . i had all these spices from my travels , and this necklace from the naga tribes in india . ( they told me it was made out of shells , turns out it was all tigers'teeth ) . there was a lot of struggle over territory and missionaries tried to get them into new religions , and i was just like we should n't kill culture like that . ' i went into my kitchen that night and made a curry and coconut truffle . i decided to pay homage to the naga people and call it naga . everything made sense in that moment : there was this illuminated path that said just use chocolate as a medium to tell stories . ' i ended up working on 20 different flavor profiles that night -- saffron with white chocolate and sugar crystals to represent gaudi 's mosaic work , a hungarian paprika and chocolate ginger -- all based on my travel experiences . the next day i went into work and brought this collection of chocolates . dallas in 1997 was still very much a bbq town , and these people were like i am not trying that curry thing . ' i got one woman to try it . she took a bite and her face went from disgust and worry to awe and surprise to oh my god , this is actually good . ' she was like let me try wasabi . ' she was totally open to try whatever , and it was really , really cool to see that . on how to succeed ... i think it 's really important for women to have confidence in her individuality and not try to conform to being someone she thinks she needs to be , to compete in the legal world or in the corporate world . it 's so important to find your own voice . people respect it so much . people are very attracted to people who are passionate in their own way , that are respectful , but that are smart and speak their mind . you have this guiding light within yourself . always go to that as your sounding board and your voice of truth . follow that instinctual space in your solar plexus -- you know , that place that says what you need to do is right or wrong . following that gut instinct is so critical . you have to have your little niche and carve it out and then follow it with all your heart and success will come to you . on her management style ... i 've been told i can be a little big picture ' for some people , because i think things can get done very quickly and i want them done very quickly . i do n't rely on other people 's opinions or consumer research to make new products , which is somewhat unusual ... i do n't always follow processes . i skip steps , and i always make last-minute changes -- and usually that 's the right thing to do .	her vosges chocolate includes exotic flavors like wasabi , curry and hungarian paprika .
zenit st petersburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if competing in the europa leage for the first time since 2002 came as a culture shock to european champions chelsea they did n't show it . this time last year they were embarking on an adventure that would culminate in a first ever champions league triumph but after falling in the group stages this season they find themselves battling it out in europe 's second tier club competition . roberto di matteo , who led them to victory over bayern munich in may 2012 , has since departed , to be replaced by former liverpool boss rafael benitez , who is yet to convince many supporters he 's the right man for the job . but benitez 's introduction of brazilian midfielder oscar proved a masterstroke as he scored with his first involvement after coming on with nine minutes remaining to hand chelsea a 1-0 victory over sparta prague in the first leg of their last 32 tie . oscar played a one-two with belgium international eden hazard and applied the finish to give chelsea a crucial away goal . benitez told espn after the game : it was difficult game , we started really well , in the first 20 minutes we were in control . we were under pressure in the last 20 minutes of the first half but changed things at half time and played well in the second half . oscar made a difference but the team was better in the second half . ' fellow english club liverpool did n't fare so well , suffering their second successive 2-0 defeat after being beaten by zenit st petersburg in russia . two goals in two minutes turned the tie , hulk -- a multi-million signing from portuguese club porto -- scoring a brilliant opener from range before sergei semak turned home a cross at the back post . there had been fears before hand that some of liverpool 's players would be targeted by a section of zenit 's fans who posted a manifesto on their website that said an absence of black players in the club 's squad was an important tradition . ' but after the game liverpool manager brendan rodgers told a press conference : i want to thank the people of st petersburg for their hospitality and how we 've been received here . ' on their defeat he said : i thought we looked solid and a threat going forward and could have been in the lead at half-time . in 6 to 12 months'time , we wo n't be making those mistakes . this is part of our growing pains as a group . we have to be more clinical . but we gave away two poor goals tonight . we ended up losing the game when we should have won it . ' europa league holders atletico madrid face an uphill task to stay in the competition after being beaten 2-0 at home by russian side rubin kazan . gokdeniz karadeniz put the away side in front before roman sharonov was sent off just before half time , yet rubin added a second in stoppage time through pablo orbaiz . czech side viktoria plzen recorded a shock 3-0 win at napoli , who are currently second in the italian league . vladimir darida , frantisek rajtoral and stanislav tecl found the net . two goals from rodrigo palacio put inter milan in a commanding position against cfr cluj-napoca before the second leg in romania . two free kick goals from gareth bale -- the second in the last ten seconds of the match -- helped tottenham to a 2-1 victory over french side lyon in london . fellow english side newcastle saw two papiss cisse goals dubiously ruled out for offside as they drew 0-0 with metalist kharkiv from the ukraine . borussia monchengladbach shared six goals with italian side lazio during their first leg in germany , libor kozak scoring a 94th minute equalizer for the visiting side . anzhi makhachkala won the first leg of their clash with hannover 96 , of germany , 3-1 in russia . anzhi , managed by former netherlands and chelsea coach guus hiddink won 3-1 thanks to goals from samuel eto'o , odil ahmedov and mbark boussoufa . dutch champions ajax beat romanian club steaua bucharest 2-0 thanks to goals from toby alderweireld and ricardo van rhijn . portuguese international raul meireles was sent off for fenerbahce as the turks drew 0-0 away at bate borisov in belarus . oscar cardozo 's delicate chip earned portuguese outfit benfica a precious 1-0 victory away at bayer leverkusen in germany . oleg gusev missed a late penalty as ukrainian club dynamo kiev had to settle for a 1-1 draw with french side bordeaux . ludovic obraniak canceled out lukman haruna 's opener for dynamo . goals from pedro rãos , jose barkero and obafemi martins helped spanish side levante to a comfortable 3-0 victory over olympiakos , from greece . swiss side fc basel beat dnipro dnipropetrovsk , of ukraine , 2-0 while vfb stuttgart drew 1-1 with belgian side racing genk in germany .	zenit st petersburg defeat liverpool 2-0 in first leg of their europa league last 32 clash
russian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if competing in the europa leage for the first time since 2002 came as a culture shock to european champions chelsea they did n't show it . this time last year they were embarking on an adventure that would culminate in a first ever champions league triumph but after falling in the group stages this season they find themselves battling it out in europe 's second tier club competition . roberto di matteo , who led them to victory over bayern munich in may 2012 , has since departed , to be replaced by former liverpool boss rafael benitez , who is yet to convince many supporters he 's the right man for the job . but benitez 's introduction of brazilian midfielder oscar proved a masterstroke as he scored with his first involvement after coming on with nine minutes remaining to hand chelsea a 1-0 victory over sparta prague in the first leg of their last 32 tie . oscar played a one-two with belgium international eden hazard and applied the finish to give chelsea a crucial away goal . benitez told espn after the game : it was difficult game , we started really well , in the first 20 minutes we were in control . we were under pressure in the last 20 minutes of the first half but changed things at half time and played well in the second half . oscar made a difference but the team was better in the second half . ' fellow english club liverpool did n't fare so well , suffering their second successive 2-0 defeat after being beaten by zenit st petersburg in russia . two goals in two minutes turned the tie , hulk -- a multi-million signing from portuguese club porto -- scoring a brilliant opener from range before sergei semak turned home a cross at the back post . there had been fears before hand that some of liverpool 's players would be targeted by a section of zenit 's fans who posted a manifesto on their website that said an absence of black players in the club 's squad was an important tradition . ' but after the game liverpool manager brendan rodgers told a press conference : i want to thank the people of st petersburg for their hospitality and how we 've been received here . ' on their defeat he said : i thought we looked solid and a threat going forward and could have been in the lead at half-time . in 6 to 12 months'time , we wo n't be making those mistakes . this is part of our growing pains as a group . we have to be more clinical . but we gave away two poor goals tonight . we ended up losing the game when we should have won it . ' europa league holders atletico madrid face an uphill task to stay in the competition after being beaten 2-0 at home by russian side rubin kazan . gokdeniz karadeniz put the away side in front before roman sharonov was sent off just before half time , yet rubin added a second in stoppage time through pablo orbaiz . czech side viktoria plzen recorded a shock 3-0 win at napoli , who are currently second in the italian league . vladimir darida , frantisek rajtoral and stanislav tecl found the net . two goals from rodrigo palacio put inter milan in a commanding position against cfr cluj-napoca before the second leg in romania . two free kick goals from gareth bale -- the second in the last ten seconds of the match -- helped tottenham to a 2-1 victory over french side lyon in london . fellow english side newcastle saw two papiss cisse goals dubiously ruled out for offside as they drew 0-0 with metalist kharkiv from the ukraine . borussia monchengladbach shared six goals with italian side lazio during their first leg in germany , libor kozak scoring a 94th minute equalizer for the visiting side . anzhi makhachkala won the first leg of their clash with hannover 96 , of germany , 3-1 in russia . anzhi , managed by former netherlands and chelsea coach guus hiddink won 3-1 thanks to goals from samuel eto'o , odil ahmedov and mbark boussoufa . dutch champions ajax beat romanian club steaua bucharest 2-0 thanks to goals from toby alderweireld and ricardo van rhijn . portuguese international raul meireles was sent off for fenerbahce as the turks drew 0-0 away at bate borisov in belarus . oscar cardozo 's delicate chip earned portuguese outfit benfica a precious 1-0 victory away at bayer leverkusen in germany . oleg gusev missed a late penalty as ukrainian club dynamo kiev had to settle for a 1-1 draw with french side bordeaux . ludovic obraniak canceled out lukman haruna 's opener for dynamo . goals from pedro rãos , jose barkero and obafemi martins helped spanish side levante to a comfortable 3-0 victory over olympiakos , from greece . swiss side fc basel beat dnipro dnipropetrovsk , of ukraine , 2-0 while vfb stuttgart drew 1-1 with belgian side racing genk in germany .	europa league holders atletico madrid suffer a 2-0 home defeat to russian side rubin kazan
jamie dornan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifty shades of grey 's ' infamous red room ' has arrived . the first trailer for the romance drama , which is adapted from e l james'best-selling erotic novel , gives fans a racy hint of what 's to come . with a new version of beyonce 's crazy in love ' as its soundtrack , the 2â½-minute clip closes out with a glimpse into the infamous scarlet boudoir of james'imagination . explaining'fifty shades'wild success starring dakota johnson and jamie dornan , fifty shades ' tells the story of naive , mousy anastasia steele ( johnson ) , who falls for a handsome billionaire with singular tastes ' named christian grey ( dornan ) . with so many fans intimately familiar with james'work , the movie has been under intense scrutiny during every step of production , from the choice of screenwriter and director to the leading cast . when johnson was announced as the lead actress last year with sons of anarchy 's ' charlie hunnam as christian grey , it caused an uproar among fans who were rooting for different actors to land the roles . jamie dornan :'fifty shades'new christian grey hunnam soon dropped out because of scheduling conflicts , opening the door for dornan to land the part . written by kelly marcel and directed by sam taylor-johnson , fifty shades of grey ' arrives in theaters february 13 .	the movie stars dakota johnson and jamie dornan
taiwan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of student protesters barricaded inside taiwan 's legislature for the past four days say they are disappointed by the government 's failure to respond to their ultimatum friday . the demonstrators , mostly university students , are protesting against the ruling party 's push for a trade pact with china , which they claim will hurt the island . the movement has been dubbed the sunflower revolution ' by taiwanese media . the group leading the protest -- the coalition of student and civic groups against the cross-strait service trade agreement -- announced the ultimatum on thursday , demanding that president ma ying-jeou withdraw the controversial trade agreement and issue an apology by noon friday . as the deadline passed , no direct response from ma was given , and student protesters appeared on taiwanese television expressing their disappointment . they said they would continue to occupy legislature and would announce their next move at a press conference to be held at 6 p.m. local time ( e.t . 6 a.m. ) friday . the protesters entered the main assembly hall inside the legislative yuan in taipei on tuesday night and blocked the entrances with chairs , according to images and accounts filed from the scene with cnn ireport . police responded but had not dispersed the protesters , who also filled the streets around the legislature in the center of taipei . by march 19 , taiwan 's state news agency reported that 38 police officers were injured when more than 400 protesters took over the legislature . four protesters were arrested in two unsuccessful attempts to evict them , the news agency reported . police said there were more than 2,000 protesters both inside and outside the building , with a equal number of officers on the scene . we do not want to clash with the police , ' said protester and ireporter shanny chang , 19 . we just have to let the government know that never try to fool the people . ' one cnn ireporter said that after the protesters took over , hundreds gathered outside the building , with some making speeches and singing songs . in a video , a young woman sings bob dylan 's song the times they are a-changin', ' which many associate with the protest spirit of the 1960s . she played the dylan song because she thinks the lyrics match the ongoing events happening in taiwan , ' said ireporter george chang , 24 , who shot the video . bob dylan is n't really that popular in taiwan , especially not to the 8th grade generation , what taiwanese call children born after 1991 , but to the older generations i think he is n't a stranger to them . ' the trade pact was signed last year in shanghai to ease investment and trade between the two longtime adversaries , mainland china and taiwan . but opponents have voiced concerns that not only will taiwan 's economy be hurt as businesses and investments flow to china , but the island 's democratic system could be undermined by closer ties with the mainland . the trade agreement was not supervised by the people of taiwan , and benefits only big companies and harnesses our jobs , ' chang wrote . but i do agree we need to open taiwan to the world , even china too . but not this way , not by signing an agreement that is not fair to us and was negotiated by people who have no profession in these territories . we must rewrite the agreement and make it work for the both of us , towards a peaceful future between the strait of taiwan . ' an ireporter identified as kwarrior , an asian-american living in taiwan , wrote that the government 's handling of the trade agreement was unconstitutional and a blatant violation of the people 's rights . ... i care deeply because my parents are taiwanese and they always loved their nation like no other . i am personally affected because i value the rights of the people to voice and make changes in a democratic country . ' in a statement , amnesty international urged security forces to show restraint . the situation is clearly tense . ... while police have a duty to maintain order and to protect the safety of the public , the response must only be proportionate to the threat . force should only be used as a last resort . the authorities must ensure the rights of all those protesting are upheld and respected , ' said roseann rife , the group 's east asia research director . last month , taiwan and china held their highest-level talks in more than six decades , marking the first government-to-government contact since the pair 's acrimonious split in 1949 . wang yu-chi of taiwan 's mainland affairs council , which oversees the island 's china policy , met with his mainland counterpart , zhang zhijun of china 's taiwan affairs office . after the meeting , china 's state news agency xinhua said the two sides had agreed to open a regular communication channel . we should both be resolute to not let cross-strait relations suffer any more twists and turns and never let ( the relationship ) go backward , ' zhang was quoted as saying . previous contact between the two sides has been conducted through semi-official foundations or through political parties , not by government ministers acting in their official capacities . beijing considers taiwan a breakaway province and has never ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification . taiwan also calls itself the republic of china . relations between the two sides have improved since taiwan president ma ying-jeou came to power in 2008 . on wednesday , ma called for the passage of the trade pact . cnn 's rachel rodriguez , maggie blaha and daphne sashin contributed to this report .	the pact is intended to ease investment and trade between taiwan and china
taiwan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of student protesters barricaded inside taiwan 's legislature for the past four days say they are disappointed by the government 's failure to respond to their ultimatum friday . the demonstrators , mostly university students , are protesting against the ruling party 's push for a trade pact with china , which they claim will hurt the island . the movement has been dubbed the sunflower revolution ' by taiwanese media . the group leading the protest -- the coalition of student and civic groups against the cross-strait service trade agreement -- announced the ultimatum on thursday , demanding that president ma ying-jeou withdraw the controversial trade agreement and issue an apology by noon friday . as the deadline passed , no direct response from ma was given , and student protesters appeared on taiwanese television expressing their disappointment . they said they would continue to occupy legislature and would announce their next move at a press conference to be held at 6 p.m. local time ( e.t . 6 a.m. ) friday . the protesters entered the main assembly hall inside the legislative yuan in taipei on tuesday night and blocked the entrances with chairs , according to images and accounts filed from the scene with cnn ireport . police responded but had not dispersed the protesters , who also filled the streets around the legislature in the center of taipei . by march 19 , taiwan 's state news agency reported that 38 police officers were injured when more than 400 protesters took over the legislature . four protesters were arrested in two unsuccessful attempts to evict them , the news agency reported . police said there were more than 2,000 protesters both inside and outside the building , with a equal number of officers on the scene . we do not want to clash with the police , ' said protester and ireporter shanny chang , 19 . we just have to let the government know that never try to fool the people . ' one cnn ireporter said that after the protesters took over , hundreds gathered outside the building , with some making speeches and singing songs . in a video , a young woman sings bob dylan 's song the times they are a-changin', ' which many associate with the protest spirit of the 1960s . she played the dylan song because she thinks the lyrics match the ongoing events happening in taiwan , ' said ireporter george chang , 24 , who shot the video . bob dylan is n't really that popular in taiwan , especially not to the 8th grade generation , what taiwanese call children born after 1991 , but to the older generations i think he is n't a stranger to them . ' the trade pact was signed last year in shanghai to ease investment and trade between the two longtime adversaries , mainland china and taiwan . but opponents have voiced concerns that not only will taiwan 's economy be hurt as businesses and investments flow to china , but the island 's democratic system could be undermined by closer ties with the mainland . the trade agreement was not supervised by the people of taiwan , and benefits only big companies and harnesses our jobs , ' chang wrote . but i do agree we need to open taiwan to the world , even china too . but not this way , not by signing an agreement that is not fair to us and was negotiated by people who have no profession in these territories . we must rewrite the agreement and make it work for the both of us , towards a peaceful future between the strait of taiwan . ' an ireporter identified as kwarrior , an asian-american living in taiwan , wrote that the government 's handling of the trade agreement was unconstitutional and a blatant violation of the people 's rights . ... i care deeply because my parents are taiwanese and they always loved their nation like no other . i am personally affected because i value the rights of the people to voice and make changes in a democratic country . ' in a statement , amnesty international urged security forces to show restraint . the situation is clearly tense . ... while police have a duty to maintain order and to protect the safety of the public , the response must only be proportionate to the threat . force should only be used as a last resort . the authorities must ensure the rights of all those protesting are upheld and respected , ' said roseann rife , the group 's east asia research director . last month , taiwan and china held their highest-level talks in more than six decades , marking the first government-to-government contact since the pair 's acrimonious split in 1949 . wang yu-chi of taiwan 's mainland affairs council , which oversees the island 's china policy , met with his mainland counterpart , zhang zhijun of china 's taiwan affairs office . after the meeting , china 's state news agency xinhua said the two sides had agreed to open a regular communication channel . we should both be resolute to not let cross-strait relations suffer any more twists and turns and never let ( the relationship ) go backward , ' zhang was quoted as saying . previous contact between the two sides has been conducted through semi-official foundations or through political parties , not by government ministers acting in their official capacities . beijing considers taiwan a breakaway province and has never ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification . taiwan also calls itself the republic of china . relations between the two sides have improved since taiwan president ma ying-jeou came to power in 2008 . on wednesday , ma called for the passage of the trade pact . cnn 's rachel rodriguez , maggie blaha and daphne sashin contributed to this report .	student protesters'ultimatum to taiwan 's government passes without a response
taiwan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of student protesters barricaded inside taiwan 's legislature for the past four days say they are disappointed by the government 's failure to respond to their ultimatum friday . the demonstrators , mostly university students , are protesting against the ruling party 's push for a trade pact with china , which they claim will hurt the island . the movement has been dubbed the sunflower revolution ' by taiwanese media . the group leading the protest -- the coalition of student and civic groups against the cross-strait service trade agreement -- announced the ultimatum on thursday , demanding that president ma ying-jeou withdraw the controversial trade agreement and issue an apology by noon friday . as the deadline passed , no direct response from ma was given , and student protesters appeared on taiwanese television expressing their disappointment . they said they would continue to occupy legislature and would announce their next move at a press conference to be held at 6 p.m. local time ( e.t . 6 a.m. ) friday . the protesters entered the main assembly hall inside the legislative yuan in taipei on tuesday night and blocked the entrances with chairs , according to images and accounts filed from the scene with cnn ireport . police responded but had not dispersed the protesters , who also filled the streets around the legislature in the center of taipei . by march 19 , taiwan 's state news agency reported that 38 police officers were injured when more than 400 protesters took over the legislature . four protesters were arrested in two unsuccessful attempts to evict them , the news agency reported . police said there were more than 2,000 protesters both inside and outside the building , with a equal number of officers on the scene . we do not want to clash with the police , ' said protester and ireporter shanny chang , 19 . we just have to let the government know that never try to fool the people . ' one cnn ireporter said that after the protesters took over , hundreds gathered outside the building , with some making speeches and singing songs . in a video , a young woman sings bob dylan 's song the times they are a-changin', ' which many associate with the protest spirit of the 1960s . she played the dylan song because she thinks the lyrics match the ongoing events happening in taiwan , ' said ireporter george chang , 24 , who shot the video . bob dylan is n't really that popular in taiwan , especially not to the 8th grade generation , what taiwanese call children born after 1991 , but to the older generations i think he is n't a stranger to them . ' the trade pact was signed last year in shanghai to ease investment and trade between the two longtime adversaries , mainland china and taiwan . but opponents have voiced concerns that not only will taiwan 's economy be hurt as businesses and investments flow to china , but the island 's democratic system could be undermined by closer ties with the mainland . the trade agreement was not supervised by the people of taiwan , and benefits only big companies and harnesses our jobs , ' chang wrote . but i do agree we need to open taiwan to the world , even china too . but not this way , not by signing an agreement that is not fair to us and was negotiated by people who have no profession in these territories . we must rewrite the agreement and make it work for the both of us , towards a peaceful future between the strait of taiwan . ' an ireporter identified as kwarrior , an asian-american living in taiwan , wrote that the government 's handling of the trade agreement was unconstitutional and a blatant violation of the people 's rights . ... i care deeply because my parents are taiwanese and they always loved their nation like no other . i am personally affected because i value the rights of the people to voice and make changes in a democratic country . ' in a statement , amnesty international urged security forces to show restraint . the situation is clearly tense . ... while police have a duty to maintain order and to protect the safety of the public , the response must only be proportionate to the threat . force should only be used as a last resort . the authorities must ensure the rights of all those protesting are upheld and respected , ' said roseann rife , the group 's east asia research director . last month , taiwan and china held their highest-level talks in more than six decades , marking the first government-to-government contact since the pair 's acrimonious split in 1949 . wang yu-chi of taiwan 's mainland affairs council , which oversees the island 's china policy , met with his mainland counterpart , zhang zhijun of china 's taiwan affairs office . after the meeting , china 's state news agency xinhua said the two sides had agreed to open a regular communication channel . we should both be resolute to not let cross-strait relations suffer any more twists and turns and never let ( the relationship ) go backward , ' zhang was quoted as saying . previous contact between the two sides has been conducted through semi-official foundations or through political parties , not by government ministers acting in their official capacities . beijing considers taiwan a breakaway province and has never ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification . taiwan also calls itself the republic of china . relations between the two sides have improved since taiwan president ma ying-jeou came to power in 2008 . on wednesday , ma called for the passage of the trade pact . cnn 's rachel rodriguez , maggie blaha and daphne sashin contributed to this report .	the protesters have occupied taiwan 's legislature for four days to protest a trade pact
legacy locker <tsp> ( cnn ) -- your husband , an avid gamer and techie , dies of a heart attack , leaving his vast online life -- one you do n't know much about -- in limbo . eternal space lets loved ones create customized online gravesites and memorial pages . his accounts , to which you do n't know the passwords , go idle . his e-mails go unanswered , his online multiplayer games go on without him and bidders on his ebay items do n't know why they ca n't get an answer from the seller . web site domains that he has purchased , some of which are now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars , will expire , and you may never know . it 's a scenario that 's becoming more likely as we spend more of our lives online . and it 's raising more questions about what happens to our online lives after we log off for the final time . the answer , until recently , was nothing . but now , as online usage increases and social-media sites soar in popularity , more companies are popping up to try and fill that void created in your digital life after death . jeremy toeman , founder of the site legacy locker , recognized that when he was on a plane and wondered what would happen to his online life if it crashed . while his will leaves everything to his wife , including all of his digital assets , toeman realized how difficult it would be for her to access his accounts . my godaddy account would belong to her , but it does n't solve the practical reality of how she would get access to it , ' he said . he experienced a similar scenario after his grandmother died , and he tried to get the password for her e-mail account -- only to give up because of the hassle . so toeman built his company to change all that . legacy locker allows users to set up a kind of online will , with beneficiaries that would receive the customer 's account information and passwords after they die . we know it 's a hard thing to think about -- to get people to face mortality . we know it 's kind of morbid , but for those who live their entire lives online , it 's also very real . ' a legacy locker account costs $ 29.99 a year . users can set up their accounts at www.legacylocker.com to specify who gets access to their posthumous online information , along with legacy letters , ' or messages , that can be sent to loved ones . if someone contacts legacy locker to report a client 's death , the service will send the customer four e-mails in 48 hours . if there 's no response , legacy locker will then contact the people the client listed as verifiers in the event of his or her death . even then , the service would not release digital assets without examining a copy of the customer 's death certificate , toeman said . eddie lopez is the kind of tech-savvy guy for which a service such as legacy locker was made . the st. paul , minnesota , man has three online banking accounts , a paypal account , domain names , web-hosting accounts , multiple e-mail addresses and many social-networking accounts . i do think this is something people should be really considering these days , ' lopez told cnn when asked about services such as legacy locker . he wants to hire a service to handle his digital assets but is concerned about privacy . although i 'm glad there 's people breaking ground in this area , i do n't think i would jump at the first opportunity to sign up , ' lopez said . my concerns are turning over such an exhaustive list of user names and passwords to a single business . that 's one-stop shopping for any hacker to get access to just about every detail of my life . ' lopez would prefer to entrust half of his digital-security information to a service such as legacy locker and the other half to family members , so that each side 's information would be useless without the other 's . i hope legacy locker and similar services can address these privacy-security concerns with some real-world solutions , ' he said . i just do n't feel comfortable turning over my digital life -- built over 15 years -- to a kind promise . ' legacy locker is n't the only new company helping techies plan for death in the digital age . assetlock ( formerly youdeparted.com ) offers a secure safe deposit box ' for digital copies of documents , wishes , letters and e-mails . deathswitch and slightly morbid also offer similar services in a variety of prices and packages , depending on how many accounts are involved . not all of these services deal with online assets . there 's also a growing trend towards giving all aspects of death -- the grieving process , the funeral , the memorial and even the grave site -- a digital makeover . findagrave.com claims to have cemetery records for 32 million people in its searchable database , while eternalspace.com offers a new spin on the traditional grave site by offering virtual memorial pages full of videos , pictures and tributes . on eternal space , loved ones can choose from different headstones and bucolic landscape backgrounds -- the mountain lake is a popular option -- to create a customized online grave site . loved ones can add tribute gifts ' such as roses , candles , stuffed animals and other items , while mourners can access photos and videos in a memory book ' and leave remembrances of their own . jay goss , president of eternal space president , is trying to bring the funeral experience to anyone who can access the web . in that way , he hopes to provide a gathering place , and a voice , for mourners who may not be able to attend the real-life memorial service . it 'd be the equivalent of a funeral where everyone can attend and everyone can spend 30 minutes behind the podium , ' goss said . it gives everyone a chance to put a 360-degree wrapper on the life the person lived and celebrate that life from how every person knew them . ' eternal space 's virtual memorial sites are currently only being offered through select funeral homes , cemeteries and crematoriums . goss'hope is that the site will help allow the deceased 's memory to be eternally ' passed on . all of these stories and videos are being left , in essence , to this eternal space web site so that everyone can share , not just that day , not the days after , but the weeks after and years after , ' he said . some funeral-industry professionals believe these online memorials and virtual grave sites provide a valuable service . assuming the site is handled with respect , virtual memorials respond to a basic human need to remember our deceased family , friends and colleagues , ' said robert m. fells , general counsel for the international cemetery , cremation and funeral association . based on our members'feedback , i 'd have to say that virtual memorial sites are gaining popularity with the public as a very practical alternative to being present at the grave site , ' he added . there 's nothing'weird'about them as far as we have seen . ' there are funeral homes out there that will help families create virtual memorials , but ... we 've also seen facebook and myspace profiles of deceased persons being turned into memorials , ' agreed jessica koth , spokesperson for the national funeral directors association . consumers have become increasingly comfortable with expressing their grief online . ' while not a replacement for a funeral , online memorialization can help people work through their grief after the funeral , ' she added . we 've all become accustomed to communicating and expressing ourselves electronically -- via e-mail , facebook , twitter . expressing one 's grief online is an outgrowth of what 's happening in other areas of our lives . ' cnn.com 's brandon griggs contributed to this story .	legacy locker allows users to set up a kind of online will , with beneficiaries
nigeria <tsp> kano , nigeria ( cnn ) boko haram militants have killed scores in a series of raids on dozens of villages in northeast nigeria 's adamawa state , continuing its violent campaign of terror in the african nation , a lawmaker said . for two weeks , boko haram gunmen have sacked dozens of villages in michika district , close to the border with cameroon , slaughtering male residents and abducting others , said adamu kamale , a lawmaker representing michika district in the adamawa state house of assembly . they move house to house , killing people -- including the old , abducting women , and children and burning homes , ' ‎kamale said tuesday . he said villages are littered with bodies , and there is no one to bury them because residents have fled -- thousands of them , heading off into the mountains or across the border into cameroon -- to escape the onslaught . they slaughter people like animals , ' he said . ‎ ' now , 70 % of the people in the district have been dislodged from the homes . some of them have run into the mountains , while others have crossed into cameroon or fled to yola , ' the capital of adamawa state , kamale said . the villagers'ordeal is horrific but , sadly , nothing new for boko haram . the terrorist group , its name translating as western education is sin , ' has been a force in nigeria for years . it tries to use religion to justify its actions , which are aimed at imposing its strict version of of sharia law in nigeria , which is split between a majority muslim north and a mostly christian south . boko haram has intensified its attacks in recent years , standing defiant against the nigerian military . and it has n't gone after only government troops or officials , with civilians often becoming victims . the group has been tied to a spate of assassinations , market bombings , attacks on churches and unaffiliated mosques and raids of villages , including those earlier this month in michika district . mass kidnappings have also been part of its playbook , most notoriously the taking of more than 200 schoolgirls from chibok last april . boys and young men have been abducted as well , including 40 between the ages of 10 and 23 reportedly taken captive on new year 's eve in borno state , and 97 others kidnapped in and around the village of doron baga in august . and whether or not they were former captives , boko haram may be boasting about its use of child soldiers in its fight . an organization calling itself boko haram 's official mouthpiece this week even promoted an alleged military training camp for children on its twitter feed , posting images of children in formation holding ak-47 weapons . while cnn can not independently verify the authenticity of the photos , intelligence sources said the images appear to be real and are consistent with the islamist extremist group 's strategy of forcibly recruiting and training children . and the u.s. state department lent credibility to the report by tweeting a photo of the young , heavily armed children along with these words : amid its massacres of innocents , boko haram running training camps for child soldiers . ' the release of these photos and the new twitter account appear to coincide with an ever-more sophisticated media strategy on the part of boko haram . the change in tactics appears to emulate isis , even down to the use of islamic chants , or nasheeds . last week , a video was posted on the same account purporting to be an interview with boko haram 's spokesman . both the interviewer and the subject were masked and the production values were far more sophisticated than anything the terror group has published before . boko haram 's campaign has left thousands of nigerians in danger -- in some cases with the central government and others seemingly unable to help . the latest bloodshed began in michika township , which boko haram took over in september and declared to be part of its caliphate . the insurgents then moved into villages including murva , bororo , ghumci , garta-kasa , kamale , boka , futu and kwabaride‎ . humanitarian workers have been unable to reach residents who fled into the mountains , said mohammed kanar , head of the national emergency management agency for northeast nigeria . we are aware there are people trapped in the mountains but they are inaccessible . the security situation is a challenge in reaching them and offering them humanitarian assistance , ' kanar said . kamale said the military has not responded to complaints that he and other community leaders lodged , calling for its intervention . sometimes we alert the military when they are advancing on villages before they attack , but no action is taken to stop them , ' he said . these insurgents have been killing with impunity . when they attack a village , they will sleep there for the night after the slaughter and move on the next morning , ' the lawmaker said . there has been no reaction from the military to kamale 's specific allegation . amnesty international on wednesday leveled a similar accusation , saying it had evidence that the nigerian military was warned repeatedly about impending boko haram attacks on civilians late last year on bogo and monguno . these attacks are an urgent wake-up call for the nigerian leadership , the african union and the international community , ' said amnesty 's netsanet belay . it is essential to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians in northeast nigeria from boko haram 's continued onslaught . ' the nigerian defense ministry responded by calling the allegation misleading , ' saying that amnesty 's use of these unfortunate activities of terrorists to find fault with the counterterrorism operations , as usual , is inaccurate and unfair . ' the defense ministry said its forces have enhanced their intelligence abilities , troop deployment and coordination , and logistics capabilities . in actual fact , the protection of civilian populations is the essence of the entire counterterrorism operation , ' the ministry said . ... indeed , the troops were prepared and duly engaged the terrorists in all the instances referred to by amnesty international . ' journalist aminu abubakar reported from nigeria , and cnn 's greg botelho wrote this report from atlanta . cnn 's nana karikari-apau contributed to this report .	lawmaker : bodies litter villages in northeast nigeria , thousands more flee
nigeria <tsp> kano , nigeria ( cnn ) boko haram militants have killed scores in a series of raids on dozens of villages in northeast nigeria 's adamawa state , continuing its violent campaign of terror in the african nation , a lawmaker said . for two weeks , boko haram gunmen have sacked dozens of villages in michika district , close to the border with cameroon , slaughtering male residents and abducting others , said adamu kamale , a lawmaker representing michika district in the adamawa state house of assembly . they move house to house , killing people -- including the old , abducting women , and children and burning homes , ' ‎kamale said tuesday . he said villages are littered with bodies , and there is no one to bury them because residents have fled -- thousands of them , heading off into the mountains or across the border into cameroon -- to escape the onslaught . they slaughter people like animals , ' he said . ‎ ' now , 70 % of the people in the district have been dislodged from the homes . some of them have run into the mountains , while others have crossed into cameroon or fled to yola , ' the capital of adamawa state , kamale said . the villagers'ordeal is horrific but , sadly , nothing new for boko haram . the terrorist group , its name translating as western education is sin , ' has been a force in nigeria for years . it tries to use religion to justify its actions , which are aimed at imposing its strict version of of sharia law in nigeria , which is split between a majority muslim north and a mostly christian south . boko haram has intensified its attacks in recent years , standing defiant against the nigerian military . and it has n't gone after only government troops or officials , with civilians often becoming victims . the group has been tied to a spate of assassinations , market bombings , attacks on churches and unaffiliated mosques and raids of villages , including those earlier this month in michika district . mass kidnappings have also been part of its playbook , most notoriously the taking of more than 200 schoolgirls from chibok last april . boys and young men have been abducted as well , including 40 between the ages of 10 and 23 reportedly taken captive on new year 's eve in borno state , and 97 others kidnapped in and around the village of doron baga in august . and whether or not they were former captives , boko haram may be boasting about its use of child soldiers in its fight . an organization calling itself boko haram 's official mouthpiece this week even promoted an alleged military training camp for children on its twitter feed , posting images of children in formation holding ak-47 weapons . while cnn can not independently verify the authenticity of the photos , intelligence sources said the images appear to be real and are consistent with the islamist extremist group 's strategy of forcibly recruiting and training children . and the u.s. state department lent credibility to the report by tweeting a photo of the young , heavily armed children along with these words : amid its massacres of innocents , boko haram running training camps for child soldiers . ' the release of these photos and the new twitter account appear to coincide with an ever-more sophisticated media strategy on the part of boko haram . the change in tactics appears to emulate isis , even down to the use of islamic chants , or nasheeds . last week , a video was posted on the same account purporting to be an interview with boko haram 's spokesman . both the interviewer and the subject were masked and the production values were far more sophisticated than anything the terror group has published before . boko haram 's campaign has left thousands of nigerians in danger -- in some cases with the central government and others seemingly unable to help . the latest bloodshed began in michika township , which boko haram took over in september and declared to be part of its caliphate . the insurgents then moved into villages including murva , bororo , ghumci , garta-kasa , kamale , boka , futu and kwabaride‎ . humanitarian workers have been unable to reach residents who fled into the mountains , said mohammed kanar , head of the national emergency management agency for northeast nigeria . we are aware there are people trapped in the mountains but they are inaccessible . the security situation is a challenge in reaching them and offering them humanitarian assistance , ' kanar said . kamale said the military has not responded to complaints that he and other community leaders lodged , calling for its intervention . sometimes we alert the military when they are advancing on villages before they attack , but no action is taken to stop them , ' he said . these insurgents have been killing with impunity . when they attack a village , they will sleep there for the night after the slaughter and move on the next morning , ' the lawmaker said . there has been no reaction from the military to kamale 's specific allegation . amnesty international on wednesday leveled a similar accusation , saying it had evidence that the nigerian military was warned repeatedly about impending boko haram attacks on civilians late last year on bogo and monguno . these attacks are an urgent wake-up call for the nigerian leadership , the african union and the international community , ' said amnesty 's netsanet belay . it is essential to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians in northeast nigeria from boko haram 's continued onslaught . ' the nigerian defense ministry responded by calling the allegation misleading , ' saying that amnesty 's use of these unfortunate activities of terrorists to find fault with the counterterrorism operations , as usual , is inaccurate and unfair . ' the defense ministry said its forces have enhanced their intelligence abilities , troop deployment and coordination , and logistics capabilities . in actual fact , the protection of civilian populations is the essence of the entire counterterrorism operation , ' the ministry said . ... indeed , the troops were prepared and duly engaged the terrorists in all the instances referred to by amnesty international . ' journalist aminu abubakar reported from nigeria , and cnn 's greg botelho wrote this report from atlanta . cnn 's nana karikari-apau contributed to this report .	amnesty accuses nigeria 's military of ignoring warning ; nigeria disputes allegation
cnn student news roll call <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- september 12 , 2014 this friday , cnn student news discusses an upcoming independence vote in scotland , the dangers of opiates , and the difficulty of containing a deadly virus in west africa . we also feature a character study about a woman who dedicated her life to both hearing and helping lions roar . on this page you will find today 's show transcript and a place for you to request to be on the cnn student news roll call . transcript 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 . weekly newsquiz click here for a printable version of the weekly newsquiz ( pdf ) . 1 . on what issue did president obama postpone a planned executive order until after the midterm elections ? 2 . on what river would you find the haditha dam , where u.s. airstrikes assisted iraqi forces in battling terrorists sunday ? 3 . in which u.s. state would you find lake oroville , which has been virtually dried up by drought ? 4 . hamas is the militant group that controls what palestinian territory ? 5 . in what ocean have officials launched a revised search for the missing malaysia airlines flight mh370 ? 6 . what nfl running back was suspended indefinitely after video surfaced showing him assaulting his then-fiancee ? 7 . in the first-ever telephone call , who said he wanted to see mr. watson ? 8 . in what u.s. national park would you find half dome ? 9. who wrote the poem the star-spangled banner ' during the battle of baltimore 200 years ago ? 10 . what division of the united kingdom is scheduled to vote on whether it should become an independent nation ? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists who consider the common core state standards , national standards in different subject areas , and state standards when producing the show . roll call for a chance to be mentioned on the next cnn student news , comment on the bottom of this page with your school name , mascot , city and state . we will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call ! thank you for using cnn student news !	at the bottom of the page , comment for a chance to be mentioned on cnn student news . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call .
