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eta <tsp> madrid ( cnn ) -- spanish police seized a total of 1,600 kilos of bomb-making materials this week from suspected eta hideouts -- the largest haul ever against the basque separatist group in spain . authorities also arrested three eta suspects this week -- including one during a seizure on thursday -- in the latest actions in a police crackdown against eta despite its unilateral cease-fire declared last january 10 . the spanish government has vowed to keep up the pressure on eta because the outlawed group , listed as a terrorist organization by the european union and the united states , has broken cease-fires in the past . the police on tuesday arrested two men in northern spain suspected of supplying explosives and bomb-making materials to eta . a search of their property turned up 850 kilos ( 1,870 pounds ) of bomb-making components . then on thursday , the police discovered another 750 kilos ( 1,650 pounds ) of explosives and components at various suspected hideouts , and arrested a third suspect . the two seizures totaled about 3,520 pounds . eta is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for basque independence , many of those due to car bombs and package bombs . last month in france , police arrested the suspected military chief of eta , in charge of commandos who carry out the bombings . in recent years , the police have arrested in succession a series of suspected eta military chiefs as eta replacements step in to fill the vacant position at the top . also last month , in northern spain , police arrested four key eta suspects who authorities said had tried to operate under police radar , carrying on ostensibly law-abiding lives but secretly working for eta . police seized 200 kilograms ( 440 pounds ) of explosives in those raids . top government officials have said eta appears to be weaker than ever , but they have warned that the group still has the capacity to kill . the socialist government and the main opposition conservative party have said eta 's current unilateral cease-fire is not enough , and that only a commitment to permanently end the violence and lay down weapons would suffice . deputy prime minister alfredo perez rubalcaba said last month , the government 's anti-terrorist policy has not changed at all because eta has not definitively abandoned its weapons . and as long as it does n't , the police will continue to arrest them , one after another . ' | eta is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its campaign for basque independence |
eta <tsp> madrid ( cnn ) -- spanish police seized a total of 1,600 kilos of bomb-making materials this week from suspected eta hideouts -- the largest haul ever against the basque separatist group in spain . authorities also arrested three eta suspects this week -- including one during a seizure on thursday -- in the latest actions in a police crackdown against eta despite its unilateral cease-fire declared last january 10 . the spanish government has vowed to keep up the pressure on eta because the outlawed group , listed as a terrorist organization by the european union and the united states , has broken cease-fires in the past . the police on tuesday arrested two men in northern spain suspected of supplying explosives and bomb-making materials to eta . a search of their property turned up 850 kilos ( 1,870 pounds ) of bomb-making components . then on thursday , the police discovered another 750 kilos ( 1,650 pounds ) of explosives and components at various suspected hideouts , and arrested a third suspect . the two seizures totaled about 3,520 pounds . eta is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for basque independence , many of those due to car bombs and package bombs . last month in france , police arrested the suspected military chief of eta , in charge of commandos who carry out the bombings . in recent years , the police have arrested in succession a series of suspected eta military chiefs as eta replacements step in to fill the vacant position at the top . also last month , in northern spain , police arrested four key eta suspects who authorities said had tried to operate under police radar , carrying on ostensibly law-abiding lives but secretly working for eta . police seized 200 kilograms ( 440 pounds ) of explosives in those raids . top government officials have said eta appears to be weaker than ever , but they have warned that the group still has the capacity to kill . the socialist government and the main opposition conservative party have said eta 's current unilateral cease-fire is not enough , and that only a commitment to permanently end the violence and lay down weapons would suffice . deputy prime minister alfredo perez rubalcaba said last month , the government 's anti-terrorist policy has not changed at all because eta has not definitively abandoned its weapons . and as long as it does n't , the police will continue to arrest them , one after another . ' | police seize 750 kilos of bomb-making materials from suspected eta hideouts |
perry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's time to stop being surprised by pope francis . since he became pontiff , he 's made a lot of news . his tweets echo around the world . he embodies principles of humility and piety . he eschews the fancy trappings of office favored by his predecessor , from the popemobile to the red shoes . he washed the feet of prisoners , including a muslim woman , on holy thursday . he telephones ordinary people who write to him . in rome , he called for revolutionaries ' to leave the comforts of their home and bring the word into the streets . in rio , he told the gathered youth to make a mess ' in the dioceses as they help the church shake off clericalism . he has sought to create a culture of encounter ' in which atheists and catholics might come together . do good , ' he said memorably . we will meet each other there . ' when he announced that he would canonize pope john xxiii , the great reformer , on the same day as john paul ii , he emphasized continuity among all catholics , even those of different factions . when asked about gay priests , he replied , who am i to judge ? ' most recently , he gave a long interview in which he articulated a new vision of the church that does seem revolutionary . in the west , reaction has focused on his statements about hot-button social issues . for example , he said , the teaching of the church ( on abortion , gay marriage , and contraception ) , for that matter , is clear ... ( but ) it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time . ' given the constant drumbeat of the american church hierarchy on exactly those issues , the line comes off as a surprising rebuke . deeper critiques lie within the interview as well . when he spoke about doubt and dialogue , he said , if the christian is a restorationist , a legalist , if he wants everything clear and safe , then he will find nothing . ' at the very least , francis has found a message that resonates with catholics and non-catholics alike . but as repeatedly stated by commentators and church officials , he has not changed anything . he has called for no new doctrines . his reorganization of the vatican goes slowly . the problems besetting the church before his election remain . traditionalists , who wish to preserve gains won under the past two popes , and reformers , who are frustrated by the pace of change , agree on this one thing . to this point , francis'impact emerges from his behavior and his words , not his executive power as pope . and yet , he has this power to surprise . every time he demonstrates his humility or his empathy , his words resonate with catholics and non-catholics alike . they bring both pleasure and surprise that such a seemingly honest , humble and holy person really could be pope . do n't be surprised at what francis is doing ; instead , wonder if the rest of the church hierarchy is going to catch up . francis'revolution emerges out of the core of catholicism . he emphasizes humility , poverty , social justice , non-judgment , peace and especially mercy . that he can seem so transformative without changing any theological principles is a testament to the depth and power of his reform , not its limitations . such a reform has historical precedent . more than 800 years ago , another francis , the son of a cloth merchant in assisi , came to rome to see the pope . the church of the 13th century relied heavily on formula . this reliance distanced the priests from their parishioners and was a growing problem in an era of societal change . francis and his disciples , who attempted to live in perfect poverty and humility , had dedicated themselves to preaching and outreach to the people . they tried to pattern their lives by the principles of christ . the pope , innocent iii , gave francis his approval and supported the new franciscan order . he hoped that the charismatic humility of francis might help address some of the problems the church was facing . eight hundred years later , archbishop jorge bergoglio became the first pope to take francis'name as his own . st. francis'revolutionary message focused on a return to first principles , as he saw them . while pope francis has ascended to the throne of st. peter and st. francis never chose to be ordained , one can locate certain parallels unfolding between the two men and their efforts at reform . this pope is also turning to the first principles as he perceives them . pope francis makes the argument that everything he needs to transform the church already exists within the core teachings . and if this is the core , how can anyone choose not to follow ? what would it look like for the rest of the hierarchy to go where francis is leading ? for one thing , they might find lots of their lay parishioners and the women and men in holy order already there , working . but while the hierarchy clearly elected francis to reform the workings of the vatican , it 's not clear that they expected his personal piety to put such pressure on them . traditionalist response to francis has concentrated on his personal charisma while emphasizing the orthodoxy of his doctrinal positions . such responses seem to indicate a resistance to the idea that they might need to change anything . in a recent interview with the new catholic reporter , cardinal timothy dolan of new york talked about the new pope . he said that in the wake of francis , he found himself examining my own conscience ... on style , on simplicity , on lots of things . ' the cardinal wondered whether his living arrangements , in the historical residence of the archbishops of new york , were appropriate . but the cardinal was n't quite sure what to do about it , given that he ca n't sell the building . st. francis would have agreed . he carefully never argued for the church to sell of its property or divest itself of income . of course , he was outside the church hierarchy and relied on papal protection for his safety . pope francis , on the other hand , might have a plan for an empty archbishop 's residence if cardinal dolan wanted to downsize . after all , he did recently suggest that empty church property should be used to house refugees . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david perry . | david perry : pope francis has not called for any new doctrines or changed anything |
perry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's time to stop being surprised by pope francis . since he became pontiff , he 's made a lot of news . his tweets echo around the world . he embodies principles of humility and piety . he eschews the fancy trappings of office favored by his predecessor , from the popemobile to the red shoes . he washed the feet of prisoners , including a muslim woman , on holy thursday . he telephones ordinary people who write to him . in rome , he called for revolutionaries ' to leave the comforts of their home and bring the word into the streets . in rio , he told the gathered youth to make a mess ' in the dioceses as they help the church shake off clericalism . he has sought to create a culture of encounter ' in which atheists and catholics might come together . do good , ' he said memorably . we will meet each other there . ' when he announced that he would canonize pope john xxiii , the great reformer , on the same day as john paul ii , he emphasized continuity among all catholics , even those of different factions . when asked about gay priests , he replied , who am i to judge ? ' most recently , he gave a long interview in which he articulated a new vision of the church that does seem revolutionary . in the west , reaction has focused on his statements about hot-button social issues . for example , he said , the teaching of the church ( on abortion , gay marriage , and contraception ) , for that matter , is clear ... ( but ) it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time . ' given the constant drumbeat of the american church hierarchy on exactly those issues , the line comes off as a surprising rebuke . deeper critiques lie within the interview as well . when he spoke about doubt and dialogue , he said , if the christian is a restorationist , a legalist , if he wants everything clear and safe , then he will find nothing . ' at the very least , francis has found a message that resonates with catholics and non-catholics alike . but as repeatedly stated by commentators and church officials , he has not changed anything . he has called for no new doctrines . his reorganization of the vatican goes slowly . the problems besetting the church before his election remain . traditionalists , who wish to preserve gains won under the past two popes , and reformers , who are frustrated by the pace of change , agree on this one thing . to this point , francis'impact emerges from his behavior and his words , not his executive power as pope . and yet , he has this power to surprise . every time he demonstrates his humility or his empathy , his words resonate with catholics and non-catholics alike . they bring both pleasure and surprise that such a seemingly honest , humble and holy person really could be pope . do n't be surprised at what francis is doing ; instead , wonder if the rest of the church hierarchy is going to catch up . francis'revolution emerges out of the core of catholicism . he emphasizes humility , poverty , social justice , non-judgment , peace and especially mercy . that he can seem so transformative without changing any theological principles is a testament to the depth and power of his reform , not its limitations . such a reform has historical precedent . more than 800 years ago , another francis , the son of a cloth merchant in assisi , came to rome to see the pope . the church of the 13th century relied heavily on formula . this reliance distanced the priests from their parishioners and was a growing problem in an era of societal change . francis and his disciples , who attempted to live in perfect poverty and humility , had dedicated themselves to preaching and outreach to the people . they tried to pattern their lives by the principles of christ . the pope , innocent iii , gave francis his approval and supported the new franciscan order . he hoped that the charismatic humility of francis might help address some of the problems the church was facing . eight hundred years later , archbishop jorge bergoglio became the first pope to take francis'name as his own . st. francis'revolutionary message focused on a return to first principles , as he saw them . while pope francis has ascended to the throne of st. peter and st. francis never chose to be ordained , one can locate certain parallels unfolding between the two men and their efforts at reform . this pope is also turning to the first principles as he perceives them . pope francis makes the argument that everything he needs to transform the church already exists within the core teachings . and if this is the core , how can anyone choose not to follow ? what would it look like for the rest of the hierarchy to go where francis is leading ? for one thing , they might find lots of their lay parishioners and the women and men in holy order already there , working . but while the hierarchy clearly elected francis to reform the workings of the vatican , it 's not clear that they expected his personal piety to put such pressure on them . traditionalist response to francis has concentrated on his personal charisma while emphasizing the orthodoxy of his doctrinal positions . such responses seem to indicate a resistance to the idea that they might need to change anything . in a recent interview with the new catholic reporter , cardinal timothy dolan of new york talked about the new pope . he said that in the wake of francis , he found himself examining my own conscience ... on style , on simplicity , on lots of things . ' the cardinal wondered whether his living arrangements , in the historical residence of the archbishops of new york , were appropriate . but the cardinal was n't quite sure what to do about it , given that he ca n't sell the building . st. francis would have agreed . he carefully never argued for the church to sell of its property or divest itself of income . of course , he was outside the church hierarchy and relied on papal protection for his safety . pope francis , on the other hand , might have a plan for an empty archbishop 's residence if cardinal dolan wanted to downsize . after all , he did recently suggest that empty church property should be used to house refugees . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david perry . | perry : when will the rest of the catholic church hierarchy catch up to francis'revolution ? |
perry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's time to stop being surprised by pope francis . since he became pontiff , he 's made a lot of news . his tweets echo around the world . he embodies principles of humility and piety . he eschews the fancy trappings of office favored by his predecessor , from the popemobile to the red shoes . he washed the feet of prisoners , including a muslim woman , on holy thursday . he telephones ordinary people who write to him . in rome , he called for revolutionaries ' to leave the comforts of their home and bring the word into the streets . in rio , he told the gathered youth to make a mess ' in the dioceses as they help the church shake off clericalism . he has sought to create a culture of encounter ' in which atheists and catholics might come together . do good , ' he said memorably . we will meet each other there . ' when he announced that he would canonize pope john xxiii , the great reformer , on the same day as john paul ii , he emphasized continuity among all catholics , even those of different factions . when asked about gay priests , he replied , who am i to judge ? ' most recently , he gave a long interview in which he articulated a new vision of the church that does seem revolutionary . in the west , reaction has focused on his statements about hot-button social issues . for example , he said , the teaching of the church ( on abortion , gay marriage , and contraception ) , for that matter , is clear ... ( but ) it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time . ' given the constant drumbeat of the american church hierarchy on exactly those issues , the line comes off as a surprising rebuke . deeper critiques lie within the interview as well . when he spoke about doubt and dialogue , he said , if the christian is a restorationist , a legalist , if he wants everything clear and safe , then he will find nothing . ' at the very least , francis has found a message that resonates with catholics and non-catholics alike . but as repeatedly stated by commentators and church officials , he has not changed anything . he has called for no new doctrines . his reorganization of the vatican goes slowly . the problems besetting the church before his election remain . traditionalists , who wish to preserve gains won under the past two popes , and reformers , who are frustrated by the pace of change , agree on this one thing . to this point , francis'impact emerges from his behavior and his words , not his executive power as pope . and yet , he has this power to surprise . every time he demonstrates his humility or his empathy , his words resonate with catholics and non-catholics alike . they bring both pleasure and surprise that such a seemingly honest , humble and holy person really could be pope . do n't be surprised at what francis is doing ; instead , wonder if the rest of the church hierarchy is going to catch up . francis'revolution emerges out of the core of catholicism . he emphasizes humility , poverty , social justice , non-judgment , peace and especially mercy . that he can seem so transformative without changing any theological principles is a testament to the depth and power of his reform , not its limitations . such a reform has historical precedent . more than 800 years ago , another francis , the son of a cloth merchant in assisi , came to rome to see the pope . the church of the 13th century relied heavily on formula . this reliance distanced the priests from their parishioners and was a growing problem in an era of societal change . francis and his disciples , who attempted to live in perfect poverty and humility , had dedicated themselves to preaching and outreach to the people . they tried to pattern their lives by the principles of christ . the pope , innocent iii , gave francis his approval and supported the new franciscan order . he hoped that the charismatic humility of francis might help address some of the problems the church was facing . eight hundred years later , archbishop jorge bergoglio became the first pope to take francis'name as his own . st. francis'revolutionary message focused on a return to first principles , as he saw them . while pope francis has ascended to the throne of st. peter and st. francis never chose to be ordained , one can locate certain parallels unfolding between the two men and their efforts at reform . this pope is also turning to the first principles as he perceives them . pope francis makes the argument that everything he needs to transform the church already exists within the core teachings . and if this is the core , how can anyone choose not to follow ? what would it look like for the rest of the hierarchy to go where francis is leading ? for one thing , they might find lots of their lay parishioners and the women and men in holy order already there , working . but while the hierarchy clearly elected francis to reform the workings of the vatican , it 's not clear that they expected his personal piety to put such pressure on them . traditionalist response to francis has concentrated on his personal charisma while emphasizing the orthodoxy of his doctrinal positions . such responses seem to indicate a resistance to the idea that they might need to change anything . in a recent interview with the new catholic reporter , cardinal timothy dolan of new york talked about the new pope . he said that in the wake of francis , he found himself examining my own conscience ... on style , on simplicity , on lots of things . ' the cardinal wondered whether his living arrangements , in the historical residence of the archbishops of new york , were appropriate . but the cardinal was n't quite sure what to do about it , given that he ca n't sell the building . st. francis would have agreed . he carefully never argued for the church to sell of its property or divest itself of income . of course , he was outside the church hierarchy and relied on papal protection for his safety . pope francis , on the other hand , might have a plan for an empty archbishop 's residence if cardinal dolan wanted to downsize . after all , he did recently suggest that empty church property should be used to house refugees . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david perry . | perry : francis'impact comes from his behavior and words , not his executive power as pope |
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with the world 's population set to reach the seven billion milestone later this year the challenge of feeding our planet has never been more urgent . but that challenge could become even greater as current models predict our population could reach nine billion by 2050 . is feeding these extra two billion people a mission impossible ? not according to study published in january by the french research agencies the national institute for agricultural research ( inra ) & agricultural research for development ( cirad ) . the resulting report titled agrimonde ' optimistically concludes it is possible to sustainably feed the future , though nothing short of a revolution in food production , distribution and consumption is required to do it . most predictions in the field verge on the apocalyptic , warning of extreme shortages of food and widespread hunger in a rapidly expanding population . depleting natural resources , land degradation , natural disasters and the impact of continued climate change also often hit the headlines . these fears are strongly related to the periods of food price volatility in 2007 , 2008 and today , ' says sandrine paillard , deputy delegate in charge of foresight at inra . ( they ) are also sustained by players who have interests in keeping our agro-industrial farming systems unchanged , in focusing on the goal of increasing yields even at the expense of the preservation of the environment and natural resources . ' the un 's food & agricultural organisation has predicted that we will need to increase food production of 70 % by 2050 . however argimonde proposes an alternative scenario that would need an increase of just 35 % . it suggests that increased food production from sustainable improvements and changing the consumption habits of the developed world would be enough to meet this goal . agrimonde 's authors suggest that by consuming 25 % less in developed countries , developing regions , such as sub-saharan africa , could increase consumption by 30 % . one key to achieving agrimonde 's proposal is convincing people in rich countries to limit their waste and meat consumption and create more even distribution of animal products in diets around the world . of course , it does not mean that what can be'spared'in the rich countries could directly be used to feed population in developing countries , ' explains paillard . it means that diffusion of our food consumption pattern all over the world would have a dramatic impact on natural resources and our ability to feed the planet in the future . ' the uptake of more radical innovations , such as drought resistant gm crops , is another solution to increase food production , suggests agrimonde 's report . the main challenge will be in the rapid scaling up of these experiences , through knowledge dissemination and strong public policies , especially in developing countries , ' says paillard . we have to make a shift of paradigm and this always encounters resistance from society and from economic players who find advantages in keeping the food and agricultural system unchanged . ' | french report suggests a lower target but revolution in food production and consumption needed |
slenderman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the 12-year-olds charged with stabbing a friend to impress the fictional internet bogeyman slenderman was deemed incompetent to stand trial friday -- at least for now -- according to court documents . after debate between prosecutors and the defense over whether a competency test would violate morgan geyser 's rights , the judge asked the girl whether she was competent . court finds the defendant is standing mute , ' court documents show . dr. brooke lundbohm told the waukesha county , wisconsin , court that morgan believes she has mind-control capabilities and can talk to harry potter villain lord voldemort , according to cnn affiliate witi . she believes in unicorns , lundbohm told the court . morgan also laughed inappropriately and squatted in her chair during her competency review , the doctor said , according to witi . another expert , dr. kenneth robbins , said morgan was n't concerned about a potential long prison sentence , and she said she uses vulcan mind control , of star trek ' fame , to feel or believe whatever she wants , witi reported . morgan also thinks she can speak to slenderman and the teenage mutant ninja turtles , robbins said , adding that she looked happy , almost giddy ' during her exam . while both doctors opined that morgan was not faking , lundbohm told the court she could be deemed competent in the future and recommended medication . she needs to grow up , ' the doctor said , according to witi . the judge in the case set a november 12 hearing to discuss the competency report and found that the defendant is incompetent to proceed at this time but likely to become competent , ' court documents say . a doctor last month ruled morgan incompetent , meaning she 's incapable of assisting her attorney in her defense . morgan and anissa weier were arrested in may and charged with luring a pal into a wooded area in waukesha after a sleepover before stabbing her 19 times , authorities said . the suspects allegedly left the victim to crawl to her own rescue , and a bicyclist found the victim , also 12 , on a sidewalk later in the day . the girls were trying to please slenderman , a horror story meme the girls had encountered on a website known as creepypasta wiki , according to a criminal complaint . one of the suspects told police that slenderman is the site 's supposed leader , and to climb into his realm , a user must kill someone , the complaint says . morgan and anissa are charged as adults with attempted first-degree intentional homicide , and both girls'attorneys are hoping to have their cases returned to the juvenile court system . cnn 's amanda watts , jason hanna and dana ford contributed to this report . | she also believes she can talk to slenderman and harry potter villain , experts tell court |
lee <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- superhero creator stan lee finally gets a star on hollywood 's walk of fame on tuesday , a week after his 88th birthday . lee jokingly asked why he had to wait 50 years after the first star was awarded and 70 years after his comic book career began . i 'll talk to somebody about that , ' lee told cnn . lee 's characters include spider-man , the incredible hulk , x-men , the fantastic four , iron man , daredevil , the avengers , silver surfer and dr . strange . i 'm pretty proud of the fact that some of the stories i wrote so many years ago are still being read and hopefully enjoyed by the public and people are making motion pictures based on them , and television series and even a broadway show , ' lee said . lee pays attention to everything , he said , including last month 's accident that injured an actor in the spider-man broadway show . not a sparrow falls but that i notice , ' he said . his favorite creation is spider-man because he 's the most popular and he 's known and loved worldwide , ' he said . but i really loved them all and whichever one i was writing at the moment , that was my favorite . ' as for his characters , he said he just dreamed them up , ' and they do n't have roots in his childhood . as a child , i did n't really know anybody who shot webs or crawled on buildings or wore suits of armor and flew or anything like that , ' he said . i just imagined , and there they were . ' the long life and broad success of his comic book characters were unexpected , he said . we just hoped that the books would sell and we would continue to get our salary and be able to pay our rent . ' how much longer they live depends on how producers and writers treat them in the future , he said . if people take the care with them that they have taken up to now , there 's no reason why these things could n't last as long as any legendary fictional characters , ' lee said . the movies based on lee 's comic books have done so much for the characters ' by giving them glamour and prestige , he said . when they were in comic books , they were still read all over the world and pretty well-known all over the world , but they did n't have , you might say , the respect that they have now because of movies , ' he said . lee spends time these days also working on the stan lee foundation , a nonprofit group that concentrates on educating children , he said . to me , education is one of the most important things in the world , ' lee said . somebody who is n't educated , it 's like running in a race with one leg tied behind them . ' he 's still writing new stories for his pow ! entertainment company . to me , the most important thing in the world is to keep busy , and i 'm happy to say i 'm lucky enough to still be busy , ' he said . lee 's hollywood star , to be dedicated tuesday morning , will be the 2,428th on the walk of fame . | lee began his comic book career more than 70 years ago |
lee <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- superhero creator stan lee finally gets a star on hollywood 's walk of fame on tuesday , a week after his 88th birthday . lee jokingly asked why he had to wait 50 years after the first star was awarded and 70 years after his comic book career began . i 'll talk to somebody about that , ' lee told cnn . lee 's characters include spider-man , the incredible hulk , x-men , the fantastic four , iron man , daredevil , the avengers , silver surfer and dr . strange . i 'm pretty proud of the fact that some of the stories i wrote so many years ago are still being read and hopefully enjoyed by the public and people are making motion pictures based on them , and television series and even a broadway show , ' lee said . lee pays attention to everything , he said , including last month 's accident that injured an actor in the spider-man broadway show . not a sparrow falls but that i notice , ' he said . his favorite creation is spider-man because he 's the most popular and he 's known and loved worldwide , ' he said . but i really loved them all and whichever one i was writing at the moment , that was my favorite . ' as for his characters , he said he just dreamed them up , ' and they do n't have roots in his childhood . as a child , i did n't really know anybody who shot webs or crawled on buildings or wore suits of armor and flew or anything like that , ' he said . i just imagined , and there they were . ' the long life and broad success of his comic book characters were unexpected , he said . we just hoped that the books would sell and we would continue to get our salary and be able to pay our rent . ' how much longer they live depends on how producers and writers treat them in the future , he said . if people take the care with them that they have taken up to now , there 's no reason why these things could n't last as long as any legendary fictional characters , ' lee said . the movies based on lee 's comic books have done so much for the characters ' by giving them glamour and prestige , he said . when they were in comic books , they were still read all over the world and pretty well-known all over the world , but they did n't have , you might say , the respect that they have now because of movies , ' he said . lee spends time these days also working on the stan lee foundation , a nonprofit group that concentrates on educating children , he said . to me , education is one of the most important things in the world , ' lee said . somebody who is n't educated , it 's like running in a race with one leg tied behind them . ' he 's still writing new stories for his pow ! entertainment company . to me , the most important thing in the world is to keep busy , and i 'm happy to say i 'm lucky enough to still be busy , ' he said . lee 's hollywood star , to be dedicated tuesday morning , will be the 2,428th on the walk of fame . | stan lee created spider-man , the fantastic four , x-men , iron man |
lee <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- superhero creator stan lee finally gets a star on hollywood 's walk of fame on tuesday , a week after his 88th birthday . lee jokingly asked why he had to wait 50 years after the first star was awarded and 70 years after his comic book career began . i 'll talk to somebody about that , ' lee told cnn . lee 's characters include spider-man , the incredible hulk , x-men , the fantastic four , iron man , daredevil , the avengers , silver surfer and dr . strange . i 'm pretty proud of the fact that some of the stories i wrote so many years ago are still being read and hopefully enjoyed by the public and people are making motion pictures based on them , and television series and even a broadway show , ' lee said . lee pays attention to everything , he said , including last month 's accident that injured an actor in the spider-man broadway show . not a sparrow falls but that i notice , ' he said . his favorite creation is spider-man because he 's the most popular and he 's known and loved worldwide , ' he said . but i really loved them all and whichever one i was writing at the moment , that was my favorite . ' as for his characters , he said he just dreamed them up , ' and they do n't have roots in his childhood . as a child , i did n't really know anybody who shot webs or crawled on buildings or wore suits of armor and flew or anything like that , ' he said . i just imagined , and there they were . ' the long life and broad success of his comic book characters were unexpected , he said . we just hoped that the books would sell and we would continue to get our salary and be able to pay our rent . ' how much longer they live depends on how producers and writers treat them in the future , he said . if people take the care with them that they have taken up to now , there 's no reason why these things could n't last as long as any legendary fictional characters , ' lee said . the movies based on lee 's comic books have done so much for the characters ' by giving them glamour and prestige , he said . when they were in comic books , they were still read all over the world and pretty well-known all over the world , but they did n't have , you might say , the respect that they have now because of movies , ' he said . lee spends time these days also working on the stan lee foundation , a nonprofit group that concentrates on educating children , he said . to me , education is one of the most important things in the world , ' lee said . somebody who is n't educated , it 's like running in a race with one leg tied behind them . ' he 's still writing new stories for his pow ! entertainment company . to me , the most important thing in the world is to keep busy , and i 'm happy to say i 'm lucky enough to still be busy , ' he said . lee 's hollywood star , to be dedicated tuesday morning , will be the 2,428th on the walk of fame . | the stan lee foundation focuses on youth education projects |
lee <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- superhero creator stan lee finally gets a star on hollywood 's walk of fame on tuesday , a week after his 88th birthday . lee jokingly asked why he had to wait 50 years after the first star was awarded and 70 years after his comic book career began . i 'll talk to somebody about that , ' lee told cnn . lee 's characters include spider-man , the incredible hulk , x-men , the fantastic four , iron man , daredevil , the avengers , silver surfer and dr . strange . i 'm pretty proud of the fact that some of the stories i wrote so many years ago are still being read and hopefully enjoyed by the public and people are making motion pictures based on them , and television series and even a broadway show , ' lee said . lee pays attention to everything , he said , including last month 's accident that injured an actor in the spider-man broadway show . not a sparrow falls but that i notice , ' he said . his favorite creation is spider-man because he 's the most popular and he 's known and loved worldwide , ' he said . but i really loved them all and whichever one i was writing at the moment , that was my favorite . ' as for his characters , he said he just dreamed them up , ' and they do n't have roots in his childhood . as a child , i did n't really know anybody who shot webs or crawled on buildings or wore suits of armor and flew or anything like that , ' he said . i just imagined , and there they were . ' the long life and broad success of his comic book characters were unexpected , he said . we just hoped that the books would sell and we would continue to get our salary and be able to pay our rent . ' how much longer they live depends on how producers and writers treat them in the future , he said . if people take the care with them that they have taken up to now , there 's no reason why these things could n't last as long as any legendary fictional characters , ' lee said . the movies based on lee 's comic books have done so much for the characters ' by giving them glamour and prestige , he said . when they were in comic books , they were still read all over the world and pretty well-known all over the world , but they did n't have , you might say , the respect that they have now because of movies , ' he said . lee spends time these days also working on the stan lee foundation , a nonprofit group that concentrates on educating children , he said . to me , education is one of the most important things in the world , ' lee said . somebody who is n't educated , it 's like running in a race with one leg tied behind them . ' he 's still writing new stories for his pow ! entertainment company . to me , the most important thing in the world is to keep busy , and i 'm happy to say i 'm lucky enough to still be busy , ' he said . lee 's hollywood star , to be dedicated tuesday morning , will be the 2,428th on the walk of fame . | lee , 88 , is still writing new stories ; he says spider-man is his favorite creation |
american <tsp> ( cnn ) -- barack obama has come in at eighth in a list of golf-playing american presidents , higher than both george bush and ronald reagan . bush was known for his love of golf , but figures released by mark knoller of cbs radio , the unofficial white house statistician , have revealed that obama has played golf 32 times during his presidency -- eight times more than his predecessor did during his entire tenure at the white house . in fact , president obama played a round as recently as last sunday , when his flight to poland for the funeral of president lech kaczynski was cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud over europe . golf digest magazine has ranked president obama ahead of both bush and reagan , but behind bill clinton -- who was known to practise his putting in the aisle of air force one . | barack obama has come in at eighth in a list of golf-playing american presidents |
palestinian <tsp> looking pale , thin and emotional , gilad shalit was reunited with his family tuesday after more than five years in captivity . now he faces what is likely to be a bewildering few days , weeks and months as he readjusts to a life of liberty . while no one yet knows exactly what he went through , other captives'experiences give an insight into his likely state of mind -- and suggest that although he has his freedom , other challenges lie ahead . only 19 at the time of his capture in june 2006 , shalit was known to few outside his circle of family , friends and fellow soldiers . but after years spent in virtual isolation , he has been thrust into the limelight and faces a barrage of media attention . speaking to egyptian television shortly after his release , shalit said he had missed his family and friends . i missed interacting with normal people , ' he told the interviewer . a few details emerged later as his father , noam shalit , addressed the throng of reporters gathered outside the family 's home in northern israel . his son felt good , he said , but was suffering the effects of small shrapnel wounds received long ago but never properly treated , as well as a lack of sunlight . while gilad was very happy to be home , it was difficult for him to be exposed to so many people after so long in isolation , unable to speak to anyone in his own language , noam shalit said . he basically came out of a dark hole , a dark basement , and came out of that to this great crowd , ' he said , adding that it must have been amazing for his son to see such a show of support from their village and the country . the family had greeted gilad with big hugs , he said , but so far they had had little chance to do more than eat together in what had been an exhausting day . he said in the beginning the conditions were difficult and he was n't particularly well treated , but more recently things improved , ' he said of his son , adding that he was sure the family would learn more over time . david senesh , an israeli clinical psychologist and former prisoner of war based near tel aviv , told cnn that shalit may continue to feel isolated despite being back among loved ones . i think the most difficult thing he will have to cope with is that he has been going through an experience that is very difficult to communicate , to explain to the ordinary person , ' he said . but senesh said it was a good sign that shalit had expressed a wish to talk about his ordeal . that will help his readjustment as long as it comes from him and is not solicited by the media or other people , ' he said . senesh , who was held for 40 days in an egyptian jail following the yom kippur war in 1973 , said his own experience was made easier by being held with fellow prisoners and , on his release , returning to the familiarity of his army unit . but shalit has been kept in virtual isolation . and his long captivity has not only affected him but also the family members who have gone through hell ' by extension , as they feared for his safety and fought for his freedom , senesh said . it will be difficult to adjust to normal life . he will have to find out what it is because it 's not what he left five years ago . it 's a completely different life , different family , ' senesh said . everybody is involved with the trauma . ' he suggests that what shalit will most need is time and a period of peace and privacy to come to terms with what he has experienced . but unlike some prisoners of war in previous decades , shalit will not have to deal with the trauma alone . israel has many professionals who can provide support and advice based on the experiences of others who have been held captive , senesh said , and there is an enormous desire in israel to see him recover fully . while little is known about shalit 's day-to-day conditions , the fact he appears healthy -- if thin and wan -- is promising , said walter busuttil , a physician and retired royal air force wing commander who was part of a clinical team that rehabilitated british hostages released from lebanon in 1991 , among them terry waite , a former envoy to the archbishop of canterbury . but medical professionals will need to monitor shalit 's sleep and weight patterns for signs he is suffering post-traumatic stress disorder , said busuttil , now medical director for the british veterans'charity combat stress . if he was blindfolded or had disrupted sleep or irregular meals during his captivity , shalit will need to adjust , busuttil said . weight loss can also be an indicator of other ill treatment , he added . the soldier 's youth may have been a disadvantage , he said , as evidence shows the young and old are more vulnerable to developing ptsd . but if those around him are vigilant , any lasting effects can be mitigated . the other thing that is important is to make him feel in control , ' he said . what we did with the beirut hostages was give them a watch . it was probably the first thing taken away from him -- and it would be one of the first things i 'd give back , to give him a time reference for day or night . ' it would be better if shalit were kept away from the media for a few days , busuttil said , in order for him to adjust before speaking publicly . shalit may also feel a sense of dissociation after being kept in virtual isolation , he warned . while in captivity , shalit had access some of the time to newspapers and to a radio , according to brig . gen. yoav mordechai , a spokesman for the israel defense forces , but he was a young , apparently shy man cut off from all who knew him . nothing is yet known of the personal resources shalit found to keep hope alive during the years he was held by hamas . but he may have found some comfort in the assurances given by israel 's military that it will always do its utmost to secure the return of its soldiers . the principle of returning pows , mias , kidnapped and fallen idf personnel has been sacrosanct since the idf 's inception in 1948 , ' the israel ministry of foreign affairs website says . the idf does all in its power to locate its captured personnel and free them . ' israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu reiterated that commitment in his remarks after shalit 's release . referring to his own military service , netanyahu said : i always knew that if i or one of my comrades fell captive , the government of israel would do its utmost to return us home , and as prime minister , i have now carried this out . as a leader who daily sends out soldiers to defend israeli citizens , i believe that mutual responsibility is no mere slogan -- it is a cornerstone of our existence here . ' james welsh , a researcher on health and detention for amnesty international , told cnn there was good reason to be hopeful for shalit 's future well-being now he was back home . we should n't underestimate people 's resilience , ' he said . there 's a tendency to look on the gloomy side when we hear about people being released , but people do have amazing resources , so they can survive things quite well . ' of course , shalit is not alone in celebrating his freedom tuesday . the 477 palestinian prisoners released by israel in exchange for shalit were also reunited with family and friends -- many of them after long periods in detention . hundreds more will be released in a second stage later this year . while the circumstances are not the same , those prisoners -- including hundreds serving life sentences for attacks on israelis -- will also face a significant period of adjustment after their rapturous reception by tens of thousands of supporters in gaza and elsewhere . hamas official hassan youssef welcomed their release , but said it was not enough . we are all shedding two tears : one tear for the release of all of our fighters , and a tear of pain for all of our brothers still in prison , ' he said . shalit 's father , noam , also reflected on the pain felt by israelis who have watched those convicted of attacks on their loved ones leave jail early . roxana saberi , an iranian-american journalist who was released four months into an eight-year jail term after being convicted of spying in iran , offered some advice to freed american hikers shane bauer and josh fattal last month that may also be of use to shalit as he seeks to make sense of his new reality . she urged them not to rush things , telling cnn : i hope that they are able to adapt well in this new part of their life and perhaps learned lessons in prison that can help them when they 're free . i would tell them to take their time and not feel pressured to make decisions . this is their time . it 's theirs again . ' | israel released 477 palestinian prisoners , with more to be freed in a second stage |
