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ravalomanana <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- a plane carrying madagascar 's ousted leader marc ravalomanana was turned away from madagascan airspace saturday as he tried to return from exile , his spokesman and the airline said . ravalomanana , who had been in south africa in exile , took off from johannesburg saturday morning in what was his second bid to return to his home country . but ravalomanana 's spokesman patrick gearing , in south africa , told cnn that the civil aviation authorities on the indian ocean island had closed the airspace , refusing the plane permission to land . by saturday afternoon the plane -- and ravalomanana -- were back in south africa , said gearing . ravalomanana was ousted in march 2009 through a coup backed by the military , which handed power to current president andry rajoelina , the youthful former mayor of antananarivo . shortly before boarding his flight to the capital , antananarivo , ravalomanana said that he had just spoken with the madagascan prime minister omer beriziky , who told him everything was ok. ' speaking before the flight took off , gearing said : he has no control over what will happen to him when he arrives but he is prepared to face whatever comes his way . ' ravalomanana 's previous unsuccessful effort to return last year came to an end in johannesburg , when the airline he was using was told it would n't be allowed to land if he was on board . madagascar is in the process of implementing a peace agreement facilitated by a regional body , the south african development community . gearing says ravalomanana met with south africa 's president jacob zuma friday to thank him for letting him stay following his ouster . u.s. and south african diplomatic sources tell cnn his return would be catastrophic for any peace process going forward . cnn 's pierre meilhan contributed to this report . | new : marc ravalomanana 's plane has arrived in south africa after being turned away |
ravalomanana <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- a plane carrying madagascar 's ousted leader marc ravalomanana was turned away from madagascan airspace saturday as he tried to return from exile , his spokesman and the airline said . ravalomanana , who had been in south africa in exile , took off from johannesburg saturday morning in what was his second bid to return to his home country . but ravalomanana 's spokesman patrick gearing , in south africa , told cnn that the civil aviation authorities on the indian ocean island had closed the airspace , refusing the plane permission to land . by saturday afternoon the plane -- and ravalomanana -- were back in south africa , said gearing . ravalomanana was ousted in march 2009 through a coup backed by the military , which handed power to current president andry rajoelina , the youthful former mayor of antananarivo . shortly before boarding his flight to the capital , antananarivo , ravalomanana said that he had just spoken with the madagascan prime minister omer beriziky , who told him everything was ok. ' speaking before the flight took off , gearing said : he has no control over what will happen to him when he arrives but he is prepared to face whatever comes his way . ' ravalomanana 's previous unsuccessful effort to return last year came to an end in johannesburg , when the airline he was using was told it would n't be allowed to land if he was on board . madagascar is in the process of implementing a peace agreement facilitated by a regional body , the south african development community . gearing says ravalomanana met with south africa 's president jacob zuma friday to thank him for letting him stay following his ouster . u.s. and south african diplomatic sources tell cnn his return would be catastrophic for any peace process going forward . cnn 's pierre meilhan contributed to this report . | ravalomanana was ousted from madagascar in 2009 following a military-backed coup |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european union is dialing up the pressure on iran , saying monday it will cut off oil imports and freeze assets in an effort to starve the country 's nuclear program of funding . today 's action demonstrates the eu 's growing concern about iran 's nuclear programme , and our determination to increase peaceful , legitimate pressure on iran to return to negotiations , ' british foreign secretary william hague said in a statement from brussels , belgium . the sanctions freeze the assets of iran 's central bank in european union nations and ban the importation of iranian oil to those countries . the measures also block european union countries from exporting petrochemical equipment and technology to iran , or trading diamonds and precious metals with the middle eastern state . the sanctions are necessary because iran continues to defy united nations resolutions regarding its nuclear program , hague said . iran has it in its power to end sanctions by changing course and addressing the concerns of the international community , ' he said . saudi prince : why iran wo n't close strait of hormuz u.s. officials welcomed the sanctions , with treasury secretary timothy geithner and secretary of state hillary clinton saying in a joint statement monday that the new measures will sharpen the choice for iran 's leaders . ' but iran 's deputy foreign minister , abbas aragchi , said the measures will only harm the fragile economies of the european union , according to the official islamic republic news agency . sanctions have proved ineffective in the past and will prove futile in the future , too , ' irna quoted aragchi as saying . the u.s. government took its own punitive action regarding iran on monday , with the treasury department targeting the nation 's third-largest bank , the state-owned bank tejarat , for allegedly working with other iranian banks and firms subject to sanctions tied to iran 's nuclear program . read a summary of sanctions against iran this step means all of iran 's largest state-owned banks have been sanctioned by the u.s. based on their involvement in iran 's illicit activities , ' according to a statement from the u.s. government department . david s. cohen , the u.s. treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence , called bank tejarat -- which has nearly 2,000 branches in iran , plus branches in france and takijistan -- one of iran 's few remaining access points to the international financial system . today 's sanction against bank tejarat will deepen iran 's financial isolation , make its access to hard currency even more tenuous , and further impair iran 's ability to finance its illicit nuclear program , ' said cohen . the international atomic energy agency said shortly after the fresh oil sanctions were announced that officials from the u.n. nuclear watchdog agency will visit iran january 29 to 31 to resolve all outstanding substantive issues . ' how sanctions hit ordinary iranians inspectors are in and out of the country regularly , an agency spokeswoman said monday , but a high-level visit of the kind taking place at the end of the month is more unusual . top officials in israel , which fears it would be a target of an iranian nuclear weapon , welcomed the sanctions . this is a step in the right direction . ... heavy and swift pressure on iran is needed , ' prime minister benjamin netanyahu said , even as he warned that it is impossible to know what would come of the measures . for now , iran continues to produce nuclear weapons without disturbance , ' he said . defense minister ehud barak called the eu move highly important , ' saying it set a new standard for the sanctions like never before . ' iran exports 2.2. million barrels of oil a day , with about 18 % bound for european markets , according to the u.s. energy information administration . the world consumes about 89 million barrels of oil per day . the european union will allow contracts that are already in place to be fulfilled until july 1 , it said . saudi oil minister ali al-naimi told cnn last week that his country could make up the difference if iran was banned from exporting oil . al-naimi said the country has a spare capacity to respond to emergencies worldwide , to respond to our customer demand , and that is really the focus . our focus is not on who drops out from production , but who wants more . ' tehran has threatened to close the strait of hormuz , the only outlet to and from the persian gulf , as it faces possible sanctions . the united states has made clear it will not let that happen . iran : stuck between u.s. and a hard place seventeen million barrels of oil per day passed through the critical shipping lane in 2011 , according to the energy information administration . the iranian government gets about half its revenue from oil exports , according to the agency . analysts have said that while the new sanctions are the toughest ever imposed , they still contain many loopholes . iran is expected to still be able to sell its oil to places