sunderland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jose mourinho suffered his first ever home defeat in the english premier league as chelsea slumped to a 2-1 loss to bottom side sunderland at stamford bridge on saturday . the portuguese manager 's remarkable 77-match unbeaten record which covers both his spells at the west london club was ended when former chelsea player fabio borini scored an 82nd-minute winner . the italian , who is currently on loan to sunderland from league leaders liverpool , slotted home from the penalty spot after cesar azpilicueta had been adjudged to have fouled jozy altidore by referee mike dean . the decision incensed chelsea assistant coach rui faria who angrily confronted dean before being sent to the stands . after squandering two points at manchester city in midweek , gus poyet 's side were n't about to make the same mistake twice and gamely held on for the win despite concerted pressure from the home side . the win is n't enough to lift sunderland off the foot of the table but it does move them to within one point of cardiff and fulham who each have 30 points and have played one game extra . earlier , samuel eto'o had put the blues ahead steering home neatly from a corner in the 12th minute before conor wickham scored his third goal in two matches six minutes later -- the 21-year-old firing home after goalkeeper mark schwarzer had spilled marcos alonso 's speculative shot . despite enjoying almost two thirds of possession , chelsea failed to find a way through sunderland 's defenses converting just one of their 31 scoring opportunities . the blues'third league defeat in six matches leaves them two points adrift of leaders liverpool who can move five points clear if they beat norwich city on sunday . mourinho has been insisting for some time that his team are not favorites for the title and now his pessimistic predictions are perhaps coming true . he was n't taking questions on that subject or any others following saturday 's loss , choosing instead to issue a brusque statement . i just want to say four things , and i 'm sorry , because if you make me ( answer ) more questions , i will repeat in exactly the same way , ' a dejected mourinho told sky sports . congratulations to my players , because they gave what they have and what they do n't have . congratulations to sunderland , because they won . congratulations to mike dean , because he made a fantastic performance . and congratulations to mike riley ( the man in charge of premier league referees ) , because what they did during the season was fantastic for the way the championship is going . so congratulations to all of them , and i have nothing more to say . i 'm sorry . ' when mourinho has prized his tongue out from his cheek he will have the task of getting his players ready for tuesday 's champions league semifinal first leg at atletico madrid . after that , there is the small matter of a league trip to liverpool next weekend . in the remaining premier league matches tottenham hotspur beat fulham 3-1 at white hart lane . back-to-back wins in their last two matches had given the cottagers hope of avoiding the drop but saturday 's defeat keeps them second-from-bottom , two points from safety with only three games remaining . spurs , meanwhile , remain sixth with 63 points from 35 games . fellow strugglers cardiff city drew 1-1 with stoke city to move up to 18th in the table while aston villa and southampton played out a goalless draw . crystal palace beat west ham united 1-0 at upton park to record a fifth straight win while swansea city beat newcastle united 2-1 at st james'park . arsenal are away to hull and everton take on david moyes'manchester united at goodison park on sunday . psg lift french league cup paris saint-germain won the french league cup for a fourth time defeating lyon 2-1 at the stade de france on saturday night . two first-half goals from edinson cavani -- one from open play in the fourth minute , the other a 32nd-minute penalty -- handed the ligue 1 leaders the advantage before alexandre lacazette 56th-minute goal halved the deficit . laurent blanc 's side held on against the side they lost to in the league last weekend to clinch what will likely be a cup and league double -- psg are currently 10 points clear of monaco in ligue 1 with five games remaining . over in germany , bayern munich warmed up for their champions league semifinal first leg match against real madrid with a 2-0 win against bottom-of-the-table braunschweig . pep guardiola 's side , who have already been crowned bundesliga champions , bounced back from back-to-back league defeats with late goals from claudio pizarro and mario mandzukic . borussia dortmund consolidated second place with a 4-2 win over mainz . schalke can move back to within three points of jurgen klopp 's side , who now have 64 points from 31 games , with a win away at stuttgart on sunday . elsewhere there were also wins for wolfsburg , frieburg and werder bremen . the match between augsburg and hertha berlin ended 0-0 . in italy , juventus remain on course for third successive serie a title after a 1-0 against relegation-threatened bologna kept antonio conte 's side eight points clear of second-place roma . rudi garcia 's men kept their slim chances of overhauling juve alive with a 1-0 at fourth-place fiorentina while third place napoli drew 1-1 at udinese . at the foot of the table , catania kept their feint hopes of avoiding relegation alive with a 2-1 win against sampdoria . victory moves them to within two points of livorno who lost 3-0 to ac milan . the win lifts the rossoneri to seventh , level on points with sixth-placed parma who lost 2-0 to inter . three matches were played in spain on saturday . real sociedad moved up to sixth with a 2-1 against espanyol while the games between osasuna and valencia and levante 's match with getafe ended in draws . barcelona return to league action on sunday against athletic bilbao after losing 2-1 to arch rivals real madrid in the copa del rey on wednesday . atletico madrid extended their lead at the top of la liga to six points with a 2-0 win over elche on friday . read more : miranda and costa fire atletico to victory	sunderland remain bottom of table but move to within one point of nearest rivals
sunderland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jose mourinho suffered his first ever home defeat in the english premier league as chelsea slumped to a 2-1 loss to bottom side sunderland at stamford bridge on saturday . the portuguese manager 's remarkable 77-match unbeaten record which covers both his spells at the west london club was ended when former chelsea player fabio borini scored an 82nd-minute winner . the italian , who is currently on loan to sunderland from league leaders liverpool , slotted home from the penalty spot after cesar azpilicueta had been adjudged to have fouled jozy altidore by referee mike dean . the decision incensed chelsea assistant coach rui faria who angrily confronted dean before being sent to the stands . after squandering two points at manchester city in midweek , gus poyet 's side were n't about to make the same mistake twice and gamely held on for the win despite concerted pressure from the home side . the win is n't enough to lift sunderland off the foot of the table but it does move them to within one point of cardiff and fulham who each have 30 points and have played one game extra . earlier , samuel eto'o had put the blues ahead steering home neatly from a corner in the 12th minute before conor wickham scored his third goal in two matches six minutes later -- the 21-year-old firing home after goalkeeper mark schwarzer had spilled marcos alonso 's speculative shot . despite enjoying almost two thirds of possession , chelsea failed to find a way through sunderland 's defenses converting just one of their 31 scoring opportunities . the blues'third league defeat in six matches leaves them two points adrift of leaders liverpool who can move five points clear if they beat norwich city on sunday . mourinho has been insisting for some time that his team are not favorites for the title and now his pessimistic predictions are perhaps coming true . he was n't taking questions on that subject or any others following saturday 's loss , choosing instead to issue a brusque statement . i just want to say four things , and i 'm sorry , because if you make me ( answer ) more questions , i will repeat in exactly the same way , ' a dejected mourinho told sky sports . congratulations to my players , because they gave what they have and what they do n't have . congratulations to sunderland , because they won . congratulations to mike dean , because he made a fantastic performance . and congratulations to mike riley ( the man in charge of premier league referees ) , because what they did during the season was fantastic for the way the championship is going . so congratulations to all of them , and i have nothing more to say . i 'm sorry . ' when mourinho has prized his tongue out from his cheek he will have the task of getting his players ready for tuesday 's champions league semifinal first leg at atletico madrid . after that , there is the small matter of a league trip to liverpool next weekend . in the remaining premier league matches tottenham hotspur beat fulham 3-1 at white hart lane . back-to-back wins in their last two matches had given the cottagers hope of avoiding the drop but saturday 's defeat keeps them second-from-bottom , two points from safety with only three games remaining . spurs , meanwhile , remain sixth with 63 points from 35 games . fellow strugglers cardiff city drew 1-1 with stoke city to move up to 18th in the table while aston villa and southampton played out a goalless draw . crystal palace beat west ham united 1-0 at upton park to record a fifth straight win while swansea city beat newcastle united 2-1 at st james'park . arsenal are away to hull and everton take on david moyes'manchester united at goodison park on sunday . psg lift french league cup paris saint-germain won the french league cup for a fourth time defeating lyon 2-1 at the stade de france on saturday night . two first-half goals from edinson cavani -- one from open play in the fourth minute , the other a 32nd-minute penalty -- handed the ligue 1 leaders the advantage before alexandre lacazette 56th-minute goal halved the deficit . laurent blanc 's side held on against the side they lost to in the league last weekend to clinch what will likely be a cup and league double -- psg are currently 10 points clear of monaco in ligue 1 with five games remaining . over in germany , bayern munich warmed up for their champions league semifinal first leg match against real madrid with a 2-0 win against bottom-of-the-table braunschweig . pep guardiola 's side , who have already been crowned bundesliga champions , bounced back from back-to-back league defeats with late goals from claudio pizarro and mario mandzukic . borussia dortmund consolidated second place with a 4-2 win over mainz . schalke can move back to within three points of jurgen klopp 's side , who now have 64 points from 31 games , with a win away at stuttgart on sunday . elsewhere there were also wins for wolfsburg , frieburg and werder bremen . the match between augsburg and hertha berlin ended 0-0 . in italy , juventus remain on course for third successive serie a title after a 1-0 against relegation-threatened bologna kept antonio conte 's side eight points clear of second-place roma . rudi garcia 's men kept their slim chances of overhauling juve alive with a 1-0 at fourth-place fiorentina while third place napoli drew 1-1 at udinese . at the foot of the table , catania kept their feint hopes of avoiding relegation alive with a 2-1 win against sampdoria . victory moves them to within two points of livorno who lost 3-0 to ac milan . the win lifts the rossoneri to seventh , level on points with sixth-placed parma who lost 2-0 to inter . three matches were played in spain on saturday . real sociedad moved up to sixth with a 2-1 against espanyol while the games between osasuna and valencia and levante 's match with getafe ended in draws . barcelona return to league action on sunday against athletic bilbao after losing 2-1 to arch rivals real madrid in the copa del rey on wednesday . atletico madrid extended their lead at the top of la liga to six points with a 2-0 win over elche on friday . read more : miranda and costa fire atletico to victory	chelsea lose 2-1 to sunderland at stamford bridge
chelsea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jose mourinho suffered his first ever home defeat in the english premier league as chelsea slumped to a 2-1 loss to bottom side sunderland at stamford bridge on saturday . the portuguese manager 's remarkable 77-match unbeaten record which covers both his spells at the west london club was ended when former chelsea player fabio borini scored an 82nd-minute winner . the italian , who is currently on loan to sunderland from league leaders liverpool , slotted home from the penalty spot after cesar azpilicueta had been adjudged to have fouled jozy altidore by referee mike dean . the decision incensed chelsea assistant coach rui faria who angrily confronted dean before being sent to the stands . after squandering two points at manchester city in midweek , gus poyet 's side were n't about to make the same mistake twice and gamely held on for the win despite concerted pressure from the home side . the win is n't enough to lift sunderland off the foot of the table but it does move them to within one point of cardiff and fulham who each have 30 points and have played one game extra . earlier , samuel eto'o had put the blues ahead steering home neatly from a corner in the 12th minute before conor wickham scored his third goal in two matches six minutes later -- the 21-year-old firing home after goalkeeper mark schwarzer had spilled marcos alonso 's speculative shot . despite enjoying almost two thirds of possession , chelsea failed to find a way through sunderland 's defenses converting just one of their 31 scoring opportunities . the blues'third league defeat in six matches leaves them two points adrift of leaders liverpool who can move five points clear if they beat norwich city on sunday . mourinho has been insisting for some time that his team are not favorites for the title and now his pessimistic predictions are perhaps coming true . he was n't taking questions on that subject or any others following saturday 's loss , choosing instead to issue a brusque statement . i just want to say four things , and i 'm sorry , because if you make me ( answer ) more questions , i will repeat in exactly the same way , ' a dejected mourinho told sky sports . congratulations to my players , because they gave what they have and what they do n't have . congratulations to sunderland , because they won . congratulations to mike dean , because he made a fantastic performance . and congratulations to mike riley ( the man in charge of premier league referees ) , because what they did during the season was fantastic for the way the championship is going . so congratulations to all of them , and i have nothing more to say . i 'm sorry . ' when mourinho has prized his tongue out from his cheek he will have the task of getting his players ready for tuesday 's champions league semifinal first leg at atletico madrid . after that , there is the small matter of a league trip to liverpool next weekend . in the remaining premier league matches tottenham hotspur beat fulham 3-1 at white hart lane . back-to-back wins in their last two matches had given the cottagers hope of avoiding the drop but saturday 's defeat keeps them second-from-bottom , two points from safety with only three games remaining . spurs , meanwhile , remain sixth with 63 points from 35 games . fellow strugglers cardiff city drew 1-1 with stoke city to move up to 18th in the table while aston villa and southampton played out a goalless draw . crystal palace beat west ham united 1-0 at upton park to record a fifth straight win while swansea city beat newcastle united 2-1 at st james'park . arsenal are away to hull and everton take on david moyes'manchester united at goodison park on sunday . psg lift french league cup paris saint-germain won the french league cup for a fourth time defeating lyon 2-1 at the stade de france on saturday night . two first-half goals from edinson cavani -- one from open play in the fourth minute , the other a 32nd-minute penalty -- handed the ligue 1 leaders the advantage before alexandre lacazette 56th-minute goal halved the deficit . laurent blanc 's side held on against the side they lost to in the league last weekend to clinch what will likely be a cup and league double -- psg are currently 10 points clear of monaco in ligue 1 with five games remaining . over in germany , bayern munich warmed up for their champions league semifinal first leg match against real madrid with a 2-0 win against bottom-of-the-table braunschweig . pep guardiola 's side , who have already been crowned bundesliga champions , bounced back from back-to-back league defeats with late goals from claudio pizarro and mario mandzukic . borussia dortmund consolidated second place with a 4-2 win over mainz . schalke can move back to within three points of jurgen klopp 's side , who now have 64 points from 31 games , with a win away at stuttgart on sunday . elsewhere there were also wins for wolfsburg , frieburg and werder bremen . the match between augsburg and hertha berlin ended 0-0 . in italy , juventus remain on course for third successive serie a title after a 1-0 against relegation-threatened bologna kept antonio conte 's side eight points clear of second-place roma . rudi garcia 's men kept their slim chances of overhauling juve alive with a 1-0 at fourth-place fiorentina while third place napoli drew 1-1 at udinese . at the foot of the table , catania kept their feint hopes of avoiding relegation alive with a 2-1 win against sampdoria . victory moves them to within two points of livorno who lost 3-0 to ac milan . the win lifts the rossoneri to seventh , level on points with sixth-placed parma who lost 2-0 to inter . three matches were played in spain on saturday . real sociedad moved up to sixth with a 2-1 against espanyol while the games between osasuna and valencia and levante 's match with getafe ended in draws . barcelona return to league action on sunday against athletic bilbao after losing 2-1 to arch rivals real madrid in the copa del rey on wednesday . atletico madrid extended their lead at the top of la liga to six points with a 2-0 win over elche on friday . read more : miranda and costa fire atletico to victory	chelsea lose 2-1 to sunderland at stamford bridge
nba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he was an outstanding talent who never made it in the nba , before he established himself as one of the most famous american players in european basketball history . but basketball is just one of the many talents in darryl middleton 's locker . he 's a co-owner of a spanish restaurant where he also cooks . middleton has come a long way since he had a dream of becoming a u.s. basketball star . as he puts it : everybody wants to go to the nba . ' in 1988 , drafted in the third round by the atlanta hawks with the 68th overall pick , middleton appeared to have the world at his feet . but those feet could not dance their way past his new teammates -- the way was blocked . i knew it would be difficult because the team that drafted me had too many good players , ' middleton told cnn 's human to hero series . nicknamed'future' so middleton packed his bags , left the u.s. and headed for turkey to begin a 25-year odyssey where he would change clubs 15 times and play in five different countries . one of the most successful americans to ever play in europe , he was the mvp in the spanish league in 1992 , 1993 and 2000 and won the euroleague with greek side panathinaikos in 2002 . not bad for a man who did n't pick up a basketball until the age of 15 . when i first started i was playing as if i had two left feet , ' he said . i had to learn because everyone else my age was already playing . i would stand on the side and dribble the ball by myself while everybody else was dunking and jumping . it was embarrassing . ' that embarrassment was the driving force behind middleton 's determination to succeed . instead of moping on the sideline , he began an intensive program of training to help propel him towards the top of the roster . he started to tape nba games and take notes on the way players moved , which foot they jumped off and then tried to replicate those steps in training . each day he would get up and go to the park in the summer and play in the morning or practice by himself , sometimes playing for five different teams around new york . his extra work did not go unnoticed . nicknamed'future'by his high school coach , who clearly believed his student had talent , middleton began to fulfill his promise . uzi machine guns he won a scholarship to baylor university and his draft to the hawks followed almost expectantly -- but that 's where it all began to unravel and he headed to europe . forget that he could n't even pronounce the names of half the teams his agent was suggesting -- he boarded a plane for turkey to embark on an adventure he 's still living . middleton readily admits he did n't know that they even played basketball in turkey , and when he touched down to be greeted by armed guards wielding uzi machine guns , he realized that he was entering a very different world . not that it seemed to bother him on the court . playing in mersin , a large city and a port on the mediterranean coast of southern turkey , he was voted mvp in 1988 and began to enjoy life after adapting to life away from home . i had never left the states and being in turkey at that time was strange , ' said middleton . the people was good to me but still , i was away from home , the food was different , they spoke another language , and i did n't know what they were saying . the coach helped me a lot . he took care of me , treated me like family and that helped . normally that does n't happen in new york -- the coaches just bring you into the team and you 're on your own . ' mersin was the first stop on a tour which would take in italy , spain , greece and russia . it was in greece with panathinaikos where middleton won the euroleague in 2002 on top of four greek league titles and two domestic cups . master chef further success followed in spain with girona where he won the fiba eurocup in 2007 some 12 years after helping fc barcelona win two league titles . voted mvp in the spanish league three times during his career , it 's no real surprise that middleton chose to remain in europe than return to the u.s . he considers himself european , speaks spanish and while he continues to play at the age of 47 , he has turned his hand to a new love of his -- cooking . middleton co-owns a restaurant in alicante on the mediterranean coast , where he produces some impressive tasting cuisine . he can make a mean dessert and his big hands so used to the shape of a ball have become more delicate in their approach to rolling cannelloni . it was only when he arrived in barcelona in the 1990s that he discovered he was just as capable of creating souffles as the was netting three-pointers . my plan was never to be a chef or to cook but you need something else , you need a hobby , ' he said . that was a good hobby for me . i love to cook , i always cooked for my players . i go home to the u.s. and cook all the time so i ended up just loving it . every year , i go back to cookery school whenever i can and just try different things . i 'm at the restaurant 10 hours a day and it 's good to see people come , eat something and love it . that 's a good feeling . it 's like basketball -- people come to the game , you play , you do well and then after that , they congratulate you . it 's kind of the same . putting a smile on someone 's face . ' hoop mentor now 47 , middleton knows he wo n't be putting smiles on people 's faces for much longer with a basketball . after an adventure which began in turkey over two decade ago , he is more likely to be found perfecting his apple pie or cheesecake rather than shooting hoops . not that he 's retired -- not yet . he still trains three days a week with benidorm , a team which plays outside of the top league . now he finds himself giving advice to the next generation , just as he did with marc gasol , a former teammate who plays for memphis grizzlies in the nba . voted an nba all-star in 2012 and awarded the best defensive player of the year gong in 2013 , gasol first met middleton at girona . when marc first came to play with us he was overweight , ' jokes middleton . but he definitely had something . he came to our team in girona and i liked him . he worked hard every day and i worked with him . i beat him up every day , sometimes i hit him . he was about to fight me because i just love competing . i love to make a guy get better and better and marc was of those players i helped . i was very proud of him when he want to the nba - he 's one of the best centers there . ' while gasol has gone on to establish himself as one of basketball 's biggest names in the u.s. middleton has no desire to return across the atlantic . now a'grandpa'figure to those he plays with , he is happy to spend the rest of his time by the tranquil waters of the mediterranean while basking in the spanish sun . this is a great life , ' he says . the food is great , the food in the states , i 'm not too much crazy for anymore . i do n't eat fried foods or fast foods . i 'm more european now - even the way i dress or talk . i just love it here . ' raise a glass of rioja -- this is one odyssey which wo n't be ending any time soon .	darryl middleton is one of the usa 's most successful basketball players outside the nba
nba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- he was an outstanding talent who never made it in the nba , before he established himself as one of the most famous american players in european basketball history . but basketball is just one of the many talents in darryl middleton 's locker . he 's a co-owner of a spanish restaurant where he also cooks . middleton has come a long way since he had a dream of becoming a u.s. basketball star . as he puts it : everybody wants to go to the nba . ' in 1988 , drafted in the third round by the atlanta hawks with the 68th overall pick , middleton appeared to have the world at his feet . but those feet could not dance their way past his new teammates -- the way was blocked . i knew it would be difficult because the team that drafted me had too many good players , ' middleton told cnn 's human to hero series . nicknamed'future' so middleton packed his bags , left the u.s. and headed for turkey to begin a 25-year odyssey where he would change clubs 15 times and play in five different countries . one of the most successful americans to ever play in europe , he was the mvp in the spanish league in 1992 , 1993 and 2000 and won the euroleague with greek side panathinaikos in 2002 . not bad for a man who did n't pick up a basketball until the age of 15 . when i first started i was playing as if i had two left feet , ' he said . i had to learn because everyone else my age was already playing . i would stand on the side and dribble the ball by myself while everybody else was dunking and jumping . it was embarrassing . ' that embarrassment was the driving force behind middleton 's determination to succeed . instead of moping on the sideline , he began an intensive program of training to help propel him towards the top of the roster . he started to tape nba games and take notes on the way players moved , which foot they jumped off and then tried to replicate those steps in training . each day he would get up and go to the park in the summer and play in the morning or practice by himself , sometimes playing for five different teams around new york . his extra work did not go unnoticed . nicknamed'future'by his high school coach , who clearly believed his student had talent , middleton began to fulfill his promise . uzi machine guns he won a scholarship to baylor university and his draft to the hawks followed almost expectantly -- but that 's where it all began to unravel and he headed to europe . forget that he could n't even pronounce the names of half the teams his agent was suggesting -- he boarded a plane for turkey to embark on an adventure he 's still living . middleton readily admits he did n't know that they even played basketball in turkey , and when he touched down to be greeted by armed guards wielding uzi machine guns , he realized that he was entering a very different world . not that it seemed to bother him on the court . playing in mersin , a large city and a port on the mediterranean coast of southern turkey , he was voted mvp in 1988 and began to enjoy life after adapting to life away from home . i had never left the states and being in turkey at that time was strange , ' said middleton . the people was good to me but still , i was away from home , the food was different , they spoke another language , and i did n't know what they were saying . the coach helped me a lot . he took care of me , treated me like family and that helped . normally that does n't happen in new york -- the coaches just bring you into the team and you 're on your own . ' mersin was the first stop on a tour which would take in italy , spain , greece and russia . it was in greece with panathinaikos where middleton won the euroleague in 2002 on top of four greek league titles and two domestic cups . master chef further success followed in spain with girona where he won the fiba eurocup in 2007 some 12 years after helping fc barcelona win two league titles . voted mvp in the spanish league three times during his career , it 's no real surprise that middleton chose to remain in europe than return to the u.s . he considers himself european , speaks spanish and while he continues to play at the age of 47 , he has turned his hand to a new love of his -- cooking . middleton co-owns a restaurant in alicante on the mediterranean coast , where he produces some impressive tasting cuisine . he can make a mean dessert and his big hands so used to the shape of a ball have become more delicate in their approach to rolling cannelloni . it was only when he arrived in barcelona in the 1990s that he discovered he was just as capable of creating souffles as the was netting three-pointers . my plan was never to be a chef or to cook but you need something else , you need a hobby , ' he said . that was a good hobby for me . i love to cook , i always cooked for my players . i go home to the u.s. and cook all the time so i ended up just loving it . every year , i go back to cookery school whenever i can and just try different things . i 'm at the restaurant 10 hours a day and it 's good to see people come , eat something and love it . that 's a good feeling . it 's like basketball -- people come to the game , you play , you do well and then after that , they congratulate you . it 's kind of the same . putting a smile on someone 's face . ' hoop mentor now 47 , middleton knows he wo n't be putting smiles on people 's faces for much longer with a basketball . after an adventure which began in turkey over two decade ago , he is more likely to be found perfecting his apple pie or cheesecake rather than shooting hoops . not that he 's retired -- not yet . he still trains three days a week with benidorm , a team which plays outside of the top league . now he finds himself giving advice to the next generation , just as he did with marc gasol , a former teammate who plays for memphis grizzlies in the nba . voted an nba all-star in 2012 and awarded the best defensive player of the year gong in 2013 , gasol first met middleton at girona . when marc first came to play with us he was overweight , ' jokes middleton . but he definitely had something . he came to our team in girona and i liked him . he worked hard every day and i worked with him . i beat him up every day , sometimes i hit him . he was about to fight me because i just love competing . i love to make a guy get better and better and marc was of those players i helped . i was very proud of him when he want to the nba - he 's one of the best centers there . ' while gasol has gone on to establish himself as one of basketball 's biggest names in the u.s. middleton has no desire to return across the atlantic . now a'grandpa'figure to those he plays with , he is happy to spend the rest of his time by the tranquil waters of the mediterranean while basking in the spanish sun . this is a great life , ' he says . the food is great , the food in the states , i 'm not too much crazy for anymore . i do n't eat fried foods or fast foods . i 'm more european now - even the way i dress or talk . i just love it here . ' raise a glass of rioja -- this is one odyssey which wo n't be ending any time soon .	helped marc gasol become one of the nba 's top stars
pakistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a five-year-old british boy who was kidnapped in pakistan earlier this month has been found safe and is back with his relatives , the british high commission said tuesday . sahil saeed was released at a school in the punjab province of pakistan , said assistant chief constable david thompson of the greater manchester police in england , near his parents'residence in oldham . from there , sahil wandered into a field and was found by residents who looked after him until police arrived , thompson said . regional pakistani police said sahil was found near the town of danga in punjab province , close to where he was abducted march 3 . sahil was in good condition , said aslam tareen , the head of the regional police . he is with members of family in pakistan and the pakistani police , and there is also contact from the british high commission , ' thompson said . he added that sahil had already spoken to his mother and father in england by telephone and that both parents were clearly relieved ' to speak to their son . the high commission issued a statement thanking police in jhelum , another town in the eastern province of punjab , for the boy 's return . this is fantastic news that brings to an end a traumatic ordeal faced by sahil and his family , ' said adam thomson , the british high commissioner to pakistan . police arrested some of the kidnappers , said rana sanaullah , the provincial law minister . sahil , a british citizen of pakistani descent , was on the last day of a two-week vacation in pakistan before he was to return home to oldham , in northern england . gunmen barged into sahil 's grandmother 's home in jhelum and took him . they reportedly demanded a ransom of 10 million rupees ( $ 118,000 ) . pakistan 's interior minister rehman malik had said the captors included someone close to the family . there is someone who is very close to the family because the way the situation happened , the way the entry was made , ' malik told reporters . but tareen said tuesday there is no evidence that any family member was involved . there was also no indication a ransom was paid , tareen said . sanaullah , the law minister , said the kidnappers were part of a ring that operated in and out of pakistan . he did not elaborate . thompson , of the greater manchester police , could not comment on the possibility of arrests in england . at this stage there are no inquiries that we 're carrying out in the uk that would lead me to contemplate that we 'd make an arrest in the near future , ' he said .	new : sahil saeed was released at a school in the punjab province of pakistan
spain <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- spain 's unemployment rate rose to 20.09 percent for the second quarter of 2010 , up from 20.05 percent from the previous quarter , spain 's national statistics institute said friday . it is the highest level in 13 years , and it comes despite a rise in seasonal jobs for the summer . the figure means 4.6 million people are jobless in spain . spain has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the european union , hovering near 20 percent for months . data released earlier this month by eurostat , the european statistics agency , showed the baltic countries of latvia and estonia with similar jobless rates . the eurostat figures , which were for may , showed overall unemployment in the 27-member european union was at 9.6 percent . cnn 's al goodman contributed to this report .	spain has had one of the highest jobless rates in europe
spain <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- spain 's unemployment rate rose to 20.09 percent for the second quarter of 2010 , up from 20.05 percent from the previous quarter , spain 's national statistics institute said friday . it is the highest level in 13 years , and it comes despite a rise in seasonal jobs for the summer . the figure means 4.6 million people are jobless in spain . spain has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the european union , hovering near 20 percent for months . data released earlier this month by eurostat , the european statistics agency , showed the baltic countries of latvia and estonia with similar jobless rates . the eurostat figures , which were for may , showed overall unemployment in the 27-member european union was at 9.6 percent . cnn 's al goodman contributed to this report .	4.6 million people are now jobless in spain
braley-ernst <tsp> vice president joe biden delivered a wonky , populist speech on monday in davenport where he endorsed bruce braley for senate and lambasted republicans for forgetting about the middle class . biden , who is known for being folksy and prides himself on relating to working class voters , attacked republicans for what he called attempts to roll back medicaid , privatize social security and stop any raise of the minimum wage . what are these guys , ' biden questioned at one point during the speech . this is a different breed , ' the vice president said of republicans . they are n't bad or good , they are just different . they are just really , really different . ' biden endorsed braley as the right choice for iowa voters and , at times , attacked republican joni ernst , braley 's opponent . biden , however , did n't refer to her by name , instead calling her bruce 's opponent . ' the vice president also nationalized the race , saying that , this election in iowa is more important than iowa . ' this election in iowa is about sending a message to the entire country and to our republican colleagues who know better , ' biden said . if bruce wins and i believe he will ... it is going to break the back of the hard right . ' biden has been a strong supporter for braley , both in this senate race and his previous races for congress . the senate hopeful said the vice president -- who is considering a run at president in 2016 -- has been in iowa so much that he does n't need a gps ' in the state , he just needs to know where he is going . ' the braley-ernst race has remained close throughout and looks like it will come down to the last eight days of campaigning . polls have each campaign within striking distance of one another , a fact that -- coupled with iowa being the crucial first-in-the-nation caucus state for the presidency -- has drawn out a number of big name democrats and republicans . republican sen. marco rubio will be in scott county on tuesday , while hillary clinton , who 's polling ahead of any other democrat considering a 2016 presidential bid , will visit davenport on wednesday . speaker of the house john boehner will also visit davenport on monday night , a fact that was not lost on the vice president . my friend , john boehner , and he is my friend , ' will be here later , biden said . i hope he talks about what the republicans are for . ' then biden turned to one camera on the riser next to him and acted like he was talking directly to boehner : talk about what the republicans are for john , it is your buddy joe . ' after the speech , which included rep. david loebsack , biden and braley shook hands with supporters as taylor swift 's shake it off ' played in the background . at one point , a women presented biden with her baby . the vice president showed surprise and chatted with the mother . when someone asked them to pose for a photo , the vice president obliged . after the photo , instead of kissing the baby -- which is an old political cliche -- biden turned to his right and laid a kiss on the woman 's temple .	the braley-ernst race is one of the closest races in 2014 's midterms
russian <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) russian opposition leader boris nemtsov was shot and killed friday night in central moscow , the investigative committee of the russian federation said in a statement saturday , prompting immediate speculation from fellow opposition figures that the killing was targeted . a deputy prime minister in the late 1990s under president boris yeltsin , nemtsov had been one of current president vladimir putin 's most vocal critics . putin quickly condemned the killing of nemtsov and expressed his condolences to his family , the kremlin said . putin also ordered three law enforcement agencies to put together a task force to investigate the shooting , russian news agency itar-tass reported . a criminal case has been opened for murder and weapons trafficking , the investigative committee said . nemtsov was a top official with the republican party of russia/party of people 's freedom , a liberal opposition group . he had most recently been critical of the kremlin 's handling of the ukraine crisis . opposition leader ilya yashin said his friend had been working on a report about russian troops and their involvement in ukraine . nemtsov 's death comes two days before a large opposition rally was set to take place in moscow . nemtsov had earlier friday done a radio interview putting out the call to people to turn out for the rally sunday . after his death , party leaders decided to hold a mourning march in downtown moscow , itar-tass reported . nemtsov was walking with a female friend just before midnight across a bridge that can be seen from the kremlin , when a car pulled up and someone opened fire . the area in the center city is normally busy on a friday night , though the weather was cold and wet . investigators were talking with his companion , a friend from ukraine who was n't wounded , early saturday . a cnn crew also observed white cars being pulled over by authorities near the scene of the shooting . putin said he suspected it was a contract hit meant to cause political discord , according to the president 's spokesman , dmitry peskov . a man like nemtsov had many enemies , experts said . nemtsov , 55 , had been arrested several times in the past for speaking against putin 's government . the most recent arrests were in 2011 when he protested the results of parliamentary elections and in 2012 when tens of thousands protested against putin . in a restaurant interview with cnn 's anthony bourdain last year he lamented the situation for business owners . this is a country of corruption . and if you have business , you are in a very unsafe situation . everybody can press you and destroy your business . that 's it , ' nemtsov said . in the same interview , he did offer a bit of optimism . this is my country . the russian people are in bit of trouble . russian court does n't work . russian education decline every year . i believe that russia has a chance to be free . has a chance . it 's difficult , but we must do it , ' he said . nemtsov was also a vocal critic of the 2014 winter olympics held in sochi . he published a report in 2013 describing the sochi games as one of the most outrageous swindles ' in recent russian history . he claimed that up to 60 % of the final cost -- or $ 30 billion -- had been embezzled . world chess champion-turned opposition activist garry kasparov tweeted extensively about nemtsov 's death . when we argued , boris would tell me i was too hasty , that in russia you had to live a long time to see change . now he 'll never see it . rip , ' he wrote in one . nemtsov 's lawyer vadim prokhorov told russian media that nemtsov 's life had been threatened on social media in recent weeks . but he did n't walk around with bodyguards , noted julia ioffe , a contributing writer to the new york times magazine who has covered russian politics extensively . it was a very overt message of bravery , ' ioffe told cnn 's ac360 . ' what we 've seen in return is a very overt message of fear . people in the opposition will not believe anything that comes out of the kremlin in terms of who did this . they perceive this as a message directly sent to them . when you see boris nemtsov 's body lying with the kremlin as a backdrop , they understand that 's a message directed to them . ' critics like yashin and kasparov pointed fingers in the direction of putin or a supporter of the russian president . it 's clearly a political murder . it 's definitely a contract one , ' yashin said . i do n't know who killed boris , but i know that it 's the government and personally putin who are responsible for it . they 've been constantly promoting a hatred towards everyone who does n't support their course and thinks different . ' it 's something even nemtsov himself had said he had thought about , acknowledging in an interview with russian newspaper sobesednik this month that he was a little bit ' afraid his mother 's fears putin would have him killed would come true . but , he added , i 'm not afraid of him that much . if i was afraid i would n't be heading an opposition party and do what i 'm doing . ' kasparov said the russian president is to blame even if not directly involved . if putin gave order to murder boris nemtsov is not the point . it is putin 's dictatorship . his 24/7 propaganda about enemies of the state , ' kasparov tweeted . in putin 's atmosphere of hatred & violence , abroad & in russia , bloodshed is the prerequisite to show loyalty , that you are on the team , ' he added . critics of putin have in the past suffered miserable circumstances and demises . last year , a moscow court sentenced five men to prison for the 2006 killing of russian journalist and fierce kremlin critic anna politkovskaya . oligarch mikhail khodorkovsky accused putin of corruption and wound up spending 10 years in prison and labor camps . russian spy alexander litvinenko accused state security services of organizing a coup to put putin in power . he was poisoned by a lethal dose of radioactive polonium and died in london in 2006 . no killer has been caught . it 's the latest in a series of high-profile killings of people who have been critics of authorities in russia over the last few years , ' said peter baker , the author of kremlin rising . we do n't know yet , of course , who did this or why , but it will certainly send a terrible message to people who are fighting this cause nemtsov has been fighting . ' but baker also said there might not be a political connection to the killing . in russia there 's always multiple layers , things we do n't see , ' he said . you ca n't rule out ( a reason we do n't know about ) . ' even if it was n't a political hit , it will still have strong political ramifications , he added . u.s. president barack obama called for an impartial investigation and praised the deceased leader . nemtsov was a tireless advocate for his country , seeking for his fellow russian citizens the rights to which all people are entitled . i admired nemtsov 's courageous dedication to the struggle against corruption in russia and appreciated his willingness to share his candid views with me when we met in moscow in 2009 , ' obama said in a written statement from the white house . ukrainian president petro poroshenko said saturday it is hard to believe ' that nemtsov was killed . i have no doubt that the murderers will be brought to justice . sooner or later . rest in peace , ' poroshenko said via twitter . baker , who also is a new york times reporter , told cnn that nemtsov used to be powerful but had been marginalized since putin was elected . he was a person who had been fierce in his criticism of putin . he 'd clearly gotten under putin 's skin on a number of occasions . a number of people had become his enemies , ' baker said . there 's a culture of suspicion and conspiracy in russia , so even if in fact this had nothing to do with authority , nothing to do with a power element , a good number of people in russia and around the world will find this suspicious . ' baker said nemtsov tried to work with putin 's regime at first but soon switched to the opposition . history will remember him as someone who took chances , who risked his life literally to speak out in a country where speaking out is not encouraged , to say he least , ' baker said . cnn 's frederik pleitgen and alla eshchenko reported from moscow . cnn 's steve almasy wrote and reported from atlanta . cnn 's gena somra , ralph ellis , alla eshchenko and jo shelley contributed to this report .	a mourning march will be held sunday in place of a planned opposition rally , russian media reports