woody harrelson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of people attending comic-con in san diego , california , will transform into zombies on thursday . a zombie walk ' at comic-con will promote the upcoming zombieland ' movie . they 'll converge in a zombie walk ' through the san diego convention center to promote woody harrelson 's upcoming post-apocalyptic comedy , zombieland . ' comic-con is an annual gathering of 125,000 people whose interests include comic book and science fiction film and tv , anime , toys and video games . major movie studios and tv networks use the convention to launch their latest productions . zombie movies have been on the rise in recent years , and the type of zombies on the big screen has been evolving with the times . george romero 's 1968 film night of the living dead ' -- followed by dawn of the dead ' -- popularized zombies based on the original haitian voodoo kind of zombie , the supernatural being , the walking dead or the undead , ' said zombieland ' director ruben fleischer . zombie films made a seismic shift in zombies with danny boyle 's film'28 days later ,'where it became a more viral-based thing , a diseased population , as opposed to from the grave , ' fleischer said . in zombieland , ' living people are infected by a fast-spreading virus that turns them into this other being ' that is fast , ferocious and flesh-eating , he said . these modern zombies are reflective of some of the perils of what can happen with overpopulation and disease control and how quickly things can spread and become a problem . ' ireport.com : going to comic-con ? fleischer , along with screenwriters rhett reese and paul wernick , consulted a disease expert to get to the bottom of what the modern pandemic would be , ' he said . when swine flu happened , it was after we finished shooting , but it just really reminded me of how these things can spread so quickly and a whole population can be devastated , ' he said . while about 500 extras were hired to be zombies in fleischer 's movie , even more comic-con participants could take part in thursday 's zombie walk . sony has hired professional makeup artists to get them ready . fleischer said those portraying a modern zombie should think like a rabid dog . ' do n't lumber along like frankenstein 's monster , but move with a real furious anger and intensity ' and a lot of grunting and snarling and growling , ' he said . zombies do n't talk . ' hunger is a modern zombie 's chief motivation , he said : i think that they 're definitely cannibalistic . they want to eat people . ' what does a modern zombie wear ? fleischer 's zombies come as they are , whether in a work uniform or dressed for the mall . it 's as if you were at the mall and some zombies attacked and everyone there got turned into a zombie , ' he said . they 'd be wearing the same clothes that they had before . they 'd be dressed in the same way . ' fleischer developed a list of 150 types of zombies for his film , including construction workers , moms , a punk rocker and preppie zombies . they 're just people who got infected , like a modern pandemic , ' he said . zombieland ' -- which hits theaters october 9 -- brings out the humor in killing zombies , which is harrelson 's specialty . they 're not easy to kill , so sometimes you 've got to get them more than once , ' fleischer said . you 've got to make sure you get them because they 'll keep coming if you do n't . ' harrelson blamed post-traumatic stress from filming for his scuffle with a tmz photographer at an airport the day after shooting wrapped in georgia in april . with my daughter at the airport i was startled by a paparazzo who i quite understandably mistook for a zombie , ' harrelson said . while harrelson will be at comic-con to promote the movie , it was not known if he would be kept away from thursday 's zombie walk . | zombieland , ' starring woody harrelson , to debut in october |
kabwela <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the news editor of the zambian newspaper the post has gone on trial for allegedly circulating obscene material to politicians , the newspaper states on its web site . zambia president rupiah banda has branded the childbirth photos pornographic . in early june , chansa kabwela wrote to the country 's vice president , health minister and several non-governmental organizations to highlight problems in the country 's health-care system -- especially the problems pregnant women faced during a strike by health-care workers . in her letter , kabwela included several photos of a woman giving birth in a parking lot outside a hospital from which she had been turned away , according to reporters without borders . the country 's president , rupiah banda , branded the photos pornographic and called for kabwela 's arrest and prosecution , according to the press freedom organization . kabwela 's arrest is shocking and the grounds are ridiculous , ' the organization said in a statement on its web site after the arrest . now the trial into the alleged obscene photos has begun in the lusaka magistrate 's court , the newspaper web site says . one of the first witnesses , kenneth ngosa , a senior private secretary to the vice president , told the court he was immediately disturbed by the pictures he found inside the letter , according to the paper . the post described the courtroom as packed to capacity ' and said people from all works of life including musicians and opposition political party members ' had come to support kabwela . defense lawyer george chisanga has asked the court to look into whether the president 's order to arrest and prosecute kabwela could influence the course of justice . a joint statement from several zambian media organizations , published on the post 's web site , calls for the government to amend the law on obscenity to clarify what constitutes obscenity and material that can corrupt morals . the statement concedes that the pictures were in bad taste , but notes that they were sent on behalf of a good cause : to end the strike . cnn efforts to obtain comment from both the post and the zambian government have been unsuccessful . according to the latest figures from the world health organization , in 2004 the mortality rate of children under 5 years old in zambia was 182 per 1,000 live births . in the united states , under-5 mortality rate was 8 per 1,000 live births in 2006 . skilled health personnel attended only 43 percent of childbirths in zambia in 2002 , according to the health organization . | president banda branded the images pornographic and had kabwela arrested |
kabwela <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the news editor of the zambian newspaper the post has gone on trial for allegedly circulating obscene material to politicians , the newspaper states on its web site . zambia president rupiah banda has branded the childbirth photos pornographic . in early june , chansa kabwela wrote to the country 's vice president , health minister and several non-governmental organizations to highlight problems in the country 's health-care system -- especially the problems pregnant women faced during a strike by health-care workers . in her letter , kabwela included several photos of a woman giving birth in a parking lot outside a hospital from which she had been turned away , according to reporters without borders . the country 's president , rupiah banda , branded the photos pornographic and called for kabwela 's arrest and prosecution , according to the press freedom organization . kabwela 's arrest is shocking and the grounds are ridiculous , ' the organization said in a statement on its web site after the arrest . now the trial into the alleged obscene photos has begun in the lusaka magistrate 's court , the newspaper web site says . one of the first witnesses , kenneth ngosa , a senior private secretary to the vice president , told the court he was immediately disturbed by the pictures he found inside the letter , according to the paper . the post described the courtroom as packed to capacity ' and said people from all works of life including musicians and opposition political party members ' had come to support kabwela . defense lawyer george chisanga has asked the court to look into whether the president 's order to arrest and prosecute kabwela could influence the course of justice . a joint statement from several zambian media organizations , published on the post 's web site , calls for the government to amend the law on obscenity to clarify what constitutes obscenity and material that can corrupt morals . the statement concedes that the pictures were in bad taste , but notes that they were sent on behalf of a good cause : to end the strike . cnn efforts to obtain comment from both the post and the zambian government have been unsuccessful . according to the latest figures from the world health organization , in 2004 the mortality rate of children under 5 years old in zambia was 182 per 1,000 live births . in the united states , under-5 mortality rate was 8 per 1,000 live births in 2006 . skilled health personnel attended only 43 percent of childbirths in zambia in 2002 , according to the health organization . | chansa kabwela sent pictures of a woman giving birth in a parking lot to president |
kermit gosnell <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- jurors in the murder trial of philadelphia abortion doctor kermit gosnell ended their first day of deliberations , tuesday without a verdict . deliberations will resume wednesday morning . gosnell , 72 , is accused of killing babies by using scissors to cut their spinal cords . authorities allege that some of the infants were born alive and viable during the sixth , seventh and eighth months of pregnancy . gosnell originally faced first-degree murder charges in the deaths of seven babies and a count of third-degree murder in the death of karnamaya mongar , 41 . mongar died of an anesthetic overdose during a second-trimester abortion . judge jeffrey minehart threw out three of the seven first-degree murder charges last week . gosnell also is charged with conspiracy , abortion at 24 or more weeks of pregnancy , theft , corruption of minors , solicitation and other related offenses . he has pleaded not guilty . on monday , defense attorney jack mcmahon gave an impassioned , 2â½-hour closing argument disputing the prosecution 's evidence , claiming that none of the infants was killed ; rather , he said , they were already dead as a result of gosnell administering the drug digoxin , which can cause abortion . mcmahon , stalking the jury box , accused prosecutors of the most extraordinary hype and exaggeration in the history of the criminal justice system , ' even adding that they are elitist ' and racist . ' gosnell , who is african-american , has been accused by authorities of preying on low-income , minority women . mcmahon argued that gosnell offered access to health care for people who were poor and without health insurance . on tuesday , minehart spent just over 90 minutes giving the jurors their instructions . jurors appeared to listen intently ; gosnell took notes , and attorneys watched the jury box . after retiring for deliberations , the jury sent back questions regarding one of the names of a patient and wanted the definition of theft by deception . ' the judge also tossed out all five abuse-of-corpse charges for storing the feet of aborted fetuses in plastic containers . minehart dismissed one count of infanticide , the intentional killing of an infant . gosnell also is accused of reusing unsanitary instruments ; performing procedures in filthy rooms , including some in which litter boxes and animals allegedly were present at the time ; and allowing unlicensed employees -- including a teenage high school student -- to perform operations and administer anesthesia . nine others who worked in the west philadelphia medical office , including gosnell 's wife and sister-in-law , also were charged . eight have pleaded guilty . also on trial is co-defendant eileen o'neill , 56 , who worked as a doctor at the women 's medical society . o'neill , who is a medical school graduate , is charged with participating in the operation of a corrupt organization ' and theft by deception ' for operating without a license to practice medicine . meanwhile , a gag order preventing attorneys or the jury from speaking to the media remains in place . if he is found guilty of first-degree murder , gosnell , who is not a board-certified obstetrician or gynecologist , could be sentenced to death . cnn 's david ariosto contributed to this report . | kermit gosnell , 72 , faces murder counts in the deaths of four infants and one patient |
byzantine <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- some israeli archaeologists are having a particularly happy hanukkah , thanks in part to a british volunteer who took time off from her job to work on a dig . archaeologists found a hoard of gold coins from the 7th century in jerusalem on sunday . the israel antiquities authority reported a thrilling find sunday -- the discovery of 264 ancient gold coins in jerusalem national park . the coins were minted during the early 7th century . this is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in jerusalem -- certainly the largest and most important of its period , ' said doron ben-ami and yana tchekhanovets , who are directing the excavation on behalf of the israel antiquities authority . researchers discovered the coins at the beginning of the eight-day jewish holiday of hanukkah , which started at sunset on sunday . one of the customs of the holiday is to give gelt , ' or coins , to children , and the archaeologists are referring to the find as hanukkah money . ' nadine ross , a british archaeological volunteer , happened onto the coins during the dig just below the walls of the old city of jerusalem . to be honest , i just thought ,'thank god i did n't throw it in the rubbish bucket ,' said ross , who had taken four weeks off from her engineering job in england to work at the site . i was just glad i sort of spotted it before i disturbed it too much . ' the 1,400-year-old coins were found in the giv'ati car park in the city of david in the walls around jerusalem national park , a site that has yielded other finds , including a well-preserved gold earring with pearls and precious stones . they were in a collapsed building that dates back to the 7th century , the end of the byzantine period . the coins bear a likeness of heraclius , who was the byzantine emperor from 610 to 641 . the authority said that while different coins had been minted during this emperor 's reign , the coins found at the site represent one well-known type . ' in that style , the emperor is clad with military garb and is holding a cross in his right hand . on the other side is the sign of the cross . authorities said the excavation of the building where the hoard was discovered is in its early stages . they are attempting to learn about the building and its owner and the circumstances of its destruction . since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard , we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building . it seems that with its collapse , the coins piled up there among the building debris , ' ben-ami and tchekhanovets said . the find is a a golden moment for ross , who said it is a pity that i ca n't take it home with me . but there you go . ' cnn 's shira medding and ben wedeman contributed to this report . | coins were minted in 7th century and depict byzantine emperor of the era |
congress <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- it was a crowning achievement , but he was n't sure that he wanted to be there . he was n't sure he could make it through the speech without running out of the house chamber in panic . and he did n't know how many of his country 's leaders cared . matt cooke wore his camouflage combat uniform , surrounded by lawmakers , innovators and a few celebrities , and he stepped into a room that would hold the world 's greatest concentration of power per square inch for an hour or so . but the everyday hero just wanted to get through the state of the union on tuesday night . his seat was next to the door , just in case . the much-coveted invitation came because of his heroism on november 5 , 2009 , when he stopped by the soldier readiness processing center at the sprawling army base at fort hood , texas . moments after military psychiatrist nidal hasan opened fire , cooke threw himself on top of another soldier , likely saving that man 's life but taking five bullets himself . his wounds still affect him . his eyesight may deteriorate for the rest of his life . but as cooke looked out from the house chamber balcony tuesday night , the biggest potential issues were his mind and fears . i do n't like being by myself , ' he said earlier before the event , pausing . i do n't trust , it 's hard for me to trust people now . ' cooke was honored to be at the capitol , of course . but logistics dictated that the shy , blue-eyed veteran had to sit with strangers . ( each member of congress got one ticket . ) and he did n't like that . cooke needs to be around people he knows . and after he survived the massacre in the middle of a u.s. army base , he has a hard time trusting security anywhere . the increased measures at the capitol actually added to those concerns , raising the idea that this place was especially threatened . but the unassuming man came anyway , battling his post-traumatic stress disorder-instincts out of gratitude to his hometown congressman , republican robert pittenger of north carolina , and to push for what he believes is long overdue recognition for the victims of fort hood . the department of defense says it was workplace violence , ' cooke relayed hours before the state of the union , sitting on a window bench tucked into a house office building stairway . it was a terrorist act ... to me , it seems they 're trying to cover it up , almost as if it never happened the way it did . ' there are multiple issues here . under the workplace violence ' designation , benefits are lower than if the attack were considered terrorism or part of an active conflict . victims and families face lower disabled income or death benefits . thirteen people were killed at fort hood . a softer republican side in response to obama cooke spoke with determination on this . it 's not about the money for me . it has nothing to do with the money , ' he said . he wants the families to be recognized , for victims to be able to receive purple hearts for their wounds and be afforded all honors appropriate to that at a military burial . but cooke and his family believe the vast majority of americans do n't know about their continued battle . and that congress is happy to move on . there is a bill , h.r . 3111 , to declare fort hood a terrorist act , but congress ... , ' he shakes his head . september eleventh at the pentagon was a terrorist attack , but this , no . ' hasan was convicted last august in a military court of murder and attempted murder . a jury recommended a death sentence . thirteen people were killed at fort hood . a u.s.-born citizen of palestinian descent who was preparing to deploy to afghanistan , hasan admitted to targeting soldiers . he said at one point that he wanted to protect the taliban and its leaders from the u.s. military . comprehensive coverage : state of the union investigations after the massacre found he had been communicating via e-mail with anwar al-awlaki , an yemeni-american radical cleric killed by a u.s. drone attack in 2011 . cooke 's foot taps as he talks about it , but otherwise his bearing was deeply calm . almost tired . his injuries rewrote his life . a marriage failed . he is no longer allowed to drive . and he lives with his mom , diane frappier , and stepdad , jerry frappier . the couple sometimes ca n't get the 34-year-old to leave his room . before ( coming to washington ) , he spent three days in his bedroom , ' diane frappier confided . he was really nervous . ' that bedroom is a safe place , he thinks . the capitol is not . to help , diane and jerry made the road trip with their son . they stood next to him during interviews . walked beside him down capitol hill 's hard marble hallways . for diane , the trip is a part of her son 's recovery and his mission now . i think it 's time for some of his story to come out , ' said diane , who is as feisty and confident as her son is humble and careful . this is the first time matt cooke has ever heard a state of the union address . but frankly the speech was not his main interest . he was at the capitol to represent people who served the military , suffered at the hands of a gunman and who now feel overlooked . when asked what he hopes for himself , the 13-year veteran gave an answer of recovery . i do n't know . right now , i 'm hoping for today , ' he said . and , it turns out , the day was good . in the teeming house chamber , cooke saw the unexpected -- the face of fellow fort hood survivor alonzo lunsford , just a few seats away . cooke knew his friend was in town , but not where he 'd be during the speech . the room felt better . he made it . he did n't need to run . and he could listen as the president and congress honored another surviving soldier -- sgt . cory remsburg . high up in the balcony , off camera , matt cooke soaked in the wave of cheers . it was a pretty good night , ' he said . | he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and wonders if congress cares |
dredd <tsp> ( cnn ) -- last february , tens of thousands of moviegoers stormed cinemas around the united states to watch chronicle , ' turning the superhero thriller into a surprise hit that topped the u.s. box office on super bowl weekend . the film , which follows the adventures of three american teenage boys who acquire superpowers , made $ 22 million that weekend alone -- traditionally considered one of the slowest weekends for the u.s. movie industry . although set in seattle , chronicle 's ' producers decided to shoot in south africa , lured by the country 's low production costs and growing reputation as an attractive destination for international filmmaking . the move paid off as the film , with production costs of just $ 12 million , turned out to be a big winner for 20th century fox . chronicle ' exceeded industry expectations by piling up an impressive $ 126 million in global cinema ticket sales , according to box office mojo . fox was totally stunned by it , ' says nico dekker , chief executive of cape town film studios , the south african facility where chronicle ' was primarily shot . the $ 12 million film is looking like a $ 30 million or a $ 40 million film on the screen , ' he adds . watch video : cape town takes on hollywood over the years , south africa 's varied landscapes have been a favorite set location for hollywood productions . worldwide hits shot at least partly in the country include blood diamond , ' starring leonardo dicaprio , lord of war , ' featuring nicolas cage , and invictus , ' clint eastwood 's take on south africa 's victory at the 1995 rugby world cup . read : 3d animation puts south africa film in the picture but while the country 's stunning beaches , jagged mountains and lush vineyards have long served as a backdrop for films , as well as tv adverts , cape town film studios is now aiming to make south africa a major destination for both location filming and top-quality studio productions . the multi-million dollar complex , the first of its kind in south africa , boasts four soundstages , several offices , a cinema , as well as pre- and post-production services . less than two years after it first began operations , the vast studios have already attracted an impressive roster of blockbuster films . apart from chronicle ' they were used for action movie safe house , ' starring denzel washington and ryan reynolds , the 3d comic-book adventure dredd , ' and tv drama mary and martha , ' starring hilary swank . dekker says the studios are a huge step for south africa 's movie industry and will help the country to build its reputation as an emerging force in global filmmaking . it creates a home , a base , where national and international filmmakers can meet , ' says dekker , where you can bring the latest technology together ; where you can bring films like'dredd ,'which was our first film of 3d transfer movies -- so you can now suddenly shoot stuff that we can only dream from . ' read : gangster movie kenya 's first oscar contender in a country like south africa , hit by massive unemployment and sluggish economic growth , a thriving film industry could hold a tremendous economic opportunity . earlier this year , the south african government recognized this potential by announcing a series of incentives aimed at attracting large-budget productions to help create jobs , generate revenues and encourage tourism . the measures included an uncapped 20 % rebate for foreign productions shot on location in south africa , as well as a 22.5 % break if they are also post-produced in the country . michael auret , managing director of south african production firm spier films , says the incentives have already made a big difference . we already have three productions for january -- up from maybe one or two productions a year the previous years -- and we 've got more lined up , ' he says . all the production companies in south africa have experienced an increase in films that they are doing and television programs but also increased inquiries from people who want to come and shoot here . ' auret cites the weakness of the rand against the dollar , the low cost of crews compared to other popular shooting destinations such as australia , and the diversity of locations as south africa 's competitive advantages . we have both summer and winter rain in two different parts of the country , ' he explains . you can shoot the mediterranean climate around cape town and you can shoot the tropical climate in johannesburg -- it 's desert , as well as jungles , as well as beaches , it 's urban centers where they shot'dredd .' so there 's very few films that ca n't be made here -- other than possibly a film shot completely in snow , in the arctic or something . ' read : the film school in kenya 's biggest slum cape town film studios , which is backed by national and local government as well as private shareholders , has also been chosen for the movie long walk to freedom , ' the long-awaited biopic of former south african leader nelson mandela . the film , which is expected to be released next year starring idris elba , is south africa 's biggest-budgeted film , says dekker . this is , he says , a testament that the studios can help boost local productions and enable africans to start telling their stories to the world . we , ourselves , africans , we need to almost free ourselves , ' says dekker . we need to grow and to understand that the world out there is waiting for us . we 've got everything now -- we 've got great crews , good stories , we 've got a great studio . we just need now to start making commercial film ... the'chronicles'of the world , ourselves -- that is maybe the next frontier for us . ' | movies shot there include chronicle , ' dredd ' and safe house ' |
saberi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in march 2009 , when i was detained in evin prison in iran , two evangelical christians were arrested . i never met them but spotted them a few times through the barred window of my cell as they walked back and forth to the bathroom down the hall . i would later learn that maryam rostampour and marzieh amirizadeh had converted from islam to christianity and faced charges of spreading propaganda against the islamic republic , insulting religious sanctities , and committing apostasy . they resisted severe pressure to renounce their faith , and in november 2009 , after an international outcry , the two women went free . news headlines are now highlighting the plight of another iranian christian accused of apostasy , or abandoning one 's religion . when pastor youcef nadarkhani was 19 , he converted from islam to christianity . in 2010 , a provincial court sentenced him to death . this year , iran 's supreme court ruled that the case should be reviewed and the sentence overturned if he recants his faith -- a step nadarkhani , 34 , has so far refused to take . now , according to the international campaign for human rights in iran , iran 's judiciary has ordered the verdict to be delayed , possibly for one year . but nadarkhani 's supporters hope sustained worldwide pressure will lead to his just and immediate release . as international criticism has mounted , an iranian official has alleged that nadarkhani is being prosecuted not for his faith but for crimes including rape and extortion . nadarkhani 's attorney , however , says the only charge the pastor has faced is apostasy , and court documents support this assertion . although iran 's penal code does not include a specific provision for apostasy , judges are given a fairly wide degree of latitude to issue rulings based on their own interpretation of islamic law . in the past this has led to punishments ranging from imprisonment to death . the last person officially executed in iran for apostasy was hossein soodmand , a pentecostal minister who converted from islam before iran 's 1979 islamic revolution and was hanged in 1990 . iranian officials often say their country 's recognized religious minorities ( christians , jews , and adherents of the ancient persian religion of zoroastrianism ) enjoy freedoms equal to their muslim counterparts . iran 's constitution gives these three religious minorities certain rights , such as five seats in the 290-member parliament and the freedom to perform their religious rituals . the constitution 's articles , however , are all set within the boundaries of islam , and islamic codes grant superior legal status to male muslims . many non-shiites in iran have also complained of limits on education , work , and exercising their faith . critics accuse the islamic regime of having monitored , harassed , abducted , detained , tortured , and killed citizens based upon their religion . since 1999 , the u.s. state department has designated iran a country of particular concern ' because of religious repression . the state department has focused on the treatment of sufi and sunni muslims , protestant evangelical christians , jews , shiites who do n't share the government 's official views , and baha'is , whose faith is not recognized by iran 's regime . christian leaders in iran have usually blunted their criticism of the regime , in part to avoid tensions . when i attended christmas eve mass in iran four years ago , i saw a few dozen worshipers , but i also heard that they had to get government permission to hold the service and were not allowed to proselytize . they had a christian school , but it had to have a muslim principal . they could print christian texts but only with the authorities'approval . a number of iranian christians who recently left iran have told me that since the country 's 2009 disputed presidential election , pressure on their communities has intensified , prompting many more christians to emigrate . in april , the u.s. commission on international religious freedom reported a rise in iranian authorities raiding church services and harassing worshipers . evangelicals and other protestants have been particularly targeted . unlike iran 's traditionally recognized christian minorities , such as armenians , assyrians , and chaldeans , evangelical churches hold their services in the farsi language . iranian authorities accuse them of spreading christian writings in farsi to convert muslims . they are tough on us because we educate others , ' a former pastor of an underground evangelical church in iran told me on condition of anonymity . they call it proselytizing , but we do n't proselytize . we discuss the realities that jesus christ talks about in the bible , and we never speak about the islamic republic . ' shortly after their release from prison , maryam and marzieh , the two christian converts detained down the corridor from me , left iran . if they stayed , they may have shared the tragic fate of the rev . mehdi dibaj . dibaj , a christian convert from islam , was jailed for a decade and released in 1994 after international appeals . soon afterward , he went missing . the authorities reported the discovery of his corpse in a wooded area west of tehran . iran 's government blamed an anti-regime group for the murder . if the iranian regime wants to tout religious freedom , it should respect its citizens'right to decide one of life 's most personal choices : their spiritual path . a regime that claims to observe human rights and base its actions on the peaceful nature of islam should also explain how peace would be attained by executing a man whose only crime is his faith . by releasing youcef nadarkhani before christmas , tehran would take an important step toward respect for human rights and would give his wife and children an unforgettable gift . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roxana saberi . | the 34-year-old pastor converted to christianity at 19 , saberi says |
saberi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in march 2009 , when i was detained in evin prison in iran , two evangelical christians were arrested . i never met them but spotted them a few times through the barred window of my cell as they walked back and forth to the bathroom down the hall . i would later learn that maryam rostampour and marzieh amirizadeh had converted from islam to christianity and faced charges of spreading propaganda against the islamic republic , insulting religious sanctities , and committing apostasy . they resisted severe pressure to renounce their faith , and in november 2009 , after an international outcry , the two women went free . news headlines are now highlighting the plight of another iranian christian accused of apostasy , or abandoning one 's religion . when pastor youcef nadarkhani was 19 , he converted from islam to christianity . in 2010 , a provincial court sentenced him to death . this year , iran 's supreme court ruled that the case should be reviewed and the sentence overturned if he recants his faith -- a step nadarkhani , 34 , has so far refused to take . now , according to the international campaign for human rights in iran , iran 's judiciary has ordered the verdict to be delayed , possibly for one year . but nadarkhani 's supporters hope sustained worldwide pressure will lead to his just and immediate release . as international criticism has mounted , an iranian official has alleged that nadarkhani is being prosecuted not for his faith but for crimes including rape and extortion . nadarkhani 's attorney , however , says the only charge the pastor has faced is apostasy , and court documents support this assertion . although iran 's penal code does not include a specific provision for apostasy , judges are given a fairly wide degree of latitude to issue rulings based on their own interpretation of islamic law . in the past this has led to punishments ranging from imprisonment to death . the last person officially executed in iran for apostasy was hossein soodmand , a pentecostal minister who converted from islam before iran 's 1979 islamic revolution and was hanged in 1990 . iranian officials often say their country 's recognized religious minorities ( christians , jews , and adherents of the ancient persian religion of zoroastrianism ) enjoy freedoms equal to their muslim counterparts . iran 's constitution gives these three religious minorities certain rights , such as five seats in the 290-member parliament and the freedom to perform their religious rituals . the constitution 's articles , however , are all set within the boundaries of islam , and islamic codes grant superior legal status to male muslims . many non-shiites in iran have also complained of limits on education , work , and exercising their faith . critics accuse the islamic regime of having monitored , harassed , abducted , detained , tortured , and killed citizens based upon their religion . since 1999 , the u.s. state department has designated iran a country of particular concern ' because of religious repression . the state department has focused on the treatment of sufi and sunni muslims , protestant evangelical christians , jews , shiites who do n't share the government 's official views , and baha'is , whose faith is not recognized by iran 's regime . christian leaders in iran have usually blunted their criticism of the regime , in part to avoid tensions . when i attended christmas eve mass in iran four years ago , i saw a few dozen worshipers , but i also heard that they had to get government permission to hold the service and were not allowed to proselytize . they had a christian school , but it had to have a muslim principal . they could print christian texts but only with the authorities'approval . a number of iranian christians who recently left iran have told me that since the country 's 2009 disputed presidential election , pressure on their communities has intensified , prompting many more christians to emigrate . in april , the u.s. commission on international religious freedom reported a rise in iranian authorities raiding church services and harassing worshipers . evangelicals and other protestants have been particularly targeted . unlike iran 's traditionally recognized christian minorities , such as armenians , assyrians , and chaldeans , evangelical churches hold their services in the farsi language . iranian authorities accuse them of spreading christian writings in farsi to convert muslims . they are tough on us because we educate others , ' a former pastor of an underground evangelical church in iran told me on condition of anonymity . they call it proselytizing , but we do n't proselytize . we discuss the realities that jesus christ talks about in the bible , and we never speak about the islamic republic . ' shortly after their release from prison , maryam and marzieh , the two christian converts detained down the corridor from me , left iran . if they stayed , they may have shared the tragic fate of the rev . mehdi dibaj . dibaj , a christian convert from islam , was jailed for a decade and released in 1994 after international appeals . soon afterward , he went missing . the authorities reported the discovery of his corpse in a wooded area west of tehran . iran 's government blamed an anti-regime group for the murder . if the iranian regime wants to tout religious freedom , it should respect its citizens'right to decide one of life 's most personal choices : their spiritual path . a regime that claims to observe human rights and base its actions on the peaceful nature of islam should also explain how peace would be attained by executing a man whose only crime is his faith . by releasing youcef nadarkhani before christmas , tehran would take an important step toward respect for human rights and would give his wife and children an unforgettable gift . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roxana saberi . | youcef nadarkhani was sentenced to death in iran , says roxana saberi |
saberi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in march 2009 , when i was detained in evin prison in iran , two evangelical christians were arrested . i never met them but spotted them a few times through the barred window of my cell as they walked back and forth to the bathroom down the hall . i would later learn that maryam rostampour and marzieh amirizadeh had converted from islam to christianity and faced charges of spreading propaganda against the islamic republic , insulting religious sanctities , and committing apostasy . they resisted severe pressure to renounce their faith , and in november 2009 , after an international outcry , the two women went free . news headlines are now highlighting the plight of another iranian christian accused of apostasy , or abandoning one 's religion . when pastor youcef nadarkhani was 19 , he converted from islam to christianity . in 2010 , a provincial court sentenced him to death . this year , iran 's supreme court ruled that the case should be reviewed and the sentence overturned if he recants his faith -- a step nadarkhani , 34 , has so far refused to take . now , according to the international campaign for human rights in iran , iran 's judiciary has ordered the verdict to be delayed , possibly for one year . but nadarkhani 's supporters hope sustained worldwide pressure will lead to his just and immediate release . as international criticism has mounted , an iranian official has alleged that nadarkhani is being prosecuted not for his faith but for crimes including rape and extortion . nadarkhani 's attorney , however , says the only charge the pastor has faced is apostasy , and court documents support this assertion . although iran 's penal code does not include a specific provision for apostasy , judges are given a fairly wide degree of latitude to issue rulings based on their own interpretation of islamic law . in the past this has led to punishments ranging from imprisonment to death . the last person officially executed in iran for apostasy was hossein soodmand , a pentecostal minister who converted from islam before iran 's 1979 islamic revolution and was hanged in 1990 . iranian officials often say their country 's recognized religious minorities ( christians , jews , and adherents of the ancient persian religion of zoroastrianism ) enjoy freedoms equal to their muslim counterparts . iran 's constitution gives these three religious minorities certain rights , such as five seats in the 290-member parliament and the freedom to perform their religious rituals . the constitution 's articles , however , are all set within the boundaries of islam , and islamic codes grant superior legal status to male muslims . many non-shiites in iran have also complained of limits on education , work , and exercising their faith . critics accuse the islamic regime of having monitored , harassed , abducted , detained , tortured , and killed citizens based upon their religion . since 1999 , the u.s. state department has designated iran a country of particular concern ' because of religious repression . the state department has focused on the treatment of sufi and sunni muslims , protestant evangelical christians , jews , shiites who do n't share the government 's official views , and baha'is , whose faith is not recognized by iran 's regime . christian leaders in iran have usually blunted their criticism of the regime , in part to avoid tensions . when i attended christmas eve mass in iran four years ago , i saw a few dozen worshipers , but i also heard that they had to get government permission to hold the service and were not allowed to proselytize . they had a christian school , but it had to have a muslim principal . they could print christian texts but only with the authorities'approval . a number of iranian christians who recently left iran have told me that since the country 's 2009 disputed presidential election , pressure on their communities has intensified , prompting many more christians to emigrate . in april , the u.s. commission on international religious freedom reported a rise in iranian authorities raiding church services and harassing worshipers . evangelicals and other protestants have been particularly targeted . unlike iran 's traditionally recognized christian minorities , such as armenians , assyrians , and chaldeans , evangelical churches hold their services in the farsi language . iranian authorities accuse them of spreading christian writings in farsi to convert muslims . they are tough on us because we educate others , ' a former pastor of an underground evangelical church in iran told me on condition of anonymity . they call it proselytizing , but we do n't proselytize . we discuss the realities that jesus christ talks about in the bible , and we never speak about the islamic republic . ' shortly after their release from prison , maryam and marzieh , the two christian converts detained down the corridor from me , left iran . if they stayed , they may have shared the tragic fate of the rev . mehdi dibaj . dibaj , a christian convert from islam , was jailed for a decade and released in 1994 after international appeals . soon afterward , he went missing . the authorities reported the discovery of his corpse in a wooded area west of tehran . iran 's government blamed an anti-regime group for the murder . if the iranian regime wants to tout religious freedom , it should respect its citizens'right to decide one of life 's most personal choices : their spiritual path . a regime that claims to observe human rights and base its actions on the peaceful nature of islam should also explain how peace would be attained by executing a man whose only crime is his faith . by releasing youcef nadarkhani before christmas , tehran would take an important step toward respect for human rights and would give his wife and children an unforgettable gift . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roxana saberi . | saberi : iran 's last official execution for apostasy occurred in 1990 |
nypd <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new york city is appealing a federal judge 's finding that the police department 's stop-and-frisk searches violate the constitutional rights of minorities , according to documents filed friday in a manhattan court . the city filed its notice of appeal after u.s. district judge shira a. scheindlin ruled that changes must be made to the policy because it unlawfully targets blacks and hispanics . nypd report : most of those'stopped and frisked'are minorities the city intends to follow up its notice of appeal by asking for a stay of the judge 's order that was issued monday , said kate o'brien ahlers , a spokeswoman for the city 's law department . scheindlin , ruling on a class-action lawsuit , found that the police department 's policy violated plaintiffs'fourth amendment rights barring unreasonable searches , based on statistics showing police made at least 200,000 stops from 2004 to june 2012 without reasonable suspicion . she also found evidence of racial profiling , violating plaintiffs'14th amendment rights guaranteeing equal protection . we think the judge could not be more wrong , ' mayor michael bloomberg said in his weekly radio address friday on the john gambling show ' on wabc . the police department had said that the policy -- in which police stop , question and frisk people they consider suspicious -- is used to deter crime . nypd officers say they had stop-and-frisk quotas the lawsuit , filed in 2008 , went to trial for nine weeks this spring . the lead plaintiff in the case was david floyd , a medical student who was stopped twice -- once in the middle of the afternoon when he was in front of his home in the bronx , according to the suit . n.y. judge halts'stop-and-frisk'tactic outside bronx building coupling this week 's ruling with a similar decision in january , scheindlin ordered that the policy be altered so that stops are based on reasonable suspicion and in a racially neutral manner . she appointed peter zimroth , a former chief assistant district attorney in manhattan , to develop and oversee near-term reforms , including changes to the nypd 's policies and training . she also called for the creation of a pilot project where nypd patrol officers in five precincts -- one per borough -- must wear video cameras . the chosen precincts would be those with the most stops in 2012 . the recordings should ... alleviate some of the mistrust that has developed between the police and the black and hispanic communities , ' and will be equally helpful to members of nypd who are wrongly accused of inappropriate behavior , ' scheindlin wrote . new york police commissioner ray kelly called scheindlin 's finding of racial profiling disturbing and offensive . ' we do not engage in racial profiling . it is prohibited by law , ' kelly said earlier this week . we train our officers that they need reasonable suspicion to make a stop , and i can assure you that race is never a reason to conduct a stop . ' bloomberg said the policy was one of a number of programs that helped the city 's murder rate drop -- it 's 50 % below the rate when he took office nearly 12 years ago , he said . read more : chicago , new york officers spar over stop-and-frisk policy cnn 's jason hanna contributed to this report . | a federal judge ruled the nypd 's stop-and-frisk searches violate the rights of minorities |