like china , india or other asian countries , but perhaps at a discount of 10 % to 15 % . about 35 % of iran 's oil exports currently go to china and india . western leaders have been walking a fine line with iran , working to come up with a plan that squeezes the country 's finances yet does n't result in a loss of iranian oil exports , which could send crude and gasoline prices skyrocketing . the united states and united kingdom have already put new measures in place against iran , and washington has been pressing allies , including japan and south korea , to stop buying iranian oil . u.s. carrier defies hormuz threat on friday , eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton challenged iran to respond to an offer she made in a letter last october . ashton wrote that world powers are open to negotiations if iran is serious about addressing its nuclear program without preconditions . her office released the letter on friday . ashton 's spokesperson pointedly noted , we are waiting for the iranian reaction . ' ashton wrote that the west wants to engage in a confidence-building exercise ' that would lead to a constructive dialogue ' and a step by step approach ' in which iran would assure the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful . clinton told reporters in washington that we stand by that letter . ' they have to give up their nuclear weapons program ... and they have to be willing to come to the table with a plan to do that , ' she said . clinton made the comments friday after a meeting at the state department with german foreign minister guido westerwelle . the german minister was blunt in his assessment of iran 's actions : tehran keeps violating its international obligations on the transparency of its nuclear program . we have no choice but to pass tough new sanctions that address the financial sources of the nuclear program . ' iran says its nuclear program is not military , but the united states and many of its allies suspect iran intends to produce a bomb . the international atomic energy agency has expressed similar concerns . one thing is clear , ' westerwelle added . the door for serious dialogue remains open , but the option of nuclear weapons in iran is not acceptable to both of us . ' cnn international affairs correspondent jill dougherty , cnnmoney 's steve hargreaves , and cnn 's claudia rebaza , david wilkinson and guy azriel contributed to this report . | new : the u.s. government announces sanctions against iran 's third-largest bank |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european union is dialing up the pressure on iran , saying monday it will cut off oil imports and freeze assets in an effort to starve the country 's nuclear program of funding . today 's action demonstrates the eu 's growing concern about iran 's nuclear programme , and our determination to increase peaceful , legitimate pressure on iran to return to negotiations , ' british foreign secretary william hague said in a statement from brussels , belgium . the sanctions freeze the assets of iran 's central bank in european union nations and ban the importation of iranian oil to those countries . the measures also block european union countries from exporting petrochemical equipment and technology to iran , or trading diamonds and precious metals with the middle eastern state . the sanctions are necessary because iran continues to defy united nations resolutions regarding its nuclear program , hague said . iran has it in its power to end sanctions by changing course and addressing the concerns of the international community , ' he said . saudi prince : why iran wo n't close strait of hormuz u.s. officials welcomed the sanctions , with treasury secretary timothy geithner and secretary of state hillary clinton saying in a joint statement monday that the new measures will sharpen the choice for iran 's leaders . ' but iran 's deputy foreign minister , abbas aragchi , said the measures will only harm the fragile economies of the european union , according to the official islamic republic news agency . sanctions have proved ineffective in the past and will prove futile in the future , too , ' irna quoted aragchi as saying . the u.s. government took its own punitive action regarding iran on monday , with the treasury department targeting the nation 's third-largest bank , the state-owned bank tejarat , for allegedly working with other iranian banks and firms subject to sanctions tied to iran 's nuclear program . read a summary of sanctions against iran this step means all of iran 's largest state-owned banks have been sanctioned by the u.s. based on their involvement in iran 's illicit activities , ' according to a statement from the u.s. government department . david s. cohen , the u.s. treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence , called bank tejarat -- which has nearly 2,000 branches in iran , plus branches in france and takijistan -- one of iran 's few remaining access points to the international financial system . today 's sanction against bank tejarat will deepen iran 's financial isolation , make its access to hard currency even more tenuous , and further impair iran 's ability to finance its illicit nuclear program , ' said cohen . the international atomic energy agency said shortly after the fresh oil sanctions were announced that officials from the u.n. nuclear watchdog agency will visit iran january 29 to 31 to resolve all outstanding substantive issues . ' how sanctions hit ordinary iranians inspectors are in and out of the country regularly , an agency spokeswoman said monday , but a high-level visit of the kind taking place at the end of the month is more unusual . top officials in israel , which fears it would be a target of an iranian nuclear weapon , welcomed the sanctions . this is a step in the right direction . ... heavy and swift pressure on iran is needed , ' prime minister benjamin netanyahu said , even as he warned that it is impossible to know what would come of the measures . for now , iran continues to produce nuclear weapons without disturbance , ' he said . defense minister ehud barak called the eu move highly important , ' saying it set a new standard for the sanctions like never before . ' iran exports 2.2. million barrels of oil a day , with about 18 % bound for european markets , according to the u.s. energy information administration . the world consumes about 89 million barrels of oil per day . the european union will allow contracts that are already in place to be fulfilled until july 1 , it said . saudi oil minister ali al-naimi told cnn last week that his country could make up the difference if iran was banned from exporting oil . al-naimi said the country has a spare capacity to respond to emergencies worldwide , to respond to our customer demand , and that is really the focus . our focus is not on who drops out from production , but who wants more . ' tehran has threatened to close the strait of hormuz , the only outlet to and from the persian gulf , as it faces possible sanctions . the united states has made clear it will not let that happen . iran : stuck between u.s. and a hard place seventeen million barrels of oil per day passed through the critical shipping lane in 2011 , according to the energy information administration . the iranian government gets about half its revenue from oil exports , according to the agency . analysts have said that while the new sanctions are the toughest ever imposed , they still contain many loopholes . iran is expected to still be able to sell its oil to places like china , india or other asian countries , but perhaps at a discount of 10 % to 15 % . about 35 % of iran 's oil exports currently go to china and india . western leaders have been walking a fine line with iran , working to come up with a plan that squeezes the country 's finances yet does n't result in a loss of iranian oil exports , which could send crude and gasoline prices skyrocketing . the united states and united kingdom have already put new measures in place against iran , and washington has been pressing allies , including japan and south korea , to stop buying iranian oil . u.s. carrier defies hormuz threat on friday , eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton challenged iran to respond to an offer she made in a letter last october . ashton wrote that world powers are open to negotiations if iran is serious about addressing its nuclear program without preconditions . her office released the letter on friday . ashton 's spokesperson pointedly noted , we are waiting for the iranian reaction . ' ashton wrote that the west wants to engage in a confidence-building exercise ' that would lead to a constructive dialogue ' and a step by step approach ' in which iran would assure the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful . clinton told reporters in washington that we stand by that letter . ' they have to give up their nuclear weapons program ... and they have to be willing to come to the table with a plan to do that , ' she said . clinton made the comments friday after a meeting at the state department with german foreign minister guido westerwelle . the german minister was blunt in his assessment of iran 's actions : tehran keeps violating its international obligations on the transparency of its nuclear program . we have no choice but to pass tough new sanctions that address the financial sources of the nuclear program . ' iran says its nuclear program is not military , but the united states and many of its allies suspect iran intends to produce a bomb . the international atomic energy agency has expressed similar concerns . one thing is clear , ' westerwelle added . the door for serious dialogue remains open , but the option of nuclear weapons in iran is not acceptable to both of us . ' cnn international affairs correspondent jill dougherty , cnnmoney 's steve hargreaves , and cnn 's claudia rebaza , david wilkinson and guy azriel contributed to this report . | the move is designed to get iran to give up its nuclear program |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european union is dialing up the pressure on iran , saying monday it will cut off oil imports and freeze assets in an effort to starve the country 's nuclear program of funding . today 's action demonstrates the eu 's growing concern about iran 's nuclear programme , and our determination to increase peaceful , legitimate pressure on iran to return to negotiations , ' british foreign secretary william hague said in a statement from brussels , belgium . the sanctions freeze the assets of iran 's central bank in european union nations and ban the importation of iranian oil to those countries . the measures also block european union countries from exporting petrochemical equipment and technology to iran , or trading diamonds and precious metals with the middle eastern state . the sanctions are necessary because iran continues to defy united nations resolutions regarding its nuclear program , hague said . iran has it in its power to end sanctions by changing course and addressing the concerns of the international community , ' he said . saudi prince : why iran wo n't close strait of hormuz u.s. officials welcomed the sanctions , with treasury secretary timothy geithner and secretary of state hillary clinton saying in a joint statement monday that the new measures will sharpen the choice for iran 's leaders . ' but iran 's deputy foreign minister , abbas aragchi , said the measures will only harm the fragile economies of the european union , according to the official islamic republic news agency . sanctions have proved ineffective in the past and will prove futile in the future , too , ' irna quoted aragchi as saying . the u.s. government took its own punitive action regarding iran on monday , with the treasury department targeting the nation 's third-largest bank , the state-owned bank tejarat , for allegedly working with other iranian banks and firms subject to sanctions tied to iran 's nuclear program . read a summary of sanctions against iran this step means all of iran 's largest state-owned banks have been sanctioned by the u.s. based on their involvement in iran 's illicit activities , ' according to a statement from the u.s. government department . david s. cohen , the u.s. treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence , called bank tejarat -- which has nearly 2,000 branches in iran , plus branches in france and takijistan -- one of iran 's few remaining access points to the international financial system . today 's sanction against bank tejarat will deepen iran 's financial isolation , make its access to hard currency even more tenuous , and further impair iran 's ability to finance its illicit nuclear program , ' said cohen . the international atomic energy agency said shortly after the fresh oil sanctions were announced that officials from the u.n. nuclear watchdog agency will visit iran january 29 to 31 to resolve all outstanding substantive issues . ' how sanctions hit ordinary iranians inspectors are in and out of the country regularly , an agency spokeswoman said monday , but a high-level visit of the kind taking place at the end of the month is more unusual . top officials in israel , which fears it would be a target of an iranian nuclear weapon , welcomed the sanctions . this is a step in the right direction . ... heavy and swift pressure on iran is needed , ' prime minister benjamin netanyahu said , even as he warned that it is impossible to know what would come of the measures . for now , iran continues to produce nuclear weapons without disturbance , ' he said . defense minister ehud barak called the eu move highly important , ' saying it set a new standard for the sanctions like never before . ' iran exports 2.2. million barrels of oil a day , with about 18 % bound for european markets , according to the u.s. energy information administration . the world consumes about 89 million barrels of oil per day . the european union will allow contracts that are already in place to be fulfilled until july 1 , it said . saudi oil minister ali al-naimi told cnn last week that his country could make up the difference if iran was banned from exporting oil . al-naimi said the country has a spare capacity to respond to emergencies worldwide , to respond to our customer demand , and that is really the focus . our focus is not on who drops out from production , but who wants more . ' tehran has threatened to close the strait of hormuz , the only outlet to and from the persian gulf , as it faces possible sanctions . the united states has made clear it will not let that happen . iran : stuck between u.s. and a hard place seventeen million barrels of oil per day passed through the critical shipping lane in 2011 , according to the energy information administration . the iranian government gets about half its revenue from oil exports , according to the agency . analysts have said that while the new sanctions are the toughest ever imposed , they still contain many loopholes . iran is expected to still be able to sell its oil to places like china , india or other asian countries , but perhaps at a discount of 10 % to 15 % . about 35 % of iran 's oil exports currently go to china and india . western leaders have been walking a fine line with iran , working to come up with a plan that squeezes the country 's finances yet does n't result in a loss of iranian oil exports , which could send crude and gasoline prices skyrocketing . the united states and united kingdom have already put new measures in place against iran , and washington has been pressing allies , including japan and south korea , to stop buying iranian oil . u.s. carrier defies hormuz threat on friday , eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton challenged iran to respond to an offer she made in a letter last october . ashton wrote that world powers are open to negotiations if iran is serious about addressing its nuclear program without preconditions . her office released the letter on friday . ashton 's spokesperson pointedly noted , we are waiting for the iranian reaction . ' ashton wrote that the west wants to engage in a confidence-building exercise ' that would lead to a constructive dialogue ' and a step by step approach ' in which iran would assure the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful . clinton told reporters in washington that we stand by that letter . ' they have to give up their nuclear weapons program ... and they have to be willing to come to the table with a plan to do that , ' she said . clinton made the comments friday after a meeting at the state department with german foreign minister guido westerwelle . the german minister was blunt in his assessment of iran 's actions : tehran keeps violating its international obligations on the transparency of its nuclear program . we have no choice but to pass tough new sanctions that address the financial sources of the nuclear program . ' iran says its nuclear program is not military , but the united states and many of its allies suspect iran intends to produce a bomb . the international atomic energy agency has expressed similar concerns . one thing is clear , ' westerwelle added . the door for serious dialogue remains open , but the option of nuclear weapons in iran is not acceptable to both of us . ' cnn international affairs correspondent jill dougherty , cnnmoney 's steve hargreaves , and cnn 's claudia rebaza , david wilkinson and guy azriel contributed to this report . | iran 's deputy foreign minister says sanctions wo n't solve anything |