uighur <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- chinese authorities have made a concerted effort to censor images and online accounts of a jeep that plowed into crowds in beijing 's tiananmen square , killing five and injuring 38 , amid suggestions police are looking for suspects from the restive western region of xinjiang . while the cause or motive for monday 's crash remains unclear , one manager at a five-star hotel in beijing , who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case , told cnn that the city 's hotels had received a notice from local police requesting assistance in the investigation of a major incident ' late on monday . it listed four people with names that suggested they belonged to the uighur ethnic group that comes from xinjiang province , where tensions between han chinese and the largely muslim uighurs have sometimes turned violent . the notice also listed four vehicles -- including two cars and a motorcycle -- with license plate numbers from xinjiang and asked hotels to keep a look out for suspicious guests that may have stayed in the capital from october 1 . a spokesman for the world uyghur congress , a diaspora group , said it was too early to blame uighurs and the group was concerned over the the lack of transparency surrounding the incident . every time something like this happens , authorities usually point fingers at uighurs , ' alim seytoff said . the notice should not be taken as the evidence of uighur involvement in the incident . ' willy lam , an adjunct professor at the chinese university of hong kong 's center for china studies , said the incident , taking place in china 's most important and sensitive public space , would be considered a major loss of face for beijing 's leadership , especially if it turned out to be related to uighur separatism . it was close to the zhongnanhai party headquarters and , in terms of timing , it 's on the eve of the plenary session of the chinese communist party so they do n't want these rumors and speculation , ' he said . according to eye witness reports i 've read online , the jeep was driving at people . it appears to be a deliberate attempt to create havoc and a number of casualties , ' he said . earlier this month , chinese police said they had arrested 139 people in xinjiang for spreading religious extremism online . the arrests came in the wake of riots that left 35 people dead . while a number of chinese media outlets reported monday 's incident , their accounts stuck to the bare-bones details published by the official xinhua news agency . no footage was shown on cctv , china 's state broadcaster , and the images that appeared immediately after the incident on weibo , china 's version of twitter , showing black smoke and a vehicle engulfed in flames , were largely deleted . searches combining the words tiananmen , terrorism and car crash were also blocked . cnn broadcasts about the incident were blacked out inside china . lam said chinese media outlets had likely received an official order to stick to xinhua 's version of events . however , the english-language global times , which is state-run but not regarded as an official mouthpiece , reported that police were looking for two suspects from xinjiang in connection with the jeep , which was described as light colored with xinjiang plates . of the five people killed , three were the vehicle 's driver and two passengers and the other two were tourists ; a woman from the philippines and a chinese man . authorities moved quickly to tackle the blaze and clear up the scene on monday . on tuesday , the square was back to normal . cnn 's david mckenzie and feng ke in beijing contributed to this report	new : uighur diaspora group says it 's too early to assign blame
beijing <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- chinese authorities have made a concerted effort to censor images and online accounts of a jeep that plowed into crowds in beijing 's tiananmen square , killing five and injuring 38 , amid suggestions police are looking for suspects from the restive western region of xinjiang . while the cause or motive for monday 's crash remains unclear , one manager at a five-star hotel in beijing , who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case , told cnn that the city 's hotels had received a notice from local police requesting assistance in the investigation of a major incident ' late on monday . it listed four people with names that suggested they belonged to the uighur ethnic group that comes from xinjiang province , where tensions between han chinese and the largely muslim uighurs have sometimes turned violent . the notice also listed four vehicles -- including two cars and a motorcycle -- with license plate numbers from xinjiang and asked hotels to keep a look out for suspicious guests that may have stayed in the capital from october 1 . a spokesman for the world uyghur congress , a diaspora group , said it was too early to blame uighurs and the group was concerned over the the lack of transparency surrounding the incident . every time something like this happens , authorities usually point fingers at uighurs , ' alim seytoff said . the notice should not be taken as the evidence of uighur involvement in the incident . ' willy lam , an adjunct professor at the chinese university of hong kong 's center for china studies , said the incident , taking place in china 's most important and sensitive public space , would be considered a major loss of face for beijing 's leadership , especially if it turned out to be related to uighur separatism . it was close to the zhongnanhai party headquarters and , in terms of timing , it 's on the eve of the plenary session of the chinese communist party so they do n't want these rumors and speculation , ' he said . according to eye witness reports i 've read online , the jeep was driving at people . it appears to be a deliberate attempt to create havoc and a number of casualties , ' he said . earlier this month , chinese police said they had arrested 139 people in xinjiang for spreading religious extremism online . the arrests came in the wake of riots that left 35 people dead . while a number of chinese media outlets reported monday 's incident , their accounts stuck to the bare-bones details published by the official xinhua news agency . no footage was shown on cctv , china 's state broadcaster , and the images that appeared immediately after the incident on weibo , china 's version of twitter , showing black smoke and a vehicle engulfed in flames , were largely deleted . searches combining the words tiananmen , terrorism and car crash were also blocked . cnn broadcasts about the incident were blacked out inside china . lam said chinese media outlets had likely received an official order to stick to xinhua 's version of events . however , the english-language global times , which is state-run but not regarded as an official mouthpiece , reported that police were looking for two suspects from xinjiang in connection with the jeep , which was described as light colored with xinjiang plates . of the five people killed , three were the vehicle 's driver and two passengers and the other two were tourists ; a woman from the philippines and a chinese man . authorities moved quickly to tackle the blaze and clear up the scene on monday . on tuesday , the square was back to normal . cnn 's david mckenzie and feng ke in beijing contributed to this report	analyst : incident could be considered a major loss of face for beijing
vogue <tsp> london ( cnn ) occupied france , july 1941 . michel chapuis , a charismatic , french art student on assignment for vogue magazine , was traveling on a busy train alongside peasants and german soldiers . suddenly , an old women leaned over . before the war , my brother had beautiful english shoes like yours , ' she said . the young man froze . c'est extraordinaire , ' he replied , affecting nonchalance . luckily , none of the german soldiers overheard this conversation , and he lived to fight another day . and , after surviving three vichy prisons and five nazi concentration camps , he became one of the most prominent fashion illustrators of his age . michel chapuis , of course , was not his real name . rather , it was a cover used by brian stonehouse , a british spy and talented artist who had parachuted into france the month before as part of the legendary special operations executive ( soe ) , a clandestine espionage and sabotage unit . on landing in france , his radio transmitter had become tangled in a tree , and his first few days had been wasted trying to retrieve it without attracting attention . thereafter , he had gone to ground for two weeks , living on nothing but stolen peaches -- a diet which had left him with acute dysentery -- before risking the train journey to limoges to make contact with a spy network known as ventriloquist ' . stonehouse had been trained as a clandestine radio operator , and given the codename celestin . on the train that day he was carrying a paintbox that had been specially adapted to contain a secret transmitter -- the one he had managed to rescue from the tree . a most dangerous mission at that time , the life expectancy of an soe radio operator in occupied france was just six weeks . knowing that something as insignificant as a british button on his jacket could give the game away , soe 's camouflage section had painstakingly made stonehouse 's clothes using french fabric , styles and techniques . but for some reason , he was still wearing british-made shoes . he told the story to his sister , but she is n't sure how the mistake occurred , ' says philip athill , managing director of the abbot and holder ltd art dealer in london , who has collected stonehouse 's work . maybe he was wearing french shoes to start with but they got ruined , so he changed them at a safe house . either way , he was lucky to escape . ' that stonehouse was nearly given away by his clothing is ironic : after the war he enjoyed a stellar career as a fashion illustrator , becoming one of the leading artists for vogue and harper 's bazaar . he even painted a portrait of britain 's queen mother , which hangs in the special forces club in london to this day . but this was not before he had spent almost three years in captivity . in october 1942 , the gestapo were able to triangulate his position during a secret transmission , and stonehouse was arrested . he spent the rest of the war in various prisons and camps , including in the notorious dachau concentration camp . he survived only because he was able to draw the guards'wives and mistresses in exchange for extra food and shelter . from rags to riches immediately after the war , stonehouse returned to dachau to make sketches of the crematoria , in order to bear witness ' ( these drawings are currently held at the imperial war museum in london ) . he was also able to use his exceptional visual memory to serve his country one last time . officials from soe were trying to find out what had happened to four of their female officers ; stonehouse was able to draw from memory four well-dressed women that he had seen being taken to their deaths by the nazis the year before . his sketches matched their photographs . as a result , their files were closed and their families were informed of their deaths . it was while stonehouse was acting as a witness at the war crimes tribunal that he met the american socialite harry haller , then a major in the united states army . haller persuaded stonehouse to move to new york to join the large number of second world war émigré illustrators who were shaping america 's fashion trends . with haller 's help , stonehouse quickly became part of the high society scene , rubbing shoulders with henry fonda and his fourth glamorous wife , the italian baroness afdera franchetti , as well as members of hemingway 's circle . in 1952 , jessica davies , an editor at vogue , made stonehouse the first new illustrator to be taken on by the magazine since 1939 . in those days , there was a belief that illustration showed how the clothes should be worn better than photography , ' says athill . the magazines were split evenly between photographs and illustration . it was the golden age of fashion illustration . ' tinker , tailor , artist , spy stonehouse died of a heart attack in 1998 , and his pictures have been brought together for the first time at abbot and holder ltd , where they can be purchased . they have also been collected in a new book , brian stonehouse , mbe , 1918-1998 ' , by frederic a sharf and michelle tolini finamore ( sharf , $ 24.95 ) . normally , fashion illustrations of the period were thrown away after they had been published , ' says athill . but something inside stonehouse made him keep everything . six years ago , members of his family discovered a box of his pictures and brought them to a british legion road show in bury st edmunds to be evaluated . eventually they were auctioned , and i recognized their rarity and purchased them . ' since then , athill has become increasingly fascinated with stonehouse , becoming acquainted with his surviving family and several of his friends ( including 83-year-old afdera franchetti ) . athill believes that the same qualities lay behind stonehouse 's aptitude as an artist and as a spy . he was a perennial outsider and an observer , ' he says . he was illegitimate and was brought up largely by his mother in france , and never became part of mainstream society . but despite these challenges , he had shown the inner strength to remain balanced in the face of adversity . he was incredibly handsome , charismatic and well-liked , and throughout his life , people noticed him -- from his commanding officer to the editor of vogue . that is what must have caught the attention of british spy masters . ' behind the scenes at the legendary studio 54 unseen photos of astaire , garbo , churchill and others lethal beauty in the wild west : tiffany & co 's rare bejeweled show guns	stonehouse later emigrated to america and became a top fashion illustrator for vogue magazine
china <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- vice president joe biden faces a very delicate task this week as he makes a diplomatic visit to east asia in hopes of turning down the volume on an increasingly noisy territorial tug of war . the spotlight also provides biden with an opportunity to remind people why barack obama chose him as his running mate and to tout his strong suit as he 's mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016 . biden promises to press china on airspace dispute biden has decades of experience in international relations . he served as chairman or the ranking democrat of the senate foreign relations committee from 1997 until he left congress in 2008 following obama 's victory . this trip , if nothing else , reinforces the notion of why joe biden was put on the ticket in the first place and has emerged as one of the best vice presidents in history , ' larry rasky , a longtime senior political adviser to the democrat , told cnn . he was equipped for this job before he got there . he 's not going to china for that reason , of course , but it certainly does n't hurt . ' it 's definitely his wheelhouse . he has the relationships , the global credibility . there 's no on-the-job training necessary . ' biden flies in to diplomatic turbulence in asia the long-planned trip , which was originally to focus on economic issues , comes as tensions in east asia are on the rise . the vice president 's trip comes at an important time for the country and therefore it makes him that more relevant and reminds americans of his longtime role in the senate and his experience with foreign policy , ' stuart rothenberg , editor and publisher of the non-partisan rothenberg political report , told cnn . china 's air defense zone : what you need to know biden 's first stop was tokyo , where longtime ally japan and the united states are pushing back against china 's recent declaration of a restricted flight zone over parts of the east china sea that include some islands claimed by both china and japan . in a meeting on tuesday with japanese prime minister shinzo abe , biden said the united states was deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the east china sea . ' biden reaffirmed that the united states looks to our alliance with japan as the cornerstone of stability and security in east asia , and we are fully committed to our announced strategy of rebalancing as well in the pacific , ' according to a white house transcript of the meeting . and in an interview with the ashai daily newspaper , biden rejected concerns that the united states may not have staying power in the region , saying economically , diplomatically , militarily , we have been , we are , and we will remain a resident pacific power . ' the white house highlighted biden 's experience in global diplomacy on monday . he has an excellent relationship with the leaders of all three countries and he will underscore how important it is to avoid actions that raise tensions and to prevent miscalculations that could undermine peace , security and prosperity in the region , ' white house press secretary jay carney told reporters . in japan , biden promises to press china on airspace dispute ' this is an opportunity for vice president biden to raise our concerns directly with policy makes in beijing and to seek clarity in regarding the chinese intentions in making this move at this time . it 's also an opportunity for us to confer with our allies , japan and the republic of korea , both of whom are directly affected by china 's actions , ' carney added . rasky said the most important thing for biden right now , as it relates to any possible white house run in 2016 , is to continue to serve as a strong no . 2 . the main thing that the vice president has to do is do his job , and do it well , ' rasky added . biden has not said whether he 'll make a third run for the democratic presidential nomination following unsuccessful bids in 1988 and 2008 . i can die a happy man never having been president of the united states of america . but it does n't mean i wo n't run , ' biden said in a july interview with gq magazine . his trip in september to iowa , the state that traditionally kicks off the presidential primary and caucus calendar , sparked more speculation about his ambitions . biden , who went to the hawkeye state to headline democratic sen. tom harkin 's annual steak fry , a must stop for democratic white house hopefuls , joked , it 's amazing when you come to speak at the steak fry , a whole lot of people seem to take notice . i do n't know why the hell that is . ' most of the speculation about possible 2016 democratic candidates is focused on whether former secretary of state hillary clinton will run again . all polling suggests clinton would be the immediate and overwhelming frontrunner for the nomination if she does . the most recent national survey on a potential democratic field came from cnn/orc international two weeks ago and indicated that 63 % of democrats and independents who lean towards the democratic party said clinton was their early choice for the nomination , with biden second at 12 % . cnn 2016 poll : clinton favored for democrats but how would the race for the democratic nomination shape up if clinton forgoes another run for the white house ? hillary clinton and the sisterhood if that 's the case , the poll suggested that 43 % of democrats would support the vice president , with freshman sen. elizabeth warren of massachusetts at 17 % , and new york gov . andrew cuomo at 15 % . of course , polls conducted this early in an election cycle , far before any possible contenders have declared their candidacy , are partially a reflection of name recognition . and biden of course , has a lot of name recognition . crossfire : support for biden , christie in 2016 while the headlines this week from biden 's trip will add to that name recognition and further beef up his foreign policy and commander-in-chief credentials , biden has a problem if clinton runs again . clearly , joe biden is not an amateur when it comes to u.s. foreign policy , but unfortunately for him former secretary of state hillary 's clinton 's experience in that realm trumps his , ' rothenberg added .	biden was to discuss economic issues on trip but focus shifted to rising tensions with china
china <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- vice president joe biden faces a very delicate task this week as he makes a diplomatic visit to east asia in hopes of turning down the volume on an increasingly noisy territorial tug of war . the spotlight also provides biden with an opportunity to remind people why barack obama chose him as his running mate and to tout his strong suit as he 's mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016 . biden promises to press china on airspace dispute biden has decades of experience in international relations . he served as chairman or the ranking democrat of the senate foreign relations committee from 1997 until he left congress in 2008 following obama 's victory . this trip , if nothing else , reinforces the notion of why joe biden was put on the ticket in the first place and has emerged as one of the best vice presidents in history , ' larry rasky , a longtime senior political adviser to the democrat , told cnn . he was equipped for this job before he got there . he 's not going to china for that reason , of course , but it certainly does n't hurt . ' it 's definitely his wheelhouse . he has the relationships , the global credibility . there 's no on-the-job training necessary . ' biden flies in to diplomatic turbulence in asia the long-planned trip , which was originally to focus on economic issues , comes as tensions in east asia are on the rise . the vice president 's trip comes at an important time for the country and therefore it makes him that more relevant and reminds americans of his longtime role in the senate and his experience with foreign policy , ' stuart rothenberg , editor and publisher of the non-partisan rothenberg political report , told cnn . china 's air defense zone : what you need to know biden 's first stop was tokyo , where longtime ally japan and the united states are pushing back against china 's recent declaration of a restricted flight zone over parts of the east china sea that include some islands claimed by both china and japan . in a meeting on tuesday with japanese prime minister shinzo abe , biden said the united states was deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the east china sea . ' biden reaffirmed that the united states looks to our alliance with japan as the cornerstone of stability and security in east asia , and we are fully committed to our announced strategy of rebalancing as well in the pacific , ' according to a white house transcript of the meeting . and in an interview with the ashai daily newspaper , biden rejected concerns that the united states may not have staying power in the region , saying economically , diplomatically , militarily , we have been , we are , and we will remain a resident pacific power . ' the white house highlighted biden 's experience in global diplomacy on monday . he has an excellent relationship with the leaders of all three countries and he will underscore how important it is to avoid actions that raise tensions and to prevent miscalculations that could undermine peace , security and prosperity in the region , ' white house press secretary jay carney told reporters . in japan , biden promises to press china on airspace dispute ' this is an opportunity for vice president biden to raise our concerns directly with policy makes in beijing and to seek clarity in regarding the chinese intentions in making this move at this time . it 's also an opportunity for us to confer with our allies , japan and the republic of korea , both of whom are directly affected by china 's actions , ' carney added . rasky said the most important thing for biden right now , as it relates to any possible white house run in 2016 , is to continue to serve as a strong no . 2 . the main thing that the vice president has to do is do his job , and do it well , ' rasky added . biden has not said whether he 'll make a third run for the democratic presidential nomination following unsuccessful bids in 1988 and 2008 . i can die a happy man never having been president of the united states of america . but it does n't mean i wo n't run , ' biden said in a july interview with gq magazine . his trip in september to iowa , the state that traditionally kicks off the presidential primary and caucus calendar , sparked more speculation about his ambitions . biden , who went to the hawkeye state to headline democratic sen. tom harkin 's annual steak fry , a must stop for democratic white house hopefuls , joked , it 's amazing when you come to speak at the steak fry , a whole lot of people seem to take notice . i do n't know why the hell that is . ' most of the speculation about possible 2016 democratic candidates is focused on whether former secretary of state hillary clinton will run again . all polling suggests clinton would be the immediate and overwhelming frontrunner for the nomination if she does . the most recent national survey on a potential democratic field came from cnn/orc international two weeks ago and indicated that 63 % of democrats and independents who lean towards the democratic party said clinton was their early choice for the nomination , with biden second at 12 % . cnn 2016 poll : clinton favored for democrats but how would the race for the democratic nomination shape up if clinton forgoes another run for the white house ? hillary clinton and the sisterhood if that 's the case , the poll suggested that 43 % of democrats would support the vice president , with freshman sen. elizabeth warren of massachusetts at 17 % , and new york gov . andrew cuomo at 15 % . of course , polls conducted this early in an election cycle , far before any possible contenders have declared their candidacy , are partially a reflection of name recognition . and biden of course , has a lot of name recognition . crossfire : support for biden , christie in 2016 while the headlines this week from biden 's trip will add to that name recognition and further beef up his foreign policy and commander-in-chief credentials , biden has a problem if clinton runs again . clearly , joe biden is not an amateur when it comes to u.s. foreign policy , but unfortunately for him former secretary of state hillary 's clinton 's experience in that realm trumps his , ' rothenberg added .	biden tells asian allies -- and china -- that we will remain a resident pacific power '
texas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- forty-eight new cases of an intestinal infection caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with feces have been reported in texas this past week alone , officials said thursday . most reports come from the dallas/fort worth area . the source of the illness is unknown . in the past , imported fresh produce led to outbreaks of cyclospora infection in the united states . the texas department of state health services has not confirmed whether the latest reports are produce-related . dchhs is continuing to investigate the possible food sources of contamination and who may have been exposed to them , ' zachary thompson , the department 's director said in a statement . the outbreak may be related to cyclospora reports in iowa and nebraska , according to the department 's press release . on tuesday , officials issued a health advisory warning residents of the infection . in 2012 , 44 cases of the infection were reported in texas . another 14 cases were reported the year before . symptoms include watery diarrhea , loss of appetite and nausea . the infection is not highly contagious because it must pass in bowel movements before it can spread to others , according to the centers for disease control and prevention . people in tropical regions are at an increased risk of getting the infection . medication is available for people who contract the infection . those with weaker immune systems may require longer forms of treatment . to decrease the risk of eating fresh produce it is important to thoroughly rinse your fruits and vegetables several times , ' said dr. christopher perkins , the texas department 's medical director said in a statement . cnn 's joe sutton contributed to this report .	almost 50 new cases of cyclospora infection reported in texas
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the white house is planning a very aggressive sales job ' that will involve the vice president , cabinet members and travel across the nation for president barack obama 's executive action on immigration , a top white house aide said friday . speaking at a breakfast hosted by the christian science monitor , white house senior adviser dan pfeiffer told reporters that after friday 's address on the topic in las vegas , obama will head to chicago next tuesday to speak with activists . the sales pitch , which pfeiffer called a very important priority , ' will continue beyond december , with travel across the nation . [ the president will ] first make the case to the country about what we did , why we did it , explain to the country why it 's consistent with past presidents of both parties , ' pfeiffer said , adding a key component will also be educating the nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants the move could help on how to apply to the program . obama announced a widely controversial plan to delay deportations for millions of immigrants here illegally during a primetime address thursday night , and was immediately met with fierce republican opposition . house speaker john boehner ( r-ohio ) pledged during a friday morning press conference that the house will rise to this challenge ' and respond to the order , which he said damaged ' the presidency . some republicans have floated attaching a policy rider to the upcoming must-pass government spending bill that would defund implementation of the executive order , which president obama would then veto , effectively leading to another shutdown . pfeiffer invoked incoming senate majority leader mitch mcconnell 's ( r-ky. ) warning against shutting down the government in arguing the gop should n't choose that route of response . certainly , our hope is that republicans will listen to senator mcconnell , who has said two things : one is that republicans have to demonstrate to the american people that they can govern , and two , there 'll be no shutdowns or threats or things [ like impeachment ] , ' pfeiffer said . republicans have warned for weeks that the move would poison the well ' with the gop and kill any possibility for compromise with the white house . pfeiffer said the president hopes republicans wo n't use the executive action as an excuse not to work with them on other issues . it 's sort of the 3rd grade equivalent of taking your ball and going home , ' he said . pfeiffer defended the choice to move on key issues unilaterally , arguing that , for the president , even getting out of bed in the morning comes with republican opposition . ' [ if ] you can only do things that are not going to make some republicans very mad , then we would do nothing , ' he said . and he hinted that more may be to come . pfeiffer said the president gathered his aides the day after the party suffered deeply damaging losses during the midterm elections , losing control of the senate and a handful of moderates in the house , to remind them that time is running out in his presidency and they 'll never have a better opportunity to do good ' in the world . he does feel the pressure of time , we all do . we have a little bit over two years left here , ' said , and the president wants to maximize ' his efforts to get things done in the remaining time . we 're gon na be looking for opportunities to work with republicans , but we 've also made it clear that where we have authority to act , and where we can do what we can to move the ball forward , we 're going to do that , ' pfeiffer said .	pfeiffer hinted that obama will be pursuing other ways to maximize his final two years in office
karim benzema <tsp> ( cnn ) -- real madrid piled the pressure on barcelona by moving six points clear at the top of spain 's la liga with a 5-1 thrashing of granada on saturday . barcelona , seeking a fourth successive league title , now can not afford to slip up in sunday 's trip to city rivals espanyol . jose mourinho 's real made the perfect start after the spanish winter break as karim benzema netted twice and cristiano ronaldo extended his leading goal tally to 21 . it was real 's 14th win in 17 league games for a total of 43 points from a possible 51 , with 61 goals for and 16 against . benzema opened the scoring after 20 minutes after ronaldo and mesut ozil combined well inside the box , but 14th-placed granada surprisingly leveled soon after as mikel rico headed in a cross by nigeria forward ikechukwu uche . who will be january 's top transfer targets ? spain defender sergio ramos restored the home side 's advantage as he powerfully nodded in ozul 's 34th-minute corner , and argentina forward gonzalo higuain made it 3-1 straight after the break with his 13th league goal this season after fullback marcelo was allowed to surge into the box . benzema made it safe in the 50th minute as the france forward controlled xabi alonso 's lofted diagonal pass and fired in a low shot for his 10th in la liga and 16th overall . ronaldo finally got on the scoresheet with a minute of regulation time remaining , as the world 's most expensive player -- who is on the shortlist for the fifa ballon d'or award to be named on monday -- fired in from the edge of the penalty area . that took the portugal captain four goals clear of barca 's lionel messi , who is hoping to win his third successive world player of the year title . fourth-placed levante face the prospect of losing ground on valencia after being held to a 0-0 draw by visiting real mallorca . valencia , who trail barca by four points , can move six clear of their local rivals by winning at third-bottom villarreal on sunday . levante did , however , stay four points clear of fifth-placed osasuna , who also played out a stalemate at real sociedad as both those sides extended their unbeaten runs to six matches . sevilla can leapfrog the pamplona-based side with victory at rayo vallecano on sunday . malaga also had the chance to claim fifth by beating atletico madrid in saturday 's late match , but there were no goals in that game either and the home side had to settle for going a point above sevilla into sixth . racing santander moved above second-bottom sporting gijon , villarreal and vallecano with a 1-0 victory at home to real zaragoza that lifted the cantabrians out of the relegation zone . bernardo espinosa 's winner in first-half injury time left zaragoza five points adrift at the bottom of the table .	karim benzema scores twice as spanish league leaders real madrid beat granada 5-1
spanish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- real madrid piled the pressure on barcelona by moving six points clear at the top of spain 's la liga with a 5-1 thrashing of granada on saturday . barcelona , seeking a fourth successive league title , now can not afford to slip up in sunday 's trip to city rivals espanyol . jose mourinho 's real made the perfect start after the spanish winter break as karim benzema netted twice and cristiano ronaldo extended his leading goal tally to 21 . it was real 's 14th win in 17 league games for a total of 43 points from a possible 51 , with 61 goals for and 16 against . benzema opened the scoring after 20 minutes after ronaldo and mesut ozil combined well inside the box , but 14th-placed granada surprisingly leveled soon after as mikel rico headed in a cross by nigeria forward ikechukwu uche . who will be january 's top transfer targets ? spain defender sergio ramos restored the home side 's advantage as he powerfully nodded in ozul 's 34th-minute corner , and argentina forward gonzalo higuain made it 3-1 straight after the break with his 13th league goal this season after fullback marcelo was allowed to surge into the box . benzema made it safe in the 50th minute as the france forward controlled xabi alonso 's lofted diagonal pass and fired in a low shot for his 10th in la liga and 16th overall . ronaldo finally got on the scoresheet with a minute of regulation time remaining , as the world 's most expensive player -- who is on the shortlist for the fifa ballon d'or award to be named on monday -- fired in from the edge of the penalty area . that took the portugal captain four goals clear of barca 's lionel messi , who is hoping to win his third successive world player of the year title . fourth-placed levante face the prospect of losing ground on valencia after being held to a 0-0 draw by visiting real mallorca . valencia , who trail barca by four points , can move six clear of their local rivals by winning at third-bottom villarreal on sunday . levante did , however , stay four points clear of fifth-placed osasuna , who also played out a stalemate at real sociedad as both those sides extended their unbeaten runs to six matches . sevilla can leapfrog the pamplona-based side with victory at rayo vallecano on sunday . malaga also had the chance to claim fifth by beating atletico madrid in saturday 's late match , but there were no goals in that game either and the home side had to settle for going a point above sevilla into sixth . racing santander moved above second-bottom sporting gijon , villarreal and vallecano with a 1-0 victory at home to real zaragoza that lifted the cantabrians out of the relegation zone . bernardo espinosa 's winner in first-half injury time left zaragoza five points adrift at the bottom of the table .	karim benzema scores twice as spanish league leaders real madrid beat granada 5-1
iraq <tsp> as islamist militants battle iraqi security forces for control of towns and cities not far from baghdad , the capital has taken on the tense feel of a city under siege . there 's a heavy police and military presence on the streets and at checkpoints that sometimes appear to pop up overnight . nowhere is the sense of fear more palpable than at baghdad international airport , where hundreds and hundreds of people wait in long security and check-in lines for one of the few , precious seats available on flights out of iraq . for days , the united states has considered what to do about the militants , and on thursday , u.s. president barack obama said he is prepared to send military advisers to iraq , adding that america was not returning to a combat role in the country . the pentagon earlier presented obama with a plan to send up to 100 special forces advisers to iraq to work along with that country 's military , several u.s. officials told cnn on thursday . the u.s. withdrew its final troops from iraq at the end of 2011 , nearly nine years after leading the invasion of iraq that toppled longtime leader saddam hussein . as the al qaeda splinter group isis , or the islamic state in iraq and syria , continues its fierce advance in iraq , senior u.s. officials tell cnn that the obama administration is of the belief that prime minister nuri al-maliki is not the leader iraq needs to unify the country and end sectarian tensions . the officials , along with arab diplomats , say the white house is now focused on a political transition that would move iraqis toward a more inclusive government -- one without al-maliki that would include sunni , shiite and kurdish factions . the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , gen. martin dempsey , told congress that the united states has received a request from the iraqi government to use its air power in the conflict . those discussions continued after iraq 's second-largest city , mosul , fell last week to isis . the militants were barely opposed by iraqi security forces , many of whom abandoned their weapons and fled their posts . airlines adding flights many people at the baghdad airport are seeking safety in iraq 's kurdish-controlled north , particularly irbil , or in the southern port city of basra . others are trying to get out of the country altogether . to accommodate the exodus , airlines have begun adding flights and , in some cases , much larger planes . still , there are few seats available as most flights , according to travel agencies , are sold out weeks in advance . where once there was one iraqi airways flight a day to the northern city of irbil , there are now three . on thursday , a royal jordanian flight flew from amman to baghdad nearly empty . but it is oversold for its return , a flight attendant said . the fighters are now within 40 miles of the capital , where at least three people were killed and 15 injured thursday when a car bomb and two roadside bombs exploded in three separate areas , police officials there told cnn . a few miles outside of the baghdad airport , dozens of men waited in lines in the sweltering sun to answer al-maliki 's call to join the military 's fight against the sunni extremists . the prime minister , whose shia-dominated government is accused of fostering sectarian tensions by marginalizing iraq 's sunni and kurd minorities , is facing growing calls from some quarters to stand down . battle for baiji oil refinery meanwhile , iraqi security forces and islamist militants clashed again thursday as they battled for control of the nation 's main oil refinery . conflicting reports have emerged as to who has the upper hand . in a phone interview on state-run al-iraqiya tv on thursday , col. ali al qureshi , the commander of troops responsible for protecting the refinery in baiji , some 140 miles north of baghdad , said iraqi armed forces were in full control . he said the militants had suffered dozens of casualties in the course of multiple attacks but had failed to take the refinery complex . but police officials in samarra and baghdad said isis fighters control 60 % of the oil refinery . dozens of vehicles full of militants launched a fresh assault on the sprawling refinery complex around 4 a.m. local time thursday , the police officials said . iraqi security forces are still trying to expel them and regain the control . al-iraqiya television reported that 40 isis terrorists ' were killed during the clashes . the baiji refinery is a key strategic resource because it refines much of the fuel needed for internal consumption . there are already long lines at many gas stations across the country . iraq is also a major exporter of fuel from oil fields in the country 's south . as the u.n. world food programme highlighted the plight of a half-million iraqis forced from their homes by days of fighting , the european union announced it would give an additional 5 million euros ( $ 6.8 million ) in assistance to iraq , taking the total to 12 million euros this year . this fresh wave of violence has terrible consequences for vulnerable children , women and men , ' said eu official kristalina georgieva . militants seize al muthanna complex also on thursday , isis militants took control of a facility saddam hussein once used to produce and store chemical weapons . but the state department doubts that the al muthanna complex contains any material of military value . ' the materials in the bunkers , which date from the 1980s , are of little military value and would be very difficult to safely move , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki said thursday . but the materials pose serious health hazards to anyone attempting to access the bunkers . ' calls for change of leadership al-maliki struck a defiant tone wednesday in a televised weekly address , saying iraqi forces were on the on the rebound ' after their initial shock in the face of the militants'lightning advance . we will respond and keep the momentum , ' al-maliki said . but despite al-maliki 's words , there 's a growing chorus of calls -- both in washington and in the arab world -- for him to go if there is to be any hope of unifying iraq as the islamic militants advance . there 's hope that a government bringing the sunnis and kurds into the political process would curb sympathies for isis by those who find themselves on the outside . however , al-maliki maintains a strong grip on power and his party recently won national elections . the prime minister 's office has not received any official statement asking for him to step down , al-maliki adviser ali al-moussawi told cnn on thursday . nobody said this , and we have not received any official statement suggesting that al-maliki has to leave his position , ' al-moussawi said . while some on capitol hill are n't shy about saying his days as the iraqi leader should come to an end , at the white house it 's more of a whisper . the lightning-fast advance by isis has seen large portions of northern iraq fall under its control . isis wants to establish a caliphate , or islamic state , that would stretch from iraq into northern syria . curbing sympathies a change in government in iraq ca n't come too soon for some in washington sen. dianne feinstein , d-california , the head of the senate intelligence committee , said al-maliki has to be convinced that it 's in the country 's best interest for him to retire . i think that most of us that have followed this are really convinced that the maliki government , candidly , has got to go if you want any reconciliation , ' she said this week . publicly though , the white house is n't being as direct . earlier this week in a yahoo news interview , secretary of state john kerry said the united states should n't be dictating to the iraqi people that al-maliki needs to resign . now , we clearly can play an encouraging , consultative role in helping them to achieve that transition , and we have people on the ground right now , ' he said . u.s. options on wednesday , obama huddled with congressional leaders , briefing them on options he is considering . a few hours earlier , defense secretary chuck hagel and dempsey said they were working out details on possible u.s. steps that could include airstrikes on sunni militants advancing through northern iraq . house speaker john boehner demanded that obama lay out a broader strategy ' but sidestepped a question about whether he supported airstrikes . meanwhile , senate majority leader harry reid spoke out forcefully against sending u.s. service members into iraq . this is an iraqi civil war , and it is time for iraqis to resolve it themselves , ' he said . in their meeting , obama effectively told congressional leaders that while he 'd let them know what was going on , he did n't need any new permission to act in iraq . while a white house statement emphasized that obama would continue to consult with congress , senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said the president basically just briefed us on the situation in iraq and indicated he did n't feel he had any need for authority from us for the steps that he might take . ' several military sources have confirmed to cnn that manned reconnaissance flights over iraq to collect up-to-the-minute intelligence on isis movements and positions have begun . unmanned reconnaissance flights have been going on already for several days . transcript : obama 's remarks on u.s. response to iraq crisis obama announces military advisers going to iraq current fighting pushes iraqi refugee population past 1 million	president obama says he prepared to send military advisers to iraq