daraa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- escalating violence between syrian security forces and anti-government protesters claimed 15 people wednesday in the city of daraa , witnesses and rights activists said . syrian state television reported the government fired the governor of daraa province , a flash point of anti-government protests . there was no breakdown on the casualties . according to activists and witnesses , seven people died shortly after dawn prayers near al omari mosque . security personnel tried to storm the area where protesters took positions to demand government reforms , an opposition spokesman said . later , about 3,000 protesters from neighboring towns gathered outside daraa and clashed with an army unit known for its loyalty to president bashar al-assad , activists and witnesses said . the army unit is headed by a family member , maher al-assad , said the opposition spokesman . eight more people died in the later clashes , bringing the death toll wednesday to 15 , according to the sources . overall , at least 21 people have died in unrest in the city since friday . army tanks are positioned in the city , including near al omari mosque , the opposition spokesman said . mobile and regular telephone service from daraa has been cut off , witnesses told cnn . wissam tarif , executive director of the human rights group insan , told cnn from outside damascus that syrian security forces fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters . he said he was aware of three protesters killed in the clashes , but added there was no information on the injured because people do n't go to the hospitals anymore . this is because some disappeared after being taken for treatment earlier in the unrest , he said . according to tarif , demonstrators want an end to the decades-old state of emergency in syria , the release of prisoners of conscience and more freedoms . syria is the latest in a string of arabic-speaking nations beset with discontent over human rights issues . the united states is deeply troubled by violence and civilian deaths in daraa at the hands of security forces , ' state department spokesman mark toner said in a statement wednesday . his statement expressed u.s. condemnation for what it called the syrian government 's use of violence , intimidation and arbitrary arrests in daraa to hinder the ability of its people to freely exercise their universal rights . we call on the syrian government to exercise restraint and refrain from violence against peaceful protesters , ' toner 's statement said . a witness who did not want his name used out of concern for his safety said security forces shot into the crowd in front of the al omari mosque before daybreak wednesday . the witness also said he heard an explosion . syrian state tv , however , said armed groups had attacked security forces , killing a doctor , a medical assistant and an ambulance driver . assad later issued an order to dismiss daraa 's governor , faisal kulthoum , from his position , syrian state tv reported . the violence comes a day after syrian authorities arrested a prominent rights leader as anti-government demonstrations continue throughout the country 's south . loay hussein , a political prisoner from 1984 to 1991 , was taken from his home in the sehnaya district near damascus on tuesday , according to the country 's observatory for human rights . hussein had been supporting protesters who marched for a sixth straight day tuesday , chanting , the people want to bring down the regime , ' a spokesman for the organizers told cnn from daraa . the organizers are also planning a day of mass protests friday , the spokesman said . on monday , protesters marched in daraa after they buried the body of a protester who was killed sunday in clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces , a witness told cnn . sunday 's protests came the same day a delegation sent by the president offered condolences to the families of the two martyrs who died during the unfortunate events which took place in daraa on friday , ' according to sana , the syrian news agency . local tribal leaders have said they rejected a government proposal to bring about calm and have put together a list of demands , including asking that the head of the local police and governor of daraa be held accountable for the civilian casualties since friday , witnesses said . on tuesday , the united nations human rights office reported that six people have been killed by security forces in daraa since friday , calling for an independent , transparent and effective investigation into these killings . ' the use of excessive force constitutes a clear violation of international law , which provides for individual criminal responsibility for violations committed , ' said rupert colville , spokesman for the u.n. office of the high commissioner for human rights . people have the legitimate right to express their grievances and demands to their government , and we urge the syrian government to enter into a broad , meaningful dialogue with the protesters in an attempt to address those grievances , ' he said . cnn 's tim lister and amir ahmed contributed to this report | the death toll in daraa in unrest since last week rises to 21 , groups say |
daraa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- escalating violence between syrian security forces and anti-government protesters claimed 15 people wednesday in the city of daraa , witnesses and rights activists said . syrian state television reported the government fired the governor of daraa province , a flash point of anti-government protests . there was no breakdown on the casualties . according to activists and witnesses , seven people died shortly after dawn prayers near al omari mosque . security personnel tried to storm the area where protesters took positions to demand government reforms , an opposition spokesman said . later , about 3,000 protesters from neighboring towns gathered outside daraa and clashed with an army unit known for its loyalty to president bashar al-assad , activists and witnesses said . the army unit is headed by a family member , maher al-assad , said the opposition spokesman . eight more people died in the later clashes , bringing the death toll wednesday to 15 , according to the sources . overall , at least 21 people have died in unrest in the city since friday . army tanks are positioned in the city , including near al omari mosque , the opposition spokesman said . mobile and regular telephone service from daraa has been cut off , witnesses told cnn . wissam tarif , executive director of the human rights group insan , told cnn from outside damascus that syrian security forces fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters . he said he was aware of three protesters killed in the clashes , but added there was no information on the injured because people do n't go to the hospitals anymore . this is because some disappeared after being taken for treatment earlier in the unrest , he said . according to tarif , demonstrators want an end to the decades-old state of emergency in syria , the release of prisoners of conscience and more freedoms . syria is the latest in a string of arabic-speaking nations beset with discontent over human rights issues . the united states is deeply troubled by violence and civilian deaths in daraa at the hands of security forces , ' state department spokesman mark toner said in a statement wednesday . his statement expressed u.s. condemnation for what it called the syrian government 's use of violence , intimidation and arbitrary arrests in daraa to hinder the ability of its people to freely exercise their universal rights . we call on the syrian government to exercise restraint and refrain from violence against peaceful protesters , ' toner 's statement said . a witness who did not want his name used out of concern for his safety said security forces shot into the crowd in front of the al omari mosque before daybreak wednesday . the witness also said he heard an explosion . syrian state tv , however , said armed groups had attacked security forces , killing a doctor , a medical assistant and an ambulance driver . assad later issued an order to dismiss daraa 's governor , faisal kulthoum , from his position , syrian state tv reported . the violence comes a day after syrian authorities arrested a prominent rights leader as anti-government demonstrations continue throughout the country 's south . loay hussein , a political prisoner from 1984 to 1991 , was taken from his home in the sehnaya district near damascus on tuesday , according to the country 's observatory for human rights . hussein had been supporting protesters who marched for a sixth straight day tuesday , chanting , the people want to bring down the regime , ' a spokesman for the organizers told cnn from daraa . the organizers are also planning a day of mass protests friday , the spokesman said . on monday , protesters marched in daraa after they buried the body of a protester who was killed sunday in clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces , a witness told cnn . sunday 's protests came the same day a delegation sent by the president offered condolences to the families of the two martyrs who died during the unfortunate events which took place in daraa on friday , ' according to sana , the syrian news agency . local tribal leaders have said they rejected a government proposal to bring about calm and have put together a list of demands , including asking that the head of the local police and governor of daraa be held accountable for the civilian casualties since friday , witnesses said . on tuesday , the united nations human rights office reported that six people have been killed by security forces in daraa since friday , calling for an independent , transparent and effective investigation into these killings . ' the use of excessive force constitutes a clear violation of international law , which provides for individual criminal responsibility for violations committed , ' said rupert colville , spokesman for the u.n. office of the high commissioner for human rights . people have the legitimate right to express their grievances and demands to their government , and we urge the syrian government to enter into a broad , meaningful dialogue with the protesters in an attempt to address those grievances , ' he said . cnn 's tim lister and amir ahmed contributed to this report | witnesses , rights activist say 15 people die in clashes in daraa |
daraa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- escalating violence between syrian security forces and anti-government protesters claimed 15 people wednesday in the city of daraa , witnesses and rights activists said . syrian state television reported the government fired the governor of daraa province , a flash point of anti-government protests . there was no breakdown on the casualties . according to activists and witnesses , seven people died shortly after dawn prayers near al omari mosque . security personnel tried to storm the area where protesters took positions to demand government reforms , an opposition spokesman said . later , about 3,000 protesters from neighboring towns gathered outside daraa and clashed with an army unit known for its loyalty to president bashar al-assad , activists and witnesses said . the army unit is headed by a family member , maher al-assad , said the opposition spokesman . eight more people died in the later clashes , bringing the death toll wednesday to 15 , according to the sources . overall , at least 21 people have died in unrest in the city since friday . army tanks are positioned in the city , including near al omari mosque , the opposition spokesman said . mobile and regular telephone service from daraa has been cut off , witnesses told cnn . wissam tarif , executive director of the human rights group insan , told cnn from outside damascus that syrian security forces fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters . he said he was aware of three protesters killed in the clashes , but added there was no information on the injured because people do n't go to the hospitals anymore . this is because some disappeared after being taken for treatment earlier in the unrest , he said . according to tarif , demonstrators want an end to the decades-old state of emergency in syria , the release of prisoners of conscience and more freedoms . syria is the latest in a string of arabic-speaking nations beset with discontent over human rights issues . the united states is deeply troubled by violence and civilian deaths in daraa at the hands of security forces , ' state department spokesman mark toner said in a statement wednesday . his statement expressed u.s. condemnation for what it called the syrian government 's use of violence , intimidation and arbitrary arrests in daraa to hinder the ability of its people to freely exercise their universal rights . we call on the syrian government to exercise restraint and refrain from violence against peaceful protesters , ' toner 's statement said . a witness who did not want his name used out of concern for his safety said security forces shot into the crowd in front of the al omari mosque before daybreak wednesday . the witness also said he heard an explosion . syrian state tv , however , said armed groups had attacked security forces , killing a doctor , a medical assistant and an ambulance driver . assad later issued an order to dismiss daraa 's governor , faisal kulthoum , from his position , syrian state tv reported . the violence comes a day after syrian authorities arrested a prominent rights leader as anti-government demonstrations continue throughout the country 's south . loay hussein , a political prisoner from 1984 to 1991 , was taken from his home in the sehnaya district near damascus on tuesday , according to the country 's observatory for human rights . hussein had been supporting protesters who marched for a sixth straight day tuesday , chanting , the people want to bring down the regime , ' a spokesman for the organizers told cnn from daraa . the organizers are also planning a day of mass protests friday , the spokesman said . on monday , protesters marched in daraa after they buried the body of a protester who was killed sunday in clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces , a witness told cnn . sunday 's protests came the same day a delegation sent by the president offered condolences to the families of the two martyrs who died during the unfortunate events which took place in daraa on friday , ' according to sana , the syrian news agency . local tribal leaders have said they rejected a government proposal to bring about calm and have put together a list of demands , including asking that the head of the local police and governor of daraa be held accountable for the civilian casualties since friday , witnesses said . on tuesday , the united nations human rights office reported that six people have been killed by security forces in daraa since friday , calling for an independent , transparent and effective investigation into these killings . ' the use of excessive force constitutes a clear violation of international law , which provides for individual criminal responsibility for violations committed , ' said rupert colville , spokesman for the u.n. office of the high commissioner for human rights . people have the legitimate right to express their grievances and demands to their government , and we urge the syrian government to enter into a broad , meaningful dialogue with the protesters in an attempt to address those grievances , ' he said . cnn 's tim lister and amir ahmed contributed to this report | president al-assad fires the head of government in daraa , where protests are occurring |
valhalla <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rory mcilroy battled back from a poor start to claim his second straight major title in the fading gloom of valhalla sunday with a one-shot victory over phil mickelson in the pga championship . in near pitch darkness , the 25-year old from northern ireland parred the final hole for a three-under 68 to finish on 16-under 268 and deny american veteran mickelson his sixth major title at 44 years of age . mcilroy was winning the wanamaker trophy for the second time and his fourth major , consolidating his status as world number one . the overnight leader trailed rickie fowler by three shots as he turned for his back nine but rekindled his hopes with a stunning eagle on the par-five 10th to go 14-under . but up ahead , fowler was joined on 15-under by playing partner mickelson and sweden 's henrik stenson , who was also making a tremendous last round charge . mcilroy , bidding for his third straight victory after his british open and wgc-bridgestone titles , refused to be daunted and a birdie on the 13th saw him draw level . first stenson , then fowler and mickelson dropped shots to go back to 14-under and when mcilroy birdied the 17th he led by two playing the last . with the light fading fast , fowler and mickelson agreed to let mcilroy and his last day partner bernd wiesberger of austria to also hit their tee shots on the 18th , effectively playing it as a fourball . mcilroy nearly found the water with his drive and had to settle for his par , while mickelson made his birdie to edge ahead of fowler and stenson into second place . american pair jim furyk and ryan palmer finished on 12-under in joint fifth . mcilroy thanked mickelson and fowler for their sportsmanship as he accepted the trophy and said there was never any doubt in his mind he would finish the job sunday . i wanted to win this thing and get out of here , ' he said . his latest triumph completed a remarkable run for mcilroy , who had endured a difficult 2013 after first pga championship success two years ago . i 'd never dreamed i 'd have a summer like this , ' he admitted . only the u.s. masters title now eludes mcilroy to complete a full set of the majors and he will surely focus his efforts on the 2015 edition at augusta in search of a hat-trick of successes at golf 's highest level . | rory mcilroy wins pga championship at valhalla |
lady gaga <tsp> ( cnn ) -- christian groups in the philippines planned to protest lady gaga 's performances there monday and tuesday , just after muslim protests have cast doubt whether she will be allowed to perform in indonesia . this protest is not against lady gaga as a person but on her music and on how she declares distorted views about the lord jesus christ , ' said reuben abante , bishop of lighthouse bible baptist church and secretary-general of biblemode youth , which is leading the protests . reached by phone , abante said he expected a couple thousand protesters outside the manila venue , mall of asia arena , monday night for a grand prayer rally before the concert . we are christian filipinos . she comes to our land . for us , this is something that should not be shown to the youth we have . ' his brother , the group 's president , is former congressman benny abante , himself a pastor . of particular offense to the group is the pop star 's song , judas , ' with lyrics like , whoa whoa i 'm in love with juda-as , jud-as , ' jesus is my virtue and judas is the demon i cling to i cling to . ' lady gaga 's filipino promoter , ovation productions , is run by renen de guia , who is described on the company 's website as a born-again christian . attempts to reach him were not successful . when asked if lady gaga 's concerts could contravene philippine laws , loretta ann p. rosales , chairwoman of the commission on human rights , replied in an email , the philippines is proud of the fact that we do indeed have one of the best bill of rights in our constitution that has the widest latitude as all other constitutional democracies in protecting freedom of thought , freedom of expression , freedom of religion . ' i have heard raves over her concert by filipinos who have watched her , ' she added . maybe i shall have a chance to enjoy her concert too one day . ' it is not the first time rosales and abante have faced off ; in 2006 , while both were in congress , abante had blocked passage of an anti-discrimination bill co-authored by rosales aimed at protecting lesbians , gays , bisexuals and transgenders . for lady gaga , the protests in the philippines are the latest in her problematic asian tour . her provocative lyrics and risquã© costumes have prompted conservative muslims in indonesia to call for the cancellation of her upcoming concert in jakarta . as of monday , her indonesian promoter , big daddy entertainment , was still trying to secure a permit , and the june 3 event was still on , according to its website . read more about the muslim protests against lady gaga when she opened her tour in seoul , south korea , last month , it was to concertgoers aged 18 and above after the korea media rating board banned the show for minors , even with an accompanying parent or guardian . at the heart of lady gaga 's born this way ' tour is her message to gay youth to embrace and accept their sexual identities . | lady gaga 's filipino promoter is run by a born-again christian |
occupy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the more familiar something looks , the less threatening it seems . this is why images of funny-looking college students marching up broadway or shirtless boys banging on drums comprise the bulk of the imagery we see of the occupy wall street movement . stockbrokers look on , police man the barricades and what appears to be a traditional protest movement carries on another day , week or month . but occupy is anything but a protest movement . that 's why it has been so hard for news agencies to express or even discern the demands ' of the growing legions of occupy participants around the nation , and even the world . just like pretty much everyone else on the planet , occupiers may want many things to happen and other things to stop , but the occupation is not about making demands . they do n't want anything from you , and there is nothing you can do to make them stop . that 's what makes occupy so very scary and so very promising . it is not a protest , but a prototype for a new way of living . now do n't get me wrong . the occupiers are not proposing a world in which we all live outside on pavement and sleep under tarps . most of us do not have the courage , stamina or fortitude to work as hard as these people are working , anyway . ( yes , they work hard . ) the urban survival camps they are setting up around the world are a bit more like showpieces , congresses and beta ' tests of ideas and behaviors the rest of us may soon be implementing in our communities , and in our own ways . the occupiers are actually forging a robust micro-society of working groups , each one developing new approaches -- or reviving old approaches -- to long-running problems . in just one example , occupy 's general assembly is a new , highly flexible approach to group discussion and consensus building . unlike parliamentary rules that promote debate , difference and decision , the general assembly forges consensus by stacking ' ideas and objections much in the fashion that computer programmers stack ' features . the whole thing is orchestrated through simple hand gestures ( think commodities exchange ) . elements in the stack are prioritized , and everyone gets a chance to speak . even after votes , exceptions and objections are incorporated as amendments . this is just one reason why occupiers seem incompatible with current ideas about policy demands or right vs. left . they are not interested in debate ( or what enlightenment philosophers called dialectic ' ) but consensus . they are working to upgrade that binary , winner-takes-all , 13th century political operating system . and like any software developer , they are learning to release early and release often . ' likewise , occupiers have embraced the internet access solutions of the free network foundation , who have erected freedom towers ' at the occupy sites in new york , austin and elsewhere through which people can access free , uncensored , authenticated wi-fi . as this technology scales to our own communities , what happens to corporate internet service providers is anyone 's guess . the occupiers have formed working groups to take on myriad social and economic issues , and their many occupation sites serve to test the approaches they come up with . one group is developing a complementary currency for use , initially , within the network of occupy communities . its efficacy will be tested and strengthened by occupiers providing one another with goods and services before it is rolled out to the world at large . another working group is pushing to have people withdraw their money from large corporate banks on november 5 and move it instead to local banks or cooperatively owned credit unions . whether or not we agree that anything at all in modern society needs to be changed , we must at least come to understand that the occupiers are not just another political movement , nor are they simply lazy kids looking for an excuse not to work . rather , they see the futility of attempting to use the tools of a competitive , winner-takes-all society for purposes that might better be served through the tools of mutual aid . this is not a game that someone wins , but rather a form of play that is successful the more people get to play , and the longer the game is kept going . they will succeed to the extent that the various models they are prototyping out on the pavement trickle up to those of us working on solutions from the comfort of our heated homes and offices . for as we come to embrace or even consider options such as local production and commerce , credit unions , unfettered access to communications technology and consensus-based democracy , we become occupiers ourselves . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of douglas rushkoff . | he says occupy 's camps are hardworking congresses with consensus-building approach |
occupy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the more familiar something looks , the less threatening it seems . this is why images of funny-looking college students marching up broadway or shirtless boys banging on drums comprise the bulk of the imagery we see of the occupy wall street movement . stockbrokers look on , police man the barricades and what appears to be a traditional protest movement carries on another day , week or month . but occupy is anything but a protest movement . that 's why it has been so hard for news agencies to express or even discern the demands ' of the growing legions of occupy participants around the nation , and even the world . just like pretty much everyone else on the planet , occupiers may want many things to happen and other things to stop , but the occupation is not about making demands . they do n't want anything from you , and there is nothing you can do to make them stop . that 's what makes occupy so very scary and so very promising . it is not a protest , but a prototype for a new way of living . now do n't get me wrong . the occupiers are not proposing a world in which we all live outside on pavement and sleep under tarps . most of us do not have the courage , stamina or fortitude to work as hard as these people are working , anyway . ( yes , they work hard . ) the urban survival camps they are setting up around the world are a bit more like showpieces , congresses and beta ' tests of ideas and behaviors the rest of us may soon be implementing in our communities , and in our own ways . the occupiers are actually forging a robust micro-society of working groups , each one developing new approaches -- or reviving old approaches -- to long-running problems . in just one example , occupy 's general assembly is a new , highly flexible approach to group discussion and consensus building . unlike parliamentary rules that promote debate , difference and decision , the general assembly forges consensus by stacking ' ideas and objections much in the fashion that computer programmers stack ' features . the whole thing is orchestrated through simple hand gestures ( think commodities exchange ) . elements in the stack are prioritized , and everyone gets a chance to speak . even after votes , exceptions and objections are incorporated as amendments . this is just one reason why occupiers seem incompatible with current ideas about policy demands or right vs. left . they are not interested in debate ( or what enlightenment philosophers called dialectic ' ) but consensus . they are working to upgrade that binary , winner-takes-all , 13th century political operating system . and like any software developer , they are learning to release early and release often . ' likewise , occupiers have embraced the internet access solutions of the free network foundation , who have erected freedom towers ' at the occupy sites in new york , austin and elsewhere through which people can access free , uncensored , authenticated wi-fi . as this technology scales to our own communities , what happens to corporate internet service providers is anyone 's guess . the occupiers have formed working groups to take on myriad social and economic issues , and their many occupation sites serve to test the approaches they come up with . one group is developing a complementary currency for use , initially , within the network of occupy communities . its efficacy will be tested and strengthened by occupiers providing one another with goods and services before it is rolled out to the world at large . another working group is pushing to have people withdraw their money from large corporate banks on november 5 and move it instead to local banks or cooperatively owned credit unions . whether or not we agree that anything at all in modern society needs to be changed , we must at least come to understand that the occupiers are not just another political movement , nor are they simply lazy kids looking for an excuse not to work . rather , they see the futility of attempting to use the tools of a competitive , winner-takes-all society for purposes that might better be served through the tools of mutual aid . this is not a game that someone wins , but rather a form of play that is successful the more people get to play , and the longer the game is kept going . they will succeed to the extent that the various models they are prototyping out on the pavement trickle up to those of us working on solutions from the comfort of our heated homes and offices . for as we come to embrace or even consider options such as local production and commerce , credit unions , unfettered access to communications technology and consensus-based democracy , we become occupiers ourselves . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of douglas rushkoff . | douglas rushkoff : occupy wall street not protest as much as protoype for new way of living |
occupy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the more familiar something looks , the less threatening it seems . this is why images of funny-looking college students marching up broadway or shirtless boys banging on drums comprise the bulk of the imagery we see of the occupy wall street movement . stockbrokers look on , police man the barricades and what appears to be a traditional protest movement carries on another day , week or month . but occupy is anything but a protest movement . that 's why it has been so hard for news agencies to express or even discern the demands ' of the growing legions of occupy participants around the nation , and even the world . just like pretty much everyone else on the planet , occupiers may want many things to happen and other things to stop , but the occupation is not about making demands . they do n't want anything from you , and there is nothing you can do to make them stop . that 's what makes occupy so very scary and so very promising . it is not a protest , but a prototype for a new way of living . now do n't get me wrong . the occupiers are not proposing a world in which we all live outside on pavement and sleep under tarps . most of us do not have the courage , stamina or fortitude to work as hard as these people are working , anyway . ( yes , they work hard . ) the urban survival camps they are setting up around the world are a bit more like showpieces , congresses and beta ' tests of ideas and behaviors the rest of us may soon be implementing in our communities , and in our own ways . the occupiers are actually forging a robust micro-society of working groups , each one developing new approaches -- or reviving old approaches -- to long-running problems . in just one example , occupy 's general assembly is a new , highly flexible approach to group discussion and consensus building . unlike parliamentary rules that promote debate , difference and decision , the general assembly forges consensus by stacking ' ideas and objections much in the fashion that computer programmers stack ' features . the whole thing is orchestrated through simple hand gestures ( think commodities exchange ) . elements in the stack are prioritized , and everyone gets a chance to speak . even after votes , exceptions and objections are incorporated as amendments . this is just one reason why occupiers seem incompatible with current ideas about policy demands or right vs. left . they are not interested in debate ( or what enlightenment philosophers called dialectic ' ) but consensus . they are working to upgrade that binary , winner-takes-all , 13th century political operating system . and like any software developer , they are learning to release early and release often . ' likewise , occupiers have embraced the internet access solutions of the free network foundation , who have erected freedom towers ' at the occupy sites in new york , austin and elsewhere through which people can access free , uncensored , authenticated wi-fi . as this technology scales to our own communities , what happens to corporate internet service providers is anyone 's guess . the occupiers have formed working groups to take on myriad social and economic issues , and their many occupation sites serve to test the approaches they come up with . one group is developing a complementary currency for use , initially , within the network of occupy communities . its efficacy will be tested and strengthened by occupiers providing one another with goods and services before it is rolled out to the world at large . another working group is pushing to have people withdraw their money from large corporate banks on november 5 and move it instead to local banks or cooperatively owned credit unions . whether or not we agree that anything at all in modern society needs to be changed , we must at least come to understand that the occupiers are not just another political movement , nor are they simply lazy kids looking for an excuse not to work . rather , they see the futility of attempting to use the tools of a competitive , winner-takes-all society for purposes that might better be served through the tools of mutual aid . this is not a game that someone wins , but rather a form of play that is successful the more people get to play , and the longer the game is kept going . they will succeed to the extent that the various models they are prototyping out on the pavement trickle up to those of us working on solutions from the comfort of our heated homes and offices . for as we come to embrace or even consider options such as local production and commerce , credit unions , unfettered access to communications technology and consensus-based democracy , we become occupiers ourselves . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of douglas rushkoff . | rushkoff : when we begin to considers occupy 's ideas , we become occupiers ' ourselves |
texas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an army green beret charged with trying to take explosives on an american airlines flight over the weekend told investigators he did n't realize he had c-4 in his carry-on bag , according to a criminal complaint . trey scott atwater , 30 , waived an initial court hearing tuesday and remains in jail . he was arrested saturday after transportation security administration screeners found the explosive material in his bag . according to the complaint , atwater told the fbi he is a demolitions expert with the army 's 7th special forces group and had recently returned from his third deployment to afghanistan . investigators said atwater explained it was his practice to carry at least two blocks of c-4 explosives on any operation . he added that when he packed his bags to leave afghanistan , he brought along the bag in question but had no recollection of there being any c-4 , ' the court document said . investigators said atwater told them he grabbed the bag to use as a carry-on when he traveled to midland , texas , for the holidays and put children 's items in it . the green beret told authorities he did n't see explosives in the main compartment of the bag and was surprised that the c-4 was in the bag when it was located ' by tsa screeners at midland international airport , according to the complaint . officials did not disclose the amount of explosives found . the court document says atwater had another run-in with airport security while leaving fayetteville , north carolina , on christmas eve en route to texas when a military smoke grenade was found in his bag . the smoke grenade was confiscated , and he was admonished before being allowed to continue on his trip , ' according to the criminal complaint . when asked about the earlier incident in fayetteville , the complaint said , atwater admitted it had happened but that he had forgotten to mention it ' during his initial interview with law enforcement after he was arrested in texas . law enforcement officials have said atwater was not involved with anything nefarious . one official also noted he was not carrying a detonator or an initiator and therefore it would not have been possible for the material to blow up . if convicted , atwater would face a maximum of 10 years in prison , according to daryl fields , a spokesman for the u.s. attorney 's office for the western district of texas . according to the pentagon , atwater carries the rank of sergeant first class and is based at fort bragg , north carolina . his service awards include the bronze star and the army commendation medal . cnn 's larry shaughnessy contributed to this report . | man in texas says he did n't know the c-4 was in his carry-on , a criminal complaint says |
kennedy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gov . david paterson had no intention of appointing caroline kennedy to fill the senate seat vacated by hillary clinton , a source close to the new york governor told cnn thursday . caroline kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for hillary clinton 's senate seat . the source told cnn that paterson did not think kennedy was ready for prime time , ' citing her efforts , at times awkward , to try to win the appointment . she clearly has no policy experience and could n't handle the pressure , ' said the source , who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation . why would he pick her given how badly she handled herself in recent weeks ? ' kennedy , 51 , cited personal reasons for her decision not to continue pursuing the senate seat . she informed the media at midnight , as wednesday turned to thursday . paterson is charged with naming a replacement for clinton , who resigned her seat to become the secretary of state in president obama 's administration . paterson will appoint someone to hold the seat until a new election is held in 2010 . a kennedy ally , though , denied kennedy had any indication paterson was leaning against choosing her to fill out clinton 's term . and another kennedy confidante said kennedy allies are getting frustrated about what they perceive as the governor 's insiders slighting her . paterson , who is expected to name his choice friday , has been coy about who he will pick to replace clinton . kennedy had been very public in expressing her interest in the seat by meeting with state and community leaders throughout the state . her uncle , sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts , was rushed to the hospital on tuesday following obama 's swearing-in ceremony . but an aide to caroline kennedy indicated sen. kennedy 's health was not the reason she decided to withdraw . by early thursday afternoon , there was still confusion over how and why kennedy withdrew her name from consideration . the source close to the governor told cnn that kennedy initially called paterson in the afternoon to tell him that she was feeling unsure about her candidacy ' and asked him for 24 hours to think about it . ' a kennedy aide said that during the call with the governor , it was paterson who told her to take more time to think about her decision . later wednesday evening , the governor started getting phone calls from the media saying they heard she had withdrawn . at around 11 p.m . et , the source close to the governor said kennedy called paterson and said she was issuing a statement saying she was in the race . ' one hour later , the source said kennedy issued a statement withdrawing from the race . paterson 's office finally addressed the matter late thursday afternoon in a prepared statement . last night caroline kennedy informed the governor that she was withdrawing her name from consideration for an appointment to the united states senate for personal reasons , ' paterson 's office said . this decision was hers alone . ' paterson 's office acknowledged the wednesday afternoon conversation between the governor and kennedy , but did not divulge what was said . out of respect for her decision making process , the governor 's office did not respond to any inquiries in order to allow her time to deliberate , ' paterson 's office said in the statement . the governor considers caroline a friend and knows she will continue to serve new york well inside or outside of government . we wish her well in all her future endeavors . ' paterson 's office also noted that he is now entering the final phase of his selection process . ' kennedy was widely considered the front-runner to replace clinton , who won the new york senate seat in 2000 , and almost all of the buzz about a replacement centered around her . but as the weeks dragged on , polling showed her popularity among new yorkers dwindling . a poll earlier this month suggested new yorkers preferred attorney general andrew cuomo , son of former new york gov . mario cuomo , to kennedy , with 31 percent of respondents favoring cuomo and 24 percent preferring kennedy . however , celebrity magazines and cocktail party chatter do n't build support for senators , ' democratic national committeeman and cnn contributor robert zimmerman said thursday . zimmerman was one of the first new york democrats to say kennedy would n't get the senate seat and that paterson would n't bow to pressure . her handlers did n't demonstrate they had a real plan of action , ' he said thursday . the disorganized way she dropped out was reflective of the very disorganized campaign she pursued in seeking the senate seat , ' he added . new york reps. carolyn maloney , kirsten gillibrand and steve israel have also been mentioned as possible replacements for clinton . all three drew single-digit support in the january poll . paterson 's office also said the governor had not obtained any information during the selection process that might prompt a candidate to withdraw . there has been much speculation as to why kennedy , a member of obama 's vice presidential search committee , withdrew her name . despite the governor 's public statement , a source close to paterson told cnn that kennedy did have potentially embarrassing issues including problems with her taxes and with her nanny . people who move in new york political circles were buzzing thursday about the endless finger pointing between people loyal to paterson and those loyal to kennedy . contacted by cnn to address the allegations of problems with taxes and a nanny , kennedy 's spokesman stefan friedman said in a prepared statement : caroline kennedy withdrew her name for consideration from the united states senate for personal reasons . any statements to the contrary are false . the governor set up a fair and deliberative selection process . this kind of mudslinging demeans that process and all those involved . ' | kennedy cites personal reasons ' for pulling out of contention |
kennedy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gov . david paterson had no intention of appointing caroline kennedy to fill the senate seat vacated by hillary clinton , a source close to the new york governor told cnn thursday . caroline kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for hillary clinton 's senate seat . the source told cnn that paterson did not think kennedy was ready for prime time , ' citing her efforts , at times awkward , to try to win the appointment . she clearly has no policy experience and could n't handle the pressure , ' said the source , who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation . why would he pick her given how badly she handled herself in recent weeks ? ' kennedy , 51 , cited personal reasons for her decision not to continue pursuing the senate seat . she informed the media at midnight , as wednesday turned to thursday . paterson is charged with naming a replacement for clinton , who resigned her seat to become the secretary of state in president obama 's administration . paterson will appoint someone to hold the seat until a new election is held in 2010 . a kennedy ally , though , denied kennedy had any indication paterson was leaning against choosing her to fill out clinton 's term . and another kennedy confidante said kennedy allies are getting frustrated about what they perceive as the governor 's insiders slighting her . paterson , who is expected to name his choice friday , has been coy about who he will pick to replace clinton . kennedy had been very public in expressing her interest in the seat by meeting with state and community leaders throughout the state . her uncle , sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts , was rushed to the hospital on tuesday following obama 's swearing-in ceremony . but an aide to caroline kennedy indicated sen. kennedy 's health was not the reason she decided to withdraw . by early thursday afternoon , there was still confusion over how and why kennedy withdrew her name from consideration . the source close to the governor told cnn that kennedy initially called paterson in the afternoon to tell him that she was feeling unsure about her candidacy ' and asked him for 24 hours to think about it . ' a kennedy aide said that during the call with the governor , it was paterson who told her to take more time to think about her decision . later wednesday evening , the governor started getting phone calls from the media saying they heard she had withdrawn . at around 11 p.m . et , the source close to the governor said kennedy called paterson and said she was issuing a statement saying she was in the race . ' one hour later , the source said kennedy issued a statement withdrawing from the race . paterson 's office finally addressed the matter late thursday afternoon in a prepared statement . last night caroline kennedy informed the governor that she was withdrawing her name from consideration for an appointment to the united states senate for personal reasons , ' paterson 's office said . this decision was hers alone . ' paterson 's office acknowledged the wednesday afternoon conversation between the governor and kennedy , but did not divulge what was said . out of respect for her decision making process , the governor 's office did not respond to any inquiries in order to allow her time to deliberate , ' paterson 's office said in the statement . the governor considers caroline a friend and knows she will continue to serve new york well inside or outside of government . we wish her well in all her future endeavors . ' paterson 's office also noted that he is now entering the final phase of his selection process . ' kennedy was widely considered the front-runner to replace clinton , who won the new york senate seat in 2000 , and almost all of the buzz about a replacement centered around her . but as the weeks dragged on , polling showed her popularity among new yorkers dwindling . a poll earlier this month suggested new yorkers preferred attorney general andrew cuomo , son of former new york gov . mario cuomo , to kennedy , with 31 percent of respondents favoring cuomo and 24 percent preferring kennedy . however , celebrity magazines and cocktail party chatter do n't build support for senators , ' democratic national committeeman and cnn contributor robert zimmerman said thursday . zimmerman was one of the first new york democrats to say kennedy would n't get the senate seat and that paterson would n't bow to pressure . her handlers did n't demonstrate they had a real plan of action , ' he said thursday . the disorganized way she dropped out was reflective of the very disorganized campaign she pursued in seeking the senate seat , ' he added . new york reps. carolyn maloney , kirsten gillibrand and steve israel have also been mentioned as possible replacements for clinton . all three drew single-digit support in the january poll . paterson 's office also said the governor had not obtained any information during the selection process that might prompt a candidate to withdraw . there has been much speculation as to why kennedy , a member of obama 's vice presidential search committee , withdrew her name . despite the governor 's public statement , a source close to paterson told cnn that kennedy did have potentially embarrassing issues including problems with her taxes and with her nanny . people who move in new york political circles were buzzing thursday about the endless finger pointing between people loyal to paterson and those loyal to kennedy . contacted by cnn to address the allegations of problems with taxes and a nanny , kennedy 's spokesman stefan friedman said in a prepared statement : caroline kennedy withdrew her name for consideration from the united states senate for personal reasons . any statements to the contrary are false . the governor set up a fair and deliberative selection process . this kind of mudslinging demeans that process and all those involved . ' | new : kennedy ally denies kennedy knew paterson was leaning away from her |