haiti <tsp> port-au-prince , haiti ( cnn ) -- after more than a month in a haitian jail , an american missionary was free monday night , looking forward to a hot shower and a long night in bed on home soil . but charisa coulter 's heart remains in haiti , her father said , because her best friend , laura silsby is now alone behind bars . she came back with mixed emotions , ' mel coulter told cnn affiliate wsvn in miami , florida . haitian judge bernard saint-vil released coulter on friday . she walked out of judicial police headquarters in port-au-prince and headed to the nearby airport for a flight to miami . coulter is staying in a hotel by herself , her father said . he did not know when she might return home to boise , idaho . he said his daughter had been through a trying experience ' and was welcoming the solitude . coulter , silsby and eight other americans had been detained in haiti on suspicion of kidnapping 33 children after the killer earthquake january 12 . last month , saint-vil released the eight others , but silsby and coulter remained in custody because the judge wanted to learn more about their motives . on friday , silsby was brought into saint-vil 's office for further questioning . the missionaries were stopped by haitian authorities on january 29 as they tried to cross the border with 33 children without proper legal documentation . the group said it was going to house the children in a converted hotel in the dominican republic and later move them to an orphanage . saint-vil recently traveled to the dominican republic to see where silsby said she intended to open an orphanage . silsby originally claimed the children were orphaned or abandoned , but cnn determined that more than 20 of them had at least one living parent . some parents said they placed their children in silsby 's care because that was the only way they knew to ensure a better quality of life for them . the 10 americans , many of whom belong to a baptist church in idaho , have said they were trying to help the children get to a safe place after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake flattened cities and towns in haiti . silsby said she was very happy that charisa went home today . ' she expected her freedom would soon follow . i came here to help these children , ' she said . cnn 's lonzo cook and sara sidner contributed to this report . | coulter was one of 10 americans accused in haiti kidnapping case |
haiti <tsp> port-au-prince , haiti ( cnn ) -- after more than a month in a haitian jail , an american missionary was free monday night , looking forward to a hot shower and a long night in bed on home soil . but charisa coulter 's heart remains in haiti , her father said , because her best friend , laura silsby is now alone behind bars . she came back with mixed emotions , ' mel coulter told cnn affiliate wsvn in miami , florida . haitian judge bernard saint-vil released coulter on friday . she walked out of judicial police headquarters in port-au-prince and headed to the nearby airport for a flight to miami . coulter is staying in a hotel by herself , her father said . he did not know when she might return home to boise , idaho . he said his daughter had been through a trying experience ' and was welcoming the solitude . coulter , silsby and eight other americans had been detained in haiti on suspicion of kidnapping 33 children after the killer earthquake january 12 . last month , saint-vil released the eight others , but silsby and coulter remained in custody because the judge wanted to learn more about their motives . on friday , silsby was brought into saint-vil 's office for further questioning . the missionaries were stopped by haitian authorities on january 29 as they tried to cross the border with 33 children without proper legal documentation . the group said it was going to house the children in a converted hotel in the dominican republic and later move them to an orphanage . saint-vil recently traveled to the dominican republic to see where silsby said she intended to open an orphanage . silsby originally claimed the children were orphaned or abandoned , but cnn determined that more than 20 of them had at least one living parent . some parents said they placed their children in silsby 's care because that was the only way they knew to ensure a better quality of life for them . the 10 americans , many of whom belong to a baptist church in idaho , have said they were trying to help the children get to a safe place after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake flattened cities and towns in haiti . silsby said she was very happy that charisa went home today . ' she expected her freedom would soon follow . i came here to help these children , ' she said . cnn 's lonzo cook and sara sidner contributed to this report . | group accused of trying to illegally remove children from haiti after earthquake |
americans <tsp> port-au-prince , haiti ( cnn ) -- after more than a month in a haitian jail , an american missionary was free monday night , looking forward to a hot shower and a long night in bed on home soil . but charisa coulter 's heart remains in haiti , her father said , because her best friend , laura silsby is now alone behind bars . she came back with mixed emotions , ' mel coulter told cnn affiliate wsvn in miami , florida . haitian judge bernard saint-vil released coulter on friday . she walked out of judicial police headquarters in port-au-prince and headed to the nearby airport for a flight to miami . coulter is staying in a hotel by herself , her father said . he did not know when she might return home to boise , idaho . he said his daughter had been through a trying experience ' and was welcoming the solitude . coulter , silsby and eight other americans had been detained in haiti on suspicion of kidnapping 33 children after the killer earthquake january 12 . last month , saint-vil released the eight others , but silsby and coulter remained in custody because the judge wanted to learn more about their motives . on friday , silsby was brought into saint-vil 's office for further questioning . the missionaries were stopped by haitian authorities on january 29 as they tried to cross the border with 33 children without proper legal documentation . the group said it was going to house the children in a converted hotel in the dominican republic and later move them to an orphanage . saint-vil recently traveled to the dominican republic to see where silsby said she intended to open an orphanage . silsby originally claimed the children were orphaned or abandoned , but cnn determined that more than 20 of them had at least one living parent . some parents said they placed their children in silsby 's care because that was the only way they knew to ensure a better quality of life for them . the 10 americans , many of whom belong to a baptist church in idaho , have said they were trying to help the children get to a safe place after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake flattened cities and towns in haiti . silsby said she was very happy that charisa went home today . ' she expected her freedom would soon follow . i came here to help these children , ' she said . cnn 's lonzo cook and sara sidner contributed to this report . | coulter was one of 10 americans accused in haiti kidnapping case |
jose salvador alvarenga <tsp> when islanders first got a glimpse of jose salvador alvarenga , they saw an extremely weak man wearing only tattered underwear . on his battered boat , a live bird was tethered by its foot -- narrowly missing becoming his next meal . and as he recounted his story , faster than his rescuers could comprehend , alvarenga ate like he had n't had a full meal in months . as crazy as it sounds , his tale just might be true after all . new details from the day alvarenga mysteriously turned up in the marshall islands appear to lend weight to his story of drifting across the pacific ocean for 13 months . it was a rainy , windy day on ebon , the atoll where alvarenga was found january 30 . mayor ione debrum was first alerted to the mysterious visitor when a boy biked to her office from the other side of the island . the boy had been dispatched by amy libokmeto and russell laikedrik -- the islanders who first spotted alvarenga , yelling and waving a knife from one island over . libokmeto motioned for him to drop the knife , and then the pair sprang into action , sending word to the mayor and providing alvarenga with food , water and clean clothes , debrum told cnn . alvarenga inhaled pancake after pancake as he and his rescuers communicated with each other using a mix of charades and hand-drawn pictures . debrum 's son even helped translate the salvadoran 's story , using spanish skills learned entirely from the animated children 's series dora the explorer . ' the story was beyond belief for many . alvarenga said he set off in late 2012 from mexico on what was supposed to be a one-day fishing expedition . but he and a 23-year-old companion were blown off-course by northerly winds and then caught in a storm , eventually losing the use of their engines . they had no radio signal to report their plight , he said . alvarenga said that four weeks into their drift , his companion died of starvation because he refused to eat raw birds and turtles . eventually , he threw the body overboard . alvarenga 's claims have garnered widespread skepticism about how he could survive the more than 6,000-mile trek across the open ocean . but officials in the marshall islands have said repeatedly they have no reason to doubt the story . after more than a week on the island , alvarenga began his journey home monday . he posed for photos with dignitaries from the marshall islands before boarding a plane headed for hawaii . appearing frail but in good spirits , he was taken to the plane in a wheelchair and helped up the stairs by two people . he said that he was very emotional , that he was feeling good and that he was looking forward to getting home . plans for his repatriation to el salvador were postponed last week after his health took a turn for the worse . but marshall islands foreign minister phillip muller said monday that the castaway was in good health and ready to travel . his flight from amata kabua international airport arrived in honolulu monday . he is expected to continue his journey and arrive in el salvador on tuesday . | a flight carrying jose salvador alvarenga arrives in hawaii |