iraq <tsp> as islamist militants battle iraqi security forces for control of towns and cities not far from baghdad , the capital has taken on the tense feel of a city under siege . there 's a heavy police and military presence on the streets and at checkpoints that sometimes appear to pop up overnight . nowhere is the sense of fear more palpable than at baghdad international airport , where hundreds and hundreds of people wait in long security and check-in lines for one of the few , precious seats available on flights out of iraq . for days , the united states has considered what to do about the militants , and on thursday , u.s. president barack obama said he is prepared to send military advisers to iraq , adding that america was not returning to a combat role in the country . the pentagon earlier presented obama with a plan to send up to 100 special forces advisers to iraq to work along with that country 's military , several u.s. officials told cnn on thursday . the u.s. withdrew its final troops from iraq at the end of 2011 , nearly nine years after leading the invasion of iraq that toppled longtime leader saddam hussein . as the al qaeda splinter group isis , or the islamic state in iraq and syria , continues its fierce advance in iraq , senior u.s. officials tell cnn that the obama administration is of the belief that prime minister nuri al-maliki is not the leader iraq needs to unify the country and end sectarian tensions . the officials , along with arab diplomats , say the white house is now focused on a political transition that would move iraqis toward a more inclusive government -- one without al-maliki that would include sunni , shiite and kurdish factions . the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , gen. martin dempsey , told congress that the united states has received a request from the iraqi government to use its air power in the conflict . those discussions continued after iraq 's second-largest city , mosul , fell last week to isis . the militants were barely opposed by iraqi security forces , many of whom abandoned their weapons and fled their posts . airlines adding flights many people at the baghdad airport are seeking safety in iraq 's kurdish-controlled north , particularly irbil , or in the southern port city of basra . others are trying to get out of the country altogether . to accommodate the exodus , airlines have begun adding flights and , in some cases , much larger planes . still , there are few seats available as most flights , according to travel agencies , are sold out weeks in advance . where once there was one iraqi airways flight a day to the northern city of irbil , there are now three . on thursday , a royal jordanian flight flew from amman to baghdad nearly empty . but it is oversold for its return , a flight attendant said . the fighters are now within 40 miles of the capital , where at least three people were killed and 15 injured thursday when a car bomb and two roadside bombs exploded in three separate areas , police officials there told cnn . a few miles outside of the baghdad airport , dozens of men waited in lines in the sweltering sun to answer al-maliki 's call to join the military 's fight against the sunni extremists . the prime minister , whose shia-dominated government is accused of fostering sectarian tensions by marginalizing iraq 's sunni and kurd minorities , is facing growing calls from some quarters to stand down . battle for baiji oil refinery meanwhile , iraqi security forces and islamist militants clashed again thursday as they battled for control of the nation 's main oil refinery . conflicting reports have emerged as to who has the upper hand . in a phone interview on state-run al-iraqiya tv on thursday , col. ali al qureshi , the commander of troops responsible for protecting the refinery in baiji , some 140 miles north of baghdad , said iraqi armed forces were in full control . he said the militants had suffered dozens of casualties in the course of multiple attacks but had failed to take the refinery complex . but police officials in samarra and baghdad said isis fighters control 60 % of the oil refinery . dozens of vehicles full of militants launched a fresh assault on the sprawling refinery complex around 4 a.m. local time thursday , the police officials said . iraqi security forces are still trying to expel them and regain the control . al-iraqiya television reported that 40 isis terrorists ' were killed during the clashes . the baiji refinery is a key strategic resource because it refines much of the fuel needed for internal consumption . there are already long lines at many gas stations across the country . iraq is also a major exporter of fuel from oil fields in the country 's south . as the u.n. world food programme highlighted the plight of a half-million iraqis forced from their homes by days of fighting , the european union announced it would give an additional 5 million euros ( $ 6.8 million ) in assistance to iraq , taking the total to 12 million euros this year . this fresh wave of violence has terrible consequences for vulnerable children , women and men , ' said eu official kristalina georgieva . militants seize al muthanna complex also on thursday , isis militants took control of a facility saddam hussein once used to produce and store chemical weapons . but the state department doubts that the al muthanna complex contains any material of military value . ' the materials in the bunkers , which date from the 1980s , are of little military value and would be very difficult to safely move , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki said thursday . but the materials pose serious health hazards to anyone attempting to access the bunkers . ' calls for change of leadership al-maliki struck a defiant tone wednesday in a televised weekly address , saying iraqi forces were on the on the rebound ' after their initial shock in the face of the militants'lightning advance . we will respond and keep the momentum , ' al-maliki said . but despite al-maliki 's words , there 's a growing chorus of calls -- both in washington and in the arab world -- for him to go if there is to be any hope of unifying iraq as the islamic militants advance . there 's hope that a government bringing the sunnis and kurds into the political process would curb sympathies for isis by those who find themselves on the outside . however , al-maliki maintains a strong grip on power and his party recently won national elections . the prime minister 's office has not received any official statement asking for him to step down , al-maliki adviser ali al-moussawi told cnn on thursday . nobody said this , and we have not received any official statement suggesting that al-maliki has to leave his position , ' al-moussawi said . while some on capitol hill are n't shy about saying his days as the iraqi leader should come to an end , at the white house it 's more of a whisper . the lightning-fast advance by isis has seen large portions of northern iraq fall under its control . isis wants to establish a caliphate , or islamic state , that would stretch from iraq into northern syria . curbing sympathies a change in government in iraq ca n't come too soon for some in washington sen. dianne feinstein , d-california , the head of the senate intelligence committee , said al-maliki has to be convinced that it 's in the country 's best interest for him to retire . i think that most of us that have followed this are really convinced that the maliki government , candidly , has got to go if you want any reconciliation , ' she said this week . publicly though , the white house is n't being as direct . earlier this week in a yahoo news interview , secretary of state john kerry said the united states should n't be dictating to the iraqi people that al-maliki needs to resign . now , we clearly can play an encouraging , consultative role in helping them to achieve that transition , and we have people on the ground right now , ' he said . u.s. options on wednesday , obama huddled with congressional leaders , briefing them on options he is considering . a few hours earlier , defense secretary chuck hagel and dempsey said they were working out details on possible u.s. steps that could include airstrikes on sunni militants advancing through northern iraq . house speaker john boehner demanded that obama lay out a broader strategy ' but sidestepped a question about whether he supported airstrikes . meanwhile , senate majority leader harry reid spoke out forcefully against sending u.s. service members into iraq . this is an iraqi civil war , and it is time for iraqis to resolve it themselves , ' he said . in their meeting , obama effectively told congressional leaders that while he 'd let them know what was going on , he did n't need any new permission to act in iraq . while a white house statement emphasized that obama would continue to consult with congress , senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said the president basically just briefed us on the situation in iraq and indicated he did n't feel he had any need for authority from us for the steps that he might take . ' several military sources have confirmed to cnn that manned reconnaissance flights over iraq to collect up-to-the-minute intelligence on isis movements and positions have begun . unmanned reconnaissance flights have been going on already for several days . transcript : obama 's remarks on u.s. response to iraq crisis obama announces military advisers going to iraq current fighting pushes iraqi refugee population past 1 million	eu to give an additional 5 million euros ( $ 6.8 million ) in aid to iraq
world cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the joys of watching fifa 's quadrennial football fest is seeing relative unknowns -- young prospects or previously unheralded players -- come to the fore with some dazzling football . here are 11 players who have made their mark in brazil ( or the run-up to the world cup ) , and who will leave the country with some of the world 's biggest clubs salivating over the prospect of adding these stars of the future to their rosters . perhaps by 2018 , in russia , these 11 will be household names -- but by then the fun of recognizing the new crop of talented stars will have begun all over again . who do you think should be included ? tell us in the comments below .	spotting the stars of tomorrow is part of the fun of the world cup
regina agyare <tsp> ( cnn ) every week in the heart of nima , a slum in the ghanaian capital of accra , families congregate at a local mosque . when the time comes , young girls say goodbye to their loved ones and part ways , filing up concrete steps leading up to the floor above . there , inside a large room dotted with brown tables , rows of flashing computer screens await for them . when the parents are praying [ downstairs ] , we are teaching the girls upstairs , ' explains tech entrepreneur regina agyare , who comes here every week to teach local teens how to code . agyare 's first visit to see the girls -- students at education project achievers ghana -- was in january 2014 . this was supposed to be a one-off seminar as part of her mentorship initiative tech needs girls ' -- however , the students proved quite a draw . i fell in love with them , so i decided to set up a coding club and started having regular sessions , ' says agyare , founder of software development company soronko solutions . more importantly , continues agyare , it offered the opportunity to show the community the value of educating girls . ' a predominantly muslim area in a largely christian nation , nima has one of the densest populations in accra . agyare says life is often challenging for many local girls , with some growing up without ever leaving the community . girls were being forced to marry early ; [ denied ] their right to go to school . most of their dreams and aspirations were limited to just what was around them . i was shocked ... i thought we had progressed as a nation . i thought we had gone past that . ' this , in part , was why agyare lent her support to achievers ghana . set up by local amadu mohammad , the non-profit organization supports 250 girls between the age of six and 18 , priming them for formal education through extracurricular classes in reading , math , poetry and information technology . its goal is to break through social barriers and provide nima with a generation of female role models , and so the group provides school funding to help the girls shape their own future . the project was bequeathed its classroom above the mosque it shares a building with , and agyare says the two work closely together . achievers ghana met initial resistance from local conservatives , but when the mosque 's chief imam sheik hussein abdul rahman championed mohammad 's vision , few maintained their reservations . now , with parents paying a nominal fee towards the running of the organization , it is in everyone 's interest that the girls succeed . fourteen months after her first visit , agyare 's coding class is well established . she has set up a mentor scheme as part of tech needs girls , ' recruiting and training women at university to act as role models for her younger students in nima . in each class , around 50 girls are taught html and run a blog called slum voices ' . i definitely feel [ technology ] has given them more of a voice , ' agyare says . i feel like it 's allowed them to express themselves and interact with others ... for them , it 's important to be heard . ' some girls had never used a computer before the classes began , but agyare 's even-handed approach has brought all her students up to the same standard . agyare insists that we do n't leave anyone behind . ' to that end , a few young male faces have found their way into her classroom . this was an accidental revelation , according to agyare . she details the story of one affronted boy . he wrote that he did n't like it when he saw girls learning about computers ... it was difficult [ for him ] to see girls being empowered ; he was n't used to that . ' agyare realized that by integrating genders in her classroom she could begin to confront gender expectations . for many boys the role of a girl is to be their wife , ' agyare explains , and she needs to be taken care of . ' however , by running mixed classes boys from an early age can learn to see a woman as a contributing person [ within society ] . ' now the hope is that many of the young students will be able to go to university -- and achievers ghana is working on a scholarship program to make the prospect attainable . agyare says the goal is not to turn every girl into software developers but to enable them to use technology in whatever field they find themselves . ' she adds : it would be great if we had some girls that decided to go on and study computer science , but really it 's about helping them reach their full potential ... and bring change to the community . ' read this : 5 reasons why tech needs geek girls more from african start-up	girls are being taught to code by tech entrepreneur regina agyare , who believes her students will go far
ghana <tsp> ( cnn ) every week in the heart of nima , a slum in the ghanaian capital of accra , families congregate at a local mosque . when the time comes , young girls say goodbye to their loved ones and part ways , filing up concrete steps leading up to the floor above . there , inside a large room dotted with brown tables , rows of flashing computer screens await for them . when the parents are praying [ downstairs ] , we are teaching the girls upstairs , ' explains tech entrepreneur regina agyare , who comes here every week to teach local teens how to code . agyare 's first visit to see the girls -- students at education project achievers ghana -- was in january 2014 . this was supposed to be a one-off seminar as part of her mentorship initiative tech needs girls ' -- however , the students proved quite a draw . i fell in love with them , so i decided to set up a coding club and started having regular sessions , ' says agyare , founder of software development company soronko solutions . more importantly , continues agyare , it offered the opportunity to show the community the value of educating girls . ' a predominantly muslim area in a largely christian nation , nima has one of the densest populations in accra . agyare says life is often challenging for many local girls , with some growing up without ever leaving the community . girls were being forced to marry early ; [ denied ] their right to go to school . most of their dreams and aspirations were limited to just what was around them . i was shocked ... i thought we had progressed as a nation . i thought we had gone past that . ' this , in part , was why agyare lent her support to achievers ghana . set up by local amadu mohammad , the non-profit organization supports 250 girls between the age of six and 18 , priming them for formal education through extracurricular classes in reading , math , poetry and information technology . its goal is to break through social barriers and provide nima with a generation of female role models , and so the group provides school funding to help the girls shape their own future . the project was bequeathed its classroom above the mosque it shares a building with , and agyare says the two work closely together . achievers ghana met initial resistance from local conservatives , but when the mosque 's chief imam sheik hussein abdul rahman championed mohammad 's vision , few maintained their reservations . now , with parents paying a nominal fee towards the running of the organization , it is in everyone 's interest that the girls succeed . fourteen months after her first visit , agyare 's coding class is well established . she has set up a mentor scheme as part of tech needs girls , ' recruiting and training women at university to act as role models for her younger students in nima . in each class , around 50 girls are taught html and run a blog called slum voices ' . i definitely feel [ technology ] has given them more of a voice , ' agyare says . i feel like it 's allowed them to express themselves and interact with others ... for them , it 's important to be heard . ' some girls had never used a computer before the classes began , but agyare 's even-handed approach has brought all her students up to the same standard . agyare insists that we do n't leave anyone behind . ' to that end , a few young male faces have found their way into her classroom . this was an accidental revelation , according to agyare . she details the story of one affronted boy . he wrote that he did n't like it when he saw girls learning about computers ... it was difficult [ for him ] to see girls being empowered ; he was n't used to that . ' agyare realized that by integrating genders in her classroom she could begin to confront gender expectations . for many boys the role of a girl is to be their wife , ' agyare explains , and she needs to be taken care of . ' however , by running mixed classes boys from an early age can learn to see a woman as a contributing person [ within society ] . ' now the hope is that many of the young students will be able to go to university -- and achievers ghana is working on a scholarship program to make the prospect attainable . agyare says the goal is not to turn every girl into software developers but to enable them to use technology in whatever field they find themselves . ' she adds : it would be great if we had some girls that decided to go on and study computer science , but really it 's about helping them reach their full potential ... and bring change to the community . ' read this : 5 reasons why tech needs geek girls more from african start-up	achievers ghana is a school funded by the community to give the next generation a better chance of success
accra <tsp> ( cnn ) every week in the heart of nima , a slum in the ghanaian capital of accra , families congregate at a local mosque . when the time comes , young girls say goodbye to their loved ones and part ways , filing up concrete steps leading up to the floor above . there , inside a large room dotted with brown tables , rows of flashing computer screens await for them . when the parents are praying [ downstairs ] , we are teaching the girls upstairs , ' explains tech entrepreneur regina agyare , who comes here every week to teach local teens how to code . agyare 's first visit to see the girls -- students at education project achievers ghana -- was in january 2014 . this was supposed to be a one-off seminar as part of her mentorship initiative tech needs girls ' -- however , the students proved quite a draw . i fell in love with them , so i decided to set up a coding club and started having regular sessions , ' says agyare , founder of software development company soronko solutions . more importantly , continues agyare , it offered the opportunity to show the community the value of educating girls . ' a predominantly muslim area in a largely christian nation , nima has one of the densest populations in accra . agyare says life is often challenging for many local girls , with some growing up without ever leaving the community . girls were being forced to marry early ; [ denied ] their right to go to school . most of their dreams and aspirations were limited to just what was around them . i was shocked ... i thought we had progressed as a nation . i thought we had gone past that . ' this , in part , was why agyare lent her support to achievers ghana . set up by local amadu mohammad , the non-profit organization supports 250 girls between the age of six and 18 , priming them for formal education through extracurricular classes in reading , math , poetry and information technology . its goal is to break through social barriers and provide nima with a generation of female role models , and so the group provides school funding to help the girls shape their own future . the project was bequeathed its classroom above the mosque it shares a building with , and agyare says the two work closely together . achievers ghana met initial resistance from local conservatives , but when the mosque 's chief imam sheik hussein abdul rahman championed mohammad 's vision , few maintained their reservations . now , with parents paying a nominal fee towards the running of the organization , it is in everyone 's interest that the girls succeed . fourteen months after her first visit , agyare 's coding class is well established . she has set up a mentor scheme as part of tech needs girls , ' recruiting and training women at university to act as role models for her younger students in nima . in each class , around 50 girls are taught html and run a blog called slum voices ' . i definitely feel [ technology ] has given them more of a voice , ' agyare says . i feel like it 's allowed them to express themselves and interact with others ... for them , it 's important to be heard . ' some girls had never used a computer before the classes began , but agyare 's even-handed approach has brought all her students up to the same standard . agyare insists that we do n't leave anyone behind . ' to that end , a few young male faces have found their way into her classroom . this was an accidental revelation , according to agyare . she details the story of one affronted boy . he wrote that he did n't like it when he saw girls learning about computers ... it was difficult [ for him ] to see girls being empowered ; he was n't used to that . ' agyare realized that by integrating genders in her classroom she could begin to confront gender expectations . for many boys the role of a girl is to be their wife , ' agyare explains , and she needs to be taken care of . ' however , by running mixed classes boys from an early age can learn to see a woman as a contributing person [ within society ] . ' now the hope is that many of the young students will be able to go to university -- and achievers ghana is working on a scholarship program to make the prospect attainable . agyare says the goal is not to turn every girl into software developers but to enable them to use technology in whatever field they find themselves . ' she adds : it would be great if we had some girls that decided to go on and study computer science , but really it 's about helping them reach their full potential ... and bring change to the community . ' read this : 5 reasons why tech needs geek girls more from african start-up	many girls in nima , one of accra 's poorest slums , receive little or no education
nima <tsp> ( cnn ) every week in the heart of nima , a slum in the ghanaian capital of accra , families congregate at a local mosque . when the time comes , young girls say goodbye to their loved ones and part ways , filing up concrete steps leading up to the floor above . there , inside a large room dotted with brown tables , rows of flashing computer screens await for them . when the parents are praying [ downstairs ] , we are teaching the girls upstairs , ' explains tech entrepreneur regina agyare , who comes here every week to teach local teens how to code . agyare 's first visit to see the girls -- students at education project achievers ghana -- was in january 2014 . this was supposed to be a one-off seminar as part of her mentorship initiative tech needs girls ' -- however , the students proved quite a draw . i fell in love with them , so i decided to set up a coding club and started having regular sessions , ' says agyare , founder of software development company soronko solutions . more importantly , continues agyare , it offered the opportunity to show the community the value of educating girls . ' a predominantly muslim area in a largely christian nation , nima has one of the densest populations in accra . agyare says life is often challenging for many local girls , with some growing up without ever leaving the community . girls were being forced to marry early ; [ denied ] their right to go to school . most of their dreams and aspirations were limited to just what was around them . i was shocked ... i thought we had progressed as a nation . i thought we had gone past that . ' this , in part , was why agyare lent her support to achievers ghana . set up by local amadu mohammad , the non-profit organization supports 250 girls between the age of six and 18 , priming them for formal education through extracurricular classes in reading , math , poetry and information technology . its goal is to break through social barriers and provide nima with a generation of female role models , and so the group provides school funding to help the girls shape their own future . the project was bequeathed its classroom above the mosque it shares a building with , and agyare says the two work closely together . achievers ghana met initial resistance from local conservatives , but when the mosque 's chief imam sheik hussein abdul rahman championed mohammad 's vision , few maintained their reservations . now , with parents paying a nominal fee towards the running of the organization , it is in everyone 's interest that the girls succeed . fourteen months after her first visit , agyare 's coding class is well established . she has set up a mentor scheme as part of tech needs girls , ' recruiting and training women at university to act as role models for her younger students in nima . in each class , around 50 girls are taught html and run a blog called slum voices ' . i definitely feel [ technology ] has given them more of a voice , ' agyare says . i feel like it 's allowed them to express themselves and interact with others ... for them , it 's important to be heard . ' some girls had never used a computer before the classes began , but agyare 's even-handed approach has brought all her students up to the same standard . agyare insists that we do n't leave anyone behind . ' to that end , a few young male faces have found their way into her classroom . this was an accidental revelation , according to agyare . she details the story of one affronted boy . he wrote that he did n't like it when he saw girls learning about computers ... it was difficult [ for him ] to see girls being empowered ; he was n't used to that . ' agyare realized that by integrating genders in her classroom she could begin to confront gender expectations . for many boys the role of a girl is to be their wife , ' agyare explains , and she needs to be taken care of . ' however , by running mixed classes boys from an early age can learn to see a woman as a contributing person [ within society ] . ' now the hope is that many of the young students will be able to go to university -- and achievers ghana is working on a scholarship program to make the prospect attainable . agyare says the goal is not to turn every girl into software developers but to enable them to use technology in whatever field they find themselves . ' she adds : it would be great if we had some girls that decided to go on and study computer science , but really it 's about helping them reach their full potential ... and bring change to the community . ' read this : 5 reasons why tech needs geek girls more from african start-up	many girls in nima , one of accra 's poorest slums , receive little or no education
castellanos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- so it comes down to this : on tuesday , the president who ca n't possibly win re-election confronts the challenger who ca n't possibly beat him . licensed , as i am , to pump gas and commit punditry in all 50 states and the district of columbia , i am obligated to make a prediction . or , in other words : it 's time to guess . three weeks ago , on nbc 's meet the press , ' i ventured that something happened at that denver debate beyond president barack obama not showing up for work . the president , i noted , had never run a campaign to get re-elected , just a campaign to stop the other guy , mitt romney , from getting elected . when the romney who arrived to debate was not the sulfur-breathing demon the president had led us to expect , obama was left with no campaign at all . this is a man with two empty holsters , ' i noted . his campaign could collapse . ' i think it did . romney : my vision for america then an unexpected voter named sandy resuscitated obama 's campaign . what factors must we understand in these final hours to identify the winner of this election ? first , we 'd have to understand who is going to win independents . four years ago , obama won independents by 8 points over john mccain . after the denver debate , that advantage reversed itself . in recent washington post/abc news tracking polls , obama has trailed romney among independent voters by 16 to 20 percentage points . recent cbs polls also reported that romney has led obama among independents by 5 % in ohio , 6 % in florida and a massive 21 % in virginia . if this lead among independents held through election day , romney would win these states . post-sandy survey data , however , indicates the storm may have blown away romney 's advantage with independents , at least temporarily . the politico/gw battleground poll has the president pulling within 1 point among independent voters , 43 % to 44 % . our own purplepoll of swing states has the president taking a one point lead among purple state independents , 45 % to 44 % . however , the final nbc/wsj national poll reports that romney is winning independents by 7 points . and the new cnn/orc poll gives romney a 22 % lead with independents . who wins independents might depend upon whether obama 's sandy bounce ' was a real change or a temporary bump in the president 's fortunes . if voters believe the president 's energetic response indicates he has learned a lesson and will be more responsive to them in a second term , this election could break obama 's way . obama : my vision for america second , to identify the winner , we 'd have to see whether romney has closed the gender gap . the latest associated press poll has romney erasing a 16-point gender gap in the past month . pew research tells us romney 's and obama 's favorability ratings among women voters are now nearly equal . pew analyst michael dimock expects the gender gap to look very similar to the last few election cycles , with women somewhere between 6 and 8 points to favor obama , and fairly consistent with where we 've been since 1980 . ' our own post-sandy purplepoll has romney closing the gender gap to 7 points , enough for him to win . third , to call the election for obama , i 'd have to believe he does n't hit his head on the ceiling every time he stands , but he does . the president 's percentage number is stuck some 2 % or 3 % short of the 50 % mark . the real clear politics national average has obama stuck at 47.8 % with romney tight on his heels at 47.3 % . our last two purplepolls of likely voters in swing states have obama at 47 % to 48 % . surveys that show a higher percentage for the president , cracking the 50 % line , such as the overcooked marist poll in ohio , are preposterously overweighted with democrats . marist unexplainably paints ohio 9 % more democrat than republican , with the republican share of the electorate lower today than in 2008 , when republicans were swallowing razor blades and obama mania was cresting . other surveys , which perhaps have spent less time in the crock pot , show a different ohio : a cbs/nyt poll reports republican enthusiasm outstripping democrat enthusiasm in ohio by 14 points . politics : if obama wins ... my experience is that polarizing incumbents running against acceptable challengers can count on getting just about exactly what they are getting in the last poll , heading into the election -- and no more . the electoral ceiling over obama 's head is hard . in my view , it is a couple of points too low for him to win re-election . what else would we have to understand to identify the likely winner ? fourth , we 'd have to see who has captured the powerful remnants of the 2010 surge that renewed the silent majority 's ' voice and secured gop control of the house of representatives . anecdotal evidence and survey data tell us that romney has momentum with white , working-class men in swing states and nationally . a new poll from the conservative american future fund has romney within a point in blue-collar minnesota . obama 's campaign is suddenly running ads in a working-class state such as pennsylvania that he had previously put in his pocket . new data has romney tied with obama in pennsylvania , 47 % to 47 % , within 2 points in ohio , and tied with the president in new hampshire . meanwhile , romney is drawing the largest crowds of his campaign , packed with those reagan-democratic men , in , of all places , ohio . early on election night , if romney starts winning blue-collar , working class counties in western pennsylvania , he will win them everywhere , including ohio , iowa , new hampshire and minnesota . at this point , it is almost impossible for romney to win the presidency small . he either loses or puts around 300 electoral votes in the bank . fifth , to identify our next president , we would have to understand who has the edge , compared with'08 , in early and absentee voting . gop sources tell me that in ohio , for example , republicans have increased their early turnout by more than 100,000 from 2008 while democrat turnout is down 150,000 . that is a 250,000-vote swing in a state obama only won by 260,000 votes at the apogee of his popularity . this pattern , i 'm informed , holds in other swing states . sixth , we have to examine whether the obama campaign can compensate for dimming passion among its supporters with a more energetic turn-out-the-vote machine on election day . it 's fair to admit that team obama has had a four-year head start , nearly endless resources and a brilliant team of social media wizards to build an unmatched get-out-the-vote operation . but obama has disappointed even his own supporters . the thrill of his historic political accomplishment is gone . without passion to fuel the machine , a turnout engine is just a collection of bolts . politics : if romney wins ... my experience is that the beatles were right : money ca n't buy you love , or turnout . seventh , to identify our next president , we have to understand how publicly embarrassing it is to be a republican these days . hollywood , the music industry , the news media , the fashion industry , the intellectual elite and the news media all fawn over obama . to identify yourself as a republican romney voter , however , is to admit that you are culturally backward . in effect , survey questioners are asking obama voters if they self-identify as cool . they are asking romney voters if they would publicly admit to wearing socks with sandals . too often , republicans dare not speak their name , because they know the cool kids wo n't invite them to play . this phenomenon , the reticent republican factor , like the shy tory factor found in british polls in the '90s , could easily account for a 4 % to 5 % unexpected pro-romney bump on election day . late polls in 1980 gave ronald reagan only a 2 % to 3 % lead over jimmy carter . reagan ended up winning by nearly 10 % . for the same reason , i would expect this campaign 's final public opinion polls and exit polls this tuesday to underreport the republican vote by a handful of points . add it all up , and this is a close call . perhaps it is best made both with my heart and my head . four years ago , obama 's campaign claimed a unique energy . electing the first black president of the united states was a singular moment of national pride . now the obama campaign pretends the opposite : they tell us that history-making event was ordinary . team obama and many others model their turnout predictions and surveys upon 2008 , overloading them with democrats . they would have us think that the electoral cosmos has been realigned in a stable and permanent way . in the end , i can not embrace as common the rarest of political astronomies . i do not believe obama 's comet comes around every day . that leaves mitt romney as the next president of the united states . opinion : what 's really at stake in election 2012 the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alex castellanos .	alex castellanos says it takes some guesswork to predict outcome of such a close election
castellanos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- so it comes down to this : on tuesday , the president who ca n't possibly win re-election confronts the challenger who ca n't possibly beat him . licensed , as i am , to pump gas and commit punditry in all 50 states and the district of columbia , i am obligated to make a prediction . or , in other words : it 's time to guess . three weeks ago , on nbc 's meet the press , ' i ventured that something happened at that denver debate beyond president barack obama not showing up for work . the president , i noted , had never run a campaign to get re-elected , just a campaign to stop the other guy , mitt romney , from getting elected . when the romney who arrived to debate was not the sulfur-breathing demon the president had led us to expect , obama was left with no campaign at all . this is a man with two empty holsters , ' i noted . his campaign could collapse . ' i think it did . romney : my vision for america then an unexpected voter named sandy resuscitated obama 's campaign . what factors must we understand in these final hours to identify the winner of this election ? first , we 'd have to understand who is going to win independents . four years ago , obama won independents by 8 points over john mccain . after the denver debate , that advantage reversed itself . in recent washington post/abc news tracking polls , obama has trailed romney among independent voters by 16 to 20 percentage points . recent cbs polls also reported that romney has led obama among independents by 5 % in ohio , 6 % in florida and a massive 21 % in virginia . if this lead among independents held through election day , romney would win these states . post-sandy survey data , however , indicates the storm may have blown away romney 's advantage with independents , at least temporarily . the politico/gw battleground poll has the president pulling within 1 point among independent voters , 43 % to 44 % . our own purplepoll of swing states has the president taking a one point lead among purple state independents , 45 % to 44 % . however , the final nbc/wsj national poll reports that romney is winning independents by 7 points . and the new cnn/orc poll gives romney a 22 % lead with independents . who wins independents might depend upon whether obama 's sandy bounce ' was a real change or a temporary bump in the president 's fortunes . if voters believe the president 's energetic response indicates he has learned a lesson and will be more responsive to them in a second term , this election could break obama 's way . obama : my vision for america second , to identify the winner , we 'd have to see whether romney has closed the gender gap . the latest associated press poll has romney erasing a 16-point gender gap in the past month . pew research tells us romney 's and obama 's favorability ratings among women voters are now nearly equal . pew analyst michael dimock expects the gender gap to look very similar to the last few election cycles , with women somewhere between 6 and 8 points to favor obama , and fairly consistent with where we 've been since 1980 . ' our own post-sandy purplepoll has romney closing the gender gap to 7 points , enough for him to win . third , to call the election for obama , i 'd have to believe he does n't hit his head on the ceiling every time he stands , but he does . the president 's percentage number is stuck some 2 % or 3 % short of the 50 % mark . the real clear politics national average has obama stuck at 47.8 % with romney tight on his heels at 47.3 % . our last two purplepolls of likely voters in swing states have obama at 47 % to 48 % . surveys that show a higher percentage for the president , cracking the 50 % line , such as the overcooked marist poll in ohio , are preposterously overweighted with democrats . marist unexplainably paints ohio 9 % more democrat than republican , with the republican share of the electorate lower today than in 2008 , when republicans were swallowing razor blades and obama mania was cresting . other surveys , which perhaps have spent less time in the crock pot , show a different ohio : a cbs/nyt poll reports republican enthusiasm outstripping democrat enthusiasm in ohio by 14 points . politics : if obama wins ... my experience is that polarizing incumbents running against acceptable challengers can count on getting just about exactly what they are getting in the last poll , heading into the election -- and no more . the electoral ceiling over obama 's head is hard . in my view , it is a couple of points too low for him to win re-election . what else would we have to understand to identify the likely winner ? fourth , we 'd have to see who has captured the powerful remnants of the 2010 surge that renewed the silent majority 's ' voice and secured gop control of the house of representatives . anecdotal evidence and survey data tell us that romney has momentum with white , working-class men in swing states and nationally . a new poll from the conservative american future fund has romney within a point in blue-collar minnesota . obama 's campaign is suddenly running ads in a working-class state such as pennsylvania that he had previously put in his pocket . new data has romney tied with obama in pennsylvania , 47 % to 47 % , within 2 points in ohio , and tied with the president in new hampshire . meanwhile , romney is drawing the largest crowds of his campaign , packed with those reagan-democratic men , in , of all places , ohio . early on election night , if romney starts winning blue-collar , working class counties in western pennsylvania , he will win them everywhere , including ohio , iowa , new hampshire and minnesota . at this point , it is almost impossible for romney to win the presidency small . he either loses or puts around 300 electoral votes in the bank . fifth , to identify our next president , we would have to understand who has the edge , compared with'08 , in early and absentee voting . gop sources tell me that in ohio , for example , republicans have increased their early turnout by more than 100,000 from 2008 while democrat turnout is down 150,000 . that is a 250,000-vote swing in a state obama only won by 260,000 votes at the apogee of his popularity . this pattern , i 'm informed , holds in other swing states . sixth , we have to examine whether the obama campaign can compensate for dimming passion among its supporters with a more energetic turn-out-the-vote machine on election day . it 's fair to admit that team obama has had a four-year head start , nearly endless resources and a brilliant team of social media wizards to build an unmatched get-out-the-vote operation . but obama has disappointed even his own supporters . the thrill of his historic political accomplishment is gone . without passion to fuel the machine , a turnout engine is just a collection of bolts . politics : if romney wins ... my experience is that the beatles were right : money ca n't buy you love , or turnout . seventh , to identify our next president , we have to understand how publicly embarrassing it is to be a republican these days . hollywood , the music industry , the news media , the fashion industry , the intellectual elite and the news media all fawn over obama . to identify yourself as a republican romney voter , however , is to admit that you are culturally backward . in effect , survey questioners are asking obama voters if they self-identify as cool . they are asking romney voters if they would publicly admit to wearing socks with sandals . too often , republicans dare not speak their name , because they know the cool kids wo n't invite them to play . this phenomenon , the reticent republican factor , like the shy tory factor found in british polls in the '90s , could easily account for a 4 % to 5 % unexpected pro-romney bump on election day . late polls in 1980 gave ronald reagan only a 2 % to 3 % lead over jimmy carter . reagan ended up winning by nearly 10 % . for the same reason , i would expect this campaign 's final public opinion polls and exit polls this tuesday to underreport the republican vote by a handful of points . add it all up , and this is a close call . perhaps it is best made both with my heart and my head . four years ago , obama 's campaign claimed a unique energy . electing the first black president of the united states was a singular moment of national pride . now the obama campaign pretends the opposite : they tell us that history-making event was ordinary . team obama and many others model their turnout predictions and surveys upon 2008 , overloading them with democrats . they would have us think that the electoral cosmos has been realigned in a stable and permanent way . in the end , i can not embrace as common the rarest of political astronomies . i do not believe obama 's comet comes around every day . that leaves mitt romney as the next president of the united states . opinion : what 's really at stake in election 2012 the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alex castellanos .	castellanos : obama has n't cracked 50 % barrier , and his 2008 win looks unlikely to repeat
uk <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- the number of stray and abandoned dogs in the united kingdom jumped by 11 percent in the past year -- the biggest surge in a decade -- possibly because of the financial crisis , a british dog charity said wednesday . a dog looks through the door of its kennel at battersea dogs and cats home in london . dogs trust said local authorities picked up 107,228 stray and abandoned dogs from british streets in the past year . it called on the government to make microchipping compulsory for all dogs to help reunite owners with pets , whether lost or abandoned . the latest stray dog survey is very disappointing , ' said clarissa baldwin , chief executive of dogs trust . even more tragically is the number of dogs that are being put down , which has gone up from 7,000 to just below 10,000 , a very worrying trend . ' has recession hit your pet ? send us your thoughts the 11 percent rise is the highest yearly increase since recordkeeping began in 1997 , dogs trust said . the rise may be due to the financial crisis , dogs trust said . some households tighten their belts by giving up the dog . another possible reason for the jump : england and wales last year changed the law to make local councils , not police , responsible for taking in stray dogs , dogs trust said . cash-strapped councils might lack resources to pick up or temporarily shelter dogs . you 've got a lot of latchkey dogs that are just left to wander the streets , ' said natalie dexter , who works at the education center at dogs trust . their homes are n't secure , gardens are n't secure , and so they 're just left to wander around . ' local authorities handle an average of 12 dogs each hour , dogs trust said . only five are reunited with their owners -- a number that could increase if more dogs were microchipped , dogs trust said . a microchip is an electronic device , coated in plastic , that is the size of a grain of rice . it is implanted just under a dog 's skin , beneath its shoulder blades , which causes no harm to the animal and can not be felt , veterinarians and campaigners say . the microchip carries the owner 's information , which can be updated . the information can be read by a scanner that works through a radio frequency .	number of stray and abandoned dogs in uk jumps by 11 percent in past year