kennedy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gov . david paterson had no intention of appointing caroline kennedy to fill the senate seat vacated by hillary clinton , a source close to the new york governor told cnn thursday . caroline kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for hillary clinton 's senate seat . the source told cnn that paterson did not think kennedy was ready for prime time , ' citing her efforts , at times awkward , to try to win the appointment . she clearly has no policy experience and could n't handle the pressure , ' said the source , who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation . why would he pick her given how badly she handled herself in recent weeks ? ' kennedy , 51 , cited personal reasons for her decision not to continue pursuing the senate seat . she informed the media at midnight , as wednesday turned to thursday . paterson is charged with naming a replacement for clinton , who resigned her seat to become the secretary of state in president obama 's administration . paterson will appoint someone to hold the seat until a new election is held in 2010 . a kennedy ally , though , denied kennedy had any indication paterson was leaning against choosing her to fill out clinton 's term . and another kennedy confidante said kennedy allies are getting frustrated about what they perceive as the governor 's insiders slighting her . paterson , who is expected to name his choice friday , has been coy about who he will pick to replace clinton . kennedy had been very public in expressing her interest in the seat by meeting with state and community leaders throughout the state . her uncle , sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts , was rushed to the hospital on tuesday following obama 's swearing-in ceremony . but an aide to caroline kennedy indicated sen. kennedy 's health was not the reason she decided to withdraw . by early thursday afternoon , there was still confusion over how and why kennedy withdrew her name from consideration . the source close to the governor told cnn that kennedy initially called paterson in the afternoon to tell him that she was feeling unsure about her candidacy ' and asked him for 24 hours to think about it . ' a kennedy aide said that during the call with the governor , it was paterson who told her to take more time to think about her decision . later wednesday evening , the governor started getting phone calls from the media saying they heard she had withdrawn . at around 11 p.m . et , the source close to the governor said kennedy called paterson and said she was issuing a statement saying she was in the race . ' one hour later , the source said kennedy issued a statement withdrawing from the race . paterson 's office finally addressed the matter late thursday afternoon in a prepared statement . last night caroline kennedy informed the governor that she was withdrawing her name from consideration for an appointment to the united states senate for personal reasons , ' paterson 's office said . this decision was hers alone . ' paterson 's office acknowledged the wednesday afternoon conversation between the governor and kennedy , but did not divulge what was said . out of respect for her decision making process , the governor 's office did not respond to any inquiries in order to allow her time to deliberate , ' paterson 's office said in the statement . the governor considers caroline a friend and knows she will continue to serve new york well inside or outside of government . we wish her well in all her future endeavors . ' paterson 's office also noted that he is now entering the final phase of his selection process . ' kennedy was widely considered the front-runner to replace clinton , who won the new york senate seat in 2000 , and almost all of the buzz about a replacement centered around her . but as the weeks dragged on , polling showed her popularity among new yorkers dwindling . a poll earlier this month suggested new yorkers preferred attorney general andrew cuomo , son of former new york gov . mario cuomo , to kennedy , with 31 percent of respondents favoring cuomo and 24 percent preferring kennedy . however , celebrity magazines and cocktail party chatter do n't build support for senators , ' democratic national committeeman and cnn contributor robert zimmerman said thursday . zimmerman was one of the first new york democrats to say kennedy would n't get the senate seat and that paterson would n't bow to pressure . her handlers did n't demonstrate they had a real plan of action , ' he said thursday . the disorganized way she dropped out was reflective of the very disorganized campaign she pursued in seeking the senate seat , ' he added . new york reps. carolyn maloney , kirsten gillibrand and steve israel have also been mentioned as possible replacements for clinton . all three drew single-digit support in the january poll . paterson 's office also said the governor had not obtained any information during the selection process that might prompt a candidate to withdraw . there has been much speculation as to why kennedy , a member of obama 's vice presidential search committee , withdrew her name . despite the governor 's public statement , a source close to paterson told cnn that kennedy did have potentially embarrassing issues including problems with her taxes and with her nanny . people who move in new york political circles were buzzing thursday about the endless finger pointing between people loyal to paterson and those loyal to kennedy . contacted by cnn to address the allegations of problems with taxes and a nanny , kennedy 's spokesman stefan friedman said in a prepared statement : caroline kennedy withdrew her name for consideration from the united states senate for personal reasons . any statements to the contrary are false . the governor set up a fair and deliberative selection process . this kind of mudslinging demeans that process and all those involved . ' | new : kennedy had potential issues involving her taxes and her nanny , source says |
kennedy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gov . david paterson had no intention of appointing caroline kennedy to fill the senate seat vacated by hillary clinton , a source close to the new york governor told cnn thursday . caroline kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for hillary clinton 's senate seat . the source told cnn that paterson did not think kennedy was ready for prime time , ' citing her efforts , at times awkward , to try to win the appointment . she clearly has no policy experience and could n't handle the pressure , ' said the source , who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation . why would he pick her given how badly she handled herself in recent weeks ? ' kennedy , 51 , cited personal reasons for her decision not to continue pursuing the senate seat . she informed the media at midnight , as wednesday turned to thursday . paterson is charged with naming a replacement for clinton , who resigned her seat to become the secretary of state in president obama 's administration . paterson will appoint someone to hold the seat until a new election is held in 2010 . a kennedy ally , though , denied kennedy had any indication paterson was leaning against choosing her to fill out clinton 's term . and another kennedy confidante said kennedy allies are getting frustrated about what they perceive as the governor 's insiders slighting her . paterson , who is expected to name his choice friday , has been coy about who he will pick to replace clinton . kennedy had been very public in expressing her interest in the seat by meeting with state and community leaders throughout the state . her uncle , sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts , was rushed to the hospital on tuesday following obama 's swearing-in ceremony . but an aide to caroline kennedy indicated sen. kennedy 's health was not the reason she decided to withdraw . by early thursday afternoon , there was still confusion over how and why kennedy withdrew her name from consideration . the source close to the governor told cnn that kennedy initially called paterson in the afternoon to tell him that she was feeling unsure about her candidacy ' and asked him for 24 hours to think about it . ' a kennedy aide said that during the call with the governor , it was paterson who told her to take more time to think about her decision . later wednesday evening , the governor started getting phone calls from the media saying they heard she had withdrawn . at around 11 p.m . et , the source close to the governor said kennedy called paterson and said she was issuing a statement saying she was in the race . ' one hour later , the source said kennedy issued a statement withdrawing from the race . paterson 's office finally addressed the matter late thursday afternoon in a prepared statement . last night caroline kennedy informed the governor that she was withdrawing her name from consideration for an appointment to the united states senate for personal reasons , ' paterson 's office said . this decision was hers alone . ' paterson 's office acknowledged the wednesday afternoon conversation between the governor and kennedy , but did not divulge what was said . out of respect for her decision making process , the governor 's office did not respond to any inquiries in order to allow her time to deliberate , ' paterson 's office said in the statement . the governor considers caroline a friend and knows she will continue to serve new york well inside or outside of government . we wish her well in all her future endeavors . ' paterson 's office also noted that he is now entering the final phase of his selection process . ' kennedy was widely considered the front-runner to replace clinton , who won the new york senate seat in 2000 , and almost all of the buzz about a replacement centered around her . but as the weeks dragged on , polling showed her popularity among new yorkers dwindling . a poll earlier this month suggested new yorkers preferred attorney general andrew cuomo , son of former new york gov . mario cuomo , to kennedy , with 31 percent of respondents favoring cuomo and 24 percent preferring kennedy . however , celebrity magazines and cocktail party chatter do n't build support for senators , ' democratic national committeeman and cnn contributor robert zimmerman said thursday . zimmerman was one of the first new york democrats to say kennedy would n't get the senate seat and that paterson would n't bow to pressure . her handlers did n't demonstrate they had a real plan of action , ' he said thursday . the disorganized way she dropped out was reflective of the very disorganized campaign she pursued in seeking the senate seat , ' he added . new york reps. carolyn maloney , kirsten gillibrand and steve israel have also been mentioned as possible replacements for clinton . all three drew single-digit support in the january poll . paterson 's office also said the governor had not obtained any information during the selection process that might prompt a candidate to withdraw . there has been much speculation as to why kennedy , a member of obama 's vice presidential search committee , withdrew her name . despite the governor 's public statement , a source close to paterson told cnn that kennedy did have potentially embarrassing issues including problems with her taxes and with her nanny . people who move in new york political circles were buzzing thursday about the endless finger pointing between people loyal to paterson and those loyal to kennedy . contacted by cnn to address the allegations of problems with taxes and a nanny , kennedy 's spokesman stefan friedman said in a prepared statement : caroline kennedy withdrew her name for consideration from the united states senate for personal reasons . any statements to the contrary are false . the governor set up a fair and deliberative selection process . this kind of mudslinging demeans that process and all those involved . ' | new : source says gov . paterson did not think kennedy was ready for prime time ' |
kenny bayless <tsp> ( cnn ) tickets will go on sale after an agreement on allocation was reached for the may 2 fight between floyd mayweather and manny pacquiao . in what pacquiao 's promoter , bob arum , dubbed the fight of the century , ' disagreements have hampered the release of the tickets because of questions over how many tickets would be allocated to each fighter for the highly-anticipated las vegas event . there was a craze for tickets and under our agreement with mayweather promotions , we felt we were being deprived of our fair share of the tickets ( from ) the standpoint of number and location , ' arum told cnn . it was very , very important to my fighter manny pacquiao , to the philippines people ... manny has friends and family like you ca n't believe -- that will be in account for 800 or 900 tickets themselves . ' the cheapest tickets for the bout are priced at $ 1,500 but demand for the fight is such that some seats could fetch as much as $ 11,000 on the secondary market . kenny bayless has been named as the referee of next month 's fight between mayweather and pacquiao . the nevada state athletic commission said bayless , who has officiated more than 100 title contests , would take charge of the most anticipated bout in recent boxing history at the mgm grand . the 64-year-old nevada native , who has refereed five of mayweather 's bouts and seven of pacquiao 's , was described as the best referee out there ' by pacquiao 's trainer freddie roach . and nevada state athletic commission executive director robert bennett said : kenny knows the pressure , stress and responsibility . he 's efficient and effective , and has proven to be successful over a number of years working in las vegas and other parts of the world . he 's one of the best referees in the world . ' the commission also confirmed that three american judges -- dave moretti and burt clements of nevada and glenn feldman of connecticut -- had been appointed for the fight . i think we have the best judges , and kenny bayless is the best referee out there , ' roach said . i think he 's going to give us a fair fight . ' the welterweight world title fight is likely to smash all revenue records and become the richest bout in the sport 's history , eclipsing the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million viewers for mayweather 's fight against oscar de la hoya in 2007 . speaking when the bout was confirmed in february , pacquiao said : i am very happy that floyd mayweather and i can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years . they have waited long enough , and they deserve it . ' mayweather and pacquiao have been considered the best pound-for-pound boxers of their generation but a host of issues -- including differences over drug testing protocols as well as revenue splits and broadcaster conflicts -- have stopped the two from meeting in the ring . both are coming to the end of their careers and have established interests elsewhere . according to forbes , mayweather , 38 , is the highest paid athlete in world sport . pacquiao , who is 36 , has run for political office in his native philippines . | kenny bayless named as referee in mayweather-pacquiao 's bout , dubbed the fight of the century ' |
las vegas <tsp> ( cnn ) tickets will go on sale after an agreement on allocation was reached for the may 2 fight between floyd mayweather and manny pacquiao . in what pacquiao 's promoter , bob arum , dubbed the fight of the century , ' disagreements have hampered the release of the tickets because of questions over how many tickets would be allocated to each fighter for the highly-anticipated las vegas event . there was a craze for tickets and under our agreement with mayweather promotions , we felt we were being deprived of our fair share of the tickets ( from ) the standpoint of number and location , ' arum told cnn . it was very , very important to my fighter manny pacquiao , to the philippines people ... manny has friends and family like you ca n't believe -- that will be in account for 800 or 900 tickets themselves . ' the cheapest tickets for the bout are priced at $ 1,500 but demand for the fight is such that some seats could fetch as much as $ 11,000 on the secondary market . kenny bayless has been named as the referee of next month 's fight between mayweather and pacquiao . the nevada state athletic commission said bayless , who has officiated more than 100 title contests , would take charge of the most anticipated bout in recent boxing history at the mgm grand . the 64-year-old nevada native , who has refereed five of mayweather 's bouts and seven of pacquiao 's , was described as the best referee out there ' by pacquiao 's trainer freddie roach . and nevada state athletic commission executive director robert bennett said : kenny knows the pressure , stress and responsibility . he 's efficient and effective , and has proven to be successful over a number of years working in las vegas and other parts of the world . he 's one of the best referees in the world . ' the commission also confirmed that three american judges -- dave moretti and burt clements of nevada and glenn feldman of connecticut -- had been appointed for the fight . i think we have the best judges , and kenny bayless is the best referee out there , ' roach said . i think he 's going to give us a fair fight . ' the welterweight world title fight is likely to smash all revenue records and become the richest bout in the sport 's history , eclipsing the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million viewers for mayweather 's fight against oscar de la hoya in 2007 . speaking when the bout was confirmed in february , pacquiao said : i am very happy that floyd mayweather and i can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years . they have waited long enough , and they deserve it . ' mayweather and pacquiao have been considered the best pound-for-pound boxers of their generation but a host of issues -- including differences over drug testing protocols as well as revenue splits and broadcaster conflicts -- have stopped the two from meeting in the ring . both are coming to the end of their careers and have established interests elsewhere . according to forbes , mayweather , 38 , is the highest paid athlete in world sport . pacquiao , who is 36 , has run for political office in his native philippines . | promoter : manny pacquiao 's has between 800 and 900 friends who want tickets to historic las vegas clash |
manny pacquiao <tsp> ( cnn ) tickets will go on sale after an agreement on allocation was reached for the may 2 fight between floyd mayweather and manny pacquiao . in what pacquiao 's promoter , bob arum , dubbed the fight of the century , ' disagreements have hampered the release of the tickets because of questions over how many tickets would be allocated to each fighter for the highly-anticipated las vegas event . there was a craze for tickets and under our agreement with mayweather promotions , we felt we were being deprived of our fair share of the tickets ( from ) the standpoint of number and location , ' arum told cnn . it was very , very important to my fighter manny pacquiao , to the philippines people ... manny has friends and family like you ca n't believe -- that will be in account for 800 or 900 tickets themselves . ' the cheapest tickets for the bout are priced at $ 1,500 but demand for the fight is such that some seats could fetch as much as $ 11,000 on the secondary market . kenny bayless has been named as the referee of next month 's fight between mayweather and pacquiao . the nevada state athletic commission said bayless , who has officiated more than 100 title contests , would take charge of the most anticipated bout in recent boxing history at the mgm grand . the 64-year-old nevada native , who has refereed five of mayweather 's bouts and seven of pacquiao 's , was described as the best referee out there ' by pacquiao 's trainer freddie roach . and nevada state athletic commission executive director robert bennett said : kenny knows the pressure , stress and responsibility . he 's efficient and effective , and has proven to be successful over a number of years working in las vegas and other parts of the world . he 's one of the best referees in the world . ' the commission also confirmed that three american judges -- dave moretti and burt clements of nevada and glenn feldman of connecticut -- had been appointed for the fight . i think we have the best judges , and kenny bayless is the best referee out there , ' roach said . i think he 's going to give us a fair fight . ' the welterweight world title fight is likely to smash all revenue records and become the richest bout in the sport 's history , eclipsing the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million viewers for mayweather 's fight against oscar de la hoya in 2007 . speaking when the bout was confirmed in february , pacquiao said : i am very happy that floyd mayweather and i can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years . they have waited long enough , and they deserve it . ' mayweather and pacquiao have been considered the best pound-for-pound boxers of their generation but a host of issues -- including differences over drug testing protocols as well as revenue splits and broadcaster conflicts -- have stopped the two from meeting in the ring . both are coming to the end of their careers and have established interests elsewhere . according to forbes , mayweather , 38 , is the highest paid athlete in world sport . pacquiao , who is 36 , has run for political office in his native philippines . | promoter : manny pacquiao 's has between 800 and 900 friends who want tickets to historic las vegas clash |
clinton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nearly a decade has passed since bill clinton left the white house , but despite becoming a private citizen , the former president never left the public eye . former president clinton receives flowers from a girl tuesday upon landing in pyongyang , north korea . while much of his time has been devoted to global philanthropic interests and speeches , clinton has never strayed too far from the campaign trail and remains one of the world 's most recognizable statesmen . clinton , 62 , jumped back onto the world stage tuesday with an unannounced trip to north korea on a mission to negotiate the release of two imprisoned american journalists . north korean president kim jong il later pardoned and released the journalists . they were traveling back to the united states with clinton on tuesday night . the united states has no diplomatic relations with north korea . clinton arrived to a warm welcome in pyongyang . watch more on clinton 's north korea trip » there is a lot of nostalgia in pyongyang for his administration , when relations between north korea and the u.s. were stronger , said john glionna , the seoul , south korea , bureau chief for the los angeles times . well , i think most of the people that i talked to in washington earlier today were of the opinion that bill clinton is a big enough personality that would not risk the loss of face of him showing up in pyongyang and returning empty-handed , ' glionna said . clinton 's high profile has led critics to accuse him of upstaging his wife , secretary of state hillary clinton , especially when he was making headlines while campaigning for her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid . his first major verbal stumble during that campaign came in the run-up to the new hampshire primary when he told a crowd that then-candidate obama 's claim to have been an early and consistent opponent of the iraq war was the biggest fairy tale i 've ever seen . ' in the ensuing media uproar , many democratic activists -- african-americans in particular -- came to believe that the former president had belittled obama 's entire campaign effort . and while stumping for his wife in heavily black south carolina , he seemed to try to minimize the impact of an obama win by noting that the rev . jesse jackson also won the state in 1984 and 1988 but went on to lose both nominations by wide margins . critics accused the former president of trying to peel off obama 's white supporters by marginalizing him as the black candidate . clinton 's hesitancy to back obama once he locked in the democratic nomination also fueled the storyline of the clinton-obama riffs . but in a high-drama moment last year at the democratic national convention , both clintons announced their wholehearted support for their party 's nominee . bill clinton 's name was tossed around as a possible pick to fill his wife 's vacant senate seat after she was selected as secretary of state . his name comes up in discussions of possible supreme court picks that obama might have the opportunity to make . before his wife 's presidential campaign , clinton focused most of his efforts on the william j. clinton foundation . the foundation 's projects include the clinton global initiative , which seeks to combat poverty and climate change and promote health and education programs worldwide as well as separate initiatives directed at childhood obesity , global warming , hiv/aids and malaria , inner-city entrepreneurship and economic growth in latin america . it also funded the construction of the clinton presidential library in little rock , arkansas . the foundation boasts more than 800 staff and volunteers around the world . in his post-presidency , clinton also has shared the stage with former president george h.w . bush on numerous occasions . the two teamed up to establish the bush-clinton katrina fund and bush-clinton tsunami fund . they toured the tsunami-ravaged areas following the 2004 disaster , and they teamed up again the following year to lead relief efforts in the aftermath of hurricane katrina . clinton also has taken time to author a couple of best-selling books . his 2004 memoir , my life , ' sold more than 400,000 copies the first day it was available . later that year , clinton underwent heart bypass surgery after experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath . a biting vanity fair article published last summer suggested that clinton 's surgery left him in an altered state of mind -- one marked by constant anger and rage . the clinton campaign hit back , saying that theory is false and is flatly rejected by president clinton 's doctors who say he is in excellent shape and point to his vigorous schedule as evidence of his exceptional recovery . ' in a sharp critique of the article , clinton spokesman also criticized todd purdum , national editor of vanity fair , for not giving enough attention to the former president 's charitable works through his foundation since leaving the white house . most revealing is one simple fact : president clinton has helped save the lives of more than 1,300,000 people in his post-presidency , and vanity fair could n't find the time to talk to even one of them for comment , ' spokesman jay carson said . while the 42nd president 's image has gotten a few bruises over the years , clinton has held on to his reputation as a master politician with a penchant for making news . cnn 's kristi keck and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | clinton also has authored books , teamed up for charity with george h.w . bush |
clinton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nearly a decade has passed since bill clinton left the white house , but despite becoming a private citizen , the former president never left the public eye . former president clinton receives flowers from a girl tuesday upon landing in pyongyang , north korea . while much of his time has been devoted to global philanthropic interests and speeches , clinton has never strayed too far from the campaign trail and remains one of the world 's most recognizable statesmen . clinton , 62 , jumped back onto the world stage tuesday with an unannounced trip to north korea on a mission to negotiate the release of two imprisoned american journalists . north korean president kim jong il later pardoned and released the journalists . they were traveling back to the united states with clinton on tuesday night . the united states has no diplomatic relations with north korea . clinton arrived to a warm welcome in pyongyang . watch more on clinton 's north korea trip » there is a lot of nostalgia in pyongyang for his administration , when relations between north korea and the u.s. were stronger , said john glionna , the seoul , south korea , bureau chief for the los angeles times . well , i think most of the people that i talked to in washington earlier today were of the opinion that bill clinton is a big enough personality that would not risk the loss of face of him showing up in pyongyang and returning empty-handed , ' glionna said . clinton 's high profile has led critics to accuse him of upstaging his wife , secretary of state hillary clinton , especially when he was making headlines while campaigning for her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid . his first major verbal stumble during that campaign came in the run-up to the new hampshire primary when he told a crowd that then-candidate obama 's claim to have been an early and consistent opponent of the iraq war was the biggest fairy tale i 've ever seen . ' in the ensuing media uproar , many democratic activists -- african-americans in particular -- came to believe that the former president had belittled obama 's entire campaign effort . and while stumping for his wife in heavily black south carolina , he seemed to try to minimize the impact of an obama win by noting that the rev . jesse jackson also won the state in 1984 and 1988 but went on to lose both nominations by wide margins . critics accused the former president of trying to peel off obama 's white supporters by marginalizing him as the black candidate . clinton 's hesitancy to back obama once he locked in the democratic nomination also fueled the storyline of the clinton-obama riffs . but in a high-drama moment last year at the democratic national convention , both clintons announced their wholehearted support for their party 's nominee . bill clinton 's name was tossed around as a possible pick to fill his wife 's vacant senate seat after she was selected as secretary of state . his name comes up in discussions of possible supreme court picks that obama might have the opportunity to make . before his wife 's presidential campaign , clinton focused most of his efforts on the william j. clinton foundation . the foundation 's projects include the clinton global initiative , which seeks to combat poverty and climate change and promote health and education programs worldwide as well as separate initiatives directed at childhood obesity , global warming , hiv/aids and malaria , inner-city entrepreneurship and economic growth in latin america . it also funded the construction of the clinton presidential library in little rock , arkansas . the foundation boasts more than 800 staff and volunteers around the world . in his post-presidency , clinton also has shared the stage with former president george h.w . bush on numerous occasions . the two teamed up to establish the bush-clinton katrina fund and bush-clinton tsunami fund . they toured the tsunami-ravaged areas following the 2004 disaster , and they teamed up again the following year to lead relief efforts in the aftermath of hurricane katrina . clinton also has taken time to author a couple of best-selling books . his 2004 memoir , my life , ' sold more than 400,000 copies the first day it was available . later that year , clinton underwent heart bypass surgery after experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath . a biting vanity fair article published last summer suggested that clinton 's surgery left him in an altered state of mind -- one marked by constant anger and rage . the clinton campaign hit back , saying that theory is false and is flatly rejected by president clinton 's doctors who say he is in excellent shape and point to his vigorous schedule as evidence of his exceptional recovery . ' in a sharp critique of the article , clinton spokesman also criticized todd purdum , national editor of vanity fair , for not giving enough attention to the former president 's charitable works through his foundation since leaving the white house . most revealing is one simple fact : president clinton has helped save the lives of more than 1,300,000 people in his post-presidency , and vanity fair could n't find the time to talk to even one of them for comment , ' spokesman jay carson said . while the 42nd president 's image has gotten a few bruises over the years , clinton has held on to his reputation as a master politician with a penchant for making news . cnn 's kristi keck and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | clinton has stayed involved in politics , sparking controversy in wife 's 2008 campaign |
clinton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nearly a decade has passed since bill clinton left the white house , but despite becoming a private citizen , the former president never left the public eye . former president clinton receives flowers from a girl tuesday upon landing in pyongyang , north korea . while much of his time has been devoted to global philanthropic interests and speeches , clinton has never strayed too far from the campaign trail and remains one of the world 's most recognizable statesmen . clinton , 62 , jumped back onto the world stage tuesday with an unannounced trip to north korea on a mission to negotiate the release of two imprisoned american journalists . north korean president kim jong il later pardoned and released the journalists . they were traveling back to the united states with clinton on tuesday night . the united states has no diplomatic relations with north korea . clinton arrived to a warm welcome in pyongyang . watch more on clinton 's north korea trip » there is a lot of nostalgia in pyongyang for his administration , when relations between north korea and the u.s. were stronger , said john glionna , the seoul , south korea , bureau chief for the los angeles times . well , i think most of the people that i talked to in washington earlier today were of the opinion that bill clinton is a big enough personality that would not risk the loss of face of him showing up in pyongyang and returning empty-handed , ' glionna said . clinton 's high profile has led critics to accuse him of upstaging his wife , secretary of state hillary clinton , especially when he was making headlines while campaigning for her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid . his first major verbal stumble during that campaign came in the run-up to the new hampshire primary when he told a crowd that then-candidate obama 's claim to have been an early and consistent opponent of the iraq war was the biggest fairy tale i 've ever seen . ' in the ensuing media uproar , many democratic activists -- african-americans in particular -- came to believe that the former president had belittled obama 's entire campaign effort . and while stumping for his wife in heavily black south carolina , he seemed to try to minimize the impact of an obama win by noting that the rev . jesse jackson also won the state in 1984 and 1988 but went on to lose both nominations by wide margins . critics accused the former president of trying to peel off obama 's white supporters by marginalizing him as the black candidate . clinton 's hesitancy to back obama once he locked in the democratic nomination also fueled the storyline of the clinton-obama riffs . but in a high-drama moment last year at the democratic national convention , both clintons announced their wholehearted support for their party 's nominee . bill clinton 's name was tossed around as a possible pick to fill his wife 's vacant senate seat after she was selected as secretary of state . his name comes up in discussions of possible supreme court picks that obama might have the opportunity to make . before his wife 's presidential campaign , clinton focused most of his efforts on the william j. clinton foundation . the foundation 's projects include the clinton global initiative , which seeks to combat poverty and climate change and promote health and education programs worldwide as well as separate initiatives directed at childhood obesity , global warming , hiv/aids and malaria , inner-city entrepreneurship and economic growth in latin america . it also funded the construction of the clinton presidential library in little rock , arkansas . the foundation boasts more than 800 staff and volunteers around the world . in his post-presidency , clinton also has shared the stage with former president george h.w . bush on numerous occasions . the two teamed up to establish the bush-clinton katrina fund and bush-clinton tsunami fund . they toured the tsunami-ravaged areas following the 2004 disaster , and they teamed up again the following year to lead relief efforts in the aftermath of hurricane katrina . clinton also has taken time to author a couple of best-selling books . his 2004 memoir , my life , ' sold more than 400,000 copies the first day it was available . later that year , clinton underwent heart bypass surgery after experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath . a biting vanity fair article published last summer suggested that clinton 's surgery left him in an altered state of mind -- one marked by constant anger and rage . the clinton campaign hit back , saying that theory is false and is flatly rejected by president clinton 's doctors who say he is in excellent shape and point to his vigorous schedule as evidence of his exceptional recovery . ' in a sharp critique of the article , clinton spokesman also criticized todd purdum , national editor of vanity fair , for not giving enough attention to the former president 's charitable works through his foundation since leaving the white house . most revealing is one simple fact : president clinton has helped save the lives of more than 1,300,000 people in his post-presidency , and vanity fair could n't find the time to talk to even one of them for comment , ' spokesman jay carson said . while the 42nd president 's image has gotten a few bruises over the years , clinton has held on to his reputation as a master politician with a penchant for making news . cnn 's kristi keck and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | bill clinton has focused on philanthropic interests in post-presidency |
krusinski <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the sexual battery charge against an air force officer who had headed a military unit aimed at preventing sexual assaults was changed to assault and battery , his lawyer said thursday . lt. col. jeffrey krusinski , a 1994 graduate of the air force academy who served tours in iraq and afghanistan , was arrested in may for allegedly grabbing a woman 's buttocks and breasts in a parking lot in arlington county , virginia , near the pentagon . a police report said the unidentified woman fought off her assailant , who appeared intoxicated . speaking to media outside the arlington county courthouse thursday , krusinski 's attorney , barry coburn , pointed out that that while both charges are still categorized as misdemeanor charges , the change is quite significant . the other offense is not a sex offense and my own sense of this is the reason this matter became newsworthy in the first instance was given col. krusinski 's job responsibilities ( and ) he was initially charged with a sex offense , ' he said . after taking the position with the sexual assault prevention unit in february , krusinski underwent training aimed at preparing him for his duties , air force spokesman lt. col. john dorrian told cnn in may . dorrian said krusinski 's record was exemplary ' and contained nothing that would have precluded him from serving with the unit . krusinski served in iraq from november 2009 to may 2010 and in afghanistan from august 2011 to february 2012 , earning five non-combat medals during 19 years of service . in a written statement coburn distributed to media outside the courthouse , he expressed appreciation to prosecutors for their care and diligence ' used in this matter . charging decisions such as this one must be based on the facts and the law of each individual case , not on politics or the desire to have a'teachable moment'concerning issues such as sexual abuse in the military , ' coburn said . an alarming spike in sexual assault cases in the armed forces has brought the issue front and center , prompting both president barack obama and top military brass to vow change . the navy and marine corps will begin publishing their own versions of a sex offenders list as part of an effort to crack down on sexual assaults , cnn has learned . after his appearance thursday , krusinski made no comments to reporters outside the courthouse . he has been removed from his job leading a branch of the air force 's sexual assault prevention and response program . coburn said he anticipates that krusinski will plead not guilty when the case heads to trial . cnn 's barbara starr and larry shaughnessy contributed to this report . | krusinski headed a military unit aimed at preventing sexual assaults |
krusinski <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the sexual battery charge against an air force officer who had headed a military unit aimed at preventing sexual assaults was changed to assault and battery , his lawyer said thursday . lt. col. jeffrey krusinski , a 1994 graduate of the air force academy who served tours in iraq and afghanistan , was arrested in may for allegedly grabbing a woman 's buttocks and breasts in a parking lot in arlington county , virginia , near the pentagon . a police report said the unidentified woman fought off her assailant , who appeared intoxicated . speaking to media outside the arlington county courthouse thursday , krusinski 's attorney , barry coburn , pointed out that that while both charges are still categorized as misdemeanor charges , the change is quite significant . the other offense is not a sex offense and my own sense of this is the reason this matter became newsworthy in the first instance was given col. krusinski 's job responsibilities ( and ) he was initially charged with a sex offense , ' he said . after taking the position with the sexual assault prevention unit in february , krusinski underwent training aimed at preparing him for his duties , air force spokesman lt. col. john dorrian told cnn in may . dorrian said krusinski 's record was exemplary ' and contained nothing that would have precluded him from serving with the unit . krusinski served in iraq from november 2009 to may 2010 and in afghanistan from august 2011 to february 2012 , earning five non-combat medals during 19 years of service . in a written statement coburn distributed to media outside the courthouse , he expressed appreciation to prosecutors for their care and diligence ' used in this matter . charging decisions such as this one must be based on the facts and the law of each individual case , not on politics or the desire to have a'teachable moment'concerning issues such as sexual abuse in the military , ' coburn said . an alarming spike in sexual assault cases in the armed forces has brought the issue front and center , prompting both president barack obama and top military brass to vow change . the navy and marine corps will begin publishing their own versions of a sex offenders list as part of an effort to crack down on sexual assaults , cnn has learned . after his appearance thursday , krusinski made no comments to reporters outside the courthouse . he has been removed from his job leading a branch of the air force 's sexual assault prevention and response program . coburn said he anticipates that krusinski will plead not guilty when the case heads to trial . cnn 's barbara starr and larry shaughnessy contributed to this report . | air force lt. col. jeffrey krusinski was arrested in may |
southern california <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after more than eight hours of being kept at bay by severe weather and low visibility , helicopter rescue crews found a way to rescue four hikers stranded in a raging southern california creek and ferry them to a waiting ambulance . the ventura county sheriff 's helicopter was able to break through the weather system , and has successfully hoisted all four of them out , ' mike parker , a spokesman for the los angeles county sheriff 's department , told cnn 's new day sunday . ' it was a very very risky rescue . it was quite a remote area . there 's absolutely no lighting there at all . the only lighting that we had was our rescuers with flashlights on their helmets and the ones that they were holding , ' parker said . in the pitch black , it 's pretty difficult to find them . the creek was swollen and rising , and we were very concerned that they would be drowned where they were . ' the rescue happened around 3 a.m. ( 6 a.m . et ) . rising water , slippery surfaces and the sheer rock walls of the gorge made matters difficult , parker had said earlier . before the decisive helicopter navigated through the skies , rescuers in rafts had been inching ' across malibu creek in a high risk ' attempt to reach the four , parker said . earlier in the morning , the batteries in the hikers'cell phone had died , but they were able to communicate that they saw the beams from the rescuers'flashlights , even though the rescuers could not see the hikers . about an hour before the rescue , the malibu search and rescue helicopter made it through the foul weather that had delayed it and immediately spotted ' the hikers . they were about 200 yards upstream from the rescue team , parker tweeted . in messages sent before their cell phone batteries died , the hikers said they were cold but not injured , parker said . temperatures overnight in the malibu creek gorge were in the mid-40s , and rescuers were concerned that hypothermia might become an issue for the hikers , parker tweeted . the hikers , from long beach , were believed to be in their mid-20s , parker tweeted . 106 million in path of latest winter blast mandatory evacuation orders severe rain that soaked much of southern california has subsided in many los angeles suburbs , though residents of at least two communities remained under mandatory evacuation orders . authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order for monrovia early sunday , but others remained in effect for glendora and azusa , cnn affiliate ktla reported . so far , no deaths have been reported as a result of the rain . we 've got people still evacuated only because we expect those thunderstorms , those high-intensity , short duration type of rainstorms , ' glendora police chief timothy staab told cnn affiliate kcal saturday night . the hillsides are already soaked right now , and it may not take much to cause those mudslides to just come down out of the hills . ' the hills ca n't absorb water because so much vegetation was destroyed in wildfires and drought . walls of water have gushed into valleys below . they have spewed mud and debris into quiet residential streets , turning them into thick , brown creeks . these areas have the highest risk of being impacted by flooding/debris flows from rainfall due to the loss of vegetation from the foothills , ' the city of glendora said in a statement to kabc , also a cnn affiliate . little drought relief despite downpour the storms brought the first rains since the collapse of a powerful , persistent weather system that was keeping california parched , but they wo n't do much to alleviate the drought , according to the cnn weather center . a lot of the water is flowing out to sea , and the drought 's effects have been enormous . water reservoirs are running at minimum levels . cnn 's greg morrison and ben brumfield contributed to this report . | hikers rescued from swollen creek in southern california |