hawaii <tsp> when islanders first got a glimpse of jose salvador alvarenga , they saw an extremely weak man wearing only tattered underwear . on his battered boat , a live bird was tethered by its foot -- narrowly missing becoming his next meal . and as he recounted his story , faster than his rescuers could comprehend , alvarenga ate like he had n't had a full meal in months . as crazy as it sounds , his tale just might be true after all . new details from the day alvarenga mysteriously turned up in the marshall islands appear to lend weight to his story of drifting across the pacific ocean for 13 months . it was a rainy , windy day on ebon , the atoll where alvarenga was found january 30 . mayor ione debrum was first alerted to the mysterious visitor when a boy biked to her office from the other side of the island . the boy had been dispatched by amy libokmeto and russell laikedrik -- the islanders who first spotted alvarenga , yelling and waving a knife from one island over . libokmeto motioned for him to drop the knife , and then the pair sprang into action , sending word to the mayor and providing alvarenga with food , water and clean clothes , debrum told cnn . alvarenga inhaled pancake after pancake as he and his rescuers communicated with each other using a mix of charades and hand-drawn pictures . debrum 's son even helped translate the salvadoran 's story , using spanish skills learned entirely from the animated children 's series dora the explorer . ' the story was beyond belief for many . alvarenga said he set off in late 2012 from mexico on what was supposed to be a one-day fishing expedition . but he and a 23-year-old companion were blown off-course by northerly winds and then caught in a storm , eventually losing the use of their engines . they had no radio signal to report their plight , he said . alvarenga said that four weeks into their drift , his companion died of starvation because he refused to eat raw birds and turtles . eventually , he threw the body overboard . alvarenga 's claims have garnered widespread skepticism about how he could survive the more than 6,000-mile trek across the open ocean . but officials in the marshall islands have said repeatedly they have no reason to doubt the story . after more than a week on the island , alvarenga began his journey home monday . he posed for photos with dignitaries from the marshall islands before boarding a plane headed for hawaii . appearing frail but in good spirits , he was taken to the plane in a wheelchair and helped up the stairs by two people . he said that he was very emotional , that he was feeling good and that he was looking forward to getting home . plans for his repatriation to el salvador were postponed last week after his health took a turn for the worse . but marshall islands foreign minister phillip muller said monday that the castaway was in good health and ready to travel . his flight from amata kabua international airport arrived in honolulu monday . he is expected to continue his journey and arrive in el salvador on tuesday . | a flight carrying jose salvador alvarenga arrives in hawaii |
marshall islands <tsp> when islanders first got a glimpse of jose salvador alvarenga , they saw an extremely weak man wearing only tattered underwear . on his battered boat , a live bird was tethered by its foot -- narrowly missing becoming his next meal . and as he recounted his story , faster than his rescuers could comprehend , alvarenga ate like he had n't had a full meal in months . as crazy as it sounds , his tale just might be true after all . new details from the day alvarenga mysteriously turned up in the marshall islands appear to lend weight to his story of drifting across the pacific ocean for 13 months . it was a rainy , windy day on ebon , the atoll where alvarenga was found january 30 . mayor ione debrum was first alerted to the mysterious visitor when a boy biked to her office from the other side of the island . the boy had been dispatched by amy libokmeto and russell laikedrik -- the islanders who first spotted alvarenga , yelling and waving a knife from one island over . libokmeto motioned for him to drop the knife , and then the pair sprang into action , sending word to the mayor and providing alvarenga with food , water and clean clothes , debrum told cnn . alvarenga inhaled pancake after pancake as he and his rescuers communicated with each other using a mix of charades and hand-drawn pictures . debrum 's son even helped translate the salvadoran 's story , using spanish skills learned entirely from the animated children 's series dora the explorer . ' the story was beyond belief for many . alvarenga said he set off in late 2012 from mexico on what was supposed to be a one-day fishing expedition . but he and a 23-year-old companion were blown off-course by northerly winds and then caught in a storm , eventually losing the use of their engines . they had no radio signal to report their plight , he said . alvarenga said that four weeks into their drift , his companion died of starvation because he refused to eat raw birds and turtles . eventually , he threw the body overboard . alvarenga 's claims have garnered widespread skepticism about how he could survive the more than 6,000-mile trek across the open ocean . but officials in the marshall islands have said repeatedly they have no reason to doubt the story . after more than a week on the island , alvarenga began his journey home monday . he posed for photos with dignitaries from the marshall islands before boarding a plane headed for hawaii . appearing frail but in good spirits , he was taken to the plane in a wheelchair and helped up the stairs by two people . he said that he was very emotional , that he was feeling good and that he was looking forward to getting home . plans for his repatriation to el salvador were postponed last week after his health took a turn for the worse . but marshall islands foreign minister phillip muller said monday that the castaway was in good health and ready to travel . his flight from amata kabua international airport arrived in honolulu monday . he is expected to continue his journey and arrive in el salvador on tuesday . | a live bird was found tethered to his battered boat in the marshall islands |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nato helicopters opened fire on a pakistani checkpoint early saturday , killing 26 soldiers , a provincial governor said . at least 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack in the mohmand agency area , said syed masood kausar , governor of northwestern khyber pakhtunkhwa province . mohmand agency is one of seven districts of the volatile region bordering afghanistan . it 's a huge incident ; the reaction is obvious , ' he said at a news conference in islamabad . the death toll could rise as many of the injuries are critical , military officials said . the officials did not want to be named because they are not allowed to talk to the media . pakistani prime minister yousuf raza gilani has called an emergency meeting of military services chiefs to formulate his country 's response , his spokesman said . the defense committee of the cabinet will meet later saturday . in a statement , gilani said he strongly condemned the nato/isaf attack on the pakistani ' checkpoint . the matter is being taken up by the foreign ministry in the strongest possible terms ' with nato and the united states , the statement from his office said . nato 's commander in afghanistan said he is committed to a thorough investigation . this incident has my highest personal attention and my commitment to thoroughly investigate it to determine the facts , ' marine gen. john r. allen said saturday . he also offered his sincere and personal heartfelt condolences ' to the families of any pakistan security forces members killed or injured . u.s . ambassador to pakistan , cameron munter , said : i regret the loss of life of any pakistani servicemen , and pledge that the united states will work closely with pakistan to investigate this incident . ' the incident on pakistani soil is likely to damage already strained