france <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- police arrested 13 men in barcelona and valencia early tuesday on suspicion of working in an international document forgery ring , possibly with links to islamic terrorists , a police statement said . spanish police detain a suspect following the arrests in valencia and barcelona tuesday . there are arrests . the police have to determine who is who , ' a government source told cnn . the suspects include 11 pakistani nationals , an indian and a nigerian . most of the arrests were in barcelona , spain 's second-largest city , but two were in valencia , the third-largest city , also on the mediterranean coast , south of barcelona , the police statement said . the ring , in addition to providing forged passports , also trafficked in drugs and human beings , in a network stretching to britain , france , germany , belgium , switzerland and thailand , and police in those countries were part of the investigation , the statement said . the ring operated by stealing passports in various spanish cities and sending them to thailand , where they were altered and sent to the other five european countries to criminal networks , to facilitate fraudulent border crossings . investigators in all of the countries involved were now searching for links between the passport forgery ring and islamic terrorists , the statement said . police searches of locales in barcelona and valencia turned up material to forge documents , dozens of passports , some already forged and others blank and waiting to be filled in , passport-sized photographs of numerous people , computer information and cell phones . police did not mention finding any weapons or explosives in their searches . the operation was coordinated by a judge at spain 's anti-terrorism national court in madrid .	new : police say ring also trafficked in uk , france , germany , belgium among others
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mark webber climbed to the top of the formula one championship standings with a runaway victory at the hungarian grand prix on sunday as red bull teammate and polesitter sebastian vettel paid for a mistake while the safety car was out . the australian moved four points clear of previous leader lewis hamilton , who retired in the 24th lap of 70 after a mechanical failure ended his hopes of a second successive win at the hungaroring , where he also triumphed in 2007 . it was a bit of a gift for me but you know i have n't had many of them , ' the 33-year-old said after ending his 150th grand prix in fine style . it was an incredible day for the team . one-two was our goal but we were unfortunate not to get that . ' the safety car was already out when the leading mclaren ground to a halt , and its introduction allowed webber to take the lead having lost second place to ferrari 's fernando alonso at the start . vettel and alonso had pitted for the first time on lap 16 , allowing webber to establish a crucial buffer that he kept extending until he also came in for a tire change on lap 44 -- meaning he came back out of the lane still in front . f1 championship standings his fourth victory of the season lifted red bull eight points clear in the team standings as previous leaders mclaren 's world champion jenson button claimed eighth place after starting the race 11th on the grid . vettel was hit with a 25-second drive-through penalty after not hearing team radio orders to move clear of alonso and subsequently dropping too far behind the leader while the safety car was out . i did n't understand what was going on and why i was penalized , ' vettel told reporters . i did n't hear anything on the radio after briefly losing connection . i was warming up my car and was sure we had another lap . it 's a disappointing day for me . ' alonso , who won last time out at hockenheim , kept his hopes of a third world title alive as he held off vettel to take second place -- 17.821 seconds behind webber -- despite the german setting the fastest lap of any driver . vettel moved up to third overall , 10 points behind webber , despite failing to capitalize on his seventh pole position this year as his early 12-second lead was wiped out . alonso remained fifth in the standings , but is now only 20 points off the leader with seven races to go ahead of a four-week break before the next event in belgium . alonso 's teammate felipe massa , second at the german grand prix , was fourth on his return to the circuit where last year he suffered horrific head injuries after a freak accident during qualifying which ended his season . renault 's vitaly petrov finished fifth for the russian 's best result in his debut season , while fellow rookie nico hulkenberg of williams was sixth ahead of sauber 's veteran pedro de la rosa . button , the winner here for honda in 2006 for his maiden race win , was next -- a whole lap behind webber -- while kamui kobayashi picked up more points for sauber . the japanese driver had started 23rd on the grid after failing to stop for a weigh-in after saturday 's qualifying . rubens barrichello rounded out the top-10 for williams after overtaking his former ferrari teammate michael schumacher late in the race -- the seven-time world champion faces a stewards inquiry after dangerously pushing his fellow veteran wide of the track . it was another disappointing day for the german -- who was lapped by webber -- and mercedes , with teammate nico rosberg retiring on lap 15 . schumacher 's younger compatriot lost his rear right wheel while coming out of the pit lane , but fortunately the flying object did not strike any of the nearby team mechanics .	german finishes third behind fernando alonso , having led by 12 seconds from pole
hilary swank <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- a u.s. company is offering a rare chance to holiday on a mega-yacht once used by a hollywood star and her husband -- and thanks to the recession it 's actually affordable . the 100-foot katania normally would attract an additional $ 49,500 charter fee for a week 's use . the 100-foot katania was chartered by hollywood star hilary swank and her husband , chad lowe . seattle , washington-based mega-yacht rental business ceo expeditions usually charges around $ 100,000 a week to charter their 100-plus-foot yachts , but they have introduced a deal waiving the charter fees -- meaning guests will only need to pay for the running of the vessel . the move to make such vessels more affordable comes as the recession continues to put pressure on the luxury holiday and mega-yacht industries . although the costs of crew and luxury food are n't extremely cheap , it is expected this move will open up the recession-strained market to many more potential holiday-makers . the katania now costs less than $ 3,000 per day . normally it would attract an additional $ 49,500 charter fee for a week 's use . at the $ 2,950-per-day special rate , four people can stay on the katania -- but with the maximum six on board ( $ 450 extra per person ) the cost per person is a slightly better $ 642 . the price includes full crew , premium wines , gourmet food prepared by a private chef , amenities such as kayaks , hot tub , fishing/crabbing/shrimping equipment , and even a 30-foot whaler for guest use . according to the company , swank said of her charter holiday : we had an absolutely enchanted time aboard the katania . a more beautiful yacht does not exist . ' there is one small catch with the deal -- the boat is based in the san juan islands off the coast of washington and british columbia , and any cruises to other destinations will attract an additional charge to cover fuel costs . the company 's owner , bruce milne , released a statement saying the deal was largely a result of the impact of the recession . travel is down , agents and brokers need deals , so rather than just a few full-price charters , we decided to stay busy , put more people to work , and help island tourism by doing charters at cost . since we started chartering 10 years ago , we have been looking for a chance to provide our'expeditions to the extraordinary'in the san juan islands at a price any luxury traveler can afford -- this recession provides that opportunity , ' he said . tim wiltshire , director and sales broker at international yacht company burgess yachts , said the charter market is n't a complete disaster , so he was surprised to see such a discount . i would n't have expected to see that , ' he said . we are seeing discounts on average of about 25 percent . although some people are trying interesting gimmicks to inspire new business . ' wiltshire said ceo expedition 's fleet is n't among the biggest or most luxurious on the market , and this deal appears to be clever marketing stunt . his opinion is that other larger vessels still warrant their greater price tags .	a yacht chartered by hilary swank can now be rented for less than $ 3,000 a day
eu <tsp> dublin , ireland ( cnn ) -- irish voters are going to the polls again friday -- to vote on a treaty they rejected just over a year ago . prime minister brian cowen gets out the'vote yes'message in tullamore . but this time round , opinion polls indicate the yes ' campaign to adopt the lisbon treaty and its rules for governing an expanded european union will be successful . the eu has made assurances to ireland that the lisbon treaty will not affect the country 's abortion laws or its neutrality and that ireland will keep a european commissioner . in the weeks leading up to the vote , dublin was awash with posters for both sides of the emotional argument . yes ' posters reminded voters how much ireland has benefited financially from being inside the european union . no ' placards questioned whether ireland will lose its military neutrality , its anti-abortion laws and its minimum wage despite the eu assurances . just more than half -- 53 percent -- of irish voters said no ' to the lisbon treaty in june 2008 , throwing the future structure of the european union into doubt as all member states have to ratify the treaty before it can be adopted . lisbon is the plan to modernize the eu 's structure after it expanded to 27 members , with most of the new member states coming from eastern europe . ireland has just one percent of the eu 's population but its no ' vote effectively stopped adoption of the lisbon treaty across the continent . so , the dublin government is holding another referendum friday in the hope of this time getting a yes ' vote . no other eu citizens have been allowed to vote on the treaty as national parliaments have ratified the treaty . and to date only poland and the czech republic governments have held up the final passage of the treaty in their own countries . but ireland 's constitution mandates citizens must be allowed to vote on any major changes to its own governmental structure . a handful of dublin taxi drivers told cnn they would vote no because they see no reason to give to brussels the powers that ireland fought hard to wrestle away from britain . no ' campaigner brendan young , from a group called people before profit , put it bluntly : people having had experience of benign british presence do n't want to be going fighting britain 's wars , or anybody else 's . ' but the no ' campaign is a rag bag of groups that have little in common . young says he is pro-europe but does not want irish tax money to pay for europe 's military structure . to illustrate the diverging political viewpoints in the no ' campaign , young was not happy that the united kingdom independence party was in dublin and on his side . ukip is an anti-european union , british party and it finds itself on the same side as sinn fein , the anti-british , nationalist party . conservative anti-abortion catholic groups also press the no ' case . when i see the uk independence party join up with sinn fein and religious extremists , i must be on the right side , ' laughed michael wall , a yes ' campaigner . he said he volunteered to hand out leaflets because he says last year the pro-lisbon treaty lobby took a yes ' for granted . he says by talking about what is actually in the treaty -- a document most people last time round admitted they had not read -- he has changed minds . i have met a lot of people on the campaign who voted no the last time . voted no out of anger , voted no because of the arrogance of politicians who put their faces on the posters when the issue was n't about , say , local elections , ' wall said . a lot of people have changed their mind and i think they should be given that opportunity ' by getting to vote a second time . but ireland is going through one of the worst recessions of any developed nation since the 1930s . there are no green shoots on the emerald island . property prices have collapsed , unemployment doubled in a year and for the first time in nearly 20 years , emigration is back . the government is very unpopular and the business community worries this will influence voting . the biggest concern is that it will be a no ' on the basis of people 's anger about domestic policy issues rather than the treaty itself , ' says patricia callan , of the small firms association . business is at the fore of the yes ' vote this time around . at the u.s. tech giant intel , jim o'hara , its general manager of ireland , said he had to persuade his boss this vote was critical . i had to go and convince the intel corporation , ' he said . and quite frankly paul otellini , when i spoke to him , the ceo , was n't that particularly interested in the issues . i convinced him that it was good for ireland and good for our business in ireland . ' results are not expected until saturday .	voters rejected treaty in 2008 but have new eu assurances this time
marco borriello <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ac milan moved four points clear in italy 's serie a with a 1-0 win at home to fiorentina on saturday night , as zlatan ibrahimovic was again the hero . the sweden forward scored the winning penalty in last weekend 's derby clash with inter , and he settled this match with a spectacular effort in first-half injury-time . he flicked the ball up and hooked it over his shoulder into the far corner to give milan a ninth win in 13 league games , and put pressure on second-placed lazio to win at parma on sunday . milan , who travel to french club auxerre in the champions league on tuesday , earlier had the ball in the net through robinho but the brazilian forward was ruled offside . milan coach massimiliano allegri omitted ronaldinho from his starting line-up , having been angry that the brazilian was pictured out partying late at night during the week , but brought him on as a late substitute . fiorentina stayed in 12th place on 15 points after a sixth defeat this season . roma claimed third place in the table with a 2-0 win at home to udinese , despite having nicolas burdisso sent off with 10 minutes to play . young french winger jeremy menez gave the capital club a 24th-minute lead with a fine solo effort as he took the ball from just inside the visitors'half , beat two opponents and curled a shot past goalkeeper samir handanovic . the 23-year-old then provided roma 's second goal in the 56th minute , finding marco borriello inside the penalty area -- and the italy striker beat the slovenian at his near post . roma coach claudio ranieri took off both goalscorers with half an hour to play , ahead of tuesday 's champions league visit by bayern munich . argentine defender burdisso was sent off after an altercation in the penalty area , and udinese 's chile midfielder alexis sanchez then hit the post before teammate german denis had an effort ruled out for offside . the defeat left udinese in eighth place on 17 points . on sunday , fourth-placed napoli host bologna in the late match , fifth-placed juventus travel to genoa in the early kickoff and defending champions inter visit chievo .	french winger jeremy menez scores opening goal and then sets up marco borriello
phoenix va <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the embattled head of the phoenix va was formally fired monday . sharon helman was in charge of the phoenix va health care system and the facility at the center of the va scandal ; she was put on administrative leave following a cnn interview in april , in which she denied the existence of a secret list used to cover up delays in patient care . when asked by cnn 's drew griffin if the phoenix va intentionally covered up long wait times , helman responded , it 's never come from me . ' related : veterans languish and die on va hospital 's secret wait list the va 's office of inspector general confirmed in august 3,500 veterans had been waiting for appointments on secret lists at the phoenix va. at a congressional hearing in september , the va inspector general richard griffin said long wait times at the phoenix va , some of which were hidden from va headquarters , contributed to patient deaths . with the announcement of helman 's termination , va secretary robert mcdonald said in a statement lack of oversight and misconduct by va leaders runs counter to our mission of serving veterans , and va will not tolerate it . ' since president barack obama in august signed into law an act making it easier for the va to fire top officials , three senior officials from pittsburgh , central alabama and phoenix have now been fired . timeline : the va 's troubled history two other officials were proposed ' for termination but then retired with their pensions intact . the va says it has proposed disciplinary action ' against 45 employees nationwide for issues related to data manipulation or patient care . chairman of the house committee on veterans affairs jeff miller previously criticized the va for stalling the firing of sharon helman , noting that she continued to be paid after she was placed on leave in may . on monday , miller called on the va to fire additional officials . sharon helman 's removal is a positive step , but there are still many more va scandal figures who also must be purged from the department 's payroll in order for veterans and families to receive the closure they deserve , ' miller said . scott bronstein contributed to this report .	sharon helman was charge of the phoenix va but was formally fired monday
rosenblum <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israeli media went into one of its periodic feeding frenzies this week over reports that israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu 's oldest son yair has a non-jewish girlfriend . gentile media around the world gleefully reported the faux hand-wringing in israel . in a world in which hundreds of thousands , if not millions , of jews are in some level of romantic involvement , ' with non-jews , yair netanyahu 's love life is , by any rational standard , a non-story . in america today , more than four out of five marriages involving non-orthodox jews are intermarriages , according to a survey by pew research center . so why would anyone profess to be distressed by yair netanyahu 's alleged romantic interests ? ( the pm 's bureau , incidentally , issued a statement that yair and the norwegian woman identified as his girlfriend are nothing more than study partners at the herziliya interdisciplinary center . ) the jews are a small and ancient people . their continued existence , despite the rise of those determined to destroy them in every generation , is history 's most prolonged miracle . even today , israel is the only country in the developed world not on the path of demographic suicide , in which elderly retirees will nearly equal younger workers in the foreseeable future . for believing jews , jewish survival reflects god 's choice of the jewish people to be the primary vehicle through which he reveals himself to the world . jews have held fast to that relationship for more than three millennia . across the globe and in every historical period , great scholars and simple peasants have willingly given their lives rather than give up their relationship with god . when a jewish male marries a non-jew , that unbroken , millennial chain of ancestors is severed for good . his children are not considered jewish in jewish law . and if a jewish woman marries a non-jewish man , it is virtually guaranteed statistically that her offspring will cease to be jewish within one or two generations . in america , three-quarters of children of intermarriage marry gentiles . in america , three-quarters of children of intermarriage marry gentiles . only 14 % of intermarried homes describe their religious orientation has primarily jewish , according to the sociologist bruce phillips during the mid-1990s , and 60 % of those have christmas trees . bluntly , the non-orthodox segments of the jewish people outside of israel will cease to exist in one or two generations through intermarriage . the end of so many family lines extending back to antiquity provokes sadness . yet intermarriage is the consequence rather than the cause of a more fundamental change . most modern jews have lost connection with the distinctive beliefs and practices that have always characterized the jewish people , in particular the belief that the jewish people were chosen for a unique historical mission . without the belief in a particular purpose for the jewish people , it makes perfect sense to look for marriage partners from among those with shared political views or tastes in movies . the real tragedy is that jewish ' constitutes such a small part of the self-identity of most jews today . what orthodox jews mourn when their assimilated brethren intermarry is the finality of a step that cuts off them and their offspring of from the possibility of rediscovering what it means to be a jew . size is not a jewish standard of measure . the bible itself promises that we will be the smallest of the nations . but the loss of any jew is nevertheless a tragedy . for at sinai , the jewish people were not only given a collective mission . each soul that stood there or would descend from those who stood at sinai was created with the potential to reveal , within the framework of the torah 's commandments , some aspect of god by virtue of his or her unique combination of talents and challenges to be overcome and particular familial and historical situation . the loss of that potential is a diminution of the entire jewish people . many non-jews , and increasingly many jews as well , find judaism 's stress on endogamy to be racist . that 's nonsense . membership in the jewish people is open to any human being who is willing to take on the same commitment as those who stood at sinai . judaism does not sanctify gene pools but rather commitment to a mission . one need not be jewish to serve god . judaism is unique among major monotheistic religions in not viewing eternal reward as contingent on becoming jewish . yet jews have always believed that they were chosen for a unique mission . for those in whom that sense of historical mission still burns the case for endogamy is a matter not just of jewish law but logic . a sense of mission -- especially one that has always entailed a high price , along with its rewards -- can only be transmitted consistently from generation to generation by two parents who share a common vision . the decision to marry only another jew is one to make shared spiritual goals paramount in one 's marriage . do n't all religions advocate the same , according to their specific beliefs ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jonathan rosenblum .	jews have always believed they were chosen for a unique mission , rosenblum argues
rosenblum <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israeli media went into one of its periodic feeding frenzies this week over reports that israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu 's oldest son yair has a non-jewish girlfriend . gentile media around the world gleefully reported the faux hand-wringing in israel . in a world in which hundreds of thousands , if not millions , of jews are in some level of romantic involvement , ' with non-jews , yair netanyahu 's love life is , by any rational standard , a non-story . in america today , more than four out of five marriages involving non-orthodox jews are intermarriages , according to a survey by pew research center . so why would anyone profess to be distressed by yair netanyahu 's alleged romantic interests ? ( the pm 's bureau , incidentally , issued a statement that yair and the norwegian woman identified as his girlfriend are nothing more than study partners at the herziliya interdisciplinary center . ) the jews are a small and ancient people . their continued existence , despite the rise of those determined to destroy them in every generation , is history 's most prolonged miracle . even today , israel is the only country in the developed world not on the path of demographic suicide , in which elderly retirees will nearly equal younger workers in the foreseeable future . for believing jews , jewish survival reflects god 's choice of the jewish people to be the primary vehicle through which he reveals himself to the world . jews have held fast to that relationship for more than three millennia . across the globe and in every historical period , great scholars and simple peasants have willingly given their lives rather than give up their relationship with god . when a jewish male marries a non-jew , that unbroken , millennial chain of ancestors is severed for good . his children are not considered jewish in jewish law . and if a jewish woman marries a non-jewish man , it is virtually guaranteed statistically that her offspring will cease to be jewish within one or two generations . in america , three-quarters of children of intermarriage marry gentiles . in america , three-quarters of children of intermarriage marry gentiles . only 14 % of intermarried homes describe their religious orientation has primarily jewish , according to the sociologist bruce phillips during the mid-1990s , and 60 % of those have christmas trees . bluntly , the non-orthodox segments of the jewish people outside of israel will cease to exist in one or two generations through intermarriage . the end of so many family lines extending back to antiquity provokes sadness . yet intermarriage is the consequence rather than the cause of a more fundamental change . most modern jews have lost connection with the distinctive beliefs and practices that have always characterized the jewish people , in particular the belief that the jewish people were chosen for a unique historical mission . without the belief in a particular purpose for the jewish people , it makes perfect sense to look for marriage partners from among those with shared political views or tastes in movies . the real tragedy is that jewish ' constitutes such a small part of the self-identity of most jews today . what orthodox jews mourn when their assimilated brethren intermarry is the finality of a step that cuts off them and their offspring of from the possibility of rediscovering what it means to be a jew . size is not a jewish standard of measure . the bible itself promises that we will be the smallest of the nations . but the loss of any jew is nevertheless a tragedy . for at sinai , the jewish people were not only given a collective mission . each soul that stood there or would descend from those who stood at sinai was created with the potential to reveal , within the framework of the torah 's commandments , some aspect of god by virtue of his or her unique combination of talents and challenges to be overcome and particular familial and historical situation . the loss of that potential is a diminution of the entire jewish people . many non-jews , and increasingly many jews as well , find judaism 's stress on endogamy to be racist . that 's nonsense . membership in the jewish people is open to any human being who is willing to take on the same commitment as those who stood at sinai . judaism does not sanctify gene pools but rather commitment to a mission . one need not be jewish to serve god . judaism is unique among major monotheistic religions in not viewing eternal reward as contingent on becoming jewish . yet jews have always believed that they were chosen for a unique mission . for those in whom that sense of historical mission still burns the case for endogamy is a matter not just of jewish law but logic . a sense of mission -- especially one that has always entailed a high price , along with its rewards -- can only be transmitted consistently from generation to generation by two parents who share a common vision . the decision to marry only another jew is one to make shared spiritual goals paramount in one 's marriage . do n't all religions advocate the same , according to their specific beliefs ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jonathan rosenblum .	jonathan rosenblum says children of intermarriage are not considered jewish in jewish law
jews <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israeli media went into one of its periodic feeding frenzies this week over reports that israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu 's oldest son yair has a non-jewish girlfriend . gentile media around the world gleefully reported the faux hand-wringing in israel . in a world in which hundreds of thousands , if not millions , of jews are in some level of romantic involvement , ' with non-jews , yair netanyahu 's love life is , by any rational standard , a non-story . in america today , more than four out of five marriages involving non-orthodox jews are intermarriages , according to a survey by pew research center . so why would anyone profess to be distressed by yair netanyahu 's alleged romantic interests ? ( the pm 's bureau , incidentally , issued a statement that yair and the norwegian woman identified as his girlfriend are nothing more than study partners at the herziliya interdisciplinary center . ) the jews are a small and ancient people . their continued existence , despite the rise of those determined to destroy them in every generation , is history 's most prolonged miracle . even today , israel is the only country in the developed world not on the path of demographic suicide , in which elderly retirees will nearly equal younger workers in the foreseeable future . for believing jews , jewish survival reflects god 's choice of the jewish people to be the primary vehicle through which he reveals himself to the world . jews have held fast to that relationship for more than three millennia . across the globe and in every historical period , great scholars and simple peasants have willingly given their lives rather than give up their relationship with god . when a jewish male marries a non-jew , that unbroken , millennial chain of ancestors is severed for good . his children are not considered jewish in jewish law . and if a jewish woman marries a non-jewish man , it is virtually guaranteed statistically that her offspring will cease to be jewish within one or two generations . in america , three-quarters of children of intermarriage marry gentiles . in america , three-quarters of children of intermarriage marry gentiles . only 14 % of intermarried homes describe their religious orientation has primarily jewish , according to the sociologist bruce phillips during the mid-1990s , and 60 % of those have christmas trees . bluntly , the non-orthodox segments of the jewish people outside of israel will cease to exist in one or two generations through intermarriage . the end of so many family lines extending back to antiquity provokes sadness . yet intermarriage is the consequence rather than the cause of a more fundamental change . most modern jews have lost connection with the distinctive beliefs and practices that have always characterized the jewish people , in particular the belief that the jewish people were chosen for a unique historical mission . without the belief in a particular purpose for the jewish people , it makes perfect sense to look for marriage partners from among those with shared political views or tastes in movies . the real tragedy is that jewish ' constitutes such a small part of the self-identity of most jews today . what orthodox jews mourn when their assimilated brethren intermarry is the finality of a step that cuts off them and their offspring of from the possibility of rediscovering what it means to be a jew . size is not a jewish standard of measure . the bible itself promises that we will be the smallest of the nations . but the loss of any jew is nevertheless a tragedy . for at sinai , the jewish people were not only given a collective mission . each soul that stood there or would descend from those who stood at sinai was created with the potential to reveal , within the framework of the torah 's commandments , some aspect of god by virtue of his or her unique combination of talents and challenges to be overcome and particular familial and historical situation . the loss of that potential is a diminution of the entire jewish people . many non-jews , and increasingly many jews as well , find judaism 's stress on endogamy to be racist . that 's nonsense . membership in the jewish people is open to any human being who is willing to take on the same commitment as those who stood at sinai . judaism does not sanctify gene pools but rather commitment to a mission . one need not be jewish to serve god . judaism is unique among major monotheistic religions in not viewing eternal reward as contingent on becoming jewish . yet jews have always believed that they were chosen for a unique mission . for those in whom that sense of historical mission still burns the case for endogamy is a matter not just of jewish law but logic . a sense of mission -- especially one that has always entailed a high price , along with its rewards -- can only be transmitted consistently from generation to generation by two parents who share a common vision . the decision to marry only another jew is one to make shared spiritual goals paramount in one 's marriage . do n't all religions advocate the same , according to their specific beliefs ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jonathan rosenblum .	jews have always believed they were chosen for a unique mission , rosenblum argues
hussein al-houthi <tsp> harf sofyan , yemen ( cnn ) -- security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in northern yemen on friday morning , killing two people and injuring nine others , witnesses said . the forces fired into the protesters in harf sufyan city to try and disperse them , witnesses said . three army planes flying over the crowd also attacked the protesters , witnesses said . the vast majority of the protesters were houthi rebels , according to mohammed abdulsalam , a spokesman for the group since 2004 , the houthis have waged a separatist revolt over who which religious sect will control the area . the houthis are shiite muslims and followers of slain shiite cleric hussein al-houthi . the majority of yemenis are sunnis . elsewhere in yemen on friday , thousands of anti-government demonstrators in sana'a called for president ali abdullah saleh to step down as they continued to hold a sit-in demonstration outside sanaa university . the crowd included students , women , tribesmen and members of the opposition in aden province . thousands also continued to demonstrate against saleh 's regime in the provinces of taiz , mareb and jawf . hakim almasmari contributed to this report .	the houthis are shiite muslims and followers of slain cleric hussein al-houthi
mississippi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- federal agents in gulfport , mississippi , arrested sunday a 53-year old man , declared dead in 1994 , on kidnapping charges . thomas steven sanders was arrested in the early morning at a flying j truck stop . he is suspected in the abduction of lexis roberts , 12 , of las vegas , nevada . she was later found dead . his capture is unusual because sanders was legally declared dead in mississippi by family members some 16 years ago . however , we now know that he is still alive and has ties to several states across the country , ' the fbi said in a statement earlier this month . sanders , who is thought to be missing most of his teeth , has changed his appearance several times over the years . he is described as a white male , around 200 pounds with brown eyes . in september , sanders was seen purchasing bullets at a local wal-mart in las vegas . the ammunition he bought was consistent with the caliber weapon used during roberts'homicide , the fbi said . the girl 's remains were found by hunters in early october in a wooded area north of harrisonburg , louisiana . she was last seen with her mother , suellen roberts , and sanders . sanders was alone at the time of his arrest .	thomas steven sanders , 53 , was arrested in gulfport , mississippi
delwar hossain sayedee <tsp> dhaka , bangladesh ( cnn ) -- at least 37 people died in rioting across bangladesh after the leader of the country 's largest islamist party was sentenced to death on decades-old allegations of war crimes . supporters of the jamaat-e-islami movement battled with police in several cities after 73-year-old delwar hossain sayedee was sentenced to hang by a war crimes tribunal . the two-time member of parliament was convicted of eight of 20 counts involving killings and rapes during bangladesh 's war of independence in 1971 . during that war , between 1 million and 3 million people were killed , and hundreds of thousands of women were raped . in 2010 , bangladesh set up a court called the international crimes tribunal to finally bring to justice those it accused in the massacre . sayedee is the third of seven jamaat party leaders to be charged with war crimes and the second to be sentenced to death . tens of thousands of people , including many of those who fought for the country more than 40 years ago , celebrated the judgment against sayedee . but furious jamaat supporters rioted in dhaka and other cities after the decision , leaving at least four police officers among the dead , police and other officials said . police around the country fired gunshots and tear gas shells to disperse the mobs , who also exploded a series of homemade bombs . most of the people were killed in the districts of rangpur , gaibandha , satkhira , thakurgaon and chittagong . at least two of the police officers were beaten to death in the streets , while a bomb killed a pedestrian in dhaka , authorities said . monirul islam , a dhaka police spokesman , said two grenades were found near shahbag square , where thousands of people were celebrating the court verdict . the grenades , which were later defused , were found abandoned on the pavement near the five-star hotel ruposhi bangla , he said . home affairs minister shamsul haque told reporters that the government has stepped up security nationwide . paramilitary troopers have been called in to patrol the troublesome cities , and the government has imposed ban on rallies and gatherings in some districts . since early february , widespread rallies have sprung in dhaka 's shahbag intersection , with protesters calling for justice against war criminals and rejecting fundamentalism in politics . but jamaat has called the shahbag participants anti-islamic atheists . ' increasingly , the islamists are letting their presence known with larger and larger rallies and strikes first in cities outside dhaka and then in the capital city . violence has been reported with police firing shots and tear-gas to disperse mobs . jamaat-e-islami called a nationwide general strike thursday to protest the trial , which it called politically motivated . physically separated by india , bangladesh had been the eastern part of pakistan until it gained independence in 1971 in a war . jamaat-e-islami opposed east pakistan 's struggle for independence and has decried what it calls a smear campaign against it . cnn 's elizabeth yuan contributed to this report .	delwar hossain sayedee was convicted of war crimes dating back to 1971
haiti <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- the cholera epidemic already blamed for more than 1,100 deaths in haiti could worsen because of poor sanitation in the earthquake-ravaged country , u.s. medical researchers reported thursday . a lack of treated drinking water , coupled with poor hand hygiene and food-preparation practices , make the 1.3 million people still living in camps particularly vulnerable , according to a new study published by the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention . the course of the cholera outbreak in haiti is difficult to predict , ' the report states . the haitian population has no pre-existing immunity to cholera , and environmental conditions in haiti are favorable for its continued spread . ' jordan tappero , a cdc epidemiologist in haiti , said haitian authorities and aid agencies are working to limit the epidemic by emphasizing clean water and sanitation . but he added , we expect we will be working very hard for many months to come . ' haiti has not reported a cholera outbreak in more than a century . the current epidemic was first reported in october and has now spread to eight of the caribbean nation 's 10 provinces , the cdc found . reports linking the outbreak to nepalese troops from the u.n. peacekeeping mission minustah sparked riots in the northern port city of cap-haitien on tuesday . a new round of violent protests erupted thursday in the capital port-au-prince , eyewitnesses told cnn . u.n. officials have denied the nepalese were to blame for the outbreak . the cdc has said the strain of the cholera bacteria responsible is indistinguishable ' from one found in other parts of the world , including south asia , but researchers are unlikely to be able to pinpoint how it arrived in haiti . the reality is that we have a serious problem here , ' cdc spokeswoman lola russell said . the emphasis is on controlling the outbreak , so that more people do not become ill and potentially die from cholera . ' the epidemic comes as haiti -- already the poorest country in the western hemisphere -- struggles to recover from the january earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people . even before the quake , only 12 percent of the haitian population of 9.8 million received treated tap water and only 17 percent had access to adequate sanitation , the cdc noted . the water safety and sanitation systems in haiti were weak be before the earthquake and made weaker by the earthquake , so conditions are ripe for the further spread of cholera , ' tappero told cnn . some symptoms of cholera , an acute , bacterial illness caused by drinking tainted water , can be mild or even nonexistent . but the disease can cause profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting , leading to death by rapid dehydration . the heart of the outbreak is the haitian province of artibonite , north of port-au-prince . interviews with victims hospitalized in the first days of the outbreak found that two-thirds of them had been drinking untreated water from rivers or canals , the same percentage did not routinely use chlorine to sanitize drinking water and nearly four out of five defecated in the open . and as the current outbreak spreads , infected people could spread the disease further by preparing food without proper hygiene , the cdc reported . the way to prevent acquiring cholera when sanitation is poor is to take your water from a clean water source or treat water yourself in the home , and use good sanitary practices with clean water when preparing and cooking food , ' tappero said . cnn 's miriam falco and matt smith contributed to this report .	haiti has n't seen a cholera outbreak in more than a century
seaworld <tsp> miami ( cnn ) -- tilikum , the killer whale that killed seaworld trainer dawn brancheau last year , has returned to the stage at the orlando theme park . tilikum made his first appearance in front of an audience in the morning killer whale show called believe ' on wednesday . brancheau was killed in february 2010 when the orca grabbed her ponytail and pulled her under the water , authorities said . the incident took place in front of visitors watching the show . brancheau died from multiple traumatic injuries and drowning , ' the orange county sheriff 's office said at the time of the accident . anthony frogameni , brancheau 's nephew , said the trainer 's family did not want to comment on tilikum 's return . from the start we 've decided , it 's a large family , we all have our different opinions , but we 're just not going to talk about that aspect of it . we 're only going to focus on dawn , ' frogameni said . the family started the dawn brancheau foundation to help children in the orlando area who are in need . she was all about spending her time helping other people , especially children , ' frogameni added . we figured a great way to honor her is to focus on that . ' seaworld told cnn that a request for information on tilikum 's return must submitted in writing . at this writing , answers to the questions asked of seaworld have not been received . in august , seaworld was fined $ 75,000 by the u.s. department of labor 's occupational safety and health administration for three safety violations , including one referring to the death of brancheau . the agency 's investigation revealed that seaworld trainers had an extensive history of unexpected and potentially dangerous incidents involving killer whales at its various facilities , including its location in orlando , ' osha said . on this day when tilikum is the star of the show , frogameni said , we want people to remember dawn 's life , not that tragic accident . ' cnn 's dugald mcconnell contributed to this report .	killer whale returns to seaworld show
navarrette <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what 's in a nombre ? apparently , for some latinos , er , i mean hispanics , it matters a lot . when researchers asked a group of people with roots in latin america what they wanted to be called , they got a variety of responses . according to a new survey by the pew hispanic center , the preferred term for many is hispanic . ' people prefer that word over latino ' by a two-to-one margin , 33 % to 14 % . but the study also revealed that most latinos/hispanics ( 51 % ) do n't use either term and could n't care less what they 're called . also , in a fascinating trend , the survey found that for those who want to affix their own label , the first preference is tied to an individual 's country of origin or that of their parents . fifty-one percent of those surveyed said they describe their identity by using country of origin . surprise . come to find out that we 're not hispanics ' or latinos ' after all . we 're dominicans , cubans , mexicans , puerto ricans , nicaraguans , salvadorans , brazilian and a couple dozen other possibilities drawn from this hemisphere . the more specific , the better . according to the survey , only 24 % of respondents said they use catchall phrases like hispanic ' or latino . ' and in a finding that will almost certainly rattle the nativists , even fewer -- only 21 % -- say they typically describe themselves simply as american . ' what does all this mean for the fastest-growing ethnic group in the united states ? aside from madison avenue advertising firms , government bureaucrats and the political parties , it shows not many people seem to be all that fond of all-encompassing umbrella terms like hispanic ' and latino . ' there is no latino/hispanic voting bloc or even one central experience that these people are all going through in this country . the concept of latino/hispanic unity is probably overrated , as we are reminded whenever there is an outbreak of ethnic infighting . of course , there are exceptions to every rule . the u.s. latino/hispanic population tends to close ranks whenever it feels attacked , harassed or marginalized , as with the immigration debate . that issue more directly impacts mexicans and mexican-americans than , say , puerto ricans and cuban-americans . and yet , in congress , you see puerto rican and cuban-american lawmakers pushing for comprehensive immigration reform . perhaps this is because they understand that much of the ugly rhetoric on the other side is aimed at all latinos/hispanics -- not just mexicans and mexican-americans -- and that we 're all in this together . in fact , the same is true for americans in general . we may look different , but many of us are living essentially the same lives . we need to spend less time trying to label each other , and more time looking for opportunities to empathize with one another and work together for the common good . no one asked me , but , when it comes to ethnic labels , here 's my preference : i do n't care . ' the 50.5 million latinos/hispanics in this country have many more important issues to deal with . this is the dickensian era for america 's largest minority , representing both the best of times and the worst of times . when latinos/hispanics are n't being pursued by marketing agencies and fortune 500 companies hungry for a slice of more than $ 1 trillion in annual buying power , they 're being hounded by nativist mobs , racist politicians and the perpetrators of hate crimes . it is all mixed together . amid all these challenges , politics and government are n't usually the solutions ; more often , they 're part of the problem . those on the left should be concerned that president obama , a democrat , has deported more than 1.2 million people , most of whom were latino/hispanic . those on the right should worry about mending fences between latinos/hispanics and making the republican party more inclusive before it goes the way of bell bottom pants . and with all this happening around them , it 's foolish for latinos/hispanics to get passionate about the labels that others slap on them . what they are called is a petty concern . calling for respect , calling attention to their issues , and calling out injustice wherever they see it : these are more important battles to fight . let 's get to it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ruben navarrette .	ruben navarrette : new survey reveals attitudes on latino , hispanic designations