nigerian <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- africa is not a country , and africans generally do not live in trees or hunt game with spears . nor do they all walk around in the nude among lions and zebras . chinedu ezeamuzie shows some of his company 's web designs after an interview last week . african immigrants to the united states say cartoonish caricatures and a western media penchant for reporting on africa 's disease , hunger and war -- rather than the continent 's successes -- trivialize their cultures . they complain they have trouble dispelling the stereotypes once they arrive in the states . they concede , though , the myths run both ways and some say they were surprised to find their values more often aligned with those of white americans than african-americans . i have been laughed at because of my accent and asked all the ignorant questions , ' said ireporter ajah-aminata n'daw , 25 , of fall river , massachusetts . questions like : did i live on a tree ? roam the jungles naked ? have wild animals at home ? ' n'daw emigrated from dakar , senegal , in 2001 . she works in a hair-braiding salon and has met african-americans who share her values of hard work and family , but in most cases , we are raised differently , taught different values and held up to a different moral code . ' ireport : read why n'daw is not african-american gaddafi nkosi , 18 , recently graduated from the piney woods school , a historically african-american boarding school about 22 miles southeast of jackson , mississippi . he has since returned to pretoria , south africa , but recalled well the misnomers he faced in the u.s. ' i came down from south africa and so many people thought that maybe that 's a jungle or maybe i 'd go out chasing lions or something like that , ' he said . african , black students find common ground at mississippi school » nkosi 's american classmates acknowledge their misconceptions . cydney smith , 17 , of nashville , tennessee , said she once believed africa was populated with uncivilized tribes . ' raphael craig , 17 , of hyattsville , maryland , said the television misinformed him as well . before craig visited the continent in 2005 and 2006 , he thought of africans as half-naked , running around with tigers in the jungle , ' craig said , confessing he was unaware tigers roam only asia . but in ghana and nigeria , craig saw children playing the same games he and his siblings played . he saw many signs of modernity , including mercedes and other brands of cars found in the united states . ok , this country is running how we 're running , just two different schools , ' craig recalled thinking . it really opened my eyes to the point that everything you see on tv is not always the actual thing . ' if the western media are doing africans no favors , then the african media are also a disservice to african-americans because it portrays them as criminals , some immigrants say . sandi litia , 19 , a piney woods graduate from limulunga , zambia , said she was initially scared of african-americans because the african media show them wearing clothes like gangsters and killing each other . ' nkosi concurred that african media made it seem as if they were these aggressive people that did nothing constructive with their lives except occupy prison space . ' trying to fit in chinedu ezeamuzie , 21 , of athens , georgia , arrived in 2003 . he had spent the majority of his life in jabriya , kuwait , and came to the u.s. to pursue his education . the recent georgia tech graduate said he considers himself nigerian because his parents -- both from the village of uga -- instilled in their four children strong nigerian values of family , community , spirituality and self-betterment . test your africa knowledge with a quiz » in athens , ezeamuzie found his ideals at odds with those who shared his skin color at clarke central high school , his first stint in a public school . on his first day , he donned khakis , a button-down dress shirt and nice leather shoes . he caught the african-americans'attention upon stepping into the cafeteria , he said . they give me the look , ' he said . why is this guy dressed like the white folks , like the preppy guys ? ' ezeamuzie did n't understand why so few black students were in his advanced-placement classes . he did n't understand the de facto lunchroom segregation or the accusing glances he got for eating with white classmates . one classmate called him a traitor and asked , do you not like black people ? ' my whole life i had reaped benefits from being in different circles and bridging them , ' so he wanted to fit in , he said . ireport : what are the unique struggles of being african in america ? he found clothes akin to what he saw many african-americans wearing -- - baggy pants and an oversized t-shirt . he relaxed his british-trained tongue and tried out for the basketball team , the 6-foot-5 ezeamuzie said . ezeamuzie recalled finding himself more confused by his experience with some african-americans : why were they so cliquish ? why did they mock students for being intelligent ? why were they homophobic and bent on using the n-word ? why did every conversation seem to involve drugs , girls or materialism ? they kind of accepted me . they saw me a little differently , but i was thinking this is a very narrow mindset , ' ezeamuzie said . ezeamuzie and other africans say they feel african-americans too often dwell on slavery and the racism that has persisted for more than a century since the emancipation proclamation . we have all been tortured , ' said ireporter vera ezimora , 24 , a nigerian student living in baltimore , maryland . now that we are free , holding on to the sins of white men who have long died and gone to meet their maker is more torture than anything we have suffered . ' ireport : read about questions ezimora faced when she came to the u.s . values at core of misunderstanding ? martin mohammed , president of the u.s. african chamber of commerce , estimates there are 3 million african immigrants in the u.s. -- about twice the u.s. census bureau estimate . he has heard from numerous immigrants struggling to find commonalities with americans who share their skin color . mohammed emigrated from somalia in 1998 and is now naturalized . he considers himself african-american , but it does not mean that i have already assimilated into the culture . ' values and upbringings may lie at the center of the cultures'misunderstanding of each other , he said . many africans come to the u.s. to escape dire conditions such as poverty or civil war . their objectives are often advancing their education or finding good jobs , mohammed said . they also strive to reunite their families , or at least support them back home . remittances from the u.s. to africa total about $ 20 billion annually , according to the world bank . however , african immigrants find that education and good jobs elude their african-american brethren , and there is a perception that many african-american men are n't committed to supporting their families , mohammed said . the two cultures have much to teach each other -- especially politically and economically -- but they must accept they have something to learn . honestly , what we need to do is realize both cultures are important , ' mohammed said . myths thrive on ignorance ireporter emeka aniukwu , 35 , hails from ebenebe , nigeria , and said he has heard all the american misperceptions about africa , but the cure to ignorance is communication . he began dating sonya roberts , 25 , of austin , texas , shortly after he arrived in the u.s. in march 2005 . she taught him about african-american culture , and he taught her about nigeria . the couple married two years ago . talk to people , stop showing ugly face and do n't be shy about your accent , ' he advised african immigrants . most of the media coverage about africa is all about hunger , diseases and war , so what do you expect ? people are curious and just want to know , so calm down and educate them as much as you can . ' ireport : read why aniukwu loves africa-americans at piney woods , where about 35 of the 200 students emigrate from africa , the school 's president , reginald nichols , concurs that education is integral to understanding . he 's heard africans say the african-americans are aggressive , while the african-americans accuse africans of being reserved -- but the more they mingle the more they mesh , he said . you have the african students tell me that they have learned so much about standing up from the african-american students , and the african-american students said they 've learned how to simmer down , so it 's a wonderful thing , ' nichols said . mohammed , too , said he 'd like to see more african-americans dispelling myths about africa , which is increasingly important as africans in the u.s. begin wielding more economic influence . the chamber estimates african immigrants have about $ 50 billion in annual purchasing power . numbers from the university of georgia 's selig center of economic growth indicate the number is just behind the nation 's native american community , which had $ 61.8 billion in buying power last year . the entire african-american market was estimated at $ 913 billion and the hispanic market at $ 951 billion . history dictates that economic power precedes political power . mohammed said africans can learn much about politics from african-americans because of their level of influence in washington . ' i 'm also interested to the extent that the black population can play a role in solving global conflict . we can help these discussions around the globe , but we must begin here in the u.s.a. , ' he said . ireporter faraji goredenna , 53 , of layton , utah , said he encourages african-americans to learn more about africa and lend a hand to africans so they know america 's institutions and opportunities are open to them , too . ' ireport : read how goredenna embraces both cultures but he 'd like a symbiotic relationship , he said , explaining , we african-americans want to learn more about our history and culture as it exists in africa , but we have also created a culture for ourselves here that we ask our brothers and sisters from africa to respect . ' cnn 's jackie adams contributed to this report . | nigerian says he tried to act like african-americans to fit in , was still confused |
mccain <tsp> george w. bush went home to texas nearly six years ago , but the nation is still working through the contentious national security legacy he left behind . a hotly disputed senate report on the cia 's brutal interrogation tactics is tearing open barely healed political wounds first opened after the september 11 , 2001 , attacks . the report found cia tactics were more brutal than previously known and accused the agency of keeping the bush white house and congress in the dark about them . the questions raised by the intelligence committee 's document -- about how to wage a relentless war on terrorism within constitutional and moral constraints -- seem as intense as ever . and the debate is not nearing resolution . president barack obama came to power vowing to turn the page from bush-era terror policies , which he said flouted core american values . but three-quarters of the way through his own two-term presidency , he is still wrestling with the long shadow cast by the war on terror and the methods bush chose to fight it . and in some cases , obama is facing his own criticism for his approach to terrorism , including his decision to vastly expand a drone program bequeathed him by bush . the reaction of a deeply polarized congress to the long delayed senate intelligence committee report , not to mention fierce cia push back , shows how hard it will be to build any national consensus on the proper approach to a threat like terrorism . one of the strengths that makes america exceptional is our willingness to openly confront our past , face our imperfections , make changes and do better , ' obama said in a statement . rather than another reason to refight old arguments , i hope that today 's report can help us leave these techniques where they belong—in the past . ' obama banned enhanced interrogation techniques ' like water boarding and sleep deprivation , that were the subject of the report released tuesday , soon after taking office in 2009 .'old arguments' but resolving those old arguments ' is proving more difficult . the united states , for instance , has transferred prisoners to foreign governments that still employ harsh techniques . and obama faces questions about his own conduct in the campaign against terrorism , notably the drone expansion . that program , which utilizes drones armed with missiles to pursue terror suspects outside any sort of judicial process in foreign countries , has raised moral questions rivaling those about the torture program . sen. john mccain made the most passionate case against cia tactics many see as torture on tuesday . his remarks were particularly notable because obama defeated mccain in 2008 in an election that served as a rejection of bush 's national security leadership . what were the policies ? what was their purpose ? did they achieve it ? ' mccain , who suffered torture himself as a prisoner during the vietnam war , asked . did they make us safer ? less safe ? or did they make no difference ? what did they gain us ? what did they cost us ? ' he added : the american people need the answers to these questions . ' but as tuesday 's release of the majority report by democrats on the committee showed , those questions remain deeply divisive . it 's a pure political piece of crap , ' said the normally courtly utah gop sen. orrin hatch . florida republican sen. marco rubio accused the committee led by outgoing democratic chairwoman dianne feinstein of trying to embarrass the bush administration by publishing the report . republican sen. lindsey graham of south carolina said he had always believed that the cia tactics were counterproductive . but he said the obama administration , which has sought to try terror suspects in civilian courts , had gone far too far in repudiating bush-era methods . the policies the obama administration has employed , treat terrorists as common criminals , not enemy combatants , ' graham said in a statement . i 'm convinced their criminalization of the war is causing our nation to lose valued intelligence which can help protect our nation . ' acknowledgment of crimes some critics of the bush administration anti-terrorism strategy say the arguments will never be resolved without some public acknowledgment that crimes were committed . the justice department has twice investigated the issue of enhanced interrogations and decided against bringing charges against cia operatives who were under intense pressure to avoid additional attacks after september 11 . obama has also made a political decision that despite his belief enhanced interrogation compromised bedrock american values , he will not seek to dredge up the past by backing prosecution for cia officers opposed by crimes . but baher azmy , legal director of the center for constitutional rights , which represents some detainees at guantanamo bay , said the cia had used false claims to cover up monstrous crimes . ' we renew our demand for accountability for those individuals responsible for the cia torture program , ' azmy said in a statement . anthony romero , executive director of the american civil liberties union , called for a special prosecutor to hold the architects and perpetrators of the torture program ' accountable . this should be the beginning of a process , not the end . the report should shock president obama and congress into action , to make sure that torture and cruelty are never used again . ' but independent sen. angus king , who sits on the senate intelligence committee , told cnn that prosecutions are not really the point . ' i am less concerned about prosecutions than i am about — let's not let this happen again . ' senior officials have privately said that obama sees putting the war on terror onto a more sustainable footing as one of the key tasks of his presidency . we must define the nature and scope of this struggle , or else it will define us , ' obama said in a signature speech at the national defense university last year . obama 's unresolved questions but the president looks certain to hand many unresolved questions on how to combat terrorism to his successor , as bush passed them to him . obama has yet to honor a promise to close guantanamo bay , due to republican opposition and logistical issues about what to do with prisoners like confessed september 11 mastermind khalid shaikh mohammed . spurred by revelations from fugitive intelligence analyst edward snowden , obama has also put new constraints on the national security agency 's phone record and data trawling programs but declined to end them . and after pulling troops out of iraq and ending combat in afghanistan , the president will spend his last two years in office wrestling with a new front in the war on terror — isis in syria and iraq . there was no word on tuesday from the man back at the center of the debate : bush . but the former president told cnn 's candy crowley last week that the united states was fortunate to have men and women who work hard at the cia serving on our behalf . ' former vice president dick cheney — the architect of many bush war on terror policies -- told the new york times that claims that the cia acted unlawfully were a bunch of hooey . ' | mccain : the american people'need answers ' |
iraq <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the fbi did not participate in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists detained in guantanamo bay , afghanistan or iraq , said a justice department investigation released tuesday . an april 2007 photo shows a room at guantanamo bay that had been used for interrogations . the investigation also concluded that the bureau generally reported potentially illegal actions by the cia and defense department . in only a few instances ' did fbi agents use techniques that were not approved by fbi policies , according to the report by inspector general glenn fine . fine criticized the fbi for being slow in developing and distributing its interrogation policy to its interrogators . though the the fbi decided to avoid harsh techniques in august 2002 , the decision was not put in writing until 2004 , when the bureau also put in writing that the harsh techniques used by other agencies should be reported to fbi superiors . the 2002 decision by fbi director robert mueller was that the bureau would adhere to restrictions used in interrogations of detainees within the united states . those techniques prohibit coercion , abuse or threats . the policy is based on the belief that building a rapport with prisoners is the best way to gain intelligence , according to tuesday 's report . the fbi issued a statement saying it is gratified ' by the report 's findings , and mueller promised that the bureau will continue to use rapport-building techniques in interviews ' of detainees . the inspector general 's investigators interviewed almost all of the more than 1,000 fbi employees who were deployed to one or more military zones between 2001 and 2004 , the report said . the vast majority of the agents adhered to fbi policies and separated themselves from other agencies'interrogators who were using techniques that the fbi did n't approve of , the report said . the report listed a few incidents ' that clearly would not be permissible for fbi agents to use in the united states , ' including isolating a prisoner from human contact and participating in an interrogation in which detainees were given a'drink of water'in a forceful and inappropriate manner . ' it also listed incidents that were not clear violations of fbi policy ' but which should have raised questions . some agents participated in a program of subjecting detainees to frequent cell relocations , the report said . in another case , two agents joined in an interview in which a detainee 's hands and feet were short-chained ' close together for several hours , during which time the prisoner urinated on himself . fbi agents reported that non-fbi interrogators engaged in sleep deprivation or sleep disruption techniques , which include using bright lights , loud music and extreme temperatures to keep detainees awake or otherwise wear down their resistance . ' no fbi agents witnessed the abuses at abu ghraib , the u.s. army-operated baghdad correctional facility where some prisoners were physically and sexually abused , sparking outrage when photos of the abuse became public . however , the report said , an fbi agent said he witnessed a naked abu ghraib prisoner forced to roll between rows of cells . he did not report the incident because he did n't know whether it was an acceptable technique . the report also said fbi personnel did not witness the controversial waterboarding technique , which the cia has confirmed was used on three prisoners . the fbi protested when it witnessed techniques used by the military and the cia in questioning top terror suspects abu zubayda and yousef al-qarani , according to the report . in one instance , an agent objected to using a snarling dog to interrogate al-qarani . despite some criticism , the inspector general offered the fbi modest praise at the conclusion of his three-year investigation . we believe that while the fbi could have provided clearer guidance earlier , and while the fbi could have pressed harder for resolution of concerns about detainee treatment by other agencies , the fbi should be credited for its conduct and professionalism in detainee interrogations in the military zones in guantanamo bay , afghanistan and iraq , and in generally avoiding participation in detainee abuse , ' the report concluded . the inspector general 's investigation did not quiet the fbi 's chief critics . the american civil liberties union said fbi leaders failed to uphold their obligation to bring an end to the abuse and application of illegal interrogation methods . ' rep. jerrold nadler , d-new york , chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the fbi , criticized then-attorney general john ashcroft and his deputy , larry thompson . nadler said fbi agents'objections to certain interrogation methods fell on deaf ears . ' the admirable actions taken by those brave fbi agents willing to speak out were undermined by those who led them , ' he said . | probe looked at interrogations at guantanamo bay , afghanistan , iraq |
justice department <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the fbi did not participate in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists detained in guantanamo bay , afghanistan or iraq , said a justice department investigation released tuesday . an april 2007 photo shows a room at guantanamo bay that had been used for interrogations . the investigation also concluded that the bureau generally reported potentially illegal actions by the cia and defense department . in only a few instances ' did fbi agents use techniques that were not approved by fbi policies , according to the report by inspector general glenn fine . fine criticized the fbi for being slow in developing and distributing its interrogation policy to its interrogators . though the the fbi decided to avoid harsh techniques in august 2002 , the decision was not put in writing until 2004 , when the bureau also put in writing that the harsh techniques used by other agencies should be reported to fbi superiors . the 2002 decision by fbi director robert mueller was that the bureau would adhere to restrictions used in interrogations of detainees within the united states . those techniques prohibit coercion , abuse or threats . the policy is based on the belief that building a rapport with prisoners is the best way to gain intelligence , according to tuesday 's report . the fbi issued a statement saying it is gratified ' by the report 's findings , and mueller promised that the bureau will continue to use rapport-building techniques in interviews ' of detainees . the inspector general 's investigators interviewed almost all of the more than 1,000 fbi employees who were deployed to one or more military zones between 2001 and 2004 , the report said . the vast majority of the agents adhered to fbi policies and separated themselves from other agencies'interrogators who were using techniques that the fbi did n't approve of , the report said . the report listed a few incidents ' that clearly would not be permissible for fbi agents to use in the united states , ' including isolating a prisoner from human contact and participating in an interrogation in which detainees were given a'drink of water'in a forceful and inappropriate manner . ' it also listed incidents that were not clear violations of fbi policy ' but which should have raised questions . some agents participated in a program of subjecting detainees to frequent cell relocations , the report said . in another case , two agents joined in an interview in which a detainee 's hands and feet were short-chained ' close together for several hours , during which time the prisoner urinated on himself . fbi agents reported that non-fbi interrogators engaged in sleep deprivation or sleep disruption techniques , which include using bright lights , loud music and extreme temperatures to keep detainees awake or otherwise wear down their resistance . ' no fbi agents witnessed the abuses at abu ghraib , the u.s. army-operated baghdad correctional facility where some prisoners were physically and sexually abused , sparking outrage when photos of the abuse became public . however , the report said , an fbi agent said he witnessed a naked abu ghraib prisoner forced to roll between rows of cells . he did not report the incident because he did n't know whether it was an acceptable technique . the report also said fbi personnel did not witness the controversial waterboarding technique , which the cia has confirmed was used on three prisoners . the fbi protested when it witnessed techniques used by the military and the cia in questioning top terror suspects abu zubayda and yousef al-qarani , according to the report . in one instance , an agent objected to using a snarling dog to interrogate al-qarani . despite some criticism , the inspector general offered the fbi modest praise at the conclusion of his three-year investigation . we believe that while the fbi could have provided clearer guidance earlier , and while the fbi could have pressed harder for resolution of concerns about detainee treatment by other agencies , the fbi should be credited for its conduct and professionalism in detainee interrogations in the military zones in guantanamo bay , afghanistan and iraq , and in generally avoiding participation in detainee abuse , ' the report concluded . the inspector general 's investigation did not quiet the fbi 's chief critics . the american civil liberties union said fbi leaders failed to uphold their obligation to bring an end to the abuse and application of illegal interrogation methods . ' rep. jerrold nadler , d-new york , chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the fbi , criticized then-attorney general john ashcroft and his deputy , larry thompson . nadler said fbi agents'objections to certain interrogation methods fell on deaf ears . ' the admirable actions taken by those brave fbi agents willing to speak out were undermined by those who led them , ' he said . | justice department investigation finds fbi generally acted responsibly |
fbi <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the fbi did not participate in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists detained in guantanamo bay , afghanistan or iraq , said a justice department investigation released tuesday . an april 2007 photo shows a room at guantanamo bay that had been used for interrogations . the investigation also concluded that the bureau generally reported potentially illegal actions by the cia and defense department . in only a few instances ' did fbi agents use techniques that were not approved by fbi policies , according to the report by inspector general glenn fine . fine criticized the fbi for being slow in developing and distributing its interrogation policy to its interrogators . though the the fbi decided to avoid harsh techniques in august 2002 , the decision was not put in writing until 2004 , when the bureau also put in writing that the harsh techniques used by other agencies should be reported to fbi superiors . the 2002 decision by fbi director robert mueller was that the bureau would adhere to restrictions used in interrogations of detainees within the united states . those techniques prohibit coercion , abuse or threats . the policy is based on the belief that building a rapport with prisoners is the best way to gain intelligence , according to tuesday 's report . the fbi issued a statement saying it is gratified ' by the report 's findings , and mueller promised that the bureau will continue to use rapport-building techniques in interviews ' of detainees . the inspector general 's investigators interviewed almost all of the more than 1,000 fbi employees who were deployed to one or more military zones between 2001 and 2004 , the report said . the vast majority of the agents adhered to fbi policies and separated themselves from other agencies'interrogators who were using techniques that the fbi did n't approve of , the report said . the report listed a few incidents ' that clearly would not be permissible for fbi agents to use in the united states , ' including isolating a prisoner from human contact and participating in an interrogation in which detainees were given a'drink of water'in a forceful and inappropriate manner . ' it also listed incidents that were not clear violations of fbi policy ' but which should have raised questions . some agents participated in a program of subjecting detainees to frequent cell relocations , the report said . in another case , two agents joined in an interview in which a detainee 's hands and feet were short-chained ' close together for several hours , during which time the prisoner urinated on himself . fbi agents reported that non-fbi interrogators engaged in sleep deprivation or sleep disruption techniques , which include using bright lights , loud music and extreme temperatures to keep detainees awake or otherwise wear down their resistance . ' no fbi agents witnessed the abuses at abu ghraib , the u.s. army-operated baghdad correctional facility where some prisoners were physically and sexually abused , sparking outrage when photos of the abuse became public . however , the report said , an fbi agent said he witnessed a naked abu ghraib prisoner forced to roll between rows of cells . he did not report the incident because he did n't know whether it was an acceptable technique . the report also said fbi personnel did not witness the controversial waterboarding technique , which the cia has confirmed was used on three prisoners . the fbi protested when it witnessed techniques used by the military and the cia in questioning top terror suspects abu zubayda and yousef al-qarani , according to the report . in one instance , an agent objected to using a snarling dog to interrogate al-qarani . despite some criticism , the inspector general offered the fbi modest praise at the conclusion of his three-year investigation . we believe that while the fbi could have provided clearer guidance earlier , and while the fbi could have pressed harder for resolution of concerns about detainee treatment by other agencies , the fbi should be credited for its conduct and professionalism in detainee interrogations in the military zones in guantanamo bay , afghanistan and iraq , and in generally avoiding participation in detainee abuse , ' the report concluded . the inspector general 's investigation did not quiet the fbi 's chief critics . the american civil liberties union said fbi leaders failed to uphold their obligation to bring an end to the abuse and application of illegal interrogation methods . ' rep. jerrold nadler , d-new york , chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the fbi , criticized then-attorney general john ashcroft and his deputy , larry thompson . nadler said fbi agents'objections to certain interrogation methods fell on deaf ears . ' the admirable actions taken by those brave fbi agents willing to speak out were undermined by those who led them , ' he said . | investigators find only a few instances ' of unapproved techniques by fbi |
fbi <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the fbi did not participate in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists detained in guantanamo bay , afghanistan or iraq , said a justice department investigation released tuesday . an april 2007 photo shows a room at guantanamo bay that had been used for interrogations . the investigation also concluded that the bureau generally reported potentially illegal actions by the cia and defense department . in only a few instances ' did fbi agents use techniques that were not approved by fbi policies , according to the report by inspector general glenn fine . fine criticized the fbi for being slow in developing and distributing its interrogation policy to its interrogators . though the the fbi decided to avoid harsh techniques in august 2002 , the decision was not put in writing until 2004 , when the bureau also put in writing that the harsh techniques used by other agencies should be reported to fbi superiors . the 2002 decision by fbi director robert mueller was that the bureau would adhere to restrictions used in interrogations of detainees within the united states . those techniques prohibit coercion , abuse or threats . the policy is based on the belief that building a rapport with prisoners is the best way to gain intelligence , according to tuesday 's report . the fbi issued a statement saying it is gratified ' by the report 's findings , and mueller promised that the bureau will continue to use rapport-building techniques in interviews ' of detainees . the inspector general 's investigators interviewed almost all of the more than 1,000 fbi employees who were deployed to one or more military zones between 2001 and 2004 , the report said . the vast majority of the agents adhered to fbi policies and separated themselves from other agencies'interrogators who were using techniques that the fbi did n't approve of , the report said . the report listed a few incidents ' that clearly would not be permissible for fbi agents to use in the united states , ' including isolating a prisoner from human contact and participating in an interrogation in which detainees were given a'drink of water'in a forceful and inappropriate manner . ' it also listed incidents that were not clear violations of fbi policy ' but which should have raised questions . some agents participated in a program of subjecting detainees to frequent cell relocations , the report said . in another case , two agents joined in an interview in which a detainee 's hands and feet were short-chained ' close together for several hours , during which time the prisoner urinated on himself . fbi agents reported that non-fbi interrogators engaged in sleep deprivation or sleep disruption techniques , which include using bright lights , loud music and extreme temperatures to keep detainees awake or otherwise wear down their resistance . ' no fbi agents witnessed the abuses at abu ghraib , the u.s. army-operated baghdad correctional facility where some prisoners were physically and sexually abused , sparking outrage when photos of the abuse became public . however , the report said , an fbi agent said he witnessed a naked abu ghraib prisoner forced to roll between rows of cells . he did not report the incident because he did n't know whether it was an acceptable technique . the report also said fbi personnel did not witness the controversial waterboarding technique , which the cia has confirmed was used on three prisoners . the fbi protested when it witnessed techniques used by the military and the cia in questioning top terror suspects abu zubayda and yousef al-qarani , according to the report . in one instance , an agent objected to using a snarling dog to interrogate al-qarani . despite some criticism , the inspector general offered the fbi modest praise at the conclusion of his three-year investigation . we believe that while the fbi could have provided clearer guidance earlier , and while the fbi could have pressed harder for resolution of concerns about detainee treatment by other agencies , the fbi should be credited for its conduct and professionalism in detainee interrogations in the military zones in guantanamo bay , afghanistan and iraq , and in generally avoiding participation in detainee abuse , ' the report concluded . the inspector general 's investigation did not quiet the fbi 's chief critics . the american civil liberties union said fbi leaders failed to uphold their obligation to bring an end to the abuse and application of illegal interrogation methods . ' rep. jerrold nadler , d-new york , chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the fbi , criticized then-attorney general john ashcroft and his deputy , larry thompson . nadler said fbi agents'objections to certain interrogation methods fell on deaf ears . ' the admirable actions taken by those brave fbi agents willing to speak out were undermined by those who led them , ' he said . | fbi could have provided clearer guidance earlier , ' report acknowledges |
fbi <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the fbi did not participate in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists detained in guantanamo bay , afghanistan or iraq , said a justice department investigation released tuesday . an april 2007 photo shows a room at guantanamo bay that had been used for interrogations . the investigation also concluded that the bureau generally reported potentially illegal actions by the cia and defense department . in only a few instances ' did fbi agents use techniques that were not approved by fbi policies , according to the report by inspector general glenn fine . fine criticized the fbi for being slow in developing and distributing its interrogation policy to its interrogators . though the the fbi decided to avoid harsh techniques in august 2002 , the decision was not put in writing until 2004 , when the bureau also put in writing that the harsh techniques used by other agencies should be reported to fbi superiors . the 2002 decision by fbi director robert mueller was that the bureau would adhere to restrictions used in interrogations of detainees within the united states . those techniques prohibit coercion , abuse or threats . the policy is based on the belief that building a rapport with prisoners is the best way to gain intelligence , according to tuesday 's report . the fbi issued a statement saying it is gratified ' by the report 's findings , and mueller promised that the bureau will continue to use rapport-building techniques in interviews ' of detainees . the inspector general 's investigators interviewed almost all of the more than 1,000 fbi employees who were deployed to one or more military zones between 2001 and 2004 , the report said . the vast majority of the agents adhered to fbi policies and separated themselves from other agencies'interrogators who were using techniques that the fbi did n't approve of , the report said . the report listed a few incidents ' that clearly would not be permissible for fbi agents to use in the united states , ' including isolating a prisoner from human contact and participating in an interrogation in which detainees were given a'drink of water'in a forceful and inappropriate manner . ' it also listed incidents that were not clear violations of fbi policy ' but which should have raised questions . some agents participated in a program of subjecting detainees to frequent cell relocations , the report said . in another case , two agents joined in an interview in which a detainee 's hands and feet were short-chained ' close together for several hours , during which time the prisoner urinated on himself . fbi agents reported that non-fbi interrogators engaged in sleep deprivation or sleep disruption techniques , which include using bright lights , loud music and extreme temperatures to keep detainees awake or otherwise wear down their resistance . ' no fbi agents witnessed the abuses at abu ghraib , the u.s. army-operated baghdad correctional facility where some prisoners were physically and sexually abused , sparking outrage when photos of the abuse became public . however , the report said , an fbi agent said he witnessed a naked abu ghraib prisoner forced to roll between rows of cells . he did not report the incident because he did n't know whether it was an acceptable technique . the report also said fbi personnel did not witness the controversial waterboarding technique , which the cia has confirmed was used on three prisoners . the fbi protested when it witnessed techniques used by the military and the cia in questioning top terror suspects abu zubayda and yousef al-qarani , according to the report . in one instance , an agent objected to using a snarling dog to interrogate al-qarani . despite some criticism , the inspector general offered the fbi modest praise at the conclusion of his three-year investigation . we believe that while the fbi could have provided clearer guidance earlier , and while the fbi could have pressed harder for resolution of concerns about detainee treatment by other agencies , the fbi should be credited for its conduct and professionalism in detainee interrogations in the military zones in guantanamo bay , afghanistan and iraq , and in generally avoiding participation in detainee abuse , ' the report concluded . the inspector general 's investigation did not quiet the fbi 's chief critics . the american civil liberties union said fbi leaders failed to uphold their obligation to bring an end to the abuse and application of illegal interrogation methods . ' rep. jerrold nadler , d-new york , chairman of a subcommittee that oversees the fbi , criticized then-attorney general john ashcroft and his deputy , larry thompson . nadler said fbi agents'objections to certain interrogation methods fell on deaf ears . ' the admirable actions taken by those brave fbi agents willing to speak out were undermined by those who led them , ' he said . | justice department investigation finds fbi generally acted responsibly |
assange <tsp> stockholm , sweden ( cnn ) -- wikileaks founder and editor julian assange said swedish authorities reached the height of irresponsibility ' by issuing an arrest warrant alleging rape against him , then revoking it less than a day later . it is clearly a smear campaign , ' assange told arabic news network al-jazeera in a live telephone interview sunday . ... the only question is , who was involved ? ' asked who he thinks was behind the accusations , assange told the network , we have some suspicions about who would benefit , but without direct evidence , i would not be willing to make a direct allegation . ' meanwhile , the swedish prosecution authority said in an update on its website that assange 's name was leaked to the media , and the authority -- which does not normally publish the names of suspects -- did not in this case initiate publication . ' however , the office did confirm assange 's identity and later published his name in statements about his arrest and the subsequent revocation . an arrest warrant was filed against assange in absentia on friday . swedish media , citing unnamed sources , reported that two women , ages 20 and 30 , reported the allegations to police , leading to the warrant being filed . the aftonbladet , a respected swedish daily , said the 30-year-old told the newspaper that the younger woman had approached her with a story similar to hers -- that she had consensual sex with assange but that the situation had turned abusive . karin rosander , a spokeswoman for the prosecutor 's office , would not confirm the reports . but on saturday , less than full day later , chief prosecutor eva finne said in a statement posted on the authority 's website that assange was no longer wanted ' and is not suspected of rape . ' the prosecution authority said on its website sunday , when ms. finne became in charge of the matter on saturday , she had more information than the first prosecutor had on friday night . decisions on coercive measures , like arrest , should constantly be re-evaluated during an investigation and must always be based on the actual information . ' the decision to appoint eva finne as prosecutor in charge was made on saturday , ' the authority said . under most circumstances the duty prosecutors on monday morning hand over all weekend matters to different prosecutors who will be in fully in charge of the investigations . ' however , serious crimes or high-profile matters can be handed over earlier to lessen the burden on the duty prosecutors , the posting said . the matter concerning mr. assange was judged as such a matter . ' rosander told cnn affiliate tv4 that the decision to issue the warrant was made by an on-call prosecutor ' and that finne revoked the warrant on saturday . such differences in prosecutorial judgment are common in sweden , she said . the arrest warrant also mentioned a molestation charge , but molestation -- which is not limited to child victims in sweden -- is not a crime punishable by jail time . rosander told tv4 assange is still under investigation for molestation . asked about that investigation by al-jazeera , assange -- who said he is on holiday in the north of sweden -- said , i have no details on what that is about . i can not imagine any event where that would be credible . ' he said he has not been contacted by swedish police , but has directed his attorney to contact them . assange told the network he was warned of an impending smear campaign . in a posting saturday on the wikileaks twitter page , assange said , the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing . ' asked if he had anything to tell swedish authorities , assange said he would ask that they be cautious and not issue statements and retract them six hours later ' given the seriousness of the situation . finne , the posting sunday said , will work with the investigation ' next week . at the moment , it is not possible to estimate when more information can be given or which decisions will be made . ' wikileaks has triggered controversy by recently posting some 76,000 u.s. documents related to the war in afghanistan . an elusive figure , assange reportedly lives part-time in sweden . he told the swedish newspaper svenska dagbladet last week that he had been in sweden because he wanted a safe-place to go after the high-profile document leak -- which has been called the biggest leak since the pentagon papers about the vietnam war . u.s. defense secretary robert gates criticized the leak , saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies , revealing techniques and procedures . and afghan president hamid karzai has expressed concern that the leaks will put informants'lives at risk . asked sunday by al-jazeera about karzai 's comment that he has blood on his hands , assange said it was extraordinary thing to hear , a comment like that , from a man like that , who has waded his whole life in blood . ' he pointed out that the pentagon has said it was not aware of anyone coming to harm because of the documents'release . another 15,000 documents are being reviewed and will be released soon , assange said . cnn 's per nyberg contributed to this report . | authorities said assange 's name was leaked to the media |
wikileaks <tsp> stockholm , sweden ( cnn ) -- wikileaks founder and editor julian assange said swedish authorities reached the height of irresponsibility ' by issuing an arrest warrant alleging rape against him , then revoking it less than a day later . it is clearly a smear campaign , ' assange told arabic news network al-jazeera in a live telephone interview sunday . ... the only question is , who was involved ? ' asked who he thinks was behind the accusations , assange told the network , we have some suspicions about who would benefit , but without direct evidence , i would not be willing to make a direct allegation . ' meanwhile , the swedish prosecution authority said in an update on its website that assange 's name was leaked to the media , and the authority -- which does not normally publish the names of suspects -- did not in this case initiate publication . ' however , the office did confirm assange 's identity and later published his name in statements about his arrest and the subsequent revocation . an arrest warrant was filed against assange in absentia on friday . swedish media , citing unnamed sources , reported that two women , ages 20 and 30 , reported the allegations to police , leading to the warrant being filed . the aftonbladet , a respected swedish daily , said the 30-year-old told the newspaper that the younger woman had approached her with a story similar to hers -- that she had consensual sex with assange but that the situation had turned abusive . karin rosander , a spokeswoman for the prosecutor 's office , would not confirm the reports . but on saturday , less than full day later , chief prosecutor eva finne said in a statement posted on the authority 's website that assange was no longer wanted ' and is not suspected of rape . ' the prosecution authority said on its website sunday , when ms. finne became in charge of the matter on saturday , she had more information than the first prosecutor had on friday night . decisions on coercive measures , like arrest , should constantly be re-evaluated during an investigation and must always be based on the actual information . ' the decision to appoint eva finne as prosecutor in charge was made on saturday , ' the authority said . under most circumstances the duty prosecutors on monday morning hand over all weekend matters to different prosecutors who will be in fully in charge of the investigations . ' however , serious crimes or high-profile matters can be handed over earlier to lessen the burden on the duty prosecutors , the posting said . the matter concerning mr. assange was judged as such a matter . ' rosander told cnn affiliate tv4 that the decision to issue the warrant was made by an on-call prosecutor ' and that finne revoked the warrant on saturday . such differences in prosecutorial judgment are common in sweden , she said . the arrest warrant also mentioned a molestation charge , but molestation -- which is not limited to child victims in sweden -- is not a crime punishable by jail time . rosander told tv4 assange is still under investigation for molestation . asked about that investigation by al-jazeera , assange -- who said he is on holiday in the north of sweden -- said , i have no details on what that is about . i can not imagine any event where that would be credible . ' he said he has not been contacted by swedish police , but has directed his attorney to contact them . assange told the network he was warned of an impending smear campaign . in a posting saturday on the wikileaks twitter page , assange said , the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing . ' asked if he had anything to tell swedish authorities , assange said he would ask that they be cautious and not issue statements and retract them six hours later ' given the seriousness of the situation . finne , the posting sunday said , will work with the investigation ' next week . at the moment , it is not possible to estimate when more information can be given or which decisions will be made . ' wikileaks has triggered controversy by recently posting some 76,000 u.s. documents related to the war in afghanistan . an elusive figure , assange reportedly lives part-time in sweden . he told the swedish newspaper svenska dagbladet last week that he had been in sweden because he wanted a safe-place to go after the high-profile document leak -- which has been called the biggest leak since the pentagon papers about the vietnam war . u.s. defense secretary robert gates criticized the leak , saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies , revealing techniques and procedures . and afghan president hamid karzai has expressed concern that the leaks will put informants'lives at risk . asked sunday by al-jazeera about karzai 's comment that he has blood on his hands , assange said it was extraordinary thing to hear , a comment like that , from a man like that , who has waded his whole life in blood . ' he pointed out that the pentagon has said it was not aware of anyone coming to harm because of the documents'release . another 15,000 documents are being reviewed and will be released soon , assange said . cnn 's per nyberg contributed to this report . | wikileaks is at the center of controversy after posting u.s. documents |