relations between pakistan and the united states . pakistan closed both nato 's supply routes into afghanistan saturday in response to the attack , pakistani military and intelligence officials said . nato trucks use the routes , in khyber agency and balochistan , to supply u.s. and international forces fighting in afghanistan . about 50 containers and trucks carrying supplies for nato were stopped at the town of jamrud in khyber agency on saturday morning , said jamil khan , a senior government official in khyber agency , bordering afghanistan . they were ordered to turn back toward peshawar , the provincial capital of khyber pakhtunkhwa province , he said . a second route from pakistan into afghanistan , the chaman border crossing in balochistan province , was open to nato supply trucks earlier saturday but was then shut in the afternoon , the military and intelligence officials said . roughly 40 % of nonlethal nato supplies and fuel go through pakistan , with hundreds of supply trucks using the two routes into afghanistan . about 130,000 troops are deployed in afghanistan with the nato-led international security assistance force , 90,000 of them american , according to nato figures . pakistani politicians responded angrily to the incident in mohmand . ahmed khan bahadur , a provincial lawmaker from the awami national party , the ruling party of khyber pakhtunkhwa province , told cnn that people had had enough . this is the time to be united as a nation and to punch nato with a fist , ' he said . nato could never dare if we were united . ' former international cricketer turned politician imran khan , who heads the pakistan tehreek-e-insaf party , condemned the incident and said it was time for pakistan to pull out of the u.s.-led war on terror . ' if confirmed , the incident could be the deadliest for pakistani soldiers involving nato since a u.s. airstrike in june 2008 , which pakistan said killed 11 of its forces who were cooperating with the u.s.-led war in afghanistan . that airstrike , also in mohmand agency , prompted the government in islamabad to summon the u.s. ambassador and lodge an official protest . nato 's allen met with the pakistani chief of army staff gen. ashfaq parvez kayani on thursday , the pakistani military said . the visiting dignitary remained with him for some time and discussed measures concerning coordination , communication and procedures between pakistan army , isaf and afghan army , aimed at enhancing border control on both sides , ' a pakistani military statement said . meanwhile , a commander of afghanistan 's eastern border police said an operation in the area bordering mohmand agency on friday night killed 10 insurgents . last night , there was an operation there inside afghanistan , ' he said . pakistani and afghan taliban have got a broad presence there as there are forests and difficult terrain . that 's why there was an operation . ' the military activity was in afghanistan 's kunar province , he said , adding he was unaware of any nato attacks on the other side of the border . cnn 's reza sayah and nasir habib in islamabad contributed to this report . | pakistan closed nato supply routes across the border to afghanistan |
creole <tsp> st. paul , minnesota ( cnn ) -- when max adrien first heard that a massive earthquake had leveled port-au-prince , haiti , it hit close to home . his brother lives in haiti , and thankfully survived the january 12 disaster unharmed . adrien 's first instinct was to help his home country . i said to myself ,'i need to go to haiti .'' after speaking to his brother , he realized that he would need a skill that was in immediate demand . otherwise he would just be in the way of other relief efforts . so he came up with a unique idea . i decided to give haiti what i have , which is teaching , ' said adrien , who is a french professor at hamline university in st. paul , minnesota . i do n't think i can give haiti a better gift . ' and that 's how his haitian creole class was born . i 'm just giving something that has been given to me , ' adrien said , referring to his native language . his class is n't made up of the typical credit-craving college co-ed . that 's mainly because the vast majority of students have long since finished college . the class is free of charge and open to everyone . the roster of students includes local doctors , nurses , physical therapists , social workers , lawyers and ministers . all of them have either been to haiti or are planning volunteer trips soon . they appreciate when you try , ' said donna richtsmeier , a retired nurse who travels to haiti to volunteer . i just want to learn a few phrases so i can greet them and ask how they are . ' retired educator ruth anne olson has been to haiti three times in the past four years . she has been working on a collection of personal stories of people living in haiti . she says knowing more creole will make conducting her interviews easier . i needed to learn something about the language because particularly i found that i could n't have any conversations with women , ' olson said . the women either do not speak english or they 're more shy about trying it . ' she said it was hard finding someone who spoke the language in minneapolis , minnesota , let alone providing a free class . adrien began teaching in february , and now helps students for one hour every tuesday . he has about three dozen students . it is so gratifying ... to see that there are people out there who want to help , ' he said . angels are in the form of people . ' adrien has lived in the united states since he was 20 , but he says his heart remains in his home country . haitians , in a way , capture the essence of the human spirit , ' adrien said , sharing his love for , as he puts it , my people . ' even if his students only learn a few simple phrases in creole , adrien says it will have a profound impact . if they see an american say'how are you today , how are you feeling , what hurts ?'... i know the smile that would put on somebody , ' he said . the appreciation they would get to see an american not only care enough to be there but care enough to learn the language to speak to me in my own tongue and make me understand that i matter ... i know the joy that would bring to a haitian 's heart , ' he said . i do n't think you could give haitians a better gift . ' | adrien says even a few creole phrases would bring joy to most haitians |
creole <tsp> st. paul , minnesota ( cnn ) -- when max adrien first heard that a massive earthquake had leveled port-au-prince , haiti , it hit close to home . his brother lives in haiti , and thankfully survived the january 12 disaster unharmed . adrien 's first instinct was to help his home country . i said to myself ,'i need to go to haiti .'' after speaking to his brother , he realized that he would need a skill that was in immediate demand . otherwise he would just be in the way of other relief efforts . so he came up with a unique idea . i decided to give haiti what i have , which is teaching , ' said adrien , who is a french professor at hamline university in st. paul , minnesota . i do n't think i can give haiti a better gift . ' and that 's how his haitian creole class was born . i 'm just giving something that has been given to me , ' adrien said , referring to his native language . his class is n't made up of the typical credit-craving college co-ed . that 's mainly because the vast majority of students have long since finished college . the class is free of charge and open to everyone . the roster of students includes local doctors , nurses , physical therapists , social workers , lawyers and ministers . all of them have either been to haiti or are planning volunteer trips soon . they appreciate when you try , ' said donna richtsmeier , a retired nurse who travels to haiti to volunteer . i just want to learn a few phrases so i can greet them and ask how they are . ' retired educator ruth anne olson has been to haiti three times in the past four years . she has been working on a collection of personal stories of people living in haiti . she says knowing more creole will make conducting her interviews easier . i needed to learn something about the language because particularly i found that i could n't have any conversations with women , ' olson said . the women either do not speak english or they 're more shy about trying it . ' she said it was hard finding someone who spoke the language in minneapolis , minnesota , let alone providing a free class . adrien began teaching in february , and now helps students for one hour every tuesday . he has about three dozen students . it is so gratifying ... to see that there are people out there who want to help , ' he said . angels are in the form of people . ' adrien has lived in the united states since he was 20 , but he says his heart remains in his home country . haitians , in a way , capture the essence of the human spirit , ' adrien said , sharing his love for , as he puts it , my people . ' even if his students only learn a few simple phrases in creole , adrien says it will have a profound impact . if they see an american say'how are you today , how are you feeling , what hurts ?'... i know the smile that would put on somebody , ' he said . the appreciation they would get to see an american not only care enough to be there but care enough to learn the language to speak to me in my own tongue and make me understand that i matter ... i know the joy that would bring to a haitian 's heart , ' he said . i do n't think you could give haitians a better gift . ' | now he 's teaching haitian creole to volunteers heading to haiti |