navarrette <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what 's in a nombre ? apparently , for some latinos , er , i mean hispanics , it matters a lot . when researchers asked a group of people with roots in latin america what they wanted to be called , they got a variety of responses . according to a new survey by the pew hispanic center , the preferred term for many is hispanic . ' people prefer that word over latino ' by a two-to-one margin , 33 % to 14 % . but the study also revealed that most latinos/hispanics ( 51 % ) do n't use either term and could n't care less what they 're called . also , in a fascinating trend , the survey found that for those who want to affix their own label , the first preference is tied to an individual 's country of origin or that of their parents . fifty-one percent of those surveyed said they describe their identity by using country of origin . surprise . come to find out that we 're not hispanics ' or latinos ' after all . we 're dominicans , cubans , mexicans , puerto ricans , nicaraguans , salvadorans , brazilian and a couple dozen other possibilities drawn from this hemisphere . the more specific , the better . according to the survey , only 24 % of respondents said they use catchall phrases like hispanic ' or latino . ' and in a finding that will almost certainly rattle the nativists , even fewer -- only 21 % -- say they typically describe themselves simply as american . ' what does all this mean for the fastest-growing ethnic group in the united states ? aside from madison avenue advertising firms , government bureaucrats and the political parties , it shows not many people seem to be all that fond of all-encompassing umbrella terms like hispanic ' and latino . ' there is no latino/hispanic voting bloc or even one central experience that these people are all going through in this country . the concept of latino/hispanic unity is probably overrated , as we are reminded whenever there is an outbreak of ethnic infighting . of course , there are exceptions to every rule . the u.s. latino/hispanic population tends to close ranks whenever it feels attacked , harassed or marginalized , as with the immigration debate . that issue more directly impacts mexicans and mexican-americans than , say , puerto ricans and cuban-americans . and yet , in congress , you see puerto rican and cuban-american lawmakers pushing for comprehensive immigration reform . perhaps this is because they understand that much of the ugly rhetoric on the other side is aimed at all latinos/hispanics -- not just mexicans and mexican-americans -- and that we 're all in this together . in fact , the same is true for americans in general . we may look different , but many of us are living essentially the same lives . we need to spend less time trying to label each other , and more time looking for opportunities to empathize with one another and work together for the common good . no one asked me , but , when it comes to ethnic labels , here 's my preference : i do n't care . ' the 50.5 million latinos/hispanics in this country have many more important issues to deal with . this is the dickensian era for america 's largest minority , representing both the best of times and the worst of times . when latinos/hispanics are n't being pursued by marketing agencies and fortune 500 companies hungry for a slice of more than $ 1 trillion in annual buying power , they 're being hounded by nativist mobs , racist politicians and the perpetrators of hate crimes . it is all mixed together . amid all these challenges , politics and government are n't usually the solutions ; more often , they 're part of the problem . those on the left should be concerned that president obama , a democrat , has deported more than 1.2 million people , most of whom were latino/hispanic . those on the right should worry about mending fences between latinos/hispanics and making the republican party more inclusive before it goes the way of bell bottom pants . and with all this happening around them , it 's foolish for latinos/hispanics to get passionate about the labels that others slap on them . what they are called is a petty concern . calling for respect , calling attention to their issues , and calling out injustice wherever they see it : these are more important battles to fight . let 's get to it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ruben navarrette .	navarrette : latinos should put aside petty labels , concentrate on big issues that affect them
india <tsp> new delhi , india ( cnn ) -- an indian court saturday convicted a teenage boy for his part in the gang rape last december of a medical student who later died of her injuries , sentencing him to three years in prison . the sentence drew immediate protests outside the court and from the victim 's family , who feel it is too lenient for a crime that shocked the city and prompted a nationwide debate over the treatment of women and the handling of sexual assaults . the teenager was convicted of murder , rape and robbery . his trial was in juvenile court because he was 17 at the time of the crime , and the three-year sentence is the maximum allowed under the court 's rules . protesters in the street outside the court raised their fists and shouted , we want justice ! ' if the teenager was old enough to commit the crime , they said , then he is old enough to have been tried as an adult and face the death penalty . the victim 's parents attended the trial and said they plan to appeal . we want him to be hanged , ' the victim 's visibly upset mother told reporters . i am not at all happy with this verdict . by not punishing this teenager , this verdict is encouraging other teenagers to indulge in such acts and does not provide any safety to girls . ' the teenager is the first of five suspects to be tried for their role in the attack , which happened december 16 on a moving bus in new delhi . the group assaulted the 23-year-old woman and her male companion , robbing them and then dumping them at the side of the road , police said . while the man was eventually discharged from the hospital , the woman was so badly hurt that she had to be airlifted to a hospital in singapore in extremely critical condition , ' doctors there said . she died two weeks later . the man said he and the young woman watched a movie before boarding a private bus to return to her home in a new delhi suburb . the bus driver made lewd remarks and five other men taunted the couple and locked the doors , the man told agence france-press in january . they hit me with a small stick and dragged my friend to a seat near the driver 's cabin , ' the man said . then the driver and the other men raped my friend and hit her in the worst possible ways in the most private parts of her body . ' the driver used an iron bar in the attack , he told the news agency . the friend said he suffered a broken leg . the cruelty i saw should not be seen ever . i tried to fight against the men but later i begged them again and again to leave her , ' he said . in an interview with reuters , the man said the abductors drove the couple throughout the city for about two hours before dropping them below an overpass ; he was unable to stand and had no clothes . three-wheeler taxis would slow down , take a look at us and move on , ' he said . so would cars and motorcycles . we got no help for nearly 20 or 25 minutes . ' when three police vehicles finally did show up , he said , they could n't decide among themselves which police precinct has jurisdiction . ' his friend bled profusely throughout the ordeal , he said . despite the outrage over the attack , the problem of sexual violence in india persists . an american woman was raped in june after visiting a popular hindu temple in northern india . after failing to find a taxi to take her back to her hotel , she accepted a ride from three men who took her to a wooded area , then raped and robbed her , authorities said . a 4-year-old girl died after being sexually assaulted by a 35-year-old man in ghansaur in april , and a 5-year-old girl was allegedly raped two weeks earlier in new delhi . two men were arrested in that case . a swiss woman and her husband who were on a cycling tour across the india were attacked by a group of men in march after they set up camp near a forest in the central part of the country . the men beat the husband and raped the wife , police said . last week , a 23-year-old female photographer was allegedly gang-raped in mumbai by five men , the police chief there said . the woman was on assignment with a male colleague when some men approached them , took them to a nearby mill under false pretenses , then tied them both up and raped her , mumbai police commissioner satypal singh said . the woman was in stable condition after the attack . cnn 's sumnima udas reported from new delhi . melissa gray reported and wrote from atlanta .	a string of gang rapes in india has prompted national debate
gatti <tsp> ( cnn ) -- brazilian authorities detained the wife of former world boxing champion arturo gatti as a suspect in his killing , according to local reports . arturo gatti pictured during the final fight of his career , a knockout defeat by alfonso gomez in 2007 . gatti was found dead saturday in a hotel in brazil , where he was taking a vacation with his wife , amanda carina barbosa rodrigues , and their young child . the 37-year-old canadian , who was born in italy and made his name as a fighter based in new jersey , was staying in the northeast seaside resort of porto de galihnas . rodrigues , 23 , was being held in a police station in the city of recife in connection with the killing , a police official in porto de galihnas told cnn . police official osmar silva santiago confirmed local reports that gatti 's body was found saturday morning in his hotel room with strangulation marks . this crime is being investigated by our homicide experts and we hope to have more answers tomorrow , ' santiago said . police recovered a blood-stained purse strap from the scene , according to media reports . rodrigues became a suspect because of inconsistencies during her interrogation , local reports quoted homicide task force chief josedith ferreira as saying . gatti made his name in a series of three fights against irish ' micky ward , losing the first but triumphing in the other two . he held the ibf super-featherweight and wbc light-welterweight titles , and he also won the wbc junior welterweight belt but lost it to floyd mayweather jr. in 2005 . gatti retired in 2007 after suffering a knockout defeat by alfonso gomez in his comeback , ending with a record of 40 wins and nine losses . he grew up in montreal , quebec , after leaving italy at an early age , and returned to the city following his retirement . according to gatti 's official web site , the italian-born pugilist won fight of the year ' for three consecutive years . cnn 's helena de moura contributed to this report .	new : gatti 's body was found saturday in hotel room with strangulation marks
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when france won the 1998 world cup on home soil their triumph was hailed as a unifying force for a country with a difficult colonial past and where racial tensions were never far from the surface . the team was labeled the black , blanc , beur ( black , white , arab ) because of the seamless mix of french-born and dual-nationality players who conquered the football world with a shock 3-0 win in the final against the favored brazilians . but fast forward 13 years and leading french politicians , current star players players and influential media commentators are among many to voice fears that the legacy of social integration engendered by that glorious night in the stade de france has been severely tarnished , if it every existed . french talent drain no excuse for quota deputy christiane taubira , a prominent member of the french national assembly , who was a candidate in the 2002 presidential elections , was always skeptical that it marked a sea change in french attitudes to race . 1998 was an illusion and a short one , ' she told cnn , pointing out that less than three months later a french government minister called black youths young savages . ' taubira , who is in the socialist group in the national assembly , believes that until all citizens are treated equally ' french society will continue to have problems of racial integration . with presidential elections looming in france next year , she believes the problem stems from the very top and is calling on nicolas sarkozy to promote diversity and give more opportunities to france 's immigrant population . taubira is a persistent critic of sarkozy , particularly for his spells as french interior minister from 2002-07 where his hardline approach to disorder in neighborhoods with a largely north african population came under the spotlight . i told him back in 2002 that he was organizing a civil war in this country , ' she added . taubira 's comments come in the wake of the decision by the french sports minister chantal jouanno to clear national football coach laurent blanc in the race quotas row ' which has provoked an angry reaction from critics . blanc , who succeeded raymond domenech last summer , was captured by a secret recording allegedly discussing the introduction of quotas for young players , aged 12 and 13 , based on their racial background . the implication was that a smaller percentage of youngsters of dual nationality would be admitted to the famed french football academies , which act as the breeding ground for talent such as thierry henry . national technical director francois blaquart , who allegedly promoted the idea to blanc , remains suspended by the french national federation ( fff ) . joachim barbier , who wrote the acclaimed book football made in afrique , ' was scathing in his criticisms of the reported conversations between blanc and blaquart . you expect these people to be clever and set up a scheme for the future , ' he told cnn . instead they talked like a couple of stupid drunks . ' barbier does not believe blanc was intentionally racist , but points to the wide gap between the people playing football and those running it , who are mostly white and over fifty years of age . ' he goes on : back in 1998 the only person saying there was too much diversity was ( front national leader ) jean marie le pen , now it seems everything that is not christian and white is considered a threat . ' juliens laurens , uk correspondent for le parisien , told cnn that the blanc affair was another example of the institutional racism which he believes permeates french society . he also does not believe blanc is a racist but highlights the appointment of his predecessor domenech as an example of the problem . domenech got the job in 2004 ahead of mali-born former star player jean tigana . i 'm sure it was down to tigana 's color rather than ability , ' he claimed . the race issue flared again as domenech 's tenure as national coach ended with their humiliating exit from 2010 world cup in south africa . chelsea 's nicolas anelka was sent home after a heated exchange with domenech , prompting a brief strike by his fellow squad members . people said there was a clan of black players in the french squad at the world cup , and we then saw the true face of france , ' anelka told british reporters last december ahead of chelsea 's champions league tie against marseille . when the france team fails to win people start talking straight away about the players'skin colors and religious beliefs . when times get tough we find out what people really think . they said franck ribery had hit yoann gourcuff -- ribery the muslim , and gourcuff the good french boy . ' anelka 's views are echoed by tottenham hotspur central defender sebastien bassong , who played for france at under-21 level , but with dual nationality opted to play for cameroon in full internationals . bassong would represent an example of the issue identified by blanc and blaquart whereby a player is trained in the french system then opts to play for a country of his or his parents'birth . in a candid interview with britain 's guardian newspaper in the wake of the race quotas affair , bassong criticized french society for its lack of diversity . i am not going to lie and say it is not more difficult in france than it is in england to find work if you have a big beard , for example . that is just a fact . in england , it is more open and that is why people come here because they know that they will get a chance , no matter how they dress or where they are from . french society still has to work with its approach to foreign people , ' he was quoted . patrick lozes , president of the representative council of black associations in france , has no doubt that prejudice is rife in his country and his organization is calling for a full judicial inquiry into the blanc affair . we are talking here about children of 12 years of age , who have not chosen to be bi-national , ' he told cnn . these kids are being denied access to training and i call this discrimination . the lack of diversity in the french football federation structures paves the way for institutional racism , ' he added . a spokesman for the fff strongly denied these claims but refused to comment on specific issues . the file is not closed , we 're actually working on the disciplinary procedures and , following internal regulations and working laws in france , we are avoiding all comments on this topic , ' said francois manardo , the chief press officer for the federation . the historical facts would indeed appear to counter accusations that players from ethnic minorities and other backgrounds are discriminated by the selectors of the french national team . the first black player to represent france was raoul diagne in 1931 and he played in the 1938 world cup team that featured three players from north african descent for the first time . sons of european immigrants to france such as raymond kopa , just fontaine and maryan wisnieski were key members of the 1958 team which reached the semifinals . in the 1990s , the squad boasted representatives of most of the french dependencies , not to mention many african countries such as senegal which previously came under french rule . the star player of the 1998 team , zinedine zidane , was born in marseille to algerian parents . far-right leader le pen may have been a lone voice when he said that team was not sufficiently french , ' but in 2002 he reached the second round of the presidential elections and ghanaian-born marcel desailly and other national teammates went public and urged voters to reject him . they duly did , although support for le pen and his daughter marine le pen 's front national party remains strong in several regions of france . barbier believes that until immigration is seen as a benefit not a threat ' his country will continue to have problems . it 's a question of leadership , ' he said .	french football federation dismiss claims of institutional racism in their organization
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when france won the 1998 world cup on home soil their triumph was hailed as a unifying force for a country with a difficult colonial past and where racial tensions were never far from the surface . the team was labeled the black , blanc , beur ( black , white , arab ) because of the seamless mix of french-born and dual-nationality players who conquered the football world with a shock 3-0 win in the final against the favored brazilians . but fast forward 13 years and leading french politicians , current star players players and influential media commentators are among many to voice fears that the legacy of social integration engendered by that glorious night in the stade de france has been severely tarnished , if it every existed . french talent drain no excuse for quota deputy christiane taubira , a prominent member of the french national assembly , who was a candidate in the 2002 presidential elections , was always skeptical that it marked a sea change in french attitudes to race . 1998 was an illusion and a short one , ' she told cnn , pointing out that less than three months later a french government minister called black youths young savages . ' taubira , who is in the socialist group in the national assembly , believes that until all citizens are treated equally ' french society will continue to have problems of racial integration . with presidential elections looming in france next year , she believes the problem stems from the very top and is calling on nicolas sarkozy to promote diversity and give more opportunities to france 's immigrant population . taubira is a persistent critic of sarkozy , particularly for his spells as french interior minister from 2002-07 where his hardline approach to disorder in neighborhoods with a largely north african population came under the spotlight . i told him back in 2002 that he was organizing a civil war in this country , ' she added . taubira 's comments come in the wake of the decision by the french sports minister chantal jouanno to clear national football coach laurent blanc in the race quotas row ' which has provoked an angry reaction from critics . blanc , who succeeded raymond domenech last summer , was captured by a secret recording allegedly discussing the introduction of quotas for young players , aged 12 and 13 , based on their racial background . the implication was that a smaller percentage of youngsters of dual nationality would be admitted to the famed french football academies , which act as the breeding ground for talent such as thierry henry . national technical director francois blaquart , who allegedly promoted the idea to blanc , remains suspended by the french national federation ( fff ) . joachim barbier , who wrote the acclaimed book football made in afrique , ' was scathing in his criticisms of the reported conversations between blanc and blaquart . you expect these people to be clever and set up a scheme for the future , ' he told cnn . instead they talked like a couple of stupid drunks . ' barbier does not believe blanc was intentionally racist , but points to the wide gap between the people playing football and those running it , who are mostly white and over fifty years of age . ' he goes on : back in 1998 the only person saying there was too much diversity was ( front national leader ) jean marie le pen , now it seems everything that is not christian and white is considered a threat . ' juliens laurens , uk correspondent for le parisien , told cnn that the blanc affair was another example of the institutional racism which he believes permeates french society . he also does not believe blanc is a racist but highlights the appointment of his predecessor domenech as an example of the problem . domenech got the job in 2004 ahead of mali-born former star player jean tigana . i 'm sure it was down to tigana 's color rather than ability , ' he claimed . the race issue flared again as domenech 's tenure as national coach ended with their humiliating exit from 2010 world cup in south africa . chelsea 's nicolas anelka was sent home after a heated exchange with domenech , prompting a brief strike by his fellow squad members . people said there was a clan of black players in the french squad at the world cup , and we then saw the true face of france , ' anelka told british reporters last december ahead of chelsea 's champions league tie against marseille . when the france team fails to win people start talking straight away about the players'skin colors and religious beliefs . when times get tough we find out what people really think . they said franck ribery had hit yoann gourcuff -- ribery the muslim , and gourcuff the good french boy . ' anelka 's views are echoed by tottenham hotspur central defender sebastien bassong , who played for france at under-21 level , but with dual nationality opted to play for cameroon in full internationals . bassong would represent an example of the issue identified by blanc and blaquart whereby a player is trained in the french system then opts to play for a country of his or his parents'birth . in a candid interview with britain 's guardian newspaper in the wake of the race quotas affair , bassong criticized french society for its lack of diversity . i am not going to lie and say it is not more difficult in france than it is in england to find work if you have a big beard , for example . that is just a fact . in england , it is more open and that is why people come here because they know that they will get a chance , no matter how they dress or where they are from . french society still has to work with its approach to foreign people , ' he was quoted . patrick lozes , president of the representative council of black associations in france , has no doubt that prejudice is rife in his country and his organization is calling for a full judicial inquiry into the blanc affair . we are talking here about children of 12 years of age , who have not chosen to be bi-national , ' he told cnn . these kids are being denied access to training and i call this discrimination . the lack of diversity in the french football federation structures paves the way for institutional racism , ' he added . a spokesman for the fff strongly denied these claims but refused to comment on specific issues . the file is not closed , we 're actually working on the disciplinary procedures and , following internal regulations and working laws in france , we are avoiding all comments on this topic , ' said francois manardo , the chief press officer for the federation . the historical facts would indeed appear to counter accusations that players from ethnic minorities and other backgrounds are discriminated by the selectors of the french national team . the first black player to represent france was raoul diagne in 1931 and he played in the 1938 world cup team that featured three players from north african descent for the first time . sons of european immigrants to france such as raymond kopa , just fontaine and maryan wisnieski were key members of the 1958 team which reached the semifinals . in the 1990s , the squad boasted representatives of most of the french dependencies , not to mention many african countries such as senegal which previously came under french rule . the star player of the 1998 team , zinedine zidane , was born in marseille to algerian parents . far-right leader le pen may have been a lone voice when he said that team was not sufficiently french , ' but in 2002 he reached the second round of the presidential elections and ghanaian-born marcel desailly and other national teammates went public and urged voters to reject him . they duly did , although support for le pen and his daughter marine le pen 's front national party remains strong in several regions of france . barbier believes that until immigration is seen as a benefit not a threat ' his country will continue to have problems . it 's a question of leadership , ' he said .	french lawmaker christiane taubira believes the racial unity claimed in 1998 was an illusion '
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when france won the 1998 world cup on home soil their triumph was hailed as a unifying force for a country with a difficult colonial past and where racial tensions were never far from the surface . the team was labeled the black , blanc , beur ( black , white , arab ) because of the seamless mix of french-born and dual-nationality players who conquered the football world with a shock 3-0 win in the final against the favored brazilians . but fast forward 13 years and leading french politicians , current star players players and influential media commentators are among many to voice fears that the legacy of social integration engendered by that glorious night in the stade de france has been severely tarnished , if it every existed . french talent drain no excuse for quota deputy christiane taubira , a prominent member of the french national assembly , who was a candidate in the 2002 presidential elections , was always skeptical that it marked a sea change in french attitudes to race . 1998 was an illusion and a short one , ' she told cnn , pointing out that less than three months later a french government minister called black youths young savages . ' taubira , who is in the socialist group in the national assembly , believes that until all citizens are treated equally ' french society will continue to have problems of racial integration . with presidential elections looming in france next year , she believes the problem stems from the very top and is calling on nicolas sarkozy to promote diversity and give more opportunities to france 's immigrant population . taubira is a persistent critic of sarkozy , particularly for his spells as french interior minister from 2002-07 where his hardline approach to disorder in neighborhoods with a largely north african population came under the spotlight . i told him back in 2002 that he was organizing a civil war in this country , ' she added . taubira 's comments come in the wake of the decision by the french sports minister chantal jouanno to clear national football coach laurent blanc in the race quotas row ' which has provoked an angry reaction from critics . blanc , who succeeded raymond domenech last summer , was captured by a secret recording allegedly discussing the introduction of quotas for young players , aged 12 and 13 , based on their racial background . the implication was that a smaller percentage of youngsters of dual nationality would be admitted to the famed french football academies , which act as the breeding ground for talent such as thierry henry . national technical director francois blaquart , who allegedly promoted the idea to blanc , remains suspended by the french national federation ( fff ) . joachim barbier , who wrote the acclaimed book football made in afrique , ' was scathing in his criticisms of the reported conversations between blanc and blaquart . you expect these people to be clever and set up a scheme for the future , ' he told cnn . instead they talked like a couple of stupid drunks . ' barbier does not believe blanc was intentionally racist , but points to the wide gap between the people playing football and those running it , who are mostly white and over fifty years of age . ' he goes on : back in 1998 the only person saying there was too much diversity was ( front national leader ) jean marie le pen , now it seems everything that is not christian and white is considered a threat . ' juliens laurens , uk correspondent for le parisien , told cnn that the blanc affair was another example of the institutional racism which he believes permeates french society . he also does not believe blanc is a racist but highlights the appointment of his predecessor domenech as an example of the problem . domenech got the job in 2004 ahead of mali-born former star player jean tigana . i 'm sure it was down to tigana 's color rather than ability , ' he claimed . the race issue flared again as domenech 's tenure as national coach ended with their humiliating exit from 2010 world cup in south africa . chelsea 's nicolas anelka was sent home after a heated exchange with domenech , prompting a brief strike by his fellow squad members . people said there was a clan of black players in the french squad at the world cup , and we then saw the true face of france , ' anelka told british reporters last december ahead of chelsea 's champions league tie against marseille . when the france team fails to win people start talking straight away about the players'skin colors and religious beliefs . when times get tough we find out what people really think . they said franck ribery had hit yoann gourcuff -- ribery the muslim , and gourcuff the good french boy . ' anelka 's views are echoed by tottenham hotspur central defender sebastien bassong , who played for france at under-21 level , but with dual nationality opted to play for cameroon in full internationals . bassong would represent an example of the issue identified by blanc and blaquart whereby a player is trained in the french system then opts to play for a country of his or his parents'birth . in a candid interview with britain 's guardian newspaper in the wake of the race quotas affair , bassong criticized french society for its lack of diversity . i am not going to lie and say it is not more difficult in france than it is in england to find work if you have a big beard , for example . that is just a fact . in england , it is more open and that is why people come here because they know that they will get a chance , no matter how they dress or where they are from . french society still has to work with its approach to foreign people , ' he was quoted . patrick lozes , president of the representative council of black associations in france , has no doubt that prejudice is rife in his country and his organization is calling for a full judicial inquiry into the blanc affair . we are talking here about children of 12 years of age , who have not chosen to be bi-national , ' he told cnn . these kids are being denied access to training and i call this discrimination . the lack of diversity in the french football federation structures paves the way for institutional racism , ' he added . a spokesman for the fff strongly denied these claims but refused to comment on specific issues . the file is not closed , we 're actually working on the disciplinary procedures and , following internal regulations and working laws in france , we are avoiding all comments on this topic , ' said francois manardo , the chief press officer for the federation . the historical facts would indeed appear to counter accusations that players from ethnic minorities and other backgrounds are discriminated by the selectors of the french national team . the first black player to represent france was raoul diagne in 1931 and he played in the 1938 world cup team that featured three players from north african descent for the first time . sons of european immigrants to france such as raymond kopa , just fontaine and maryan wisnieski were key members of the 1958 team which reached the semifinals . in the 1990s , the squad boasted representatives of most of the french dependencies , not to mention many african countries such as senegal which previously came under french rule . the star player of the 1998 team , zinedine zidane , was born in marseille to algerian parents . far-right leader le pen may have been a lone voice when he said that team was not sufficiently french , ' but in 2002 he reached the second round of the presidential elections and ghanaian-born marcel desailly and other national teammates went public and urged voters to reject him . they duly did , although support for le pen and his daughter marine le pen 's front national party remains strong in several regions of france . barbier believes that until immigration is seen as a benefit not a threat ' his country will continue to have problems . it 's a question of leadership , ' he said .	blanc part of the'black , blanc , beur'french squad which won the 1998 world cup
beur <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when france won the 1998 world cup on home soil their triumph was hailed as a unifying force for a country with a difficult colonial past and where racial tensions were never far from the surface . the team was labeled the black , blanc , beur ( black , white , arab ) because of the seamless mix of french-born and dual-nationality players who conquered the football world with a shock 3-0 win in the final against the favored brazilians . but fast forward 13 years and leading french politicians , current star players players and influential media commentators are among many to voice fears that the legacy of social integration engendered by that glorious night in the stade de france has been severely tarnished , if it every existed . french talent drain no excuse for quota deputy christiane taubira , a prominent member of the french national assembly , who was a candidate in the 2002 presidential elections , was always skeptical that it marked a sea change in french attitudes to race . 1998 was an illusion and a short one , ' she told cnn , pointing out that less than three months later a french government minister called black youths young savages . ' taubira , who is in the socialist group in the national assembly , believes that until all citizens are treated equally ' french society will continue to have problems of racial integration . with presidential elections looming in france next year , she believes the problem stems from the very top and is calling on nicolas sarkozy to promote diversity and give more opportunities to france 's immigrant population . taubira is a persistent critic of sarkozy , particularly for his spells as french interior minister from 2002-07 where his hardline approach to disorder in neighborhoods with a largely north african population came under the spotlight . i told him back in 2002 that he was organizing a civil war in this country , ' she added . taubira 's comments come in the wake of the decision by the french sports minister chantal jouanno to clear national football coach laurent blanc in the race quotas row ' which has provoked an angry reaction from critics . blanc , who succeeded raymond domenech last summer , was captured by a secret recording allegedly discussing the introduction of quotas for young players , aged 12 and 13 , based on their racial background . the implication was that a smaller percentage of youngsters of dual nationality would be admitted to the famed french football academies , which act as the breeding ground for talent such as thierry henry . national technical director francois blaquart , who allegedly promoted the idea to blanc , remains suspended by the french national federation ( fff ) . joachim barbier , who wrote the acclaimed book football made in afrique , ' was scathing in his criticisms of the reported conversations between blanc and blaquart . you expect these people to be clever and set up a scheme for the future , ' he told cnn . instead they talked like a couple of stupid drunks . ' barbier does not believe blanc was intentionally racist , but points to the wide gap between the people playing football and those running it , who are mostly white and over fifty years of age . ' he goes on : back in 1998 the only person saying there was too much diversity was ( front national leader ) jean marie le pen , now it seems everything that is not christian and white is considered a threat . ' juliens laurens , uk correspondent for le parisien , told cnn that the blanc affair was another example of the institutional racism which he believes permeates french society . he also does not believe blanc is a racist but highlights the appointment of his predecessor domenech as an example of the problem . domenech got the job in 2004 ahead of mali-born former star player jean tigana . i 'm sure it was down to tigana 's color rather than ability , ' he claimed . the race issue flared again as domenech 's tenure as national coach ended with their humiliating exit from 2010 world cup in south africa . chelsea 's nicolas anelka was sent home after a heated exchange with domenech , prompting a brief strike by his fellow squad members . people said there was a clan of black players in the french squad at the world cup , and we then saw the true face of france , ' anelka told british reporters last december ahead of chelsea 's champions league tie against marseille . when the france team fails to win people start talking straight away about the players'skin colors and religious beliefs . when times get tough we find out what people really think . they said franck ribery had hit yoann gourcuff -- ribery the muslim , and gourcuff the good french boy . ' anelka 's views are echoed by tottenham hotspur central defender sebastien bassong , who played for france at under-21 level , but with dual nationality opted to play for cameroon in full internationals . bassong would represent an example of the issue identified by blanc and blaquart whereby a player is trained in the french system then opts to play for a country of his or his parents'birth . in a candid interview with britain 's guardian newspaper in the wake of the race quotas affair , bassong criticized french society for its lack of diversity . i am not going to lie and say it is not more difficult in france than it is in england to find work if you have a big beard , for example . that is just a fact . in england , it is more open and that is why people come here because they know that they will get a chance , no matter how they dress or where they are from . french society still has to work with its approach to foreign people , ' he was quoted . patrick lozes , president of the representative council of black associations in france , has no doubt that prejudice is rife in his country and his organization is calling for a full judicial inquiry into the blanc affair . we are talking here about children of 12 years of age , who have not chosen to be bi-national , ' he told cnn . these kids are being denied access to training and i call this discrimination . the lack of diversity in the french football federation structures paves the way for institutional racism , ' he added . a spokesman for the fff strongly denied these claims but refused to comment on specific issues . the file is not closed , we 're actually working on the disciplinary procedures and , following internal regulations and working laws in france , we are avoiding all comments on this topic , ' said francois manardo , the chief press officer for the federation . the historical facts would indeed appear to counter accusations that players from ethnic minorities and other backgrounds are discriminated by the selectors of the french national team . the first black player to represent france was raoul diagne in 1931 and he played in the 1938 world cup team that featured three players from north african descent for the first time . sons of european immigrants to france such as raymond kopa , just fontaine and maryan wisnieski were key members of the 1958 team which reached the semifinals . in the 1990s , the squad boasted representatives of most of the french dependencies , not to mention many african countries such as senegal which previously came under french rule . the star player of the 1998 team , zinedine zidane , was born in marseille to algerian parents . far-right leader le pen may have been a lone voice when he said that team was not sufficiently french , ' but in 2002 he reached the second round of the presidential elections and ghanaian-born marcel desailly and other national teammates went public and urged voters to reject him . they duly did , although support for le pen and his daughter marine le pen 's front national party remains strong in several regions of france . barbier believes that until immigration is seen as a benefit not a threat ' his country will continue to have problems . it 's a question of leadership , ' he said .	blanc part of the'black , blanc , beur'french squad which won the 1998 world cup