wikileaks <tsp> stockholm , sweden ( cnn ) -- wikileaks founder and editor julian assange said swedish authorities reached the height of irresponsibility ' by issuing an arrest warrant alleging rape against him , then revoking it less than a day later . it is clearly a smear campaign , ' assange told arabic news network al-jazeera in a live telephone interview sunday . ... the only question is , who was involved ? ' asked who he thinks was behind the accusations , assange told the network , we have some suspicions about who would benefit , but without direct evidence , i would not be willing to make a direct allegation . ' meanwhile , the swedish prosecution authority said in an update on its website that assange 's name was leaked to the media , and the authority -- which does not normally publish the names of suspects -- did not in this case initiate publication . ' however , the office did confirm assange 's identity and later published his name in statements about his arrest and the subsequent revocation . an arrest warrant was filed against assange in absentia on friday . swedish media , citing unnamed sources , reported that two women , ages 20 and 30 , reported the allegations to police , leading to the warrant being filed . the aftonbladet , a respected swedish daily , said the 30-year-old told the newspaper that the younger woman had approached her with a story similar to hers -- that she had consensual sex with assange but that the situation had turned abusive . karin rosander , a spokeswoman for the prosecutor 's office , would not confirm the reports . but on saturday , less than full day later , chief prosecutor eva finne said in a statement posted on the authority 's website that assange was no longer wanted ' and is not suspected of rape . ' the prosecution authority said on its website sunday , when ms. finne became in charge of the matter on saturday , she had more information than the first prosecutor had on friday night . decisions on coercive measures , like arrest , should constantly be re-evaluated during an investigation and must always be based on the actual information . ' the decision to appoint eva finne as prosecutor in charge was made on saturday , ' the authority said . under most circumstances the duty prosecutors on monday morning hand over all weekend matters to different prosecutors who will be in fully in charge of the investigations . ' however , serious crimes or high-profile matters can be handed over earlier to lessen the burden on the duty prosecutors , the posting said . the matter concerning mr. assange was judged as such a matter . ' rosander told cnn affiliate tv4 that the decision to issue the warrant was made by an on-call prosecutor ' and that finne revoked the warrant on saturday . such differences in prosecutorial judgment are common in sweden , she said . the arrest warrant also mentioned a molestation charge , but molestation -- which is not limited to child victims in sweden -- is not a crime punishable by jail time . rosander told tv4 assange is still under investigation for molestation . asked about that investigation by al-jazeera , assange -- who said he is on holiday in the north of sweden -- said , i have no details on what that is about . i can not imagine any event where that would be credible . ' he said he has not been contacted by swedish police , but has directed his attorney to contact them . assange told the network he was warned of an impending smear campaign . in a posting saturday on the wikileaks twitter page , assange said , the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing . ' asked if he had anything to tell swedish authorities , assange said he would ask that they be cautious and not issue statements and retract them six hours later ' given the seriousness of the situation . finne , the posting sunday said , will work with the investigation ' next week . at the moment , it is not possible to estimate when more information can be given or which decisions will be made . ' wikileaks has triggered controversy by recently posting some 76,000 u.s. documents related to the war in afghanistan . an elusive figure , assange reportedly lives part-time in sweden . he told the swedish newspaper svenska dagbladet last week that he had been in sweden because he wanted a safe-place to go after the high-profile document leak -- which has been called the biggest leak since the pentagon papers about the vietnam war . u.s. defense secretary robert gates criticized the leak , saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies , revealing techniques and procedures . and afghan president hamid karzai has expressed concern that the leaks will put informants'lives at risk . asked sunday by al-jazeera about karzai 's comment that he has blood on his hands , assange said it was extraordinary thing to hear , a comment like that , from a man like that , who has waded his whole life in blood . ' he pointed out that the pentagon has said it was not aware of anyone coming to harm because of the documents'release . another 15,000 documents are being reviewed and will be released soon , assange said . cnn 's per nyberg contributed to this report . | wikileaks founder wo n't say who he thinks is behind allegations |
austria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- japanese veteran kimiko date krumm has reached the japan open final with a 3-6 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 7-5 victory over third seed shahar peer of israel in osaka . krumm became the oldest woman to beat a top-10 player on the wta tour when she defeated australia 's sam stosur on friday . now the unseeded 40-year-old , who came out of retirement in 2008 , is in line to replace billie jean king as the oldest player to win a wta singles title . twelve-time grand slam winner king was 39 years , seven months and 23 days old when she won her last wta tour title back in 1983 . considering my age and the years i was away from the tour , i would say this is a miracle . i just hope that my physical and mental health will last one more game , ' date krumm said , bbc sport reported . date krumm will play 33-year-old tamarine tanasugarn from thailand in sunday 's final . the finalists combined age of 73 years makes it the oldest final in wta tour history , according to wtatour.com . meanwhile , ana ivanovic made it to her first final in 19 months after she defeated italy 's roberta vinci 6-3 7-5 in the semi-finals at the generali ladies linz event in austria . the serb , who was handed a wildcard entry for the tournament took just 70 minutes to overcome vinci . she will face switzerland 's patty schnyder in sunday 's final . schnyder , who had to save two match points in her semi-final , eventually overcame german sixth seed andrea petkovic 6-2 4-6 7-5 in two hours 15 minutes . | ana ivanovic reaches first final in 19 months at generali ladies linz event in austria |
billie jean king <tsp> ( cnn ) -- japanese veteran kimiko date krumm has reached the japan open final with a 3-6 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 7-5 victory over third seed shahar peer of israel in osaka . krumm became the oldest woman to beat a top-10 player on the wta tour when she defeated australia 's sam stosur on friday . now the unseeded 40-year-old , who came out of retirement in 2008 , is in line to replace billie jean king as the oldest player to win a wta singles title . twelve-time grand slam winner king was 39 years , seven months and 23 days old when she won her last wta tour title back in 1983 . considering my age and the years i was away from the tour , i would say this is a miracle . i just hope that my physical and mental health will last one more game , ' date krumm said , bbc sport reported . date krumm will play 33-year-old tamarine tanasugarn from thailand in sunday 's final . the finalists combined age of 73 years makes it the oldest final in wta tour history , according to wtatour.com . meanwhile , ana ivanovic made it to her first final in 19 months after she defeated italy 's roberta vinci 6-3 7-5 in the semi-finals at the generali ladies linz event in austria . the serb , who was handed a wildcard entry for the tournament took just 70 minutes to overcome vinci . she will face switzerland 's patty schnyder in sunday 's final . schnyder , who had to save two match points in her semi-final , eventually overcame german sixth seed andrea petkovic 6-2 4-6 7-5 in two hours 15 minutes . | date krumm now aiming to succeed billie jean king as oldest player to win wta title |
maine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- chopping breadcrumbs by flashlight . cooking turkeys on the grill . watching netflix on phones . many new englanders were without power -- but this was nothing new for the state . tens of thousands spent thanksgiving just as others did in new england when it was first observed in the 17th century : without electricity . in new hampshire , more than 133,000 customers were still without power overnight into friday . they 're saying it will be a multiday event , ' said fallon reed , the assistant operations chief for the new hampshire division of homeland security & emergency management . in maine , there were as many as 110,000 customers without electricity on thanksgiving morning , but milder turkey day temperatures allowed for workers to cut that number down by more than two thirds by night 's end : central maine power co. reported that less than 32,000 customers had no power , while emera , the state 's second-largest utility company , reported that less than 1,000 customers without electricity after a wednesday nor'easter dumped more than a foot of snow across a dozen maine cities , wmtw reported . heavy , wet snow brought down power lines and tree limbs interrupting service to thousands of people throughout maine , ' emera posted on its website . crews will remain in the field through the overnight hours and into friday until all customers are fully restored . ' despite the setback , the heartiest of new englanders would n't let the lack of electricity prevent them from enjoying the heartiest of meals . lots of mainers took to twitter either to poke fun at or moan about the weather . most showed remarkable resilience and seemed reluctant to let the weather ruin their turkey day . power is out at parents house in maine , so my mom is chopping breadcrumbs with a flashlight , ' brooklyn copy editor kelly gordon tweeted . she later told cnn that the meal turned out perfectly . my mom would never let no lights ( or ) no heat keep her from thanksgiving prep work , ' she said . cnn 's eliott c. mclaughlin and teri genova contributed to this report . | more than 100,000 in maine had now power for thanksgiving |
gulf <tsp> dubai ( cnn ) it 's with some trepidation that i set off for the al marmoum camel race in dubai . as the only gulf national in the cnn team , i am expected to be familiar with camel racing , an ancient tradition in the region . but despite my attempts to dress in a kandora , a uae national dress , my modern outlook on life means i am a total outsider in this world . a cheerful farm owner leads us inside the majlis -- meeting area -- where the camel owners are gathering . the wide space of the majlis feels like an ornate theater . the camel owners are sitting on the floor , eating the a'aish , a traditional arabic dish of fish and rice , laid out in front of them . the conversation is loud and exciting . we take our place on the floor and slowly , the world of camel racing begins to open up to us . the conversation is all about camels ; the best breeds , famous old champions , training methods , bad losers and potential winners . over arabic coffee and dates i am told that remote controlled robots have replaced children as camel jockeys -- this primal sport is moving with the times . once lunch is over , we head to the track for the racing to begin . there will be 14 races through the afternoon . and in addition to the honor and prestige , the camels are racing for thousands of dollars in prize money and fancy new cars for their owners . it 's surprising how spectacular camel racing can be . compared to the grace of thoroughbred racehorses , camels are indeed ungainly creatures . but 20 of these huge beasts pounding around a track in the desert is really a sight to behold , their hooves throwing up a cloud of dust in their wake . their owners hang out of their four-by-fours , shouting encouragement while trying to keep up with their charges . it is oddly beautiful . the winning camels are paraded with pride , their heads and necks covered in bright golden saffron and their owners applauded for their efforts and rewarded with cash prizes . as we excitedly watch the final race draw to a close , the sun sets across the sky of this metropolis . camel racing bears no relevance to the modernity embraced here , but this old-fashioned sport is equally as fascinating . | camel racing is a centuries-old tradition in the gulf |
islamic <tsp> jakarta , indonesia ( cnn ) -- demeaning , exploitative , degrading . beauty pageants have been called lots of things . and it 's also the line coming from islamic hardliners , who are protesting this year 's miss world contest , which is held in the most populous muslim nation in the world . protesters in indonesia denounce the contest where women sashay in swimsuits and form-fitting evening wear , calling it insulting to muslims and triggering threats of violence . islamic groups urged the government to shut the contest down . hardliners burned signs featuring the image of last year 's winner wenxia yu of china that read reject miss world . ' they also presented what they deemed as appropriate attire for beauty contestants -- long dresses and full head scarves . it 's only beauty , beauty and beauty , but also body , body and body , so that 's why we consider it as a contest that exploits women physically , ' said ismail yusanto , spokesman of indonesia 's hizbut tahrir , a conservative islamic group . in an attempt to appease religious concerns , the pageant has scrapped the swimsuit competition and replaced it with less-revealing beachwear attire . also , the finals were originally to be held on the outskirts of jakarta , but angry protestors forced the event to relocate to the hindu resort island of bali . members of the group , islamic defenders front ( fpi ) tried to travel to bali by sea from east java , but were stopped by police . hary tanoesoedibjo , the ceo of mnc group who organized the pageant locally , disputed the government 's decision to move the contest to bali . he said no laws have been violated by the pageant and that everything has been adjusted to the local culture . we all know that , so no bikini . ' even before the three-week contest began on september 8 , protesters slammed it as pornography ' and held signs reading : miss world is whore contest . ' our demand is still the same , ' yusanto said . do n't continue this contest . ' miss world 's 127 contestants competed in beach fashion , fitness , world fashion , talent and beauty with a purpose ' meant to honor charitable work . the top 10 models -- from ukraine , south sudan , brazil , philippines , france , cameroon , cyprus , england , italy and the united states -- were announced earlier this week . a winner will be crowned in bali on saturday . security forces will have 700 police officers for the final event . there has been criticism of how the indonesian government handled the miss world controversy , that it sent a message of capitulation in favor of a vocal minority . indonesia is a secular country with moderate muslims , but a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years , ' according to the jakarta post . we are a complex country , so we have to balance domestic concerns with our ability to host international events , ' said mari elka pangestu , the tourism and creative economy minister of indonesia . but in general , indonesia is very open . ' but not all such women 's contests are so vehemently opposed . a week ago , the world muslimah 2013 competition was held in jakarta , to crown a woman who applies islamic values in everyday life , ' which includes the ability to recite from the quran . contestants dressed in head scarves and floor-length dresses . obabiyi aishah aijbola from nigeria was named world muslimah 2013 . photo gallery : see world muslimah 2013 eka shanty , founder of world muslimah says the difference between miss world and world muslimah is that the latter is not a pageant . this is an international award event to appreciate young and talented muslim women . ' in addition to decrying the miss world contest , the conservative islamic group hizbut tahrir does not support the world muslimah competition . cnn 's kathy quiano reported from jakarta and madison park wrote from hong kong . | radical islamic groups protest miss world 2013 contest |
bali <tsp> jakarta , indonesia ( cnn ) -- demeaning , exploitative , degrading . beauty pageants have been called lots of things . and it 's also the line coming from islamic hardliners , who are protesting this year 's miss world contest , which is held in the most populous muslim nation in the world . protesters in indonesia denounce the contest where women sashay in swimsuits and form-fitting evening wear , calling it insulting to muslims and triggering threats of violence . islamic groups urged the government to shut the contest down . hardliners burned signs featuring the image of last year 's winner wenxia yu of china that read reject miss world . ' they also presented what they deemed as appropriate attire for beauty contestants -- long dresses and full head scarves . it 's only beauty , beauty and beauty , but also body , body and body , so that 's why we consider it as a contest that exploits women physically , ' said ismail yusanto , spokesman of indonesia 's hizbut tahrir , a conservative islamic group . in an attempt to appease religious concerns , the pageant has scrapped the swimsuit competition and replaced it with less-revealing beachwear attire . also , the finals were originally to be held on the outskirts of jakarta , but angry protestors forced the event to relocate to the hindu resort island of bali . members of the group , islamic defenders front ( fpi ) tried to travel to bali by sea from east java , but were stopped by police . hary tanoesoedibjo , the ceo of mnc group who organized the pageant locally , disputed the government 's decision to move the contest to bali . he said no laws have been violated by the pageant and that everything has been adjusted to the local culture . we all know that , so no bikini . ' even before the three-week contest began on september 8 , protesters slammed it as pornography ' and held signs reading : miss world is whore contest . ' our demand is still the same , ' yusanto said . do n't continue this contest . ' miss world 's 127 contestants competed in beach fashion , fitness , world fashion , talent and beauty with a purpose ' meant to honor charitable work . the top 10 models -- from ukraine , south sudan , brazil , philippines , france , cameroon , cyprus , england , italy and the united states -- were announced earlier this week . a winner will be crowned in bali on saturday . security forces will have 700 police officers for the final event . there has been criticism of how the indonesian government handled the miss world controversy , that it sent a message of capitulation in favor of a vocal minority . indonesia is a secular country with moderate muslims , but a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years , ' according to the jakarta post . we are a complex country , so we have to balance domestic concerns with our ability to host international events , ' said mari elka pangestu , the tourism and creative economy minister of indonesia . but in general , indonesia is very open . ' but not all such women 's contests are so vehemently opposed . a week ago , the world muslimah 2013 competition was held in jakarta , to crown a woman who applies islamic values in everyday life , ' which includes the ability to recite from the quran . contestants dressed in head scarves and floor-length dresses . obabiyi aishah aijbola from nigeria was named world muslimah 2013 . photo gallery : see world muslimah 2013 eka shanty , founder of world muslimah says the difference between miss world and world muslimah is that the latter is not a pageant . this is an international award event to appreciate young and talented muslim women . ' in addition to decrying the miss world contest , the conservative islamic group hizbut tahrir does not support the world muslimah competition . cnn 's kathy quiano reported from jakarta and madison park wrote from hong kong . | contest scraps swimsuit contest and moves final round to bali |
naked <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) faith leaders from the atlanta area gathered at the state capitol for a rally with a message : freedom of speech and freedom of religion are under attack . ' the family research council organized the gathering in support of atlanta 's recently fired fire chief , kelvin cochran . cochran self-published the book who told you that you were naked . ' the ga voice cited two passages from the book , which refers to homosexuality as unclean , inappropriate , vile and vulgar . when his book became public , cochran was suspended and ultimately fired by atlanta mayor kasim reed . the president of the family research council , tony perkins , along with other rally organizers and supporters , delivered nearly 40,000 petitions to city hall in support of cochran . the naked truth is that the actions taken against the chief are designed to send a message that will silence christians and in effect force them to check their faith at the door of public service , ' he said . in a written statement , reed said this is not about religious beliefs but the city 's nondiscrimination policy is nonnegotiable . ' neither race , nor gender , nor religion , nor creed , nor sexual orientation , nor physical ability , nor gender identity will be used to discriminate against any city of atlanta employee . ' cochran spoke at the rally and said his religious beliefs have not created a hostile work environment and there has been no discrimination against any member of the lgbt community . there are grave consequences for publicly expressing our faith and having the audacity to believe that sex was created for procreation and should be in the bonds of holy matrimony between a man and a woman , ' cochran said . his sentiments were echoed by other faith leaders who spoke in support of him . how are you going to tell me that i ca n't say what the bible says everywhere ? ' asked bishop wellington boone , president of the fellowship of international churches . if the bible says that a level of acts of behavior is vile affections , it 's clearly vile affections , ' he said . cochran , a 34-year veteran of the firefighting profession , has spent the last seven years working for the atlanta fire and rescue department . he said his termination was unjust . all people , groups are welcomed and embraced in the city of atlanta , except the groups that believe the scripture regarding god 's purpose for sex , ' he said . reed said cochran 's comments eroded his confidence in the chief . every single employee under the fire chief 's command deserves the certainty that he or she is a valued member of the team and that fairness and respect guide employment decisions , ' reed said . reed also said cochran failed to notify him about his plans to publish the book and called it an irreconcilable lapse in judgment . ' cochran said he received permission to write the book from the ethics director . cochran expressed his gratitude to his supporters and maintained : one thing we should not have to sacrifice are the freedoms inherit in our great nation : free speech and freedom of religion . ' | kelvin cochran 's book , who told you that you were naked , ' decries homosexuality |
wiggins <tsp> ( cnn ) -- whisper it quietly in france but a trio of english-speaking riders is set to dominate the 99th edition of its most famous sports event , a bike race that represents the gallic nation 's very essence . winding across the flatlands of northern france and over the cols of the pyrenees and the alps , before finishing on the champs elysees in paris on july 22 , the tour de france is watched by millions of spectators during its three weeks and literally brings the country to a standstill . the possible success of britain 's rosbifs ' cyclists , and that their main challengers will come from australia and canada , is a further sign of the globalization of a sport once dominated by riders from france and northern european neighbors such as belgium and the netherlands , plus italy and spain . between 1999 and 2005 seven straight wins for american lance armstrong threw a spanner in the spokes of the tour 's traditional powerbrokers , and the trend has continued apace . lance armstrong banned from world ironman events over doping probe a 32-year-old londoner , bradley wiggins is the favorite for overall victory in 2012 , with his main opposition likely to come from australian cadel evans , who triumphed last year , while canadian ryder hesjedal has a good chance of a podium place . i think it 's great because cycling used to be a european sport and now we see australian riders , north americans and the british coming forward , ' gilles simon , the cycling editor of l'equipe , the french sports newspaper so closely associated with the tour , told cnn ahead of the race 's start on saturday . within a few more years i believe we will even see a rider from asia challenging for major jerseys . but for us the favorite is bradley wiggins . ' impeccable credentials wiggins , a surprising fourth in the 2009 tour , will start with impeccable credentials . he is the first man to win the paris-nice , tour de romandie and criterium du dauphine stage races in the same season . an in-form wiggins crashed out early in the 2011 tour de france and is thus doubly determined to seize the chance to cement his place in cycling 's hall of fame . i 've been waiting for this moment for a long time and i 'll do everything i can to win the tour de france , ' wiggins told team sky 's official website . the team 's preparation has been perfectly managed and our form this season gives us a great chance of being successful . ' evans became the first australian to win the tour de france in 2011 and the 36-year-old bmc leader will not give up his crown without an almighty fight . we 're bringing an even stronger team to the tour this year and the route would seem to favor me , ' he told his team 's official website . modal shift throw into the mix hesjedal , who won last month 's giro d'italia , and it is clear there has been a modal shift in cycling supremacy . we could have a tour podium with three native english-speaking riders , ' hesjedal 's team boss at garmin-sharp , jonathan vaughters , told cnn . american vaughters is talking up the chances of his 31-year-old star rider , despite recent giro winners flopping in the tour de france just a few weeks later . ryder will break that historical trend . whether he can win the tour is hard to say , but he will be a contender , ' said vaughters . the cause of the english speakers has been helped by the absence from the 2012 tour of two riders who may well have had a say in the eventual outcome . luxembourg 's andy schleck and alberto contador of spain fought a classic duel on the slopes of the col du tourmalet in the 2010 edition . contador emerged a narrow victor overall , but was later stripped of the title after failing a doping test during the race . schleck was awarded the race retrospectively , but his hopes of winning a second tour were dashed when he withdrew after suffering injuries in a fall at the dauphine race won by wiggins earlier this year . contador ban contador is still serving a ban as a result of his 2010 misdemeanors and will return in august . the specter of drugs still casts a shadow over cycling , and in the buildup to the tour the united states anti doping agency ( usada ) formally charged armstrong over allegations of doping . vaughters , whose team adopts a strict anti-doping stance , is hoping that the increased globalization of the sport -- and with it the opportunity for more sponsorship revenue to boost its coffers -- will play a part in eradicating doping . we need all our cyclists to be properly compensated for the incredible physical risks they take every day , ' he said . a glimpse at the route for this year 's tour shows just how exacting a test the 21-stage race really is for the 198 starters from 22 teams . the 3,497-kilometer race will take in 25 categorized climbs in the alps and pyrenees , but with 100 km of individual racing against the clock , starting with 6.4 km in the prologue in liege in belgium , it favors wiggins and evans . away from the battle for yellow , mark cavendish , who joined wiggins at the powerful and well-funded team sky for 2012 , will be defending the maillot vert ( green jersey ) of the points winner as he bids to add to his fast mounting tally of 20 stage victories in the tour . dangerous finishes on the nine flat stages , cavendish and his sprinter colleagues will get their opportunity to cross the line first in the usual hell for leather and often dangerous finishes . reigning world champion cavendish is the leader of that pack and warmed up with three more victories in the giro . but given his olympic aspirations -- the road race at the london games is just a week after the finish of the tour -- simon believes he will not seriously defend his green jersey . he will win perhaps three or four stages , but not green , ' said simon . the team principal at sky , dave brailsford , admits they have split loyalties . our priority this year is the general classification with bradley but that does n't mean we 'll neglect the sprint stages , or mark 's bid for green jersey , ' said brailsford . if the main contenders for yellow slip up , italian vincenzo nibali of liquigas , who won the 2010 tour of spain , and belgian jurgen van den broeck of lotto -- a top-five finisher at le tour that same year -- are ready to step up . home hopes and what of french chances in their home tour ? last year thomas voeckler held on to the yellow jersey for 10 days , won the admiration of cycling fans everywhere and finished fourth overall behind evans . the biggest hope for us is that another rider can do the same as voeckler , ' admitted simon , who singled out pierre rolland , winner of the white jersey last year for best under-25 rider , for a possible high finish . but all the momentum seems to be with wiggins , the first genuine british contender for overall victory since tom simpson in the 1960s . simpson became the first british rider to claim the race leader 's yellow jersey in 1962 and his achievements paved the way for english-speaking competitors in a sport entirely dominated by europeans . but five years later he died on mont ventoux on the 13th stage of the tour -- the victim of heat exhaustion and a deadly cocktail of drugs and alcohol -- - in a doomed and tragic bid for cycling 's ultimate prize . simpson was a childhood idol for wiggins and it would appear fitting if he could ride into paris in three weeks'time in yellow and make cycling history . | wiggins would be first briton to win the famous three-week race |
wiggins <tsp> ( cnn ) -- whisper it quietly in france but a trio of english-speaking riders is set to dominate the 99th edition of its most famous sports event , a bike race that represents the gallic nation 's very essence . winding across the flatlands of northern france and over the cols of the pyrenees and the alps , before finishing on the champs elysees in paris on july 22 , the tour de france is watched by millions of spectators during its three weeks and literally brings the country to a standstill . the possible success of britain 's rosbifs ' cyclists , and that their main challengers will come from australia and canada , is a further sign of the globalization of a sport once dominated by riders from france and northern european neighbors such as belgium and the netherlands , plus italy and spain . between 1999 and 2005 seven straight wins for american lance armstrong threw a spanner in the spokes of the tour 's traditional powerbrokers , and the trend has continued apace . lance armstrong banned from world ironman events over doping probe a 32-year-old londoner , bradley wiggins is the favorite for overall victory in 2012 , with his main opposition likely to come from australian cadel evans , who triumphed last year , while canadian ryder hesjedal has a good chance of a podium place . i think it 's great because cycling used to be a european sport and now we see australian riders , north americans and the british coming forward , ' gilles simon , the cycling editor of l'equipe , the french sports newspaper so closely associated with the tour , told cnn ahead of the race 's start on saturday . within a few more years i believe we will even see a rider from asia challenging for major jerseys . but for us the favorite is bradley wiggins . ' impeccable credentials wiggins , a surprising fourth in the 2009 tour , will start with impeccable credentials . he is the first man to win the paris-nice , tour de romandie and criterium du dauphine stage races in the same season . an in-form wiggins crashed out early in the 2011 tour de france and is thus doubly determined to seize the chance to cement his place in cycling 's hall of fame . i 've been waiting for this moment for a long time and i 'll do everything i can to win the tour de france , ' wiggins told team sky 's official website . the team 's preparation has been perfectly managed and our form this season gives us a great chance of being successful . ' evans became the first australian to win the tour de france in 2011 and the 36-year-old bmc leader will not give up his crown without an almighty fight . we 're bringing an even stronger team to the tour this year and the route would seem to favor me , ' he told his team 's official website . modal shift throw into the mix hesjedal , who won last month 's giro d'italia , and it is clear there has been a modal shift in cycling supremacy . we could have a tour podium with three native english-speaking riders , ' hesjedal 's team boss at garmin-sharp , jonathan vaughters , told cnn . american vaughters is talking up the chances of his 31-year-old star rider , despite recent giro winners flopping in the tour de france just a few weeks later . ryder will break that historical trend . whether he can win the tour is hard to say , but he will be a contender , ' said vaughters . the cause of the english speakers has been helped by the absence from the 2012 tour of two riders who may well have had a say in the eventual outcome . luxembourg 's andy schleck and alberto contador of spain fought a classic duel on the slopes of the col du tourmalet in the 2010 edition . contador emerged a narrow victor overall , but was later stripped of the title after failing a doping test during the race . schleck was awarded the race retrospectively , but his hopes of winning a second tour were dashed when he withdrew after suffering injuries in a fall at the dauphine race won by wiggins earlier this year . contador ban contador is still serving a ban as a result of his 2010 misdemeanors and will return in august . the specter of drugs still casts a shadow over cycling , and in the buildup to the tour the united states anti doping agency ( usada ) formally charged armstrong over allegations of doping . vaughters , whose team adopts a strict anti-doping stance , is hoping that the increased globalization of the sport -- and with it the opportunity for more sponsorship revenue to boost its coffers -- will play a part in eradicating doping . we need all our cyclists to be properly compensated for the incredible physical risks they take every day , ' he said . a glimpse at the route for this year 's tour shows just how exacting a test the 21-stage race really is for the 198 starters from 22 teams . the 3,497-kilometer race will take in 25 categorized climbs in the alps and pyrenees , but with 100 km of individual racing against the clock , starting with 6.4 km in the prologue in liege in belgium , it favors wiggins and evans . away from the battle for yellow , mark cavendish , who joined wiggins at the powerful and well-funded team sky for 2012 , will be defending the maillot vert ( green jersey ) of the points winner as he bids to add to his fast mounting tally of 20 stage victories in the tour . dangerous finishes on the nine flat stages , cavendish and his sprinter colleagues will get their opportunity to cross the line first in the usual hell for leather and often dangerous finishes . reigning world champion cavendish is the leader of that pack and warmed up with three more victories in the giro . but given his olympic aspirations -- the road race at the london games is just a week after the finish of the tour -- simon believes he will not seriously defend his green jersey . he will win perhaps three or four stages , but not green , ' said simon . the team principal at sky , dave brailsford , admits they have split loyalties . our priority this year is the general classification with bradley but that does n't mean we 'll neglect the sprint stages , or mark 's bid for green jersey , ' said brailsford . if the main contenders for yellow slip up , italian vincenzo nibali of liquigas , who won the 2010 tour of spain , and belgian jurgen van den broeck of lotto -- a top-five finisher at le tour that same year -- are ready to step up . home hopes and what of french chances in their home tour ? last year thomas voeckler held on to the yellow jersey for 10 days , won the admiration of cycling fans everywhere and finished fourth overall behind evans . the biggest hope for us is that another rider can do the same as voeckler , ' admitted simon , who singled out pierre rolland , winner of the white jersey last year for best under-25 rider , for a possible high finish . but all the momentum seems to be with wiggins , the first genuine british contender for overall victory since tom simpson in the 1960s . simpson became the first british rider to claim the race leader 's yellow jersey in 1962 and his achievements paved the way for english-speaking competitors in a sport entirely dominated by europeans . but five years later he died on mont ventoux on the 13th stage of the tour -- the victim of heat exhaustion and a deadly cocktail of drugs and alcohol -- - in a doomed and tragic bid for cycling 's ultimate prize . simpson was a childhood idol for wiggins and it would appear fitting if he could ride into paris in three weeks'time in yellow and make cycling history . | bradley wiggins pre-race favorite to win the tour de france |
south africans <tsp> johannesburg , south africa ( cnn ) -- south africans voted wednesday in elections that the ruling african national congress is expected to win in a landslide . a woman votes in a church in soweto during wednesday 's elections . but the anc , led by jacob zuma , could see its two-thirds parliamentary majority reduced by the country 's numerous opposition parties . the anc has increased its share of the vote in every election since the end of apartheid in 1994 . leading the opposition challenge is congress of the people , or cope ; a breakaway faction of the anc which has capitalized as the anc has been dogged by corruption and accused of failing to deliver services to the poor . people are taking this election very seriously , ' said cnn 's robyn curnow . it 's a pivotal election and the political landscape in this country has changed because of the emergence of the cope party . ' voter shares feelings about anc and new rival » voters stood in line for hours after a slow start , blamed partly on cold weather . polling stations closed at 1900 gmt but anyone in line at the time was allowed to vote . the independent electoral commission said the sheer number of people voting created long lines and a shortage of ballot boxes and papers in some districts and voting stations . the anc 's prospects have not been helped by the controversial election of zuma to the party leadership last year . until early this month , zuma , who is practically the country 's president-in-waiting , was facing fraud and corruption charges . the charges were dropped two weeks before the elections because of alleged political interference in his case . that decision by the country 's prosecuting authority sparked widespread outrage , with opposition parties accusing prosecutors of buckling under political pressure . but the anc continues to command widespread respect and support among ordinary south africans for its role in the struggle against apartheid and most consider the party of nelson mandela their political home . in an effort to shore up support for the anc , the 90-year-old mandela shared the stage with zuma at the party 's final pre-election rally in johannesburg on sunday . mandela was also photographed as he voted wednesday . watch mandela vote with old activists and first-time voters » first-time voter lucas nomblelani , a young black south african sporting the purple ink on his thumb that proved he had cast his ballot , said he found it hard not consider what the anc had done for the country . those people -- they fight for us , ' he told cnn . i 'm here , i can vote . i do n't have the soldiers here to force me to do something . ' he adds , now we are free , all of us , to do what we want to do . it 's my choice to vote today . ' still , the emergence of cope has unnerved the anc . learn more about some of south africa 's political parties launched in december , cope is made up of former anc members who quit following anc 's sacking of thabo mbeki as the country 's president . it is a baby with teeth . we can bite and i do believe the people of south africa have heard our message , ' cope presidential candidate mvume dandala said wednesday , according to reuters.com . zuma , who is widely expected to be the country 's next president , has already pledged his party will use its predicted majority responsibly and maintains he is innocent of corruption allegations . when i grew up , i did know that this day would come , ' he said as he voted in his village birthplace of nkandla in kwazulu-natal , reuters.com reported . watch more about anc leader jacob zuma » in the past 15 years , the anc has built 2.8 million houses and provided running water , sanitation and electricity to the poor . south africa boasts a robust constitution and the strongest economy on the continent . yet more than 1 million people still live in shacks , and the newly constructed homes have been found to be substandard , with many falling apart even before being handed over to beneficiaries . queuing up to vote in soweto , lulu makapela said many people were disappointed by the anc 's failure to deliver on promises to deliver better housing , education and jobs . people have been giving us promises and there is a wide gap between rich and poor , ' makapela told cnn . watch a voter in line discuss the election » although the country 's economy has grown under the anc , it has not produced significant job opportunities . one in four adults is unemployed . at the same time , many senior members of the anc have created wealth for themselves while majority of the country 's citizens wallow in poverty . watch criticism of the ruling anc » violent crime has also escalated . last year , nearly 50 people were killed daily , according to police . and though south africa won the bid to host the football world cup in 2010 , many say that the billions that are being spent on the tournament could be better used to lift the lives of the needy . cnn 's nkepile mabuse in johannesburg and robyn curnow in soweto contributed to this report . | south africans vote in election african national congress expected to win |
south africans <tsp> johannesburg , south africa ( cnn ) -- south africans voted wednesday in elections that the ruling african national congress is expected to win in a landslide . a woman votes in a church in soweto during wednesday 's elections . but the anc , led by jacob zuma , could see its two-thirds parliamentary majority reduced by the country 's numerous opposition parties . the anc has increased its share of the vote in every election since the end of apartheid in 1994 . leading the opposition challenge is congress of the people , or cope ; a breakaway faction of the anc which has capitalized as the anc has been dogged by corruption and accused of failing to deliver services to the poor . people are taking this election very seriously , ' said cnn 's robyn curnow . it 's a pivotal election and the political landscape in this country has changed because of the emergence of the cope party . ' voter shares feelings about anc and new rival » voters stood in line for hours after a slow start , blamed partly on cold weather . polling stations closed at 1900 gmt but anyone in line at the time was allowed to vote . the independent electoral commission said the sheer number of people voting created long lines and a shortage of ballot boxes and papers in some districts and voting stations . the anc 's prospects have not been helped by the controversial election of zuma to the party leadership last year . until early this month , zuma , who is practically the country 's president-in-waiting , was facing fraud and corruption charges . the charges were dropped two weeks before the elections because of alleged political interference in his case . that decision by the country 's prosecuting authority sparked widespread outrage , with opposition parties accusing prosecutors of buckling under political pressure . but the anc continues to command widespread respect and support among ordinary south africans for its role in the struggle against apartheid and most consider the party of nelson mandela their political home . in an effort to shore up support for the anc , the 90-year-old mandela shared the stage with zuma at the party 's final pre-election rally in johannesburg on sunday . mandela was also photographed as he voted wednesday . watch mandela vote with old activists and first-time voters » first-time voter lucas nomblelani , a young black south african sporting the purple ink on his thumb that proved he had cast his ballot , said he found it hard not consider what the anc had done for the country . those people -- they fight for us , ' he told cnn . i 'm here , i can vote . i do n't have the soldiers here to force me to do something . ' he adds , now we are free , all of us , to do what we want to do . it 's my choice to vote today . ' still , the emergence of cope has unnerved the anc . learn more about some of south africa 's political parties launched in december , cope is made up of former anc members who quit following anc 's sacking of thabo mbeki as the country 's president . it is a baby with teeth . we can bite and i do believe the people of south africa have heard our message , ' cope presidential candidate mvume dandala said wednesday , according to reuters.com . zuma , who is widely expected to be the country 's next president , has already pledged his party will use its predicted majority responsibly and maintains he is innocent of corruption allegations . when i grew up , i did know that this day would come , ' he said as he voted in his village birthplace of nkandla in kwazulu-natal , reuters.com reported . watch more about anc leader jacob zuma » in the past 15 years , the anc has built 2.8 million houses and provided running water , sanitation and electricity to the poor . south africa boasts a robust constitution and the strongest economy on the continent . yet more than 1 million people still live in shacks , and the newly constructed homes have been found to be substandard , with many falling apart even before being handed over to beneficiaries . queuing up to vote in soweto , lulu makapela said many people were disappointed by the anc 's failure to deliver on promises to deliver better housing , education and jobs . people have been giving us promises and there is a wide gap between rich and poor , ' makapela told cnn . watch a voter in line discuss the election » although the country 's economy has grown under the anc , it has not produced significant job opportunities . one in four adults is unemployed . at the same time , many senior members of the anc have created wealth for themselves while majority of the country 's citizens wallow in poverty . watch criticism of the ruling anc » violent crime has also escalated . last year , nearly 50 people were killed daily , according to police . and though south africa won the bid to host the football world cup in 2010 , many say that the billions that are being spent on the tournament could be better used to lift the lives of the needy . cnn 's nkepile mabuse in johannesburg and robyn curnow in soweto contributed to this report . | poverty , rising crime among top issues south africans face |