haitians <tsp> st. paul , minnesota ( cnn ) -- when max adrien first heard that a massive earthquake had leveled port-au-prince , haiti , it hit close to home . his brother lives in haiti , and thankfully survived the january 12 disaster unharmed . adrien 's first instinct was to help his home country . i said to myself ,'i need to go to haiti .'' after speaking to his brother , he realized that he would need a skill that was in immediate demand . otherwise he would just be in the way of other relief efforts . so he came up with a unique idea . i decided to give haiti what i have , which is teaching , ' said adrien , who is a french professor at hamline university in st. paul , minnesota . i do n't think i can give haiti a better gift . ' and that 's how his haitian creole class was born . i 'm just giving something that has been given to me , ' adrien said , referring to his native language . his class is n't made up of the typical credit-craving college co-ed . that 's mainly because the vast majority of students have long since finished college . the class is free of charge and open to everyone . the roster of students includes local doctors , nurses , physical therapists , social workers , lawyers and ministers . all of them have either been to haiti or are planning volunteer trips soon . they appreciate when you try , ' said donna richtsmeier , a retired nurse who travels to haiti to volunteer . i just want to learn a few phrases so i can greet them and ask how they are . ' retired educator ruth anne olson has been to haiti three times in the past four years . she has been working on a collection of personal stories of people living in haiti . she says knowing more creole will make conducting her interviews easier . i needed to learn something about the language because particularly i found that i could n't have any conversations with women , ' olson said . the women either do not speak english or they 're more shy about trying it . ' she said it was hard finding someone who spoke the language in minneapolis , minnesota , let alone providing a free class . adrien began teaching in february , and now helps students for one hour every tuesday . he has about three dozen students . it is so gratifying ... to see that there are people out there who want to help , ' he said . angels are in the form of people . ' adrien has lived in the united states since he was 20 , but he says his heart remains in his home country . haitians , in a way , capture the essence of the human spirit , ' adrien said , sharing his love for , as he puts it , my people . ' even if his students only learn a few simple phrases in creole , adrien says it will have a profound impact . if they see an american say'how are you today , how are you feeling , what hurts ?'... i know the smile that would put on somebody , ' he said . the appreciation they would get to see an american not only care enough to be there but care enough to learn the language to speak to me in my own tongue and make me understand that i matter ... i know the joy that would bring to a haitian 's heart , ' he said . i do n't think you could give haitians a better gift . ' | adrien says even a few creole phrases would bring joy to most haitians |
kim <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was just after midday on a cold december monday in south korea 's capital when news of kim jong il 's death filtered through . though the reclusive north korean leader had been plagued with health problems in recent years , the announcement was greeted with general astonishment in seoul , according to a journalist from the country 's largest newspaper . the initial reaction was shock , quickly followed by speculation about what was going to happen next , ' said woosuk ken choi , assistant editor with the chosun daily . for its part , the south korean military responded by raising its alert level , while the country 's media went into overdrive trying to predict how this oblique and erratic state would respond . but choi said most ordinary koreans were remaining calm . north korea : should we fear change ? there was no rush to supermarkets to buy up food , ' he said in an interview with cnn . the south korean public seems confident that the country will be able to manage this . many see the north koreans as like us , people we need to care for and help . ' outright conflict is not something many would expect , he added . there is a little tradition in korea that when someone passes away in a family you stop fighting . we 're on high alert not because we want to do something but because some renegade north korean unit might cause some trouble . but no one really thinks the north koreans will launch an attack . nothing happened in 1994 when kim il sung died and it will be the same this time . ' the architect of what became known as the democratic people 's republic of korea in 1948 after the korean peninsula was divided between u.s. and soviet occupation forces , kim il sung was an autocratic leader who presided over a policy of juche , or self-reliance , which did much to foster the communist country 's isolation . when kim jong il , his oldest son , succeeded him , north korea was crippled economically , having lost one of its main trading partners when the soviet union collapsed . kim largely ignored the massive problems at home and focused on shoring up the regime 's position and investing in the military as a bulwark against the wealthy , u.s.-backed south . what military hardware does north korea have ? but with kim dead , choi believes many in the south will see this as an opportunity to improve relations with their dysfunctional neighbor , perhaps even paving the way for reunification . most people , whether left or right on the political spectrum , hope this is the case , ' he said . however a large chunk of south koreans do worry about the financial burden of reunification , citing the case of west and east germany in the early 1990s . others argue the cost of living together will be a lot less than living separately in the long run . i also believe a whole host of issues could be resolved with reunification . ' but choi said each generation in south korea has its own viewpoint when it comes to relations with the north . those in their teens and 20s have a real fear of military conflict , as they are the ones who have to complete their compulsory military service , ' he said . many people in their 30s and 40s worry about the financial cost to them of reunification , while those in their 50s and 60s back a united korea whatever the cost . ' if reunification is a pipe dream for now , choi says there is a difference of opinion in south korea about the dynastic succession in the north . many people believe the transfer of power to a third generation is absurd , totally anachronistic and not what the world is about today , ' he said . but those who believe in a policy of engagement with north korea say it does n't matter whether it is third or fourth generation , they 're still our people and we need to talk to them to try and resolve the situation . ' another view , according to choi , is the great successor ' will not last long . he 's simply too young , ' he said . kim jong un is believed to be in his late 20s . there is this notion in korean society -- north and south -- that if you take the throne too young you wo n't last long . no matter how good he is , they think his uncles and more experienced family members will rule from behind him and that he could ultimately be sacrificed . ' as pictures of ordinary north koreans mourning the loss of their dear leader continued to filter onto television screens across south korea tuesday , choi felt most people would have been struck by how staged they seemed . the pictures do n't reflect the reality in north korea , ' he argued . when kim il sung died there were a number of people who really went out and cried because they really did respect him . kim jong il 's case is different because about two or three million people died of starvation after he came to power . the level of mourning will be about a tenth of what it was in 1994 . this is the view of many defectors i have spoken to . ' | south korean military responds to news of kim 's death by raising its alert level |