french football federation <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when france won the 1998 world cup on home soil their triumph was hailed as a unifying force for a country with a difficult colonial past and where racial tensions were never far from the surface . the team was labeled the black , blanc , beur ( black , white , arab ) because of the seamless mix of french-born and dual-nationality players who conquered the football world with a shock 3-0 win in the final against the favored brazilians . but fast forward 13 years and leading french politicians , current star players players and influential media commentators are among many to voice fears that the legacy of social integration engendered by that glorious night in the stade de france has been severely tarnished , if it every existed . french talent drain no excuse for quota deputy christiane taubira , a prominent member of the french national assembly , who was a candidate in the 2002 presidential elections , was always skeptical that it marked a sea change in french attitudes to race . 1998 was an illusion and a short one , ' she told cnn , pointing out that less than three months later a french government minister called black youths young savages . ' taubira , who is in the socialist group in the national assembly , believes that until all citizens are treated equally ' french society will continue to have problems of racial integration . with presidential elections looming in france next year , she believes the problem stems from the very top and is calling on nicolas sarkozy to promote diversity and give more opportunities to france 's immigrant population . taubira is a persistent critic of sarkozy , particularly for his spells as french interior minister from 2002-07 where his hardline approach to disorder in neighborhoods with a largely north african population came under the spotlight . i told him back in 2002 that he was organizing a civil war in this country , ' she added . taubira 's comments come in the wake of the decision by the french sports minister chantal jouanno to clear national football coach laurent blanc in the race quotas row ' which has provoked an angry reaction from critics . blanc , who succeeded raymond domenech last summer , was captured by a secret recording allegedly discussing the introduction of quotas for young players , aged 12 and 13 , based on their racial background . the implication was that a smaller percentage of youngsters of dual nationality would be admitted to the famed french football academies , which act as the breeding ground for talent such as thierry henry . national technical director francois blaquart , who allegedly promoted the idea to blanc , remains suspended by the french national federation ( fff ) . joachim barbier , who wrote the acclaimed book football made in afrique , ' was scathing in his criticisms of the reported conversations between blanc and blaquart . you expect these people to be clever and set up a scheme for the future , ' he told cnn . instead they talked like a couple of stupid drunks . ' barbier does not believe blanc was intentionally racist , but points to the wide gap between the people playing football and those running it , who are mostly white and over fifty years of age . ' he goes on : back in 1998 the only person saying there was too much diversity was ( front national leader ) jean marie le pen , now it seems everything that is not christian and white is considered a threat . ' juliens laurens , uk correspondent for le parisien , told cnn that the blanc affair was another example of the institutional racism which he believes permeates french society . he also does not believe blanc is a racist but highlights the appointment of his predecessor domenech as an example of the problem . domenech got the job in 2004 ahead of mali-born former star player jean tigana . i 'm sure it was down to tigana 's color rather than ability , ' he claimed . the race issue flared again as domenech 's tenure as national coach ended with their humiliating exit from 2010 world cup in south africa . chelsea 's nicolas anelka was sent home after a heated exchange with domenech , prompting a brief strike by his fellow squad members . people said there was a clan of black players in the french squad at the world cup , and we then saw the true face of france , ' anelka told british reporters last december ahead of chelsea 's champions league tie against marseille . when the france team fails to win people start talking straight away about the players'skin colors and religious beliefs . when times get tough we find out what people really think . they said franck ribery had hit yoann gourcuff -- ribery the muslim , and gourcuff the good french boy . ' anelka 's views are echoed by tottenham hotspur central defender sebastien bassong , who played for france at under-21 level , but with dual nationality opted to play for cameroon in full internationals . bassong would represent an example of the issue identified by blanc and blaquart whereby a player is trained in the french system then opts to play for a country of his or his parents'birth . in a candid interview with britain 's guardian newspaper in the wake of the race quotas affair , bassong criticized french society for its lack of diversity . i am not going to lie and say it is not more difficult in france than it is in england to find work if you have a big beard , for example . that is just a fact . in england , it is more open and that is why people come here because they know that they will get a chance , no matter how they dress or where they are from . french society still has to work with its approach to foreign people , ' he was quoted . patrick lozes , president of the representative council of black associations in france , has no doubt that prejudice is rife in his country and his organization is calling for a full judicial inquiry into the blanc affair . we are talking here about children of 12 years of age , who have not chosen to be bi-national , ' he told cnn . these kids are being denied access to training and i call this discrimination . the lack of diversity in the french football federation structures paves the way for institutional racism , ' he added . a spokesman for the fff strongly denied these claims but refused to comment on specific issues . the file is not closed , we 're actually working on the disciplinary procedures and , following internal regulations and working laws in france , we are avoiding all comments on this topic , ' said francois manardo , the chief press officer for the federation . the historical facts would indeed appear to counter accusations that players from ethnic minorities and other backgrounds are discriminated by the selectors of the french national team . the first black player to represent france was raoul diagne in 1931 and he played in the 1938 world cup team that featured three players from north african descent for the first time . sons of european immigrants to france such as raymond kopa , just fontaine and maryan wisnieski were key members of the 1958 team which reached the semifinals . in the 1990s , the squad boasted representatives of most of the french dependencies , not to mention many african countries such as senegal which previously came under french rule . the star player of the 1998 team , zinedine zidane , was born in marseille to algerian parents . far-right leader le pen may have been a lone voice when he said that team was not sufficiently french , ' but in 2002 he reached the second round of the presidential elections and ghanaian-born marcel desailly and other national teammates went public and urged voters to reject him . they duly did , although support for le pen and his daughter marine le pen 's front national party remains strong in several regions of france . barbier believes that until immigration is seen as a benefit not a threat ' his country will continue to have problems . it 's a question of leadership , ' he said .	french football federation dismiss claims of institutional racism in their organization
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- would you be ok with a mosque in your community ? according to a new national poll , most americans say yes , they would . a cnn/opinion research corporation survey found that 69 % of americans would be ok with a mosque in their area while 28 % would not . in cnn 's documentary unwelcome : the muslims next door , ' soledad o'brien chronicles the dramatic fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the bible belt . what do you think about the controversy over building mosques in america ? have you seen or participated in any demonstrations or marches ? share your thoughts below .	cnn poll : 69 % of americans would be ok with a mosque in their neighborhood
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- would you be ok with a mosque in your community ? according to a new national poll , most americans say yes , they would . a cnn/opinion research corporation survey found that 69 % of americans would be ok with a mosque in their area while 28 % would not . in cnn 's documentary unwelcome : the muslims next door , ' soledad o'brien chronicles the dramatic fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the bible belt . what do you think about the controversy over building mosques in america ? have you seen or participated in any demonstrations or marches ? share your thoughts below .	cnn 's documentary unwelcome : the muslims next door ' airs at 8 p.m . et
new jersey <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the winner of last week 's $ 338 million powerball jackpot is expected to appear in a new jersey court monday on a warrant for unpaid child support . pedro quezada , 44 , the father of five children ages 5 to 23 , owes back child support totaling $ 29,000 , according to william maer of the passaic county sheriff 's office . it is not clear which children would be covered by the payments . a warrant for the unpaid sum was issued in 2009 and was stayed by a judge pending quezada 's expected court appearance . on thursday , quezada 's son , casiano , said his father has hired an attorney and is working through it . ' attempts to reach the attorney representing quezada were unsuccessful . maer said that a child support warrant usually leads to payment , a scheduled payment plan or arrest . maer could not comment further on the quezada case because the investigation is ongoing . every person who wins more than $ 600 in the lottery is checked for outstanding taxes , liens , child support payments and the like , according to judith drucker , public relations manager for the new jersey lottery . the funds owed are taken out of the final payment from the lottery winner , she added . quezada has chosen a cash payment of his lottery prize that will amount to approximately $ 152 million after taxes . lorenzo ferrigno contributed to this report .	he is expected in a new jersey court on a warrant , sheriff 's office says
nascar <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- if you earn your living driving at speeds upward of 200 mph , chances are you do n't slow down even when you 're on vacation . that 's certainly the case for nascar driver brian vickers . when not behind the wheel of the no . 83 car in the sprint cup series , vickers is known as a bit of a daredevil : an avid skydiver , spear fisherman and scuba diver , to name a few of his extracurricular actives . in fact , cnn caught up with vickers on a recent trip to atlanta to promote atlanta motor speedway . but he did n't just hold a press conference ; instead , he invited the media to watch him scuba dive in the ocean voyager exhibit at the georgia aquarium . the four whale sharks that live in this exhibit were a new sight for the seasoned diver , and it was clear he was enjoying the experience . he also took notice of several of the groupers that seemed to be paying special attention to him . i had a couple of groupers sneak up on me more than once . those are sneaky little guys . i guess it 's their mating season , so they were a little fired up . there 's a couple of guys on the track that will sneak up on you , ' vickers said . after the dive , he took a moment to reflect on the top five destinations that satisfy his need for high-octane adventure . first on the list : jackson hole , wyoming . jackson hole , wyoming , i 'm a huge fan of . it 's just so beautiful out there . in the summer and the winter . ... the summer is incredible just because of the beauty and the nature , the mountains and the hiking and the rafting and fishing . so many great outdoor activities , and i really love to be outdoors . ' second on vickers'list is the exumas in the bahamas , where he enjoys the natural beauty as well . the water 's incredible . there 's a lot of great diving and snorkeling and swimming and spear fishing . ' vickers also looks forward to eating well when vacationing here . there 's some good restaurants . more hole in the wall , island type places . it 's a very small community down there , ' he said . destination number three is aspen , colorado . i really enjoy aspen . very similar to jackson hole but unique in its own way . a little bit bigger town ... a little bit more vibrant night life , ' vickers said . no . 4 on vickers'list strays a little from the other favorites , but it feeds into two more of his passions : food and history . i always really liked rome because i absolutely am a history buff , and you can find something from almost every century in rome . and obviously the food . it 's just to die for . italian food is my favorite food , so that 's another reason i like it there . ' and the final destination in vickers'top five takes him back to the islands . st. barts is another favorite ... similar but different from the caribbean , the exumas . a lot more mountainous where the exumas are very , very flat . ' vickers also enjoys swimming , diving and hiking here . he continued with his comparison between his two favorite island spots : ' similar to comparing jackson ( hole ) to aspen , i kinda compare the exumas to st. barts . one is very raw and natural and great in its own way , and the other has that , but is more modern and ( has ) better night life . ' this is vickers'top five list , but he 's quick to point out that it 's only five locations , and he loves exploring new places , cultures , experiences and of course , thrills . he is by no means ready to slow down on or off the track . you know when you start to look at a globe , you start to realize even if you 've been a lot of places , you 've been nowhere . there 's just so much out there to explore , see and do . so i 'm anxious and excited to go do that . '	nascar driver brian vickers enjoys skydiving , spear fishing and scuba diving
brown <tsp> ferguson , missouri ( cnn ) this is the new normal in ferguson : protests , day and night , for more than 70 days now . sometimes it 's hundreds of demonstrators , sometimes just a handful . but they 're always outside the ferguson police department , clamoring for the indictment of officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager michael brown . and with new details about the investigation leaked , tensions are escalating . on monday night , two protestors were detained by st. louis county police -- including missouri state sen. jamilah nasheed . she was detained as she blocked traffic in the middle of the street while protesting outside the ferguson police department . now , there are fears about what could happen next . everybody is planning for whatever the grand jury decides , ' said amy hunter , racial justice director at the ywca . certainly there are lots of us that planning peaceful protests for should it not be indicted . certainly there are other people that have other ideas at hand . ' one protester put it succinctly : ' if there is not an indictment , excuse my french , all hell is going to break loose . ' new details revealed brown 's blood was found on the officer 's uniform and inside his police car , law enforcement sources told cnn . those sources corroborated details first reported by the new york times . that tends to support any testimony that there was some kind of scuffle in the police car , ' said cnn legal analyst danny cevallos . and if so , that tends to support officer wilson 's testimony and his justification for using deadly force . ' at least one of the wounds brown suffered is consistent with a struggle and appeared to be fired at close range , according to a different source with first-hand knowledge of the investigation . at least six shots a private autopsy conducted for the brown family showed that brown had been shot at least six times , including twice in the head . but cevallos said the newly released details about brown 's blood in the officer 's gun and on his uniform might only go so far in helping the officer 's case . ultimately , that officer will have to come up with justification not for firing his gun the first time , but for each and every bullet that came out of his firearm -- whether at the car or away from the car , ' he said . brown 's death is the subject of two inquires : one by a st. louis county grand jury considering whether wilson should be charged , and the other by federal investigators looking into whether any civil rights violations occurred . timing of the leak as anticipation mounts over the grand jury 's decision , the new details leaked by a federal source to the new york times could be strategic , a former fbi official told cnn . it could be really for , in part , a beneficial purpose , to start leading those community leaders and those leading the protests to believe that there wo n't be an indictment , ' said ron hosko , former assistant director of the fbi criminal division . it may be over time , that will have a beneficial effect of no riots , no battles in the streets again . ' sara sidner reported from ferguson ; holly yan reported and wrote from atlanta . cnn 's pamela brown , evan perez , marylynn ryan and michael pearson contributed to this report .	protesters have been calling for an officer 's indictment after unarmed teen michael brown was killed
brown <tsp> ferguson , missouri ( cnn ) this is the new normal in ferguson : protests , day and night , for more than 70 days now . sometimes it 's hundreds of demonstrators , sometimes just a handful . but they 're always outside the ferguson police department , clamoring for the indictment of officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager michael brown . and with new details about the investigation leaked , tensions are escalating . on monday night , two protestors were detained by st. louis county police -- including missouri state sen. jamilah nasheed . she was detained as she blocked traffic in the middle of the street while protesting outside the ferguson police department . now , there are fears about what could happen next . everybody is planning for whatever the grand jury decides , ' said amy hunter , racial justice director at the ywca . certainly there are lots of us that planning peaceful protests for should it not be indicted . certainly there are other people that have other ideas at hand . ' one protester put it succinctly : ' if there is not an indictment , excuse my french , all hell is going to break loose . ' new details revealed brown 's blood was found on the officer 's uniform and inside his police car , law enforcement sources told cnn . those sources corroborated details first reported by the new york times . that tends to support any testimony that there was some kind of scuffle in the police car , ' said cnn legal analyst danny cevallos . and if so , that tends to support officer wilson 's testimony and his justification for using deadly force . ' at least one of the wounds brown suffered is consistent with a struggle and appeared to be fired at close range , according to a different source with first-hand knowledge of the investigation . at least six shots a private autopsy conducted for the brown family showed that brown had been shot at least six times , including twice in the head . but cevallos said the newly released details about brown 's blood in the officer 's gun and on his uniform might only go so far in helping the officer 's case . ultimately , that officer will have to come up with justification not for firing his gun the first time , but for each and every bullet that came out of his firearm -- whether at the car or away from the car , ' he said . brown 's death is the subject of two inquires : one by a st. louis county grand jury considering whether wilson should be charged , and the other by federal investigators looking into whether any civil rights violations occurred . timing of the leak as anticipation mounts over the grand jury 's decision , the new details leaked by a federal source to the new york times could be strategic , a former fbi official told cnn . it could be really for , in part , a beneficial purpose , to start leading those community leaders and those leading the protests to believe that there wo n't be an indictment , ' said ron hosko , former assistant director of the fbi criminal division . it may be over time , that will have a beneficial effect of no riots , no battles in the streets again . ' sara sidner reported from ferguson ; holly yan reported and wrote from atlanta . cnn 's pamela brown , evan perez , marylynn ryan and michael pearson contributed to this report .	investigators found brown 's blood on the officer 's gun , uniform and cruiser , sources say
missouri state <tsp> ferguson , missouri ( cnn ) this is the new normal in ferguson : protests , day and night , for more than 70 days now . sometimes it 's hundreds of demonstrators , sometimes just a handful . but they 're always outside the ferguson police department , clamoring for the indictment of officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager michael brown . and with new details about the investigation leaked , tensions are escalating . on monday night , two protestors were detained by st. louis county police -- including missouri state sen. jamilah nasheed . she was detained as she blocked traffic in the middle of the street while protesting outside the ferguson police department . now , there are fears about what could happen next . everybody is planning for whatever the grand jury decides , ' said amy hunter , racial justice director at the ywca . certainly there are lots of us that planning peaceful protests for should it not be indicted . certainly there are other people that have other ideas at hand . ' one protester put it succinctly : ' if there is not an indictment , excuse my french , all hell is going to break loose . ' new details revealed brown 's blood was found on the officer 's uniform and inside his police car , law enforcement sources told cnn . those sources corroborated details first reported by the new york times . that tends to support any testimony that there was some kind of scuffle in the police car , ' said cnn legal analyst danny cevallos . and if so , that tends to support officer wilson 's testimony and his justification for using deadly force . ' at least one of the wounds brown suffered is consistent with a struggle and appeared to be fired at close range , according to a different source with first-hand knowledge of the investigation . at least six shots a private autopsy conducted for the brown family showed that brown had been shot at least six times , including twice in the head . but cevallos said the newly released details about brown 's blood in the officer 's gun and on his uniform might only go so far in helping the officer 's case . ultimately , that officer will have to come up with justification not for firing his gun the first time , but for each and every bullet that came out of his firearm -- whether at the car or away from the car , ' he said . brown 's death is the subject of two inquires : one by a st. louis county grand jury considering whether wilson should be charged , and the other by federal investigators looking into whether any civil rights violations occurred . timing of the leak as anticipation mounts over the grand jury 's decision , the new details leaked by a federal source to the new york times could be strategic , a former fbi official told cnn . it could be really for , in part , a beneficial purpose , to start leading those community leaders and those leading the protests to believe that there wo n't be an indictment , ' said ron hosko , former assistant director of the fbi criminal division . it may be over time , that will have a beneficial effect of no riots , no battles in the streets again . ' sara sidner reported from ferguson ; holly yan reported and wrote from atlanta . cnn 's pamela brown , evan perez , marylynn ryan and michael pearson contributed to this report .	two people , including missouri state sen. jamilah nasheed , are detained by police monday night
lizzie mcguire show <tsp> ( the frisky ) -- it 's not easy being a mother , caring so much about these delicate little dumplings that hold half of your dna and keep putting themselves in danger . which is why it 's important to not just acknowledge the worst tv moms , but also the best . my personal favorite is kitty foreman ( debra jo rupp ) from that '70s show . ' she did n't just raise eric ; she mothered the whole neighborhood of delinquent teenagers while working full-time as a nurse and dealing with a grumpy husband . and she managed to do all that while maintaining her sense of humor , with a little help from her dear friend kahlúa . the frisky : 10 worst tv moms another fantastic mom was jean weir ( becky ann baker ) from freaks and geeks . ' because no matter how broody her daughter lindsay got , she was always upbeat and supportive . i definitely cried a bunch during the halloween episode when she 's excited to give out candy with her daughter , but lindsay ditches her for james franco and jason segel . not that anyone can blame her . all the parents on modern family ' are pretty great , but i love gloria ( sofia vergara ) because she 's raised the most precocious little boy , manny . and she honestly loves jay way more than his last wife peggy , from married with children . ' she 's also terribly good-looking and tirelessly cheers on her family . my favorite character from the golden girls ' was sophia petrillo ( estelle getty ) because she said the most amazing things ever . and even as a 90-year-old , she was still raising dorothy -- even though she was younger than bea arthur in real life . the frisky : playboy ' rejects tv mom kate gosselin and 7 other celebs sure , marge simpson sometimes forgot about maggie 's existence and bart turned out to be a brat , but you ca n't argue that she did a good job with lisa ! and since the simpsons ' has been on longer than any other show , she 's been raising those un-aging kids for 21 seasons . and on top of that , homer is a bigger baby than any of the kids . but marge still gets up every morning , does her fro , and loves the hell out of her family . if rayanne 's mom was one of the worst tv moms , then angela 's mom , patty chase ( bess armstrong ) , from my so-called life ' was one of the best . her daughter was one of the emo-est teenagers ever and with a bad boy boyfriend like jordan catalano , she should have been pulling out her hair . but she managed to be a working mom and give angela the space to be independent and make some mistakes . when things got dangerous , she stepped in and came to the rescue . the cosby show ' was an enviable home environment and clair huxtable ( phylicia rashad ) managed to have a successful career as an attorney while raising five kids . she was such a beautiful , confident woman and she doled out the lessons like no other . plus , she was always dancing and wearing really amazing '80s fashions . the frisky : 10 worst boyfriends and husbands of 2009 i secretly loved the lizzie mcguire show ' and lizzie 's mom , jo mcguire ( hallie todd ) , was so sweet . she reminds me of my mom , always trying to be lizzie 's best friend and getting super emotional when lizzie went away on trips . she did often mess up lizzie 's life when attempting to solve her problems , but lizzie and jo had one of the most tender mother-daughter relationships ever . marion cunningham ( marion ross ) from happy days ' was similar to kitty from that '70s show , ' but much less of a lush . she was the only one allowed to call fonz his real name , arthur , ' and she was always doting on her grumpy husband , howard . she also raised two pretty good kids and was a fantastic cook . the frisky : six celebs with reality shows in the works one of the best mother-daughter-friend relationships is between rory and lorelai gilmore ( lauren graham ) on gilmore girls . ' she had a rough start -- what with the getting pregnant before graduating from high school , while out of wedlock , and with estranged parents -- but she gave absolutely everything for her daughter . who does n't want to be part of their fast-talking , smart-aleck brood ? they love and respect each other . and enjoy witty repartee on top of that . tm & © 2010 tmv , inc. \| all rights reserved	we secretly loved the lizzie mcguire show ' and lizzie 's mom , jo mcguire
bin laden <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- the egyptian army and police are cracking down in an anti-terror ' operation in the sinai area of egypt , state-owned media reported on tuesday , as reports emerge of osama bin laden 's doctor surfacing in the area . police said they found hand grenades , machine guns , rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition in the operation that targets sinai terror cells ' suspected in attacks on a gas pipeline to israel and a police station in the border town of el-arish . one person was killed and 12 were arrested on monday , the first day of the operation , said hazem al-maadawi , a police officer involved in the offensive . citing an unnamed security official , state news agency egynews said authorities are targeting 15 more people who participated in attacks at an el-arish police station -- some of whom are members of the extremist jaish el-islam group , which is affiliated with al qaeda . the crackdown comes amid new developments on the whereabouts of a bin laden associate . ramzi mahmoud al mowafi , the doctor of the late al qaeda leader , escaped from a cairo prison during the egyptian revolution earlier this year and has resurfaced in the country 's north sinai area , an official said . al mowafi , also known among his fellow jihadists as the'chemist ,'escaped from a maximum security prison in cairo on january 30 while serving a life sentence , ' maj. yaser atia from egyptian general security told cnn monday . according to prison records , al mowafi was sentenced to life for a military case ' -- but more details were not immediately known . bin laden 's longtime personal doctor and an explosives expert , al mowafi was born in egypt in 1952 . he left for afghanistan to join al qaeda , according to the data listed in his prison records . al mowafi was seen in sinai by several jihadist ( s ) according to witness testimonials , ' gen. sameh seif al yezen said . i know he is very dangerous and that he had set up his own laboratory in tora bora with bin laden . a full report will be published on this matter in the upcoming week . ' a general in egypt 's intelligence service , who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to speak with the media , told cnn that al mowafi surfaced in el-arish and communicated with several'terrorists'from the egyptian takfir wal-hijra and the palestinian islamic army . ' takfir wal-hijra is a militant islamist group . the general added , al qaeda is present in sinai , mainly in the area of sakaska close to rafah . ' for neighboring israel , the lack of state authority in sinai is becoming a source of anxiety . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu told a knesset committee recently that egypt was having difficulty exercising its sovereignty over sinai . what 's happening in sinai is that global terrorist organizations are meddling there and their presence is increasing because of the connection between sinai and gaza , ' netanyahu said . since the beginning of the revolution , the gas pipeline running through el-arish used to export gas to israel has been bombed five times by unidentified men . several police officers were kidnapped and killed in recent months , but no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks . on july 29 , several dozen people were demonstrating outside the al nasr mosque in el-arish after friday prayers . mohamed mahmoud , who was among the protesters , recalled what happened that day . the takfiris stormed in by the hundreds mounted on pickup trucks and motorcycles waving black flags , a symbol of jihad , ' he told cnn from a safe house not far from el-arish . the militants were heavily armed with machine guns , hand grenades and rocked-propelled grenades . ' the head of security in north sinai , gen. saleh al masry , told cnn that takfir-wal-higra had become active during the revolution that led to the ouster of president hosni mubarak . the terrorists were joined by members of palestinian factions , and they are currently being questioned by military intelligence . we arrested 12 assailants , including three palestinians , ' al masry said . the investigation resulted in troubling information . al qaeda has been funding and recruiting cells in sinai including members of the takfir wal-hijra joined by palestinians from the islamic army , ' atia said . bedouin smugglers who control the majority of underground tunnels into gaza were not happy to learn that palestinians were among the attackers . mohamed younis , one of the tunnel operators , told cnn , i charge $ 50 to smuggle them in for trade purposes in coordination with hamas on the other side . after the attack we have banned any palestinians from coming through . we are trying to bring peace to the area and do n't need trouble . ' gen. abdel wahab , the governor of north sinai , confirmed that a flier titled al qaeda sinai branch ' circulated outside a mosque in el-arish on wednesday . the document called for an islamic state in sinai and announced that the group was planning attacks on the police stations and security forces last friday . the egyptian military presence in the demilitarized zone in sinai under the camp david agreement signed in 1978 between egypt and israel raises many questions . under the accords of the agreements , parties may increase forces in the restricted zones if there is national threat with the coordination among both parties . in this case israel was informed and the forces will remain there for a time agreed upon by both countries , that may be also extended until the situation is dealt with , ' said al yezen , a military analyst . this operation serves the interest of israel too and ensures the safety of its borders , ' he added . cnn 's amir ahmed contributed to this report .	official : witnesses report seeing bin laden 's doctor in sinai
knox <tsp> perugia , italy ( cnn ) -- a lawyer for amanda knox said thursday the only option for the jury considering her murder appeal in italy is to clear her of guilt . knox 's lawyers gave their final arguments in perugia thursday in an effort to counter prosecutors'portrayal of her as a cunning femme fatale . ' lawyer carlo dalla vedova told the jury'that the only possible decision to take is that of absolving amanda knox , ' as he wrapped up his closing argument . he said the court had already seen there is not trace of amanda knox in the room where murder took place . ' knox and her former boyfriend raffaele sollecito are fighting to overturn their 2009 convictions for the murder of meredith kercher , knox 's british housemate who was found with her throat slashed two years earlier . the judge said there will be no ruling in the case until after defendant statements on monday . the second of knox 's lawyers to speak , luciano ghirga , said knox was very afraid but her heart is full of hope and she hopes to return to freedom . ' her image was massacred ' by the media and the attacks on her character started before the trial , he said , adding that he considered her as a daughter . concluding an emotional appearance , he appealed to the jury to put themselves in the shoes of knox 's family -- a counterpoise to the words of appeals court prosecutor giancarlo costagliola , who asked the jury to put themselves in the shoes of kercher 's family at the start of the closing arguments a week ago . the clan knox ' -- as knox 's family have been referred to -- are not part of some rumored u.s. conspiracy to put pressure on the italian courts to release her , ghirga said . rather , they are parents and they deserve respect . ' the lawyer also praised the court 's work , saying he felt knox 's rights had finally been respected . urging the jury not to let innocent people stay in jail , vedova earlier detailed what he called many mistakes ' made in the investigation into kercher 's death . when knox was arrested and interrogated , she was not allowed a translator and was discouraged from getting a lawyer , vedova said . 'that night amanda knox 's right to defend herself was denied , ' he said . she was just a young girl , first time out of the country . she did n't speak italian . ' vedova argued that some of the dna evidence presented by the prosecution should be thrown out . he said some material was contaminated as a result of poor practice by police , including supposed traces of mixed blood in the bathroom sink shared by the two girls . the prosecution 's use of alleged bloody footprints in their case was also wrong , he said . as for the knife used to kill kercher , a key piece of evidence , vedova told the court there was a concentration of nothingness , a fantasy ' in the prosecution 's arguments . he ridiculed a theory that sollecito had not disposed of the knife because he was concerned his landlady would notice it was missing , asking : what kind of a killer would think about this after committing a murder ? ' vedova claimed forensics experts who examined computers belonging to knox and sollecito had destroyed the machines and with them evidence that was certain to be favorable to the defendants . this included photographs of knox and kercher together that demonstrated they were friends , he said . showing the court panoramic pictures of the villa knox shared with kercher , vedova rejected the prosecution claim that a fake robbery had been staged by someone inside the house to try to cover up what had happened . he also suggested the original court had taken sides over some of the evidence , choosing to accept as credible some witnesses whose testimony went against knox and rejecting others who were in her favor . knox 's attorneys'statements follow arguments presented this week by the lawyer of her co-defendant . lawyer giulia bongiorno said tuesday that knox is not the character the media has painted her to be , and urged a jury to acquit knox and sollecito of murdering kercher . bongiorno compared knox to the voluptuous cartoon character jessica rabbit , who protests , i 'm not bad , i 'm just drawn that way , ' in the movie who framed roger rabbit ? ' bongiorno said the whole trial was based on dna evidence on which mistakes were made , ' and urged the jury to abandon imagined fantasies ' and acquit the pair . knox and sollecito were convicted in 2009 . knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison , while sollecito got 25 . in her closing arguments , bongiorno said there was no physical trace of knox or sollecito in the room where kercher was found murdered . the room speaks only of rudy ' guede , the other man convicted separately of killing kercher , bongiorno told the jury . knox and sollecito 's defense teams have suggested guede , who is already serving a 16-year sentence for the murder , could have been the sole killer . evidence that guede was in the room shows that no one could enter that room and not leave any trace , ' bongiorno said . and she hammered home attacks on dna evidence that has been a key part of the appeal . she , too , said police could have contaminated the crime scene or the evidence , playing video from the police investigation to make her point . knox and sollecito are appealing the convictions together , having been convicted in a joint trial . cnn 's hada messia contributed to this report .	knox and sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing briton meredith kercher
knox <tsp> perugia , italy ( cnn ) -- a lawyer for amanda knox said thursday the only option for the jury considering her murder appeal in italy is to clear her of guilt . knox 's lawyers gave their final arguments in perugia thursday in an effort to counter prosecutors'portrayal of her as a cunning femme fatale . ' lawyer carlo dalla vedova told the jury'that the only possible decision to take is that of absolving amanda knox , ' as he wrapped up his closing argument . he said the court had already seen there is not trace of amanda knox in the room where murder took place . ' knox and her former boyfriend raffaele sollecito are fighting to overturn their 2009 convictions for the murder of meredith kercher , knox 's british housemate who was found with her throat slashed two years earlier . the judge said there will be no ruling in the case until after defendant statements on monday . the second of knox 's lawyers to speak , luciano ghirga , said knox was very afraid but her heart is full of hope and she hopes to return to freedom . ' her image was massacred ' by the media and the attacks on her character started before the trial , he said , adding that he considered her as a daughter . concluding an emotional appearance , he appealed to the jury to put themselves in the shoes of knox 's family -- a counterpoise to the words of appeals court prosecutor giancarlo costagliola , who asked the jury to put themselves in the shoes of kercher 's family at the start of the closing arguments a week ago . the clan knox ' -- as knox 's family have been referred to -- are not part of some rumored u.s. conspiracy to put pressure on the italian courts to release her , ghirga said . rather , they are parents and they deserve respect . ' the lawyer also praised the court 's work , saying he felt knox 's rights had finally been respected . urging the jury not to let innocent people stay in jail , vedova earlier detailed what he called many mistakes ' made in the investigation into kercher 's death . when knox was arrested and interrogated , she was not allowed a translator and was discouraged from getting a lawyer , vedova said . 'that night amanda knox 's right to defend herself was denied , ' he said . she was just a young girl , first time out of the country . she did n't speak italian . ' vedova argued that some of the dna evidence presented by the prosecution should be thrown out . he said some material was contaminated as a result of poor practice by police , including supposed traces of mixed blood in the bathroom sink shared by the two girls . the prosecution 's use of alleged bloody footprints in their case was also wrong , he said . as for the knife used to kill kercher , a key piece of evidence , vedova told the court there was a concentration of nothingness , a fantasy ' in the prosecution 's arguments . he ridiculed a theory that sollecito had not disposed of the knife because he was concerned his landlady would notice it was missing , asking : what kind of a killer would think about this after committing a murder ? ' vedova claimed forensics experts who examined computers belonging to knox and sollecito had destroyed the machines and with them evidence that was certain to be favorable to the defendants . this included photographs of knox and kercher together that demonstrated they were friends , he said . showing the court panoramic pictures of the villa knox shared with kercher , vedova rejected the prosecution claim that a fake robbery had been staged by someone inside the house to try to cover up what had happened . he also suggested the original court had taken sides over some of the evidence , choosing to accept as credible some witnesses whose testimony went against knox and rejecting others who were in her favor . knox 's attorneys'statements follow arguments presented this week by the lawyer of her co-defendant . lawyer giulia bongiorno said tuesday that knox is not the character the media has painted her to be , and urged a jury to acquit knox and sollecito of murdering kercher . bongiorno compared knox to the voluptuous cartoon character jessica rabbit , who protests , i 'm not bad , i 'm just drawn that way , ' in the movie who framed roger rabbit ? ' bongiorno said the whole trial was based on dna evidence on which mistakes were made , ' and urged the jury to abandon imagined fantasies ' and acquit the pair . knox and sollecito were convicted in 2009 . knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison , while sollecito got 25 . in her closing arguments , bongiorno said there was no physical trace of knox or sollecito in the room where kercher was found murdered . the room speaks only of rudy ' guede , the other man convicted separately of killing kercher , bongiorno told the jury . knox and sollecito 's defense teams have suggested guede , who is already serving a 16-year sentence for the murder , could have been the sole killer . evidence that guede was in the room shows that no one could enter that room and not leave any trace , ' bongiorno said . and she hammered home attacks on dna evidence that has been a key part of the appeal . she , too , said police could have contaminated the crime scene or the evidence , playing video from the police investigation to make her point . knox and sollecito are appealing the convictions together , having been convicted in a joint trial . cnn 's hada messia contributed to this report .	another lawyer urges the jury to absolve knox as he wraps up his closing argument
knox <tsp> perugia , italy ( cnn ) -- a lawyer for amanda knox said thursday the only option for the jury considering her murder appeal in italy is to clear her of guilt . knox 's lawyers gave their final arguments in perugia thursday in an effort to counter prosecutors'portrayal of her as a cunning femme fatale . ' lawyer carlo dalla vedova told the jury'that the only possible decision to take is that of absolving amanda knox , ' as he wrapped up his closing argument . he said the court had already seen there is not trace of amanda knox in the room where murder took place . ' knox and her former boyfriend raffaele sollecito are fighting to overturn their 2009 convictions for the murder of meredith kercher , knox 's british housemate who was found with her throat slashed two years earlier . the judge said there will be no ruling in the case until after defendant statements on monday . the second of knox 's lawyers to speak , luciano ghirga , said knox was very afraid but her heart is full of hope and she hopes to return to freedom . ' her image was massacred ' by the media and the attacks on her character started before the trial , he said , adding that he considered her as a daughter . concluding an emotional appearance , he appealed to the jury to put themselves in the shoes of knox 's family -- a counterpoise to the words of appeals court prosecutor giancarlo costagliola , who asked the jury to put themselves in the shoes of kercher 's family at the start of the closing arguments a week ago . the clan knox ' -- as knox 's family have been referred to -- are not part of some rumored u.s. conspiracy to put pressure on the italian courts to release her , ghirga said . rather , they are parents and they deserve respect . ' the lawyer also praised the court 's work , saying he felt knox 's rights had finally been respected . urging the jury not to let innocent people stay in jail , vedova earlier detailed what he called many mistakes ' made in the investigation into kercher 's death . when knox was arrested and interrogated , she was not allowed a translator and was discouraged from getting a lawyer , vedova said . 'that night amanda knox 's right to defend herself was denied , ' he said . she was just a young girl , first time out of the country . she did n't speak italian . ' vedova argued that some of the dna evidence presented by the prosecution should be thrown out . he said some material was contaminated as a result of poor practice by police , including supposed traces of mixed blood in the bathroom sink shared by the two girls . the prosecution 's use of alleged bloody footprints in their case was also wrong , he said . as for the knife used to kill kercher , a key piece of evidence , vedova told the court there was a concentration of nothingness , a fantasy ' in the prosecution 's arguments . he ridiculed a theory that sollecito had not disposed of the knife because he was concerned his landlady would notice it was missing , asking : what kind of a killer would think about this after committing a murder ? ' vedova claimed forensics experts who examined computers belonging to knox and sollecito had destroyed the machines and with them evidence that was certain to be favorable to the defendants . this included photographs of knox and kercher together that demonstrated they were friends , he said . showing the court panoramic pictures of the villa knox shared with kercher , vedova rejected the prosecution claim that a fake robbery had been staged by someone inside the house to try to cover up what had happened . he also suggested the original court had taken sides over some of the evidence , choosing to accept as credible some witnesses whose testimony went against knox and rejecting others who were in her favor . knox 's attorneys'statements follow arguments presented this week by the lawyer of her co-defendant . lawyer giulia bongiorno said tuesday that knox is not the character the media has painted her to be , and urged a jury to acquit knox and sollecito of murdering kercher . bongiorno compared knox to the voluptuous cartoon character jessica rabbit , who protests , i 'm not bad , i 'm just drawn that way , ' in the movie who framed roger rabbit ? ' bongiorno said the whole trial was based on dna evidence on which mistakes were made , ' and urged the jury to abandon imagined fantasies ' and acquit the pair . knox and sollecito were convicted in 2009 . knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison , while sollecito got 25 . in her closing arguments , bongiorno said there was no physical trace of knox or sollecito in the room where kercher was found murdered . the room speaks only of rudy ' guede , the other man convicted separately of killing kercher , bongiorno told the jury . knox and sollecito 's defense teams have suggested guede , who is already serving a 16-year sentence for the murder , could have been the sole killer . evidence that guede was in the room shows that no one could enter that room and not leave any trace , ' bongiorno said . and she hammered home attacks on dna evidence that has been a key part of the appeal . she , too , said police could have contaminated the crime scene or the evidence , playing video from the police investigation to make her point . knox and sollecito are appealing the convictions together , having been convicted in a joint trial . cnn 's hada messia contributed to this report .	new : a lawyer for knox says she is very afraid but her heart is full of hope '
record store day <tsp> ( cnn ) like phone booths and typewriters , record stores are a vanishing breed -- another victim of the digital age . camelot music . virgin megastores . wherehouse music . tower records . all of them gone . corporate america has largely abandoned brick-and-mortar music retailing to a scattering of independent stores , many of them in scruffy urban neighborhoods . and that 's not necessarily a bad thing . yes , it 's harder in the spotify era to find a place to go buy physical music . but many of the remaining record stores are succeeding -- even thriving -- by catering to a passionate core of customers and collectors . on saturday , hundreds of music retailers will hold events to commemorate record store day , an annual celebration of , well , your neighborhood record store . many stores will host live performances , drawings , book signings , special sales of rare or autographed vinyl and other happenings . some will even serve beer . to their diehard customers , these places are more than mere stores : they are cultural institutions that celebrate music history ( the entire duran duran oeuvre , all in one place ! ) , display artifacts ( aretha franklin on vinyl ! ) , and nurture the local music scene ( hey , here 's a cd by your brother 's metal band ! ) . they also employ knowledgeable clerks who will be happy to debate the relative merits of blood on the tracks ' and blonde on blonde . ' or maybe , like jack black in high fidelity , ' just mock your lousy taste in music . so if you 're a music geek , drop by . but you might think twice before asking if they stock i just called to say i love you . '	saturday is record store day , celebrated at music stores around the world