uae <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime -- he sheikha lubna al qasimi . minister of foreign trade , uae south korea 's national oil corporation recently signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields . trade between the uae and south korea is booming . this week mme caught up with the uae 's minister of foreign trade , her excellency sheikha lubna al-qasimi and asked her about these flourishing trade ties . in focus -- role of arab women the middle east is not normally recognized for having women at the forefront of business . according to the world bank , 25 % of women in the region participate in the labor force , compared to more than 50 % in sub-saharan africa , east asia and the pacific . but as mme finds out , women in the arab world are making huge strides in business . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1545 , fridays : 0845 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515,1545 | uae 's minister of foreign trade talks to mme about the flourishing trade ties with south korea |
uae <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime -- he sheikha lubna al qasimi . minister of foreign trade , uae south korea 's national oil corporation recently signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields . trade between the uae and south korea is booming . this week mme caught up with the uae 's minister of foreign trade , her excellency sheikha lubna al-qasimi and asked her about these flourishing trade ties . in focus -- role of arab women the middle east is not normally recognized for having women at the forefront of business . according to the world bank , 25 % of women in the region participate in the labor force , compared to more than 50 % in sub-saharan africa , east asia and the pacific . but as mme finds out , women in the arab world are making huge strides in business . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1545 , fridays : 0845 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515,1545 | south korea signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields |
south korea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime -- he sheikha lubna al qasimi . minister of foreign trade , uae south korea 's national oil corporation recently signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields . trade between the uae and south korea is booming . this week mme caught up with the uae 's minister of foreign trade , her excellency sheikha lubna al-qasimi and asked her about these flourishing trade ties . in focus -- role of arab women the middle east is not normally recognized for having women at the forefront of business . according to the world bank , 25 % of women in the region participate in the labor force , compared to more than 50 % in sub-saharan africa , east asia and the pacific . but as mme finds out , women in the arab world are making huge strides in business . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1545 , fridays : 0845 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515,1545 | uae 's minister of foreign trade talks to mme about the flourishing trade ties with south korea |
south korea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime -- he sheikha lubna al qasimi . minister of foreign trade , uae south korea 's national oil corporation recently signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields . trade between the uae and south korea is booming . this week mme caught up with the uae 's minister of foreign trade , her excellency sheikha lubna al-qasimi and asked her about these flourishing trade ties . in focus -- role of arab women the middle east is not normally recognized for having women at the forefront of business . according to the world bank , 25 % of women in the region participate in the labor force , compared to more than 50 % in sub-saharan africa , east asia and the pacific . but as mme finds out , women in the arab world are making huge strides in business . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1545 , fridays : 0845 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515,1545 | south korea signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields |
arab world <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime -- he sheikha lubna al qasimi . minister of foreign trade , uae south korea 's national oil corporation recently signed a multi-billion dollar deal with the uae to explore three undeveloped oil fields . trade between the uae and south korea is booming . this week mme caught up with the uae 's minister of foreign trade , her excellency sheikha lubna al-qasimi and asked her about these flourishing trade ties . in focus -- role of arab women the middle east is not normally recognized for having women at the forefront of business . according to the world bank , 25 % of women in the region participate in the labor force , compared to more than 50 % in sub-saharan africa , east asia and the pacific . but as mme finds out , women in the arab world are making huge strides in business . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1545 , fridays : 0845 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515,1545 | plus , mme finds out how women in the arab world are increasingly making strides in business |
bulletin of atomic scientists <tsp> ( cnn ) the world is closer to doomsday . that 's the message from the bulletin of atomic scientists , which moved its iconic doomsday clock up two minutes on thursday . the clock now stands at three minutes to midnight , the latest ' it 's been since 1984 , when the cold war between the u.s. and soviet union was a major issue . today , unchecked climate change and a nuclear arms race resulting from modernization of huge arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity . and world leaders have failed to act with the speed or on the scale required to protect citizens from potential catastrophe , ' said kennette benedict , executive director of the bulletin of the atomic scientists , in a news release . these failures of leadership endanger every person on earth . ' the bulletin 's science and security board looks at global issues on a regular basis and decides whether to move the minute hand of the clock , with particular stress on the status of nuclear arms and reaction to climate issues . in recent years , the clock has moved the wrong direction for humanity . after standing at 17 minutes to midnight in 1991 -- the furthest it 's ever been from the end of the world -- it 's gotten closer each time it 's been changed since , with the exception of 2010 , when it was pushed back by one minute to 11:54 p.m . the last time the clock was moved was in 2012 , when it was moved up one minute to 11:55 . the scientists expressed disappointment at the latest developments . noting that nuclear trends are moving backwards , the science and security board 's sharon squassoni pointed out that weapons modernization programs and disarmament have ground to a halt . ' and action on climate change ? efforts at reducing global emissions of heat-trapping gases have so far been entirely insufficient to prevent unacceptable climate disruption , ' said the bulletin 's richard somerville . we all need to respond now , while there is still time . ' the doomsday clock was first put out in 1947 . the closest the clock has been to midnight was in 1953 , when it was set at 11:58 p.m. opinion : a dramatic doomsday warning to the world | the bulletin of atomic scientists moves doomsday clock up by two minutes |
yahoo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yahoo has joined the browser wars with axis , its very own tool designed to enhance its search with a clear eye toward the rapidly expanding mobile web . axis , the company announced late wednesday , is a stand-alone app currently available for apple mobile devices like the iphone and ipad and on desktops as an add-on to established browsers like explorer , firefox , chrome and safari . yahoo special project director ethan batraski wrote on the company 's search blog that with a mobile-first focus , ' the company set out to completely re-think and re-design how users search and browse the web . ' the result was axis , a visual-rich tool that aims to combine searching and browsing into one experience . on mobile devices , a query returns thumbnail images of actual web pages instead of a list of links . people can use the touchscreen to scroll and choose a page . early reviews have been positive for the mobile version of the tool , which addresses the rising percentage of time web users spend accessing the internet on phones and tablets . mobile is where the action is , so it makes sense that yahoo threw the bulk of its development love into the tablet and smartphone versions , ' wrote cnet 's rafe needleman . on the ipad , axis is simply a great browser . the integrated search feature is intuitive , and being able to move through search results without having to go back to search makes sense . after only a few minutes using it i thought , why has n't google done this yet ? it 's that good . ' a pull-down feature lets users flip back and forth between a web page and their search results . it also features search bookmarking and integration with pinterest . users can also integrate axis among multiple devices , saving a personal homepage and searches on phone , tablet and desktop computers . the tool 's main page also shows trending ' searches at any given time . on the desktop version , axis appears as a small search box in the bottom left corner of the browser window , allowing people to keep using whatever browser they like . the unveiling of axis comes as yahoo is trying to jockey for position among the big three of web search -- google , microsoft 's bing and yahoo search . google controls about 64 % of the search market , according to march numbers from experian hitwise . yahoo ( which is powered by bing ) had about 16 % of the market , while bing itself accounted for another 14 % . e.b . boyd , of fast company , writes that the release of axis marks a new charge in the browser wars , as all three companies work to revamp , and redefine , web search . boyd wrote : ' the three leaders in this space have each realized that the conventional paradigms for search , architected over a decade ago when bandwidth was low , few people used the web for more than research , and almost all computing was done at desktops , no longer work in an age of mobile apps , multiple devices , big data , and ever greater expectation on the part of the consumer that working online is about getting things done , not just perusing documents . ' | yahoo currently has about 16 % of the web search market |
yahoo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yahoo has joined the browser wars with axis , its very own tool designed to enhance its search with a clear eye toward the rapidly expanding mobile web . axis , the company announced late wednesday , is a stand-alone app currently available for apple mobile devices like the iphone and ipad and on desktops as an add-on to established browsers like explorer , firefox , chrome and safari . yahoo special project director ethan batraski wrote on the company 's search blog that with a mobile-first focus , ' the company set out to completely re-think and re-design how users search and browse the web . ' the result was axis , a visual-rich tool that aims to combine searching and browsing into one experience . on mobile devices , a query returns thumbnail images of actual web pages instead of a list of links . people can use the touchscreen to scroll and choose a page . early reviews have been positive for the mobile version of the tool , which addresses the rising percentage of time web users spend accessing the internet on phones and tablets . mobile is where the action is , so it makes sense that yahoo threw the bulk of its development love into the tablet and smartphone versions , ' wrote cnet 's rafe needleman . on the ipad , axis is simply a great browser . the integrated search feature is intuitive , and being able to move through search results without having to go back to search makes sense . after only a few minutes using it i thought , why has n't google done this yet ? it 's that good . ' a pull-down feature lets users flip back and forth between a web page and their search results . it also features search bookmarking and integration with pinterest . users can also integrate axis among multiple devices , saving a personal homepage and searches on phone , tablet and desktop computers . the tool 's main page also shows trending ' searches at any given time . on the desktop version , axis appears as a small search box in the bottom left corner of the browser window , allowing people to keep using whatever browser they like . the unveiling of axis comes as yahoo is trying to jockey for position among the big three of web search -- google , microsoft 's bing and yahoo search . google controls about 64 % of the search market , according to march numbers from experian hitwise . yahoo ( which is powered by bing ) had about 16 % of the market , while bing itself accounted for another 14 % . e.b . boyd , of fast company , writes that the release of axis marks a new charge in the browser wars , as all three companies work to revamp , and redefine , web search . boyd wrote : ' the three leaders in this space have each realized that the conventional paradigms for search , architected over a decade ago when bandwidth was low , few people used the web for more than research , and almost all computing was done at desktops , no longer work in an age of mobile apps , multiple devices , big data , and ever greater expectation on the part of the consumer that working online is about getting things done , not just perusing documents . ' | yahoo launches axis , a search browser ' with a focus on mobile |
lee <tsp> ( cnn ) -- north korea is no laggard when it comes to bluster and vituperation . for decades , the regime has issued threats of turning south korea into a sea of fire ' or used choice words such as human scum ' or political idiot ' when denouncing south korean and u.s. leaders . but even measured against such standards , north korea 's barrage over the past month , from threatening to launch an all-out war ' to diversified precision nuclear strike ' against washington , wipe out ' a south korean island , or hurling a sexist insult against park geun-hye , south korea 's first female elected leader , to , most recently , warning of an imminent moment of explosion , ' is quite unusual . and now , after saying that plans for merciless operation has been finally examined and ratified , ' pyongyang is hinting at another long-range missile launch . what 's going on ? first , we must assume the north korean leadership is not crazy or suicidal in spite of bizarre things it says and does . cruel , totalitarian and solipsistic the kim dynasty surely is . but the fact that it has managed to preserve itself for more 60 years and , in the post-cold war era , in spite of the everyday existential threat of facing an immeasurably more successful korean state across the border , the impoverished north has shown itself to be , if nothing else , calculating and resilient . opinion : kim jong un is not crazy what is pyongyang calculating ? the same it has since the end of the korean war 60 years ago . the two constants in north korea 's foreign policy are its continual calls for the withdrawal of u.s. troops from south korea and blaming u.s. hostile policy ' for the tension enveloping the korean peninsula . pyongyang sees the u.s. commitment to the defense of south korea , as powerfully symbolized by the presence of american troops in the south , as the greatest impediment to its highest state task . as north korea states in the charter to its communist party , that task is to ( en ) sure the complete victory of socialism in the northern half of the democratic people 's republic of korea and the accomplishment of the revolutionary goals of national liberation and the people 's democracy on the entire area of the country . ' in plain language , that means dissolving the south korean government and communizing the entire korean peninsula by force . north korea 's frequent threats are a means to a long-term end . the first step is to impregnate the south korean public with war hysteria and the illusion that the withdrawal of u.s. troops would lead to peace and reconciliation between the two koreas . the second is to instill fear in the american public by one day demonstrating its capability to marry a nuclear warhead with an intercontinental ballistic missile with the range to hit the u.s. west coast . when that day comes , washington may have second thoughts about its treaty commitment to the defense of south korea , pyongyang calculates . so far , timing seems to be in pyongyang 's favor . over the past year , all the major powers in north korea 's neck of the woods have undergone a leadership transition . moreover , in seoul , beijing and tokyo , leadership transitions have occurred only in recent months . that creates a particularly appeasement-prone environment , as no newly elected leader wishes to spend political capital on a foreign policy crisis created by north korea when many other pressing domestic issues beckon . so pyongyang reckons that after ratcheting up tension as high as it can and then simply take a little step back , it can lure its richer interlocutors into returning to talks and the kind of concessionary aid worth billions of dollars we have seen in the past . this means the risk of north korea starting an all-out war is quite small , although there is always the possibility of miscalculation . it also means that pyongyang will most likely not just go quietly into the night after having thumped its chest for so long . we should expect some kind of deadly , although limited , attack to come soon . how should seoul and washington respond ? for starters , they could clamp down on the north 's multifaceted criminal activities and put psychological pressure on the elites . second , they could raise awareness on north korea 's systematic and widespread human rights violations so that democratic countries come to view the regime as a threat to humanity instead of some abstract amalgamation of the dreadful and the bizarre . this approach may not yield immediate changes in regime behavior . but at the very least it will finally put the stick ' in the proverbial carrot-and-stick metaphor for taming pyongyang . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sung-yoon lee . | lee : the risk of north korea starting an all-out war is quite small |
lee <tsp> ( cnn ) -- north korea is no laggard when it comes to bluster and vituperation . for decades , the regime has issued threats of turning south korea into a sea of fire ' or used choice words such as human scum ' or political idiot ' when denouncing south korean and u.s. leaders . but even measured against such standards , north korea 's barrage over the past month , from threatening to launch an all-out war ' to diversified precision nuclear strike ' against washington , wipe out ' a south korean island , or hurling a sexist insult against park geun-hye , south korea 's first female elected leader , to , most recently , warning of an imminent moment of explosion , ' is quite unusual . and now , after saying that plans for merciless operation has been finally examined and ratified , ' pyongyang is hinting at another long-range missile launch . what 's going on ? first , we must assume the north korean leadership is not crazy or suicidal in spite of bizarre things it says and does . cruel , totalitarian and solipsistic the kim dynasty surely is . but the fact that it has managed to preserve itself for more 60 years and , in the post-cold war era , in spite of the everyday existential threat of facing an immeasurably more successful korean state across the border , the impoverished north has shown itself to be , if nothing else , calculating and resilient . opinion : kim jong un is not crazy what is pyongyang calculating ? the same it has since the end of the korean war 60 years ago . the two constants in north korea 's foreign policy are its continual calls for the withdrawal of u.s. troops from south korea and blaming u.s. hostile policy ' for the tension enveloping the korean peninsula . pyongyang sees the u.s. commitment to the defense of south korea , as powerfully symbolized by the presence of american troops in the south , as the greatest impediment to its highest state task . as north korea states in the charter to its communist party , that task is to ( en ) sure the complete victory of socialism in the northern half of the democratic people 's republic of korea and the accomplishment of the revolutionary goals of national liberation and the people 's democracy on the entire area of the country . ' in plain language , that means dissolving the south korean government and communizing the entire korean peninsula by force . north korea 's frequent threats are a means to a long-term end . the first step is to impregnate the south korean public with war hysteria and the illusion that the withdrawal of u.s. troops would lead to peace and reconciliation between the two koreas . the second is to instill fear in the american public by one day demonstrating its capability to marry a nuclear warhead with an intercontinental ballistic missile with the range to hit the u.s. west coast . when that day comes , washington may have second thoughts about its treaty commitment to the defense of south korea , pyongyang calculates . so far , timing seems to be in pyongyang 's favor . over the past year , all the major powers in north korea 's neck of the woods have undergone a leadership transition . moreover , in seoul , beijing and tokyo , leadership transitions have occurred only in recent months . that creates a particularly appeasement-prone environment , as no newly elected leader wishes to spend political capital on a foreign policy crisis created by north korea when many other pressing domestic issues beckon . so pyongyang reckons that after ratcheting up tension as high as it can and then simply take a little step back , it can lure its richer interlocutors into returning to talks and the kind of concessionary aid worth billions of dollars we have seen in the past . this means the risk of north korea starting an all-out war is quite small , although there is always the possibility of miscalculation . it also means that pyongyang will most likely not just go quietly into the night after having thumped its chest for so long . we should expect some kind of deadly , although limited , attack to come soon . how should seoul and washington respond ? for starters , they could clamp down on the north 's multifaceted criminal activities and put psychological pressure on the elites . second , they could raise awareness on north korea 's systematic and widespread human rights violations so that democratic countries come to view the regime as a threat to humanity instead of some abstract amalgamation of the dreadful and the bizarre . this approach may not yield immediate changes in regime behavior . but at the very least it will finally put the stick ' in the proverbial carrot-and-stick metaphor for taming pyongyang . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sung-yoon lee . | sung-yoon lee : despite threats , north korean leadership is n't crazy or suicidal |
lee <tsp> ( cnn ) -- north korea is no laggard when it comes to bluster and vituperation . for decades , the regime has issued threats of turning south korea into a sea of fire ' or used choice words such as human scum ' or political idiot ' when denouncing south korean and u.s. leaders . but even measured against such standards , north korea 's barrage over the past month , from threatening to launch an all-out war ' to diversified precision nuclear strike ' against washington , wipe out ' a south korean island , or hurling a sexist insult against park geun-hye , south korea 's first female elected leader , to , most recently , warning of an imminent moment of explosion , ' is quite unusual . and now , after saying that plans for merciless operation has been finally examined and ratified , ' pyongyang is hinting at another long-range missile launch . what 's going on ? first , we must assume the north korean leadership is not crazy or suicidal in spite of bizarre things it says and does . cruel , totalitarian and solipsistic the kim dynasty surely is . but the fact that it has managed to preserve itself for more 60 years and , in the post-cold war era , in spite of the everyday existential threat of facing an immeasurably more successful korean state across the border , the impoverished north has shown itself to be , if nothing else , calculating and resilient . opinion : kim jong un is not crazy what is pyongyang calculating ? the same it has since the end of the korean war 60 years ago . the two constants in north korea 's foreign policy are its continual calls for the withdrawal of u.s. troops from south korea and blaming u.s. hostile policy ' for the tension enveloping the korean peninsula . pyongyang sees the u.s. commitment to the defense of south korea , as powerfully symbolized by the presence of american troops in the south , as the greatest impediment to its highest state task . as north korea states in the charter to its communist party , that task is to ( en ) sure the complete victory of socialism in the northern half of the democratic people 's republic of korea and the accomplishment of the revolutionary goals of national liberation and the people 's democracy on the entire area of the country . ' in plain language , that means dissolving the south korean government and communizing the entire korean peninsula by force . north korea 's frequent threats are a means to a long-term end . the first step is to impregnate the south korean public with war hysteria and the illusion that the withdrawal of u.s. troops would lead to peace and reconciliation between the two koreas . the second is to instill fear in the american public by one day demonstrating its capability to marry a nuclear warhead with an intercontinental ballistic missile with the range to hit the u.s. west coast . when that day comes , washington may have second thoughts about its treaty commitment to the defense of south korea , pyongyang calculates . so far , timing seems to be in pyongyang 's favor . over the past year , all the major powers in north korea 's neck of the woods have undergone a leadership transition . moreover , in seoul , beijing and tokyo , leadership transitions have occurred only in recent months . that creates a particularly appeasement-prone environment , as no newly elected leader wishes to spend political capital on a foreign policy crisis created by north korea when many other pressing domestic issues beckon . so pyongyang reckons that after ratcheting up tension as high as it can and then simply take a little step back , it can lure its richer interlocutors into returning to talks and the kind of concessionary aid worth billions of dollars we have seen in the past . this means the risk of north korea starting an all-out war is quite small , although there is always the possibility of miscalculation . it also means that pyongyang will most likely not just go quietly into the night after having thumped its chest for so long . we should expect some kind of deadly , although limited , attack to come soon . how should seoul and washington respond ? for starters , they could clamp down on the north 's multifaceted criminal activities and put psychological pressure on the elites . second , they could raise awareness on north korea 's systematic and widespread human rights violations so that democratic countries come to view the regime as a threat to humanity instead of some abstract amalgamation of the dreadful and the bizarre . this approach may not yield immediate changes in regime behavior . but at the very least it will finally put the stick ' in the proverbial carrot-and-stick metaphor for taming pyongyang . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sung-yoon lee . | lee : north korea 's goal is to get the u.s. to withdraw troops from south korea |
lugger <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sara lugger was skeptical as she placed her first $ 5 bet . but she realized that all she had to lose was weight -- and a few bucks if the money did n't motivate her to get in shape . a friend 's success had inspired lugger to join dietbet , a website that hosts private and public games where people can bet on their own weight loss . each game sets a goal , such as losing 4 % of your body weight , and users who reach that goal split the pot . lugger was 34 and weighed 342 pounds . she had struggled with obesity most of her life . in the ninth grade , she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis , and doctors put her on prednisone . the steroid made it difficult for her to maintain a normal weight . but in 2004 , lugger had surgery to fix the colitis . from there on out , i could n't blame anything but my poor habits . ' shortly after her birthday in february 2013 , lugger decided that reaching 350 pounds would be unacceptable . ' the oxford , michigan , resident realized that her weight was holding her back from doing the things she wanted to do . she had been the heaviest person in her college classes , where she studied to become a physical therapist . and although family and friends never said anything outright , she noticed they did n't exactly try to set her up on dates . she avoided social situations and outdoor activities that might call attention to her size , and she worried about traveling because fitting in an airplane seat was difficult . for weeks before i flew , that would be on my mind , ' she said . after signing up for dietbet , lugger made a plan . she threw out all the junk food in her house . she decided she would wake up 30 minutes early every morning to work out on her elliptical machine . then , at lunch , she would use the physical therapy equipment at her office to strength train . that way , if she wanted to go out with friends in the evening , she would n't miss a workout . upwave : do n't miss a workout with the one-minute workout challenge ' i have never seen her so driven and persistent on a goal , ' her friend travis summerville said . i do n't know where that came from , but she chose a simple exercise regimen and diet style that worked well for her , and she just kept at it consistently . ' lugger traded her morning bowl of cereal for a protein shake . she stopped frequenting fast-food places and instead used pinterest to find lighter fare to cook at home . she now keeps to a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet . i 'm kind of an all-or-nothing person , ' she said . i ca n't ( just ) lean into things , or it does n't happen . ' losing weight did happen . lugger loved the support she found from her group on dietbet and signed up for two more games after the first one ended . over time , she upped her bets to $ 10 and then $ 50 as she gained confidence -- and lost 140 pounds . lugger 's friend christie williams has also lost 60 pounds using the site . looking back , williams is amazed at how heavy she and lugger once were . but what she 's always loved about her friend is still there , williams says . i do n't believe sara has changed as a person . she still laughs loud , dances crazy and screams at the wrong parts in horror movies . what has changed is the activities we do . it 's not always takeout pizza and two movies . we 'll go walk a couple of miles or play just dance ' before we go out to eat . ' the friends are training for an upcoming 5k and helping each other maintain their slimmer figures . we are holding each other accountable , ' williams said . my biggest fear was ( lugger ) having a heart attack at age 45 . that fear is gone , and i do n't want it back . ... it 's never going to be easy , but it will be easier than losing her at a young age . ' overall , lugger has won more than $ 330 on dietbet . she 's also won a new outlook on life . lugger used to tell her friends -- and herself -- that she did n't like basketball because she knew she would n't fit into the arena seats . now she 's a detroit pistons fan . turns out , i really like basketball , ' she said with a laugh . lugger is also traveling more . and shopping . she loves dressing in clothes she feels express her style instead of trying to hide in the background . i 'm finding me more , and that 's a really neat thing . ' | at her heaviest , sara lugger weighed 342 pounds |
lugger <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sara lugger was skeptical as she placed her first $ 5 bet . but she realized that all she had to lose was weight -- and a few bucks if the money did n't motivate her to get in shape . a friend 's success had inspired lugger to join dietbet , a website that hosts private and public games where people can bet on their own weight loss . each game sets a goal , such as losing 4 % of your body weight , and users who reach that goal split the pot . lugger was 34 and weighed 342 pounds . she had struggled with obesity most of her life . in the ninth grade , she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis , and doctors put her on prednisone . the steroid made it difficult for her to maintain a normal weight . but in 2004 , lugger had surgery to fix the colitis . from there on out , i could n't blame anything but my poor habits . ' shortly after her birthday in february 2013 , lugger decided that reaching 350 pounds would be unacceptable . ' the oxford , michigan , resident realized that her weight was holding her back from doing the things she wanted to do . she had been the heaviest person in her college classes , where she studied to become a physical therapist . and although family and friends never said anything outright , she noticed they did n't exactly try to set her up on dates . she avoided social situations and outdoor activities that might call attention to her size , and she worried about traveling because fitting in an airplane seat was difficult . for weeks before i flew , that would be on my mind , ' she said . after signing up for dietbet , lugger made a plan . she threw out all the junk food in her house . she decided she would wake up 30 minutes early every morning to work out on her elliptical machine . then , at lunch , she would use the physical therapy equipment at her office to strength train . that way , if she wanted to go out with friends in the evening , she would n't miss a workout . upwave : do n't miss a workout with the one-minute workout challenge ' i have never seen her so driven and persistent on a goal , ' her friend travis summerville said . i do n't know where that came from , but she chose a simple exercise regimen and diet style that worked well for her , and she just kept at it consistently . ' lugger traded her morning bowl of cereal for a protein shake . she stopped frequenting fast-food places and instead used pinterest to find lighter fare to cook at home . she now keeps to a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet . i 'm kind of an all-or-nothing person , ' she said . i ca n't ( just ) lean into things , or it does n't happen . ' losing weight did happen . lugger loved the support she found from her group on dietbet and signed up for two more games after the first one ended . over time , she upped her bets to $ 10 and then $ 50 as she gained confidence -- and lost 140 pounds . lugger 's friend christie williams has also lost 60 pounds using the site . looking back , williams is amazed at how heavy she and lugger once were . but what she 's always loved about her friend is still there , williams says . i do n't believe sara has changed as a person . she still laughs loud , dances crazy and screams at the wrong parts in horror movies . what has changed is the activities we do . it 's not always takeout pizza and two movies . we 'll go walk a couple of miles or play just dance ' before we go out to eat . ' the friends are training for an upcoming 5k and helping each other maintain their slimmer figures . we are holding each other accountable , ' williams said . my biggest fear was ( lugger ) having a heart attack at age 45 . that fear is gone , and i do n't want it back . ... it 's never going to be easy , but it will be easier than losing her at a young age . ' overall , lugger has won more than $ 330 on dietbet . she 's also won a new outlook on life . lugger used to tell her friends -- and herself -- that she did n't like basketball because she knew she would n't fit into the arena seats . now she 's a detroit pistons fan . turns out , i really like basketball , ' she said with a laugh . lugger is also traveling more . and shopping . she loves dressing in clothes she feels express her style instead of trying to hide in the background . i 'm finding me more , and that 's a really neat thing . ' | lugger joined dietbet and bet money she 'd lose weight |
dick cheney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- north korea on thursday launched a scathing personal attack on u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton , raising comparisons with previous colorful comments about the west by the communist regime . bush : a chicken soaked in the rain , ' according to a north korean cabinet newspaper . at a meeting of southeast asian nations in phuket , thailand , a north korean foreign ministry spokesman blasted clinton for what he called a spate of vulgar remarks unbecoming for her position everywhere she went since she was sworn in , ' according to the state-run kcna news agency . the spokesman called clinton by no means intelligent ' and a funny lady . ' sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping , ' the statement said . in no particular order , here are some of the most outspoken comments of recent years : in october 2001 , north korean newspaper rodong sinmun said u.s. president george w. bush was an incompetent and rude president who is senseless and ignorant as he does not know even elementary diplomatic etiquette and lacks diplomatic ability . ' in march 2002 , after bush bracketed the communist state of kim jong-il with iran and pre-war iraq as being part of an axis of evil , ' the north shot back and called the united states an empire of evil , ' kcna reported . in may 2005 , north korea described bush as a hooligan bereft of any personality as a human being , to say nothing of stature as president of a country . he is a half-baked man in terms of morality and a philistine whom we can never deal with . ' in december 2008 after an iraqi reporter threw his shoes at bush at a news conference in baghdad the north 's cabinet newspaper said in an article that bush looked like a chicken soaked in the rain , ' according to reuters.com . in april 2004 , a north korean foreign ministry spokesman described u.s. vice president dick cheney as a mentally deranged person steeped in the inveterate enmity towards the system ' in the north . in may 2003 , the north said cheney is hated as the most cruel monster and blood-thirsty beast as he has drenched various parts of the world in blood . ' in may 2004 , the north branded the grand national party of south party a vegetable assembly ' and a modern brand nazi party . ' in november 2003 , after u.s. defense secretary rumsfeld described north korea as an evil country ' and an evil regime , ' kcna shot back , describing him as a political dwarf , human scum or hysteric . his hands are stained with the blood shed by so many people . he is , indeed , a human butcher and fascist tyrant who puts an ogre to shame . ' in may 2005 , after u.s. secretary of state condoleezza rice described the north as an outpost of tyranny , ' a north korean foreign ministry spokesman described rice as no more than an official of the most tyrannical dictatorial state in the world . such woman bereft of any political logic is not the one to be dealt with by us . ' in may 2009 , north korean newspapers said japanese prime minister taro aso was greedy for power ' and incompetent in politics . ' according to kcna , they described him as nothing but a political charlatan who does not know where to stand , a mere puppet and a guy with a poor knowledge of history . ' | foreign ministry said dick cheney was a mentally deranged person ' |
pagami creek <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a wildfire in a northeast minnesota woodland grew by nearly tenfold tuesday , giving off a pall of smoke that stretched from the canadian border to southern wisconsin . minnesota gov . mark dayton called in national guard helicopters to assist firefighters as the pagami creek fire , located in the remote superior national forest . it spread from about 11,000 acres on monday to more than 100,000 by tuesday afternoon , said doug anderson , a spokesman for the firefighting effort . the blaze started in mid-august after a lightning strike , but jumped about 16 miles eastward on monday -- unprecedented for northern minnesota , ' said lisa radosevich-craig , another spokeswoman for the fire command . no injuries were reported and no buildings had been destroyed , but 36 homes in the nearby community of isabella were evacuated as a precaution , she said . about 25 national guard troops and four black hawk helicopters activated by tuesday evening , the state guard reported . air national guard members were also activated to assist the effort . the fire was centered about 80 miles north of duluth and about 240 miles north of minneapolis -- but the smoke stretched across the upper great lakes for hundreds of miles . tyler barnes , a spokesman for baseball 's milwaukee brewers , said that haze contributed to the team 's decision to close the retractable roof at its stadium for tuesday night 's game against the colorado rockies . the forecast tonight was for lower temperatures that would have put us right around the line for closing the roof for fan comfort , ' barnes told cnn . the haze and smoke made the decision that much easier . ' milwaukee is about 500 miles from the blaze . radosevich-craig said the fire was spread by near-drought conditions in the region that had already prompted the forest service to close some parts of the reserve and restrict campfires in others . the last major fire in the area , about five years ago , scorched about 35,000 acres , she said . cnn 's marlena baldacci contributed to this report . | new : minnesota 's pagami creek fire grows to more than 100,000 acres |
atf <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the man named one month ago to head the troubled bureau of alcohol , tobacco , firearms , and explosives announced wednesday he is dramatically shaking up the agency , which he readily acknowledged has been damaged by a controversial gun-trafficking operation . acting director todd jones said after 30 days of studying atf issues and staff he is instigating a major shuffle of atf personnel but is not yet firing anyone . jones vowed a thorough internal review of all investigative processes . ' jones announced 11 high-level changes , including naming as his deputy thomas brandon who has overseen the phoenix office for the past six months following bitter internal controversy over a gun operation there . these have been difficult times for everyone in atf because of a case in a division , ' jones told reporters . he then quickly confirmed he was talking about the controversial operation fast and furious ' in atf 's phoenix division , which featured atf agents allowing illegally purchased firearms to walk ' from arizona gun stores across the mexican border and into the hands of drug cartels . the plan was to trail the weapons to the cartels , but thousands of firearms were lost in the process . jones also said he understood trust has been damaged within atf and said it would take time to heal . we 're going to have to rebuild trust , ' he said , referring to the reputation of atf from its own agents and from other law enforcement agencies . the issue blew up in december 2010 , when border patrol agent brian terry was murdered , and two guns at the crime scene were part of the fast and furious ' operation . ' the continuing debate over who approved the operation and how soon top justice department officials knew of it is fueled in part by partisan politics . some republicans are clamoring for a special counsel to investigate whether attorney general eric holder or any of his top political aides knew of the operation early on , and could have stopped it . read up on holder 's alleged role in the operation some democrats , meanwhile , point to a similar gun-walking ' operation run out of the phoenix division 's sub-office in tucson that began in 2006 under the bush administration called operation wide receiver . some of the defendants in that case are still being prosecuted . jones said he was confident there were no other operations which involved cases of guns walking . ' jones sought to stay above the political fray . i 'm a political appointee , but i 'm not a politician , ' jones told a dozen reporters at atf headquarters in washington . jones insisted he had no view on the republican-led congressional investigation . he lumped the two arizona cases together and said the atf now has a heightened awareness of the tactic allowing gun-walking . ' sen. chuck grassley , r-iowa and the ranking member of the senate judiciary committee , released a statement after jones'announcement saying , the reassignments are positive , especially in the case of tom brandon who i hope can help lead this agency out of its troubles . but , i caution that rearranging the chairs on the deck , wo n't make fast and furious go away . ' grassley said he also questioned the timing of the announcement . there is a lot of effort at the justice department to spin the fact that the attorney general was less than candid before the house judiciary committee , and what better way to make that go away than a bureaucratic shuffle , ' grassley said in the statement jones was named to the position by holder 30 days ago , when former acting director ken melson , under fire , was ousted and given a job as an adviser at the justice department . jones said he plans to continue to wear two hats . he heads the atf while also serving as u.s. attorney for minnesota . he expressed confidence he can manage his time to serve in both capacities . the acting director sidestepped political issues but was clear in his caution to congress not to slash the atf budget because of the current controversy . i hope that does not happen . we 'll be smart about what we ask for , ' he said . jones said he intended to refocus the atf on its core mission of fighting violent crime and protecting the american public . he repeatedly said he would await the outcome of the ongoing congressional investigation of fast and furious , ' as well as the inspector general 's investigation before deciding whom to hold accountable . what went wrong ? i do n't know what went wrong , ' jones said . we 'll have to wait for those reports . ' | atf is laboring under the cloud of operation fast and furious ' |
atf <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the man named one month ago to head the troubled bureau of alcohol , tobacco , firearms , and explosives announced wednesday he is dramatically shaking up the agency , which he readily acknowledged has been damaged by a controversial gun-trafficking operation . acting director todd jones said after 30 days of studying atf issues and staff he is instigating a major shuffle of atf personnel but is not yet firing anyone . jones vowed a thorough internal review of all investigative processes . ' jones announced 11 high-level changes , including naming as his deputy thomas brandon who has overseen the phoenix office for the past six months following bitter internal controversy over a gun operation there . these have been difficult times for everyone in atf because of a case in a division , ' jones told reporters . he then quickly confirmed he was talking about the controversial operation fast and furious ' in atf 's phoenix division , which featured atf agents allowing illegally purchased firearms to walk ' from arizona gun stores across the mexican border and into the hands of drug cartels . the plan was to trail the weapons to the cartels , but thousands of firearms were lost in the process . jones also said he understood trust has been damaged within atf and said it would take time to heal . we 're going to have to rebuild trust , ' he said , referring to the reputation of atf from its own agents and from other law enforcement agencies . the issue blew up in december 2010 , when border patrol agent brian terry was murdered , and two guns at the crime scene were part of the fast and furious ' operation . ' the continuing debate over who approved the operation and how soon top justice department officials knew of it is fueled in part by partisan politics . some republicans are clamoring for a special counsel to investigate whether attorney general eric holder or any of his top political aides knew of the operation early on , and could have stopped it . read up on holder 's alleged role in the operation some democrats , meanwhile , point to a similar gun-walking ' operation run out of the phoenix division 's sub-office in tucson that began in 2006 under the bush administration called operation wide receiver . some of the defendants in that case are still being prosecuted . jones said he was confident there were no other operations which involved cases of guns walking . ' jones sought to stay above the political fray . i 'm a political appointee , but i 'm not a politician , ' jones told a dozen reporters at atf headquarters in washington . jones insisted he had no view on the republican-led congressional investigation . he lumped the two arizona cases together and said the atf now has a heightened awareness of the tactic allowing gun-walking . ' sen. chuck grassley , r-iowa and the ranking member of the senate judiciary committee , released a statement after jones'announcement saying , the reassignments are positive , especially in the case of tom brandon who i hope can help lead this agency out of its troubles . but , i caution that rearranging the chairs on the deck , wo n't make fast and furious go away . ' grassley said he also questioned the timing of the announcement . there is a lot of effort at the justice department to spin the fact that the attorney general was less than candid before the house judiciary committee , and what better way to make that go away than a bureaucratic shuffle , ' grassley said in the statement jones was named to the position by holder 30 days ago , when former acting director ken melson , under fire , was ousted and given a job as an adviser at the justice department . jones said he plans to continue to wear two hats . he heads the atf while also serving as u.s. attorney for minnesota . he expressed confidence he can manage his time to serve in both capacities . the acting director sidestepped political issues but was clear in his caution to congress not to slash the atf budget because of the current controversy . i hope that does not happen . we 'll be smart about what we ask for , ' he said . jones said he intended to refocus the atf on its core mission of fighting violent crime and protecting the american public . he repeatedly said he would await the outcome of the ongoing congressional investigation of fast and furious , ' as well as the inspector general 's investigation before deciding whom to hold accountable . what went wrong ? i do n't know what went wrong , ' jones said . we 'll have to wait for those reports . ' | the acting director concedes these have been difficult times for everyone in atf ' |
natalee holloway <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the case against joran van der sloot , who is suspected of killing a woman in a peruvian hotel , was headed to the prosecutor 's office on wednesday . van der sloot and his new private defense attorney were in court on tuesday for a preliminary hearing . the hearing was held behind closed doors at the castro castro prison outside of lima . no cameras were allowed . the hearing was postponed last week because van der sloot did not have legal representation . van der sloot was once the prime suspect in the disappearance in aruba of american teenager natalee holloway , who vanished at age 18 while on a graduation trip . he was arrested twice but never charged in connection with her disappearance . he was arrested in may 2010 following the death of stephany flores . formal charges could take up to two months to be filed , depending on the backlog . once charges are filed against him , a three-judge panel will set the date for a trial to begin . for the van der sloot case , we may be looking at five to seven sessions for the oral proceedings , one session per week approximately , ' said giovanna gismondi , an expert on the peruvian criminal legal system now teaching international relations at the university of oklahoma . last week , ricardo flores described the first time he saw the alleged killer of his daughter face to face . it was a very tough moment , ' he told cnn june 8 shortly after leaving a courtroom inside the prison , noting that it seemed van der sloot was enjoying many privileges . i thought i 'd see someone skinny ... but no , he was fatter than when he first went to prison . ' his daughter was found dead in a lima hotel room registered to van der sloot in may 2010 . police say van der sloot took money and bank cards from her wallet and fled to chile , where he was arrested a few days later . earlier this month , van der sloot 's defense attorney , maximo altez , resigned , citing differences in strategy . in session 's mayra cuevas and cnn en espanol 's patricia janiot contributed to this report . | van der sloot was once the main suspect in the natalee holloway disappearance |
six nations <tsp> ( cnn ) -- france have won the six nations rugby title for the first time since 2007 following defending champions ireland 's shock home defeat to scotland on saturday . the irish needed to win by a big margin and then see les bleus handsomely defeated by england in the evening match to have a chance of retaining their crown . however , scotland spoiled any hopes of a tense finale by snatching a 23-20 victory in the last rugby union match to be held at dublin 's croke park as dan parks kicked a last-minute penalty for a personal haul of 18 points . france then defeated martin johnson 's much-criticized england team 12-10 in paris to end the tournament with five wins from five , clinching their first such grand slam since 2004 . england led with a sixth-minute try from ben foden , but france built a 12-7 halftime advantage thanks to three penalties from morgan parra and a drop-goal by francois trinh-duc . jonny wilkinson , dropped to the bench for only the third time in his 12-year career but brought on as a replacement for center riki flutey , kicked the only points of the second half . ireland captain brian o'driscoll scored an 11th minute try to give his side a perfect start , but scotland moved into a 17-7 lead thanks to a try from no . 8 james beattie and three penalties and a drop-goal from parks . tommy bowe crossed for a controversial try to put ireland level , awarded with 16 minutes to play despite appearing not to properly ground the ball , but parks held his nerve to give the visitors their first win of the tournament . scotland 's victory , coming after last weekend 's 15-15 draw with england , condemned italy to bottom place . wales finished fourth for the second year in a row after beating the italians 33-10 in cardiff earlier on saturday , with center james hook scoring two tries . | france win the six nations rugby title for the first time since 2007 |
west african <tsp> bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- after intense diplomacy , the government of mali and the economic community of west african states ( ecowas ) have agreed that troops from the west african regional block can be based in the capital of bamako , as a step toward ending conflict in the northern part of the country . according to the agreement between the malian government and ecowas , authorities have given the green light for a logistics base on the outskirts of the city . there will be no foreign troops fighting in the capital . in return , ecowas requires operational headquarters and a base in bamako together with a police force , ' said nouhou togo , communications officer at mali 's ministry of defence . united nations backing for the force will be sought this week by the malian government and ecowas , and is likely to be followed by further negotiations . a crisis like this is not solved over night . it takes time and preparation . though , when that day comes , the malian army is ready to go in the north , ' said togo . following a military coup in the capital in march , islamists seized control of two-thirds of the texas-sized nation . mali -- seen as a stable democracy and an example for other less stable countries in the region -- was thrown into chaos . islamist groups -- some of them with links to al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , or aqim -- swiftly seized key towns in the vast and scarcely populated north . soon after taking the towns of kidal , gao and timbuktu , they implemented a hardline form of sharia law including capital and corporal punishments for relatively minor offenses . thieves had their hands and feet amputated while a couple accused of adultery were stoned to death . plans for a large presence of ecowas troops has been fueling political tensions in bamako for weeks . over the last month , the west african regional block has had 3,300 regional troops on standby waiting for a go-ahead from bamako . meanwhile interim president dioncounda traore has opposed a regional force based in bamako . capt . amadou haya sanogo , who led a military junta that toppled the government in march , has made it clear that he does not want ecowas troops in the south of the country , which he argues is already secured by the malian military . resistance to an actual force in the malian capital has also come from several groups , outspoken politicians and the malian people worried about foreign troops flooding into the capital . the request for 3,000 troops to help defeat the islamists and regain control of the north will be considered during a meeting chaired by u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly on wednesday . before the deployment can go ahead , it will need a mandate from the security council , which earlier rejected an intervention plan because of a lack of detail . following the agreement announced sunday regarding ecowas troops , there are still uncertainties about the details of troop deployment . the question is if the malian military is ready to go fight in the north . so far i have not seen any proof of this , ' says gilles yabi , a researcher with the international crisis group , a brussel-based nongovernment organiztion seeking to end conflicts . the government is still very disorganized and has not been able to agree with the malian military regarding troops deployment , ' said yabi , from dakar in neighboring senegal . given that most of the islamist northern strongholds are in urbanized areas , a military intervention risks harming civilians and even more displacement . according to u.n. figures , over 450,000 malians have already been displaced from their homes -- an ecowas intervention could well raise that number . in any scenario a military intervention will have serious humanitarian implications . to date , there has been very little fighting since government forces fled the north -- for the most part armed groups simply carved up the territory . but once the government in bamako begins to act , conflict in the north will escalate , ' said bertrand soret at the european union liazon office in bamako . at some point , argues yabi , the use of force will probably be necessary to neutralize transnational armed groups that indulge in terrorism , jihadism and drug and arms trafficking , and to restore mali 's territorial integrity . to stabilize mali , the government will have to agree with the algerian politicians to tackle the influx of arms and combatants between a libya still struggling after the fall of ( moammar ) gaddafi and northern mali through southern algeria , ' said yabi . minimal and sustainable security in northern mali can not be re-established without the clear involvement of the algerian political and military authorities . this is not something the malian army and ecowas forces will be able to tackle themselves . ' | mali and the west african group have reached an agreement |
west african <tsp> bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- after intense diplomacy , the government of mali and the economic community of west african states ( ecowas ) have agreed that troops from the west african regional block can be based in the capital of bamako , as a step toward ending conflict in the northern part of the country . according to the agreement between the malian government and ecowas , authorities have given the green light for a logistics base on the outskirts of the city . there will be no foreign troops fighting in the capital . in return , ecowas requires operational headquarters and a base in bamako together with a police force , ' said nouhou togo , communications officer at mali 's ministry of defence . united nations backing for the force will be sought this week by the malian government and ecowas , and is likely to be followed by further negotiations . a crisis like this is not solved over night . it takes time and preparation . though , when that day comes , the malian army is ready to go in the north , ' said togo . following a military coup in the capital in march , islamists seized control of two-thirds of the texas-sized nation . mali -- seen as a stable democracy and an example for other less stable countries in the region -- was thrown into chaos . islamist groups -- some of them with links to al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , or aqim -- swiftly seized key towns in the vast and scarcely populated north . soon after taking the towns of kidal , gao and timbuktu , they implemented a hardline form of sharia law including capital and corporal punishments for relatively minor offenses . thieves had their hands and feet amputated while a couple accused of adultery were stoned to death . plans for a large presence of ecowas troops has been fueling political tensions in bamako for weeks . over the last month , the west african regional block has had 3,300 regional troops on standby waiting for a go-ahead from bamako . meanwhile interim president dioncounda traore has opposed a regional force based in bamako . capt . amadou haya sanogo , who led a military junta that toppled the government in march , has made it clear that he does not want ecowas troops in the south of the country , which he argues is already secured by the malian military . resistance to an actual force in the malian capital has also come from several groups , outspoken politicians and the malian people worried about foreign troops flooding into the capital . the request for 3,000 troops to help defeat the islamists and regain control of the north will be considered during a meeting chaired by u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly on wednesday . before the deployment can go ahead , it will need a mandate from the security council , which earlier rejected an intervention plan because of a lack of detail . following the agreement announced sunday regarding ecowas troops , there are still uncertainties about the details of troop deployment . the question is if the malian military is ready to go fight in the north . so far i have not seen any proof of this , ' says gilles yabi , a researcher with the international crisis group , a brussel-based nongovernment organiztion seeking to end conflicts . the government is still very disorganized and has not been able to agree with the malian military regarding troops deployment , ' said yabi , from dakar in neighboring senegal . given that most of the islamist northern strongholds are in urbanized areas , a military intervention risks harming civilians and even more displacement . according to u.n. figures , over 450,000 malians have already been displaced from their homes -- an ecowas intervention could well raise that number . in any scenario a military intervention will have serious humanitarian implications . to date , there has been very little fighting since government forces fled the north -- for the most part armed groups simply carved up the territory . but once the government in bamako begins to act , conflict in the north will escalate , ' said bertrand soret at the european union liazon office in bamako . at some point , argues yabi , the use of force will probably be necessary to neutralize transnational armed groups that indulge in terrorism , jihadism and drug and arms trafficking , and to restore mali 's territorial integrity . to stabilize mali , the government will have to agree with the algerian politicians to tackle the influx of arms and combatants between a libya still struggling after the fall of ( moammar ) gaddafi and northern mali through southern algeria , ' said yabi . minimal and sustainable security in northern mali can not be re-established without the clear involvement of the algerian political and military authorities . this is not something the malian army and ecowas forces will be able to tackle themselves . ' | the west african regional block has had 3,300 regional troops on standby |
bin hammam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa presidential candidate mohamed bin hammam wants the current head of world football sepp blatter to be included in the organization 's investigation into bribery . bin hammam , who is the sole challenger to blatter in presidential elections scheduled for june 1 , is due to be quizzed by fifa 's ethics committee this weekend along with jack warner , who runs the concacaf federation covering central and north america . the pair have been accused of bribery by fifa executive committee member chuck blazer in relation to a meeting the two held with the caribbean football union ( cfu ) on may 10 and 11 this year . bin hammam , who is head of the asian football confederation , denied any wrongdoing and has now demanded blatter be included in the probe after claiming he was also named in evidence handed to the ethics committee . fifa probes fresh bribery scandal a statement sent to cnn by the qatari read : mohamed bin hammam , member of the executive committee of fifa , was surprised by yesterday 's accusations of bribery . he rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance . the accusations also contain statements according to which mr. blatter , the incumbent fifa president , was informed of , but did not oppose , payments allegedly made to members of the caribbean football union . mr. bin hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include mr. blatter himself . the timing of the accusations so close to the election of fifa president on june 1 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage mr. bin hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the fifa presidency . ' bin hammam added : i am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next sunday . as long as the committee guarantees a fair process , i have nothing to fear . ' warner has also been named in allegations made by david triesman , the former head of england 's 2018 world cup bid , who claimed he was asked to provide money to the trinidadian in exchange for his vote . warner denies the allegations . meanwhile , blatter has insisted he takes no joy ' in seeing his election rival being hauled before the ethics committee , and rejected the idea he had anything to do with the situation . writing for the inside world football website he said : to make a point very clear , let me say this : i take no joy in having to observe yet another ethics committee hearing and investigation . and i take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee . i take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing : nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt . to now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible . ' | mohamed bin hammam wants sepp blatter included in probe into bribery claims |
bin hammam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa presidential candidate mohamed bin hammam wants the current head of world football sepp blatter to be included in the organization 's investigation into bribery . bin hammam , who is the sole challenger to blatter in presidential elections scheduled for june 1 , is due to be quizzed by fifa 's ethics committee this weekend along with jack warner , who runs the concacaf federation covering central and north america . the pair have been accused of bribery by fifa executive committee member chuck blazer in relation to a meeting the two held with the caribbean football union ( cfu ) on may 10 and 11 this year . bin hammam , who is head of the asian football confederation , denied any wrongdoing and has now demanded blatter be included in the probe after claiming he was also named in evidence handed to the ethics committee . fifa probes fresh bribery scandal a statement sent to cnn by the qatari read : mohamed bin hammam , member of the executive committee of fifa , was surprised by yesterday 's accusations of bribery . he rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance . the accusations also contain statements according to which mr. blatter , the incumbent fifa president , was informed of , but did not oppose , payments allegedly made to members of the caribbean football union . mr. bin hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include mr. blatter himself . the timing of the accusations so close to the election of fifa president on june 1 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage mr. bin hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the fifa presidency . ' bin hammam added : i am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next sunday . as long as the committee guarantees a fair process , i have nothing to fear . ' warner has also been named in allegations made by david triesman , the former head of england 's 2018 world cup bid , who claimed he was asked to provide money to the trinidadian in exchange for his vote . warner denies the allegations . meanwhile , blatter has insisted he takes no joy ' in seeing his election rival being hauled before the ethics committee , and rejected the idea he had anything to do with the situation . writing for the inside world football website he said : to make a point very clear , let me say this : i take no joy in having to observe yet another ethics committee hearing and investigation . and i take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee . i take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing : nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt . to now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible . ' | fifa president blatter insists he takes no joy ' in bin hammam 's plight |
bin hammam <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa presidential candidate mohamed bin hammam wants the current head of world football sepp blatter to be included in the organization 's investigation into bribery . bin hammam , who is the sole challenger to blatter in presidential elections scheduled for june 1 , is due to be quizzed by fifa 's ethics committee this weekend along with jack warner , who runs the concacaf federation covering central and north america . the pair have been accused of bribery by fifa executive committee member chuck blazer in relation to a meeting the two held with the caribbean football union ( cfu ) on may 10 and 11 this year . bin hammam , who is head of the asian football confederation , denied any wrongdoing and has now demanded blatter be included in the probe after claiming he was also named in evidence handed to the ethics committee . fifa probes fresh bribery scandal a statement sent to cnn by the qatari read : mohamed bin hammam , member of the executive committee of fifa , was surprised by yesterday 's accusations of bribery . he rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance . the accusations also contain statements according to which mr. blatter , the incumbent fifa president , was informed of , but did not oppose , payments allegedly made to members of the caribbean football union . mr. bin hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include mr. blatter himself . the timing of the accusations so close to the election of fifa president on june 1 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage mr. bin hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the fifa presidency . ' bin hammam added : i am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next sunday . as long as the committee guarantees a fair process , i have nothing to fear . ' warner has also been named in allegations made by david triesman , the former head of england 's 2018 world cup bid , who claimed he was asked to provide money to the trinidadian in exchange for his vote . warner denies the allegations . meanwhile , blatter has insisted he takes no joy ' in seeing his election rival being hauled before the ethics committee , and rejected the idea he had anything to do with the situation . writing for the inside world football website he said : to make a point very clear , let me say this : i take no joy in having to observe yet another ethics committee hearing and investigation . and i take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee . i take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing : nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt . to now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible . ' | bin hammam has been accused of breaking fifa rules and must face ethics board |
fifa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa presidential candidate mohamed bin hammam wants the current head of world football sepp blatter to be included in the organization 's investigation into bribery . bin hammam , who is the sole challenger to blatter in presidential elections scheduled for june 1 , is due to be quizzed by fifa 's ethics committee this weekend along with jack warner , who runs the concacaf federation covering central and north america . the pair have been accused of bribery by fifa executive committee member chuck blazer in relation to a meeting the two held with the caribbean football union ( cfu ) on may 10 and 11 this year . bin hammam , who is head of the asian football confederation , denied any wrongdoing and has now demanded blatter be included in the probe after claiming he was also named in evidence handed to the ethics committee . fifa probes fresh bribery scandal a statement sent to cnn by the qatari read : mohamed bin hammam , member of the executive committee of fifa , was surprised by yesterday 's accusations of bribery . he rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance . the accusations also contain statements according to which mr. blatter , the incumbent fifa president , was informed of , but did not oppose , payments allegedly made to members of the caribbean football union . mr. bin hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include mr. blatter himself . the timing of the accusations so close to the election of fifa president on june 1 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage mr. bin hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the fifa presidency . ' bin hammam added : i am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next sunday . as long as the committee guarantees a fair process , i have nothing to fear . ' warner has also been named in allegations made by david triesman , the former head of england 's 2018 world cup bid , who claimed he was asked to provide money to the trinidadian in exchange for his vote . warner denies the allegations . meanwhile , blatter has insisted he takes no joy ' in seeing his election rival being hauled before the ethics committee , and rejected the idea he had anything to do with the situation . writing for the inside world football website he said : to make a point very clear , let me say this : i take no joy in having to observe yet another ethics committee hearing and investigation . and i take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee . i take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing : nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt . to now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible . ' | qatari is accused of bribery along with fellow fifa executive jack warner |
fifa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa presidential candidate mohamed bin hammam wants the current head of world football sepp blatter to be included in the organization 's investigation into bribery . bin hammam , who is the sole challenger to blatter in presidential elections scheduled for june 1 , is due to be quizzed by fifa 's ethics committee this weekend along with jack warner , who runs the concacaf federation covering central and north america . the pair have been accused of bribery by fifa executive committee member chuck blazer in relation to a meeting the two held with the caribbean football union ( cfu ) on may 10 and 11 this year . bin hammam , who is head of the asian football confederation , denied any wrongdoing and has now demanded blatter be included in the probe after claiming he was also named in evidence handed to the ethics committee . fifa probes fresh bribery scandal a statement sent to cnn by the qatari read : mohamed bin hammam , member of the executive committee of fifa , was surprised by yesterday 's accusations of bribery . he rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance . the accusations also contain statements according to which mr. blatter , the incumbent fifa president , was informed of , but did not oppose , payments allegedly made to members of the caribbean football union . mr. bin hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include mr. blatter himself . the timing of the accusations so close to the election of fifa president on june 1 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage mr. bin hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the fifa presidency . ' bin hammam added : i am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next sunday . as long as the committee guarantees a fair process , i have nothing to fear . ' warner has also been named in allegations made by david triesman , the former head of england 's 2018 world cup bid , who claimed he was asked to provide money to the trinidadian in exchange for his vote . warner denies the allegations . meanwhile , blatter has insisted he takes no joy ' in seeing his election rival being hauled before the ethics committee , and rejected the idea he had anything to do with the situation . writing for the inside world football website he said : to make a point very clear , let me say this : i take no joy in having to observe yet another ethics committee hearing and investigation . and i take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee . i take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing : nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt . to now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible . ' | fifa president blatter insists he takes no joy ' in bin hammam 's plight |
fifa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa presidential candidate mohamed bin hammam wants the current head of world football sepp blatter to be included in the organization 's investigation into bribery . bin hammam , who is the sole challenger to blatter in presidential elections scheduled for june 1 , is due to be quizzed by fifa 's ethics committee this weekend along with jack warner , who runs the concacaf federation covering central and north america . the pair have been accused of bribery by fifa executive committee member chuck blazer in relation to a meeting the two held with the caribbean football union ( cfu ) on may 10 and 11 this year . bin hammam , who is head of the asian football confederation , denied any wrongdoing and has now demanded blatter be included in the probe after claiming he was also named in evidence handed to the ethics committee . fifa probes fresh bribery scandal a statement sent to cnn by the qatari read : mohamed bin hammam , member of the executive committee of fifa , was surprised by yesterday 's accusations of bribery . he rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance . the accusations also contain statements according to which mr. blatter , the incumbent fifa president , was informed of , but did not oppose , payments allegedly made to members of the caribbean football union . mr. bin hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include mr. blatter himself . the timing of the accusations so close to the election of fifa president on june 1 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage mr. bin hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the fifa presidency . ' bin hammam added : i am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next sunday . as long as the committee guarantees a fair process , i have nothing to fear . ' warner has also been named in allegations made by david triesman , the former head of england 's 2018 world cup bid , who claimed he was asked to provide money to the trinidadian in exchange for his vote . warner denies the allegations . meanwhile , blatter has insisted he takes no joy ' in seeing his election rival being hauled before the ethics committee , and rejected the idea he had anything to do with the situation . writing for the inside world football website he said : to make a point very clear , let me say this : i take no joy in having to observe yet another ethics committee hearing and investigation . and i take absolutely no joy in seeing my friends and colleagues of many years dragged before the ethics committee . i take no joy to see men who stood by my side for some two decades suffer through public humiliation without having been convicted of any wrongdoing : nobody is guilty until a judge has found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt . to now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible . ' | bin hammam has been accused of breaking fifa rules and must face ethics board |
lakewood <tsp> ( cnn ) -- four police officers and a suspect were shot in a raid for firearms and narcotics early thursday in central new jersey , a local prosecutor 's office said . the officers from the lakewood police department 's tactical unit were shot upon entering the property and returned fire , hitting suspect jamie gonzalez , said ocean county deputy chief prosecutor michael mohel . gonzalez , 39 , received multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical but stable condition , mohel said . one officer was shot in the face and is being treated at an undisclosed hospital , the deputy chief prosecutor said . he 's in serious but stable condition . another officer was shot in the foot and is in stable condition . the other two officers sustained injuries after receiving gunshots to their bulletproof vests , mohel said . their names were not disclosed . the warrant for firearms and narcotics was served at 2:25 a.m . et in conjunction with federal , state and local authorities . lakewood is about 70 miles south of new york city . in july , another shootout in new jersey left one police officer dead . jersey city police officer marc dinardo died after being shot in the face in a raid . he was one of five officers injured in the shootout , and the two suspects involved were killed . cnn 's vanessa juarez contributed to this report . | lakewood is about 70 miles south of new york |
lakewood <tsp> ( cnn ) -- four police officers and a suspect were shot in a raid for firearms and narcotics early thursday in central new jersey , a local prosecutor 's office said . the officers from the lakewood police department 's tactical unit were shot upon entering the property and returned fire , hitting suspect jamie gonzalez , said ocean county deputy chief prosecutor michael mohel . gonzalez , 39 , received multiple gunshot wounds and is in critical but stable condition , mohel said . one officer was shot in the face and is being treated at an undisclosed hospital , the deputy chief prosecutor said . he 's in serious but stable condition . another officer was shot in the foot and is in stable condition . the other two officers sustained injuries after receiving gunshots to their bulletproof vests , mohel said . their names were not disclosed . the warrant for firearms and narcotics was served at 2:25 a.m . et in conjunction with federal , state and local authorities . lakewood is about 70 miles south of new york city . in july , another shootout in new jersey left one police officer dead . jersey city police officer marc dinardo died after being shot in the face in a raid . he was one of five officers injured in the shootout , and the two suspects involved were killed . cnn 's vanessa juarez contributed to this report . | police officers shot in raid for firearms and narcotics in lakewood , new jersey |
new york city <tsp> new york city mayor michael bloomberg signed legislation tuesday raising the tobacco-purchasing age from 18 to 21 . the law takes effect in six months . in addition to the tobacco 21 ' bill , which also covers electronic cigarettes , bloomberg signed a second bill , dubbed sensible tobacco enforcement , which prohibits discounts on tobacco products and increases enforcement on vendors who attempt to evade taxes . new york state 's department of health estimates that cigarette excise tax evasion deprived the state of $ 500 million in 2009 . by increasing the smoking age to 21 , we will help prevent another generation from the ill health and shorter life expectancy that comes with smoking , ' bloomberg said in a written statement when the legislation was approved by the city council in october . new york city becomes the largest city to have an age limit as high as 21 . needham , massachusetts , raised the sale age to 21 in 2005 , according to the new york city department of health . neighboring states and counties have raised the tobacco sale age to 19 , including new jersey in 2005 , the department of health said . raising the sale age will protect teens and may prevent many people from ever starting to smoke , ' health commissioner thomas a. farley said in a statement released after the vote . doctors support raising the smoking age this is the latest step in the outgoing mayor 's mission for healthier new york city lifestyles . in september 2012 , the board of health voted to ban the sale of sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces in restaurants and other venues , a measure bloomberg spearheaded . the ban was later tossed out by a new york state supreme court judge . sugary drinks linked to 180,000 deaths worldwide | new york city becomes the largest city to have an age limit as high as 21 |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. hillary clinton would have long ago distanced herself from the rev . jeremiah wright if she had been a member of his church , the democratic presidential candidate said tuesday . it 's the first time she or her campaign has commented directly on a controversy that has swirled around rival sen. barack obama 's campaign in recent weeks . i think given all we have heard and seen , he would not have been my pastor , ' clinton said in a news conference in greensburg , pennsylvania . the comments came hours after the new york senator made similar comments to the pittsburgh tribune-review in an editorial board interview . you do n't choose your family , but you choose what church you want to attend , ' she told the paper . clinton repeated those remarks in the news conference . watch clinton talk about wright and other issues » an obama campaign spokesman said clinton 's comments were part of a transparent effort to distract attention away from the story she made up about dodging sniper fire in bosnia , ' a reference to comments clinton made last week . she later said she misspoke . ' the truth is , barack obama has already spoken out against his pastor 's offensive comments and addressed the issue of race in america with a deeply personal and uncommonly honest speech , ' obama campaign press secretary bill burton said . the american people deserve better than tired political games that do nothing to solve the larger challenges facing this country . ' clinton 's comments on wright came almost a week after obama delivered a speech on race and politics in philadelphia , pennsylvania , during which he denounced some of his former minister 's sermons , but said he could not repudiate the man himself . the sermons in question -- some of which were several years old -- included several racially charged remarks , and became the subject of scrutiny after a news report highlighted them earlier this month . speaking to reporters tuesday , clinton referenced a speech she gave nearly a year ago after talk-radio host don imus'controversial remarks about the rutgers women 's basketball team . i said it was time for standing up for what is right , for saying enough is enough , for urging that we turn a culture of degradation into a culture of empowerment , for saying that while we of course must protect our right of free expression , it should not be used as a license or an excuse to demean or humiliate our fellow citizens . sen. obama spoke eloquently at that time as well , ' she said . everyone will have to decide these matters for themselves . they were obviously very personal matters , ' clinton added . but i was asked what i would do if he was my pastor and i said i think the choice would be clear for me . ' in his speech last week , obama said he heard his former minister make controversial remarks , but not the ones that have been the subject of recent controversy . did i know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of american domestic and foreign policy ? of course , ' obama said in the speech . did i ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while i sat in church ? yes . did i strongly disagree with many of his political views ? absolutely -- just as i 'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors , priests or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed . ' asked by cnn if her speaking openly about wright meant the issue was now on the table in the effort to win superdelegates , clinton answered : i was asked what i would do , and i answered the question . ' e-mail to a friend | obama campaign : clinton trying to distract attention from bosnia trip comments |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. hillary clinton would have long ago distanced herself from the rev . jeremiah wright if she had been a member of his church , the democratic presidential candidate said tuesday . it 's the first time she or her campaign has commented directly on a controversy that has swirled around rival sen. barack obama 's campaign in recent weeks . i think given all we have heard and seen , he would not have been my pastor , ' clinton said in a news conference in greensburg , pennsylvania . the comments came hours after the new york senator made similar comments to the pittsburgh tribune-review in an editorial board interview . you do n't choose your family , but you choose what church you want to attend , ' she told the paper . clinton repeated those remarks in the news conference . watch clinton talk about wright and other issues » an obama campaign spokesman said clinton 's comments were part of a transparent effort to distract attention away from the story she made up about dodging sniper fire in bosnia , ' a reference to comments clinton made last week . she later said she misspoke . ' the truth is , barack obama has already spoken out against his pastor 's offensive comments and addressed the issue of race in america with a deeply personal and uncommonly honest speech , ' obama campaign press secretary bill burton said . the american people deserve better than tired political games that do nothing to solve the larger challenges facing this country . ' clinton 's comments on wright came almost a week after obama delivered a speech on race and politics in philadelphia , pennsylvania , during which he denounced some of his former minister 's sermons , but said he could not repudiate the man himself . the sermons in question -- some of which were several years old -- included several racially charged remarks , and became the subject of scrutiny after a news report highlighted them earlier this month . speaking to reporters tuesday , clinton referenced a speech she gave nearly a year ago after talk-radio host don imus'controversial remarks about the rutgers women 's basketball team . i said it was time for standing up for what is right , for saying enough is enough , for urging that we turn a culture of degradation into a culture of empowerment , for saying that while we of course must protect our right of free expression , it should not be used as a license or an excuse to demean or humiliate our fellow citizens . sen. obama spoke eloquently at that time as well , ' she said . everyone will have to decide these matters for themselves . they were obviously very personal matters , ' clinton added . but i was asked what i would do if he was my pastor and i said i think the choice would be clear for me . ' in his speech last week , obama said he heard his former minister make controversial remarks , but not the ones that have been the subject of recent controversy . did i know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of american domestic and foreign policy ? of course , ' obama said in the speech . did i ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while i sat in church ? yes . did i strongly disagree with many of his political views ? absolutely -- just as i 'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors , priests or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed . ' asked by cnn if her speaking openly about wright meant the issue was now on the table in the effort to win superdelegates , clinton answered : i was asked what i would do , and i answered the question . ' e-mail to a friend | sen. barack obama has denounced some of his former minister 's sermons |
britain <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- british home secretary theresa may defended thursday the government 's decision to bring in an additional 3,500 military personnel to ensure security for the olympic games , only 15 days before the event starts . she said it had only become clear on wednesday that the contractor g4s was not able to provide all the security staff it had promised to the organizers of the london olympic games . but , may told the house of commons , there is no question of olympic security being compromised . ' the government 's decision to bring in additional troops , on top of the 13,500 already agreed , was the appropriate response to the shortfall in g4s staff , she said . read more : is olympic-level security already under way in britain ? contingency planning has always been central to our security work , ' may said . the deployment means that 17,000 troops will be on duty in the united kingdom during the games , compared with the 9,500 currently in afghanistan . g4s had been expected to recruit a staff of more than 10,000 as part of a total security force of 23,700 for the olympic and paralympic games . it will still provide several thousand personnel . britain is on a heightened state of alert ahead of the games , which open on 27 july . grilled by opposition politicians as she gave an emergency statement to the house of commons , may rejected suggestions that the government had either not been on top of planning for the event or had been misled by g4s about its preparations . this is not a lax approach to security , it is about the government ensuring we have the right approach to security , ' may said . her opposition counterpart , labour 's yvette cooper , said it looked like another home office shambles . ' read more : weather warning : london olympics'biggest threat ? may said it was the organizing committee 's responsibility to ensure that g4s honored its contract and to enforce any penalties written into the contract , and that the british public would not pick up the bill for the security firm 's failings . a home office statement released late wednesday said : the government are committing â£553 million for venue security and we remain confident that we will deliver within budget . ' a g4s spokesman said in a statement that the contractor is committed to ensuring that london 2012 is safe and secure ' and that it understands the government 's decision to bring in extra troops . g4s already has about 4,000 people at work across 100 venues and has more than 9,000 people going through the required vetting , training and accreditation process , the statement said . this is an unprecedented and very complex security recruitment and deployment exercise which is being carried out to a very tight schedule , ' it said . we have encountered some delays in progressing applicants through the final stages but we are working extremely hard to process these as swiftly as possible . ' the military personnel on duty will include reservists , the ministry of defence said , and the olympic organizers have agreed to give 10,000 tickets to the armed forces to compensate for the short-notice deployment . i can confirm that there remains no specific threat to the games . nor is there an increased threat to the games , ' said defence secretary philip hammond . we are confident that the uk is ready and able to provide a safe and secure olympic games for the whole world to enjoy . ' may also faced repeated questions from lawmakers over border control at heathrow airport , amid concerns over staffing levels -- as some visitors wait more than two hours to enter the country -- and the stringency of security checks . staffing is being stepped up for the olympics , with additional personnel being brought in to ensure all desk are manned , may said . the united kingdom 's independent chief inspector of borders , john vine , said wednesday there had been some progress since a critical report in february , but the extra staff drafted in to ease congestion often processed passengers less quickly and asked fewer questions . ' he also cited concerns over efforts to detect forged documents in some of the airport 's terminals . meanwhile , work to repair the main route from heathrow airport into london continues , following the discovery of significant cracks in a viaduct . a section of the m4 motorway has been closed in both directions since the end of last week , resulting in broad delays for drivers forced to take alternative routes into the capital . the highways agency , which is in charge of the uk road network , said wednesday that the road would remain closed because the complex repair work had reached a critical stage . the highways agency and its contractors are working around the clock and will reopen the motorway as soon as it is safe to do so , ' it said . conditional on the repair work being successful , it is still expected that the work will be completed and the road reopened within the next few days . ' | britain is on a heightened state of alert ahead of the games , which open in 15 days |
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