crais <tsp> ( cnn ) -- we should all be so lucky to have friends like elvis cole and joe pike . private detectives in modern-day los angeles , they 're the stars of best-selling author robert crais'award-winning series of crime novels . elvis and joe have been busting bad guys and thrilling millions of readers since 1987 's the monkey 's raincoat . ' the books are international bestsellers , published in 42 countries , and have developed a fervent following . in taken , ' crais 's newest novel , his 15th featuring the daring duo , elvis and joe take on an especially bloodthirsty group of criminals called bajadores . they are bandits who prey on other bandits along the u.s.-mexico border , dealing in drugs , murder and kidnapping . taken ' is intense and fast-paced and reads like a big-budget hollywood blockbuster . though that 's not surprising when you consider crais began his career writing for television series like hill street blues , ' cagney & lacey ' and miami vice . ' cnn recently spoke to the author about his new book , his loyal fans and why he 's refused to bring elvis and joe to the big screen . the following is an edited transcript . cnn : how has writing about elvis cole and joe pike changed over the course of the series ? crais : i really strive to bring something new to each book . i do n't want to write the same book over and over again . i 've done elvis books ; i 've done joe books ; i 've done mixed books , but this time , i made a conscious decision i wanted to tell a story where i could split the book pretty much down the middle and give them 50-50 equal footing so they both have their starring roles . when i discovered this particular story , it just seemed a perfect way to do that . part of the book , they 're working together . then there 's elvis'track through the story , and there 's joe track , where he 's trying to find elvis and save him . so it just seemed like an ideal way to let these guys share the stage . cnn : in taken , ' the story jumps between several points of view and moves back and forth in time . how difficult was it to put together ? crais : it was like a crazy puzzle that kept changing . you should have seen my office . i have these huge black foam boards on the wall , and tacked to them , i have these white punch cards with my story ideas , scenes and notes . i kept juggling these cards and amending them , making little scrawls on them . notions came to me , things changed , and i literally shuffled them around like a deck of cards , trying to bring them all into focus so the events were as exciting as i could make them . cnn : how do you start a novel ? what comes first , an idea , an image , a scene ? crais : it could be any of the above , but it 's usually an image , almost always driven by a character moment . in taken , ' it was the notion of krista morales and her hunger to know more about her mother 's experience that night in the desert . i just saw her . it was literally my first image in the book . i saw her staring out into the black desert sky with this open-eyed wonder , trying to see the path her mother took to get to this country . all i had was her face in the moonlight , staring out there , and i just knew whatever she 's looking for , i want to find . that was the engine that really kicked off the rest of the book . cnn : taken ' revolves around a kidnapping on the u.s.-mexico border by bajadores . what prompted you to write about these bandits ? crais : i had heard about these atrocious mass graves uncovered in mexico south of the border : 52 people in one grave , 87 people in another , 164 bodies at a ranch with multiple burial sites . if you watch the news at all , you know mexico is pretty much defining itself now as a war between the government and the various drug cartels . south of the border is fairly well-patrolled by armed groups of thugs who work for the cartels , and those guys end up preying on civilians , policemen and government officials , but they also prey on each other . i found out most of the people who were found in those mass graves were immigrants who were headed north from as far away as central america . they were trying to get to the u.s. , and somewhere along the way , cartel bandits or bajadores ' would kidnap them , rob them , force them to call their families or employers or whoever and try to extort additional money out of them . when there was no more money to be had , they would just be murdered and buried in mass graves . the business was literally stealing people . the nature of this victim was very moving to me . when you consider that the victim is basically an innocent , penniless person who 's just trying to find a way to make his or her life better was super appealing to me , and it seemed like the type of people that elvis and joe would sympathize with and risk their lives to try and save . cnn : while there 's lots of action in your books , it seems like the friendship between elvis and joe is what keeps readers coming back . crais : sure . the books are about elvis and joe . the books are about their friendship and who they are as men and human beings . i think that 's why the readership has grown the way it has and why readers keep coming back to them . there 's a value to their friendship that i think people admire and envy and want in their own lives . i know i do , so i kind of attribute it to other people , too . i would love to have either elvis or joe , preferably both , as my friends . they 're certainly interesting guys , and we can live vicariously through them for their adventures , but there 's something beautiful about these two guys and about having someone so trustworthy and dependable in your life . it 's very comforting , i think . cnn : has the success of the series surpassed your expectations ? crais : i 'm certainly thrilled by the reaction . honestly , i never would have thought the characters would have become as popular as they have . in the beginning , my dream was simply to make a living at it . i wanted to be a writer . i wanted to earn a living , but it never occurred to me that the books would become bestsellers . i mean , i 'm glad , but none of this was by design . i wrote these guys because they 're guys i wanted to spend time with . writing a book is a long and difficult process for me . i 'm a slow writer , so i spend the year with elvis cole and joe pike in my head . i was thinking about this the other day . i wrote the first book in 1987 . literally every day since that time , elvis and joe have been in my head . they 're always there . i started these guys because i like them . i still like spending time with them , and i think that 's probably the reason the readers have embraced elvis and joe the way they have . whenever there 's a new book , they want to refresh that friendship . cnn : despite many lucrative offers , you 've never sold the screen rights to elvis and joe . why is that ? crais : it 's pretty simple . you know the old saying , if it ai n't broke , do n't fix it ? i 'm concerned that if there 's a film of elvis and joe , that somehow it will interfere with the collaboration i have with my readers . i 'm the first to admit this is probably a knuckleheaded fear on my part , but i have it nevertheless . books are a collaborative art . elvis and joe do n't exist until someone picks up one of the books and reads it . in the act of reading , you and i collaborate , and elvis and joe come to life inside your head . what i 've learned over time is that the elvis and joe you see and hear in your head , they are only yours . there might be however many hundreds of thousands of other people who 've read taken , ' and each and every one of them is going to have a unique elvis and joe . it 's going to be a little bit different from everybody else 's because we all bring our own stuff to this . i find that wonderful . to me , that is the great thing about books , and i guess part of me is a little scared that if i let hollywood get involved , and even if there 's a really good movie made , that somehow once you 've seen the film , when you come back to the new book next year , that collaboration that you and i have is going to be a little bit different . because then , the movie is going to have inserted itself . so i 'm really jealous and guarded about that . i want your elvis and joe to be a product of yours and mine and nothing else . read an excerpt from taken ' and find out more about robert crais on his website .	robert crais returns to private detective duo elvis cole and joe pike in taken '
crais <tsp> ( cnn ) -- we should all be so lucky to have friends like elvis cole and joe pike . private detectives in modern-day los angeles , they 're the stars of best-selling author robert crais'award-winning series of crime novels . elvis and joe have been busting bad guys and thrilling millions of readers since 1987 's the monkey 's raincoat . ' the books are international bestsellers , published in 42 countries , and have developed a fervent following . in taken , ' crais 's newest novel , his 15th featuring the daring duo , elvis and joe take on an especially bloodthirsty group of criminals called bajadores . they are bandits who prey on other bandits along the u.s.-mexico border , dealing in drugs , murder and kidnapping . taken ' is intense and fast-paced and reads like a big-budget hollywood blockbuster . though that 's not surprising when you consider crais began his career writing for television series like hill street blues , ' cagney & lacey ' and miami vice . ' cnn recently spoke to the author about his new book , his loyal fans and why he 's refused to bring elvis and joe to the big screen . the following is an edited transcript . cnn : how has writing about elvis cole and joe pike changed over the course of the series ? crais : i really strive to bring something new to each book . i do n't want to write the same book over and over again . i 've done elvis books ; i 've done joe books ; i 've done mixed books , but this time , i made a conscious decision i wanted to tell a story where i could split the book pretty much down the middle and give them 50-50 equal footing so they both have their starring roles . when i discovered this particular story , it just seemed a perfect way to do that . part of the book , they 're working together . then there 's elvis'track through the story , and there 's joe track , where he 's trying to find elvis and save him . so it just seemed like an ideal way to let these guys share the stage . cnn : in taken , ' the story jumps between several points of view and moves back and forth in time . how difficult was it to put together ? crais : it was like a crazy puzzle that kept changing . you should have seen my office . i have these huge black foam boards on the wall , and tacked to them , i have these white punch cards with my story ideas , scenes and notes . i kept juggling these cards and amending them , making little scrawls on them . notions came to me , things changed , and i literally shuffled them around like a deck of cards , trying to bring them all into focus so the events were as exciting as i could make them . cnn : how do you start a novel ? what comes first , an idea , an image , a scene ? crais : it could be any of the above , but it 's usually an image , almost always driven by a character moment . in taken , ' it was the notion of krista morales and her hunger to know more about her mother 's experience that night in the desert . i just saw her . it was literally my first image in the book . i saw her staring out into the black desert sky with this open-eyed wonder , trying to see the path her mother took to get to this country . all i had was her face in the moonlight , staring out there , and i just knew whatever she 's looking for , i want to find . that was the engine that really kicked off the rest of the book . cnn : taken ' revolves around a kidnapping on the u.s.-mexico border by bajadores . what prompted you to write about these bandits ? crais : i had heard about these atrocious mass graves uncovered in mexico south of the border : 52 people in one grave , 87 people in another , 164 bodies at a ranch with multiple burial sites . if you watch the news at all , you know mexico is pretty much defining itself now as a war between the government and the various drug cartels . south of the border is fairly well-patrolled by armed groups of thugs who work for the cartels , and those guys end up preying on civilians , policemen and government officials , but they also prey on each other . i found out most of the people who were found in those mass graves were immigrants who were headed north from as far away as central america . they were trying to get to the u.s. , and somewhere along the way , cartel bandits or bajadores ' would kidnap them , rob them , force them to call their families or employers or whoever and try to extort additional money out of them . when there was no more money to be had , they would just be murdered and buried in mass graves . the business was literally stealing people . the nature of this victim was very moving to me . when you consider that the victim is basically an innocent , penniless person who 's just trying to find a way to make his or her life better was super appealing to me , and it seemed like the type of people that elvis and joe would sympathize with and risk their lives to try and save . cnn : while there 's lots of action in your books , it seems like the friendship between elvis and joe is what keeps readers coming back . crais : sure . the books are about elvis and joe . the books are about their friendship and who they are as men and human beings . i think that 's why the readership has grown the way it has and why readers keep coming back to them . there 's a value to their friendship that i think people admire and envy and want in their own lives . i know i do , so i kind of attribute it to other people , too . i would love to have either elvis or joe , preferably both , as my friends . they 're certainly interesting guys , and we can live vicariously through them for their adventures , but there 's something beautiful about these two guys and about having someone so trustworthy and dependable in your life . it 's very comforting , i think . cnn : has the success of the series surpassed your expectations ? crais : i 'm certainly thrilled by the reaction . honestly , i never would have thought the characters would have become as popular as they have . in the beginning , my dream was simply to make a living at it . i wanted to be a writer . i wanted to earn a living , but it never occurred to me that the books would become bestsellers . i mean , i 'm glad , but none of this was by design . i wrote these guys because they 're guys i wanted to spend time with . writing a book is a long and difficult process for me . i 'm a slow writer , so i spend the year with elvis cole and joe pike in my head . i was thinking about this the other day . i wrote the first book in 1987 . literally every day since that time , elvis and joe have been in my head . they 're always there . i started these guys because i like them . i still like spending time with them , and i think that 's probably the reason the readers have embraced elvis and joe the way they have . whenever there 's a new book , they want to refresh that friendship . cnn : despite many lucrative offers , you 've never sold the screen rights to elvis and joe . why is that ? crais : it 's pretty simple . you know the old saying , if it ai n't broke , do n't fix it ? i 'm concerned that if there 's a film of elvis and joe , that somehow it will interfere with the collaboration i have with my readers . i 'm the first to admit this is probably a knuckleheaded fear on my part , but i have it nevertheless . books are a collaborative art . elvis and joe do n't exist until someone picks up one of the books and reads it . in the act of reading , you and i collaborate , and elvis and joe come to life inside your head . what i 've learned over time is that the elvis and joe you see and hear in your head , they are only yours . there might be however many hundreds of thousands of other people who 've read taken , ' and each and every one of them is going to have a unique elvis and joe . it 's going to be a little bit different from everybody else 's because we all bring our own stuff to this . i find that wonderful . to me , that is the great thing about books , and i guess part of me is a little scared that if i let hollywood get involved , and even if there 's a really good movie made , that somehow once you 've seen the film , when you come back to the new book next year , that collaboration that you and i have is going to be a little bit different . because then , the movie is going to have inserted itself . so i 'm really jealous and guarded about that . i want your elvis and joe to be a product of yours and mine and nothing else . read an excerpt from taken ' and find out more about robert crais on his website .	the characters have appeared in crais'crime novels since 1987
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a cargo plane crashed in afghanistan killing all seven crew members on board monday . all seven were u.s. citizens , the cargo carrier national airlines said . the crash happened shortly after takeoff from bagram air base in afghanistan , the u.s.-based company said . the boeing 747-400 was en route to dubai , united arab emirates . this was a purely cargo flight and no passengers were aboard , ' a company statement said . cargo consisted of vehicles and routine general cargo . ' national specializes in moving freight for the military and businesses , as well as charter passenger service in the middle east . the cause of the crash has not been determined . but taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid said his group shot down the aircraft and that several foreign soldiers were killed . ' that claim could not be immediately verified . but in the past , the taliban has exaggerated casualty figures . this is a devastating loss for our family and we 'll work diligently with authorities to find the cause , ' national airlines president glen joerger said in the statement . our focus at this time is on the family members of those we 've lost , and on assisting the ntsb ( national transportation safety board ) and afghanistan civil aviation authority in their investigations . ' six of the victims were from michigan , national said , and they were identified as brad hasler , jeremy lipka , jamie brokaw , rinku summan , michael sheets and gary stockdale . the other victim , timothy garrett , was from kentucky .	the flight was en route from bagram air base in afghanistan to dubai
hulk hogan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pro wrestling legend hulk hogan , embroiled in a bitter divorce with his wife , linda , told rolling stone magazine he can totally understand ' o.j . simpson , the former football great found liable for the deaths of his wife and another man . linda and hulk hogan enjoy happier times at the 2006 mtv video music awards in new york in 2006 . i could have turned everything into a crime scene like o.j. , cutting everybody 's throat , ' hogan said in the interview for a feature that will run in friday 's edition of the magazine . you live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you ca n't go to anymore , you 're driving through downtown clearwater [ florida ] and see a 19-year-old boy driving your escalade , and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed , with your wife ... ' i totally understand o.j . i get it , ' hogan said . a spokeswoman for rolling stone magazine confirmed the quote to cnn . watch report on hogan 's statements » it has been widely reported that linda hogan , 49 , is dating a younger man . she filed for divorce in 2007 after nearly 25 years of marriage . simpson was found not guilty of murder in the 1994 stabbing deaths of his wife , nicole brown simpson , and her friend , ron goldman , but was found liable for their deaths by a civil court jury . simpson later was found guilty in a las vegas , nevada , armed robbery case and sentenced in december to up to 33 years in prison . a spokesman for linda hogan said wednesday that the statement amounts to a death threat and that her attorney is weighing all options necessary to protect his client . ' sadly , his recent comments remind us that his definition of fair is much different than what the law dictates , ' linda hogan said in a written statement . her spokesman , gary smith , linked the comments to the 55-year-old hogan 's three-decade career , during which he held multiple championship titles and , during his heyday in the 1980s , was easily the most popular wrestler in the world . we have always maintained that the fear that linda has had to live with comes from the rage and instability much too often associated with pro wrestlers , ' smith said in the statement . cnn was unable to reach hulk hogan 's publicist for comment on wednesday . in comments to access hollywood , a spokesman said the comments were not intended as a threat and that hogan in no way condones ' simpson 's actions . as part of a larger conversation , he referred to it to exemplify his frustration with his own situation , ' the spokesman said . hulk hogan 's real name is terry bollea . his wife alternately goes by linda hogan and linda bollea . cnn 's marc balinsky and doug gross contributed to this report .	hulk hogan , in a bitter divorce with his wife , linda , talks to rolling stone magazine
hulk hogan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pro wrestling legend hulk hogan , embroiled in a bitter divorce with his wife , linda , told rolling stone magazine he can totally understand ' o.j . simpson , the former football great found liable for the deaths of his wife and another man . linda and hulk hogan enjoy happier times at the 2006 mtv video music awards in new york in 2006 . i could have turned everything into a crime scene like o.j. , cutting everybody 's throat , ' hogan said in the interview for a feature that will run in friday 's edition of the magazine . you live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you ca n't go to anymore , you 're driving through downtown clearwater [ florida ] and see a 19-year-old boy driving your escalade , and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed , with your wife ... ' i totally understand o.j . i get it , ' hogan said . a spokeswoman for rolling stone magazine confirmed the quote to cnn . watch report on hogan 's statements » it has been widely reported that linda hogan , 49 , is dating a younger man . she filed for divorce in 2007 after nearly 25 years of marriage . simpson was found not guilty of murder in the 1994 stabbing deaths of his wife , nicole brown simpson , and her friend , ron goldman , but was found liable for their deaths by a civil court jury . simpson later was found guilty in a las vegas , nevada , armed robbery case and sentenced in december to up to 33 years in prison . a spokesman for linda hogan said wednesday that the statement amounts to a death threat and that her attorney is weighing all options necessary to protect his client . ' sadly , his recent comments remind us that his definition of fair is much different than what the law dictates , ' linda hogan said in a written statement . her spokesman , gary smith , linked the comments to the 55-year-old hogan 's three-decade career , during which he held multiple championship titles and , during his heyday in the 1980s , was easily the most popular wrestler in the world . we have always maintained that the fear that linda has had to live with comes from the rage and instability much too often associated with pro wrestlers , ' smith said in the statement . cnn was unable to reach hulk hogan 's publicist for comment on wednesday . in comments to access hollywood , a spokesman said the comments were not intended as a threat and that hogan in no way condones ' simpson 's actions . as part of a larger conversation , he referred to it to exemplify his frustration with his own situation , ' the spokesman said . hulk hogan 's real name is terry bollea . his wife alternately goes by linda hogan and linda bollea . cnn 's marc balinsky and doug gross contributed to this report .	hulk hogan spokesman : comments not a threat , just expression of frustrations
csizsik-csatary <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors in hungary indicted a nazi war crimes suspect tuesday with involvement in the brutal treatment and deportation of thousands of jews during world war ii . ladislaus csizsik-csatary was allegedly actively involved ' in sending nearly 12,000 jews to various concentration camps in the spring of 1944 , according to the metropolitan chief prosecution office in budapest . according to prosecutors , csizsik-csatary served as a senior hungarian police officer in the city of kosice , which is now in slovakia but was under hungarian rule in the 1940s . csizsik-csatary topped the simon wiesenthal center 's list of most wanted nazi war criminals ' as of april this year . the wiesenthal center , a worldwide jewish rights organization , and a british tabloid , the sun , highlighted the case against him last year after the suspect , who is reportedly in his late 90s , was found living in hungary in 2011 . the prosecution 's indictment describes how most of the local jewish people were forced into a ghetto and a deportation camp housed in a brick factory in april 1944 , a month after the town was occupied by german troops . csizsik-csatary was made commander of the collection and deportation camp ' in the brick factory at the beginning of may 1944 , it says . during that month , he regularly beat the interned jews with his bare hands and whipped them with a dog-whip without any special reasons and irrespective of the sex , age or health condition of the assaulted people , ' the indictment alleges . from mid-may to the start of june , the almost 12,000 jews held in the camp were transported in packed freight wagons to the concentration camps in german-occupied territories . the majority of the jews deported from kosice went to auschwitz , it says . the defendant was actively involved in and assisted the deportations , ' the indictment says . in early june , he also allegedly prohibited cutting windows on the wagons which could have helped the about 80 people being crammed under inhuman circumstances in the windowless wagons to get more fresh air . ' the indictment concludes that csizsik-csatary intentionally assisted the unlawful executions and tortures committed against jewish people who were deported . ' according to the wiesenthal center , csizsik-csatary was previously convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for torturing jews and his role in the mass deportation to auschwitz . he escaped to canada after world war ii but was stripped of his canadian citizenship in 1997 , and chose voluntarily to leave the country , the center claims . he was rediscovered in the fall of 2011 as part of the center 's last chance project , and was charged last july with the torture of jews in the kosice ghetto , it says . in march this year , a slovak court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment to enable slovakia to seek csizsik-csatary 's extradition from hungary to stand trial for his crimes in kosice , it adds . july 2012 : officials : alleged nazi war criminal found in hungary journalist fanny facsar and cnn 's marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .	prosecutors allege ladislaus csizsik-csatary was actively involved in ' deporting jews
csizsik-csatary <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors in hungary indicted a nazi war crimes suspect tuesday with involvement in the brutal treatment and deportation of thousands of jews during world war ii . ladislaus csizsik-csatary was allegedly actively involved ' in sending nearly 12,000 jews to various concentration camps in the spring of 1944 , according to the metropolitan chief prosecution office in budapest . according to prosecutors , csizsik-csatary served as a senior hungarian police officer in the city of kosice , which is now in slovakia but was under hungarian rule in the 1940s . csizsik-csatary topped the simon wiesenthal center 's list of most wanted nazi war criminals ' as of april this year . the wiesenthal center , a worldwide jewish rights organization , and a british tabloid , the sun , highlighted the case against him last year after the suspect , who is reportedly in his late 90s , was found living in hungary in 2011 . the prosecution 's indictment describes how most of the local jewish people were forced into a ghetto and a deportation camp housed in a brick factory in april 1944 , a month after the town was occupied by german troops . csizsik-csatary was made commander of the collection and deportation camp ' in the brick factory at the beginning of may 1944 , it says . during that month , he regularly beat the interned jews with his bare hands and whipped them with a dog-whip without any special reasons and irrespective of the sex , age or health condition of the assaulted people , ' the indictment alleges . from mid-may to the start of june , the almost 12,000 jews held in the camp were transported in packed freight wagons to the concentration camps in german-occupied territories . the majority of the jews deported from kosice went to auschwitz , it says . the defendant was actively involved in and assisted the deportations , ' the indictment says . in early june , he also allegedly prohibited cutting windows on the wagons which could have helped the about 80 people being crammed under inhuman circumstances in the windowless wagons to get more fresh air . ' the indictment concludes that csizsik-csatary intentionally assisted the unlawful executions and tortures committed against jewish people who were deported . ' according to the wiesenthal center , csizsik-csatary was previously convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for torturing jews and his role in the mass deportation to auschwitz . he escaped to canada after world war ii but was stripped of his canadian citizenship in 1997 , and chose voluntarily to leave the country , the center claims . he was rediscovered in the fall of 2011 as part of the center 's last chance project , and was charged last july with the torture of jews in the kosice ghetto , it says . in march this year , a slovak court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment to enable slovakia to seek csizsik-csatary 's extradition from hungary to stand trial for his crimes in kosice , it adds . july 2012 : officials : alleged nazi war criminal found in hungary journalist fanny facsar and cnn 's marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .	csizsik-csatary was commander of the deportation camp , prosecutors say
kosice <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors in hungary indicted a nazi war crimes suspect tuesday with involvement in the brutal treatment and deportation of thousands of jews during world war ii . ladislaus csizsik-csatary was allegedly actively involved ' in sending nearly 12,000 jews to various concentration camps in the spring of 1944 , according to the metropolitan chief prosecution office in budapest . according to prosecutors , csizsik-csatary served as a senior hungarian police officer in the city of kosice , which is now in slovakia but was under hungarian rule in the 1940s . csizsik-csatary topped the simon wiesenthal center 's list of most wanted nazi war criminals ' as of april this year . the wiesenthal center , a worldwide jewish rights organization , and a british tabloid , the sun , highlighted the case against him last year after the suspect , who is reportedly in his late 90s , was found living in hungary in 2011 . the prosecution 's indictment describes how most of the local jewish people were forced into a ghetto and a deportation camp housed in a brick factory in april 1944 , a month after the town was occupied by german troops . csizsik-csatary was made commander of the collection and deportation camp ' in the brick factory at the beginning of may 1944 , it says . during that month , he regularly beat the interned jews with his bare hands and whipped them with a dog-whip without any special reasons and irrespective of the sex , age or health condition of the assaulted people , ' the indictment alleges . from mid-may to the start of june , the almost 12,000 jews held in the camp were transported in packed freight wagons to the concentration camps in german-occupied territories . the majority of the jews deported from kosice went to auschwitz , it says . the defendant was actively involved in and assisted the deportations , ' the indictment says . in early june , he also allegedly prohibited cutting windows on the wagons which could have helped the about 80 people being crammed under inhuman circumstances in the windowless wagons to get more fresh air . ' the indictment concludes that csizsik-csatary intentionally assisted the unlawful executions and tortures committed against jewish people who were deported . ' according to the wiesenthal center , csizsik-csatary was previously convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for torturing jews and his role in the mass deportation to auschwitz . he escaped to canada after world war ii but was stripped of his canadian citizenship in 1997 , and chose voluntarily to leave the country , the center claims . he was rediscovered in the fall of 2011 as part of the center 's last chance project , and was charged last july with the torture of jews in the kosice ghetto , it says . in march this year , a slovak court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment to enable slovakia to seek csizsik-csatary 's extradition from hungary to stand trial for his crimes in kosice , it adds . july 2012 : officials : alleged nazi war criminal found in hungary journalist fanny facsar and cnn 's marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .	nearly 12,000 jews were sent from kosice to german concentration camps in 1944
jews <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors in hungary indicted a nazi war crimes suspect tuesday with involvement in the brutal treatment and deportation of thousands of jews during world war ii . ladislaus csizsik-csatary was allegedly actively involved ' in sending nearly 12,000 jews to various concentration camps in the spring of 1944 , according to the metropolitan chief prosecution office in budapest . according to prosecutors , csizsik-csatary served as a senior hungarian police officer in the city of kosice , which is now in slovakia but was under hungarian rule in the 1940s . csizsik-csatary topped the simon wiesenthal center 's list of most wanted nazi war criminals ' as of april this year . the wiesenthal center , a worldwide jewish rights organization , and a british tabloid , the sun , highlighted the case against him last year after the suspect , who is reportedly in his late 90s , was found living in hungary in 2011 . the prosecution 's indictment describes how most of the local jewish people were forced into a ghetto and a deportation camp housed in a brick factory in april 1944 , a month after the town was occupied by german troops . csizsik-csatary was made commander of the collection and deportation camp ' in the brick factory at the beginning of may 1944 , it says . during that month , he regularly beat the interned jews with his bare hands and whipped them with a dog-whip without any special reasons and irrespective of the sex , age or health condition of the assaulted people , ' the indictment alleges . from mid-may to the start of june , the almost 12,000 jews held in the camp were transported in packed freight wagons to the concentration camps in german-occupied territories . the majority of the jews deported from kosice went to auschwitz , it says . the defendant was actively involved in and assisted the deportations , ' the indictment says . in early june , he also allegedly prohibited cutting windows on the wagons which could have helped the about 80 people being crammed under inhuman circumstances in the windowless wagons to get more fresh air . ' the indictment concludes that csizsik-csatary intentionally assisted the unlawful executions and tortures committed against jewish people who were deported . ' according to the wiesenthal center , csizsik-csatary was previously convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for torturing jews and his role in the mass deportation to auschwitz . he escaped to canada after world war ii but was stripped of his canadian citizenship in 1997 , and chose voluntarily to leave the country , the center claims . he was rediscovered in the fall of 2011 as part of the center 's last chance project , and was charged last july with the torture of jews in the kosice ghetto , it says . in march this year , a slovak court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment to enable slovakia to seek csizsik-csatary 's extradition from hungary to stand trial for his crimes in kosice , it adds . july 2012 : officials : alleged nazi war criminal found in hungary journalist fanny facsar and cnn 's marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .	nearly 12,000 jews were sent from kosice to german concentration camps in 1944
jews <tsp> ( cnn ) -- prosecutors in hungary indicted a nazi war crimes suspect tuesday with involvement in the brutal treatment and deportation of thousands of jews during world war ii . ladislaus csizsik-csatary was allegedly actively involved ' in sending nearly 12,000 jews to various concentration camps in the spring of 1944 , according to the metropolitan chief prosecution office in budapest . according to prosecutors , csizsik-csatary served as a senior hungarian police officer in the city of kosice , which is now in slovakia but was under hungarian rule in the 1940s . csizsik-csatary topped the simon wiesenthal center 's list of most wanted nazi war criminals ' as of april this year . the wiesenthal center , a worldwide jewish rights organization , and a british tabloid , the sun , highlighted the case against him last year after the suspect , who is reportedly in his late 90s , was found living in hungary in 2011 . the prosecution 's indictment describes how most of the local jewish people were forced into a ghetto and a deportation camp housed in a brick factory in april 1944 , a month after the town was occupied by german troops . csizsik-csatary was made commander of the collection and deportation camp ' in the brick factory at the beginning of may 1944 , it says . during that month , he regularly beat the interned jews with his bare hands and whipped them with a dog-whip without any special reasons and irrespective of the sex , age or health condition of the assaulted people , ' the indictment alleges . from mid-may to the start of june , the almost 12,000 jews held in the camp were transported in packed freight wagons to the concentration camps in german-occupied territories . the majority of the jews deported from kosice went to auschwitz , it says . the defendant was actively involved in and assisted the deportations , ' the indictment says . in early june , he also allegedly prohibited cutting windows on the wagons which could have helped the about 80 people being crammed under inhuman circumstances in the windowless wagons to get more fresh air . ' the indictment concludes that csizsik-csatary intentionally assisted the unlawful executions and tortures committed against jewish people who were deported . ' according to the wiesenthal center , csizsik-csatary was previously convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for torturing jews and his role in the mass deportation to auschwitz . he escaped to canada after world war ii but was stripped of his canadian citizenship in 1997 , and chose voluntarily to leave the country , the center claims . he was rediscovered in the fall of 2011 as part of the center 's last chance project , and was charged last july with the torture of jews in the kosice ghetto , it says . in march this year , a slovak court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment to enable slovakia to seek csizsik-csatary 's extradition from hungary to stand trial for his crimes in kosice , it adds . july 2012 : officials : alleged nazi war criminal found in hungary journalist fanny facsar and cnn 's marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .	prosecutors allege ladislaus csizsik-csatary was actively involved in ' deporting jews
india <tsp> ( instyle.com ) -- from barefoot tomboy to fashion supernova , fearless pop renegade rihanna lives to bust all the rules . i love the heavy chain over this pretty dress -- it 's exactly the way i would do it , ' says rihanna . what are some rules you 'd like to crush ? the idea of not wearing brown and black together seems so dated . the other day i wore a black t-shirt , black nobody jeans , a brown leopard-print belt by dolce & gabbana , and brown giuseppe zanotti shoes , and it looked awesome . also the rule about not matching your makeup to your outfit . i do that onstage , matching red lipstick to a bright red jacket or neon-pink eye shadow to a pink jumpsuit . and i also love to mix prints . we 've had the meg , the jennifer , and now people ask for the rihanna at salons . will you be switching it up again ? the first time i heard people were asking for the rihanna , it was really flattering and maybe a little strange . it caught me by surprise , but now i feel it 's a very cool thing . i do n't feel the pressure to change it up again at all . i like it , as they like it . can you talk about your style obsessions and how your look has evolved over the years ? it has evolved without my even noticing it . lately i 'm obsessed with thierry mugler ... grace jones inspires me . she is the most iconic woman ever , in my eyes . she has extraordinary style and she 's fearless . i love designer martin margiela ; kanye west told me about him . i also like dsquared , chloé , zac posen ... but you were n't always a fashion maven ? growing up in barbados , you were a tomboy . i wore my brother 's clothes , dresses with sneakers , or no shoes at all . i would always get into trouble with my mom . she would say things to scare me like , you 're going to get cut ! ' but i could n't help it . i would climb trees , steal mangoes , catch birds -- silly things that were fun to us at the time . my cousin and i were the only girls in the group . we would have to stand up for ourselves because the guys did n't want us around . you stood out in barbados because of your light complexion . do you remember having trouble fitting in at school ? definitely . it made me angry ... for the first six years of school , i would go home traumatized . the harassment continued to my very last day of elementary school . high school was better . i read that your mom owns a boutique and your dad works at a garment factory -- it seems you have the rihanna fashion line already partly sewn up . [ giggles ] well i am working on that right now . it takes a lot of effort , and i want to be involved with every step of the process . what do you do for kicks in l.a. ? i do n't go out much . i 'm moving into a new four-bedroom home in los feliz that i 'm excited about . parts of it will be inspired by india . i love things like canopy beds , printed fabrics and spanish touches . then i can stay at home and cook west indian dishes like callaloo [ stewed greens ] . but i do want a sports car -- as soon as i get my license . who knew you were so domestic . wait a minute . you 're such a rebel . in the video for take a bow , ' you drive a car . i have my barbadian license , just not my american one . how will you celebrate your 21st birthday ? do n't scare me ! i have till february . i feel like i have so much more to accomplish before i 'm 21 . no party plans yet . many showbiz types say , do n't ever read your own press , ' but you do , even the online stuff . what 's the kookiest thing you 've read about yourself ? the grammy thing -- that i brought jay-z on stage and beyoncé was upset , which is so ridiculous . or the idea that i 've had breast implants -- i do n't even have much cleavage . it was just the dress ! so yes , i read about myself and about everybody else in the gossip pages . it 's comedy to me ; i laugh about it . the tattoo behind your ear is a pisces symbol -- two fish swimming head to tail in a circle -- which represents life after death . if possible , what would you be reincarnated as ? if i had to come back in another form , it would be as my dog , dj . he gets the best treatment , all the attention in the world , and he 's so adorable . plus , he goes everywhere i can take him . get a free trial issue of instyle - click here ! copyright © 2009 time inc. all rights reserved .	singer 's new four-bedroom home decor in los feliz to be inspired by india
edwards <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jury selection begins thursday in a greensboro , north carolina , federal courtroom in the trial of former democratic presidential candidate john edwards . edwards is charged with six felony and misdemeanor counts related to the money dealings of his failed 2008 presidential campaign . rielle hunter , edwards'former mistress , is expected to testify at the trial . a major issue in the approaching trial is whether money given to support hunter , by the former candidate 's benefactors , should have been considered donations toward his presidential campaign . edwards denies any wrongdoing , claiming the money was a gift . edwards is accused of conspiracy , issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws . if convicted on all counts , edwards could face 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 1.5 million . edwards'attorneys have claimed the investigation and prosecution are politically motivated , and the charges do not clearly establish any violation of election law . edwards was sen. john kerry 's running mate on the 2004 democratic presidential ticket . his wife , elizabeth , died of cancer in december 2010 . elizabeth and john edwards separated that year , shortly after he admitted that he had fathered a daughter with hunter , who was hired to make documentary videos for his 2008 campaign . cnn 's joe sutton contributed to this report .	edwards denies any wrongdoing
edwards <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jury selection begins thursday in a greensboro , north carolina , federal courtroom in the trial of former democratic presidential candidate john edwards . edwards is charged with six felony and misdemeanor counts related to the money dealings of his failed 2008 presidential campaign . rielle hunter , edwards'former mistress , is expected to testify at the trial . a major issue in the approaching trial is whether money given to support hunter , by the former candidate 's benefactors , should have been considered donations toward his presidential campaign . edwards denies any wrongdoing , claiming the money was a gift . edwards is accused of conspiracy , issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws . if convicted on all counts , edwards could face 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 1.5 million . edwards'attorneys have claimed the investigation and prosecution are politically motivated , and the charges do not clearly establish any violation of election law . edwards was sen. john kerry 's running mate on the 2004 democratic presidential ticket . his wife , elizabeth , died of cancer in december 2010 . elizabeth and john edwards separated that year , shortly after he admitted that he had fathered a daughter with hunter , who was hired to make documentary videos for his 2008 campaign . cnn 's joe sutton contributed to this report .	if convicted on all counts , john edwards could face 30 years in prison

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