kim <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was just after midday on a cold december monday in south korea 's capital when news of kim jong il 's death filtered through . though the reclusive north korean leader had been plagued with health problems in recent years , the announcement was greeted with general astonishment in seoul , according to a journalist from the country 's largest newspaper . the initial reaction was shock , quickly followed by speculation about what was going to happen next , ' said woosuk ken choi , assistant editor with the chosun daily . for its part , the south korean military responded by raising its alert level , while the country 's media went into overdrive trying to predict how this oblique and erratic state would respond . but choi said most ordinary koreans were remaining calm . north korea : should we fear change ? there was no rush to supermarkets to buy up food , ' he said in an interview with cnn . the south korean public seems confident that the country will be able to manage this . many see the north koreans as like us , people we need to care for and help . ' outright conflict is not something many would expect , he added . there is a little tradition in korea that when someone passes away in a family you stop fighting . we 're on high alert not because we want to do something but because some renegade north korean unit might cause some trouble . but no one really thinks the north koreans will launch an attack . nothing happened in 1994 when kim il sung died and it will be the same this time . ' the architect of what became known as the democratic people 's republic of korea in 1948 after the korean peninsula was divided between u.s. and soviet occupation forces , kim il sung was an autocratic leader who presided over a policy of juche , or self-reliance , which did much to foster the communist country 's isolation . when kim jong il , his oldest son , succeeded him , north korea was crippled economically , having lost one of its main trading partners when the soviet union collapsed . kim largely ignored the massive problems at home and focused on shoring up the regime 's position and investing in the military as a bulwark against the wealthy , u.s.-backed south . what military hardware does north korea have ? but with kim dead , choi believes many in the south will see this as an opportunity to improve relations with their dysfunctional neighbor , perhaps even paving the way for reunification . most people , whether left or right on the political spectrum , hope this is the case , ' he said . however a large chunk of south koreans do worry about the financial burden of reunification , citing the case of west and east germany in the early 1990s . others argue the cost of living together will be a lot less than living separately in the long run . i also believe a whole host of issues could be resolved with reunification . ' but choi said each generation in south korea has its own viewpoint when it comes to relations with the north . those in their teens and 20s have a real fear of military conflict , as they are the ones who have to complete their compulsory military service , ' he said . many people in their 30s and 40s worry about the financial cost to them of reunification , while those in their 50s and 60s back a united korea whatever the cost . ' if reunification is a pipe dream for now , choi says there is a difference of opinion in south korea about the dynastic succession in the north . many people believe the transfer of power to a third generation is absurd , totally anachronistic and not what the world is about today , ' he said . but those who believe in a policy of engagement with north korea say it does n't matter whether it is third or fourth generation , they 're still our people and we need to talk to them to try and resolve the situation . ' another view , according to choi , is the great successor ' will not last long . he 's simply too young , ' he said . kim jong un is believed to be in his late 20s . there is this notion in korean society -- north and south -- that if you take the throne too young you wo n't last long . no matter how good he is , they think his uncles and more experienced family members will rule from behind him and that he could ultimately be sacrificed . ' as pictures of ordinary north koreans mourning the loss of their dear leader continued to filter onto television screens across south korea tuesday , choi felt most people would have been struck by how staged they seemed . the pictures do n't reflect the reality in north korea , ' he argued . when kim il sung died there were a number of people who really went out and cried because they really did respect him . kim jong il 's case is different because about two or three million people died of starvation after he came to power . the level of mourning will be about a tenth of what it was in 1994 . this is the view of many defectors i have spoken to . ' | choi : nothing happened in 1994 when kim il sung died and it will be the same this time ' |
choi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was just after midday on a cold december monday in south korea 's capital when news of kim jong il 's death filtered through . though the reclusive north korean leader had been plagued with health problems in recent years , the announcement was greeted with general astonishment in seoul , according to a journalist from the country 's largest newspaper . the initial reaction was shock , quickly followed by speculation about what was going to happen next , ' said woosuk ken choi , assistant editor with the chosun daily . for its part , the south korean military responded by raising its alert level , while the country 's media went into overdrive trying to predict how this oblique and erratic state would respond . but choi said most ordinary koreans were remaining calm . north korea : should we fear change ? there was no rush to supermarkets to buy up food , ' he said in an interview with cnn . the south korean public seems confident that the country will be able to manage this . many see the north koreans as like us , people we need to care for and help . ' outright conflict is not something many would expect , he added . there is a little tradition in korea that when someone passes away in a family you stop fighting . we 're on high alert not because we want to do something but because some renegade north korean unit might cause some trouble . but no one really thinks the north koreans will launch an attack . nothing happened in 1994 when kim il sung died and it will be the same this time . ' the architect of what became known as the democratic people 's republic of korea in 1948 after the korean peninsula was divided between u.s. and soviet occupation forces , kim il sung was an autocratic leader who presided over a policy of juche , or self-reliance , which did much to foster the communist country 's isolation . when kim jong il , his oldest son , succeeded him , north korea was crippled economically , having lost one of its main trading partners when the soviet union collapsed . kim largely ignored the massive problems at home and focused on shoring up the regime 's position and investing in the military as a bulwark against the wealthy , u.s.-backed south . what military hardware does north korea have ? but with kim dead , choi believes many in the south will see this as an opportunity to improve relations with their dysfunctional neighbor , perhaps even paving the way for reunification . most people , whether left or right on the political spectrum , hope this is the case , ' he said . however a large chunk of south koreans do worry about the financial burden of reunification , citing the case of west and east germany in the early 1990s . others argue the cost of living together will be a lot less than living separately in the long run . i also believe a whole host of issues could be resolved with reunification . ' but choi said each generation in south korea has its own viewpoint when it comes to relations with the north . those in their teens and 20s have a real fear of military conflict , as they are the ones who have to complete their compulsory military service , ' he said . many people in their 30s and 40s worry about the financial cost to them of reunification , while those in their 50s and 60s back a united korea whatever the cost . ' if reunification is a pipe dream for now , choi says there is a difference of opinion in south korea about the dynastic succession in the north . many people believe the transfer of power to a third generation is absurd , totally anachronistic and not what the world is about today , ' he said . but those who believe in a policy of engagement with north korea say it does n't matter whether it is third or fourth generation , they 're still our people and we need to talk to them to try and resolve the situation . ' another view , according to choi , is the great successor ' will not last long . he 's simply too young , ' he said . kim jong un is believed to be in his late 20s . there is this notion in korean society -- north and south -- that if you take the throne too young you wo n't last long . no matter how good he is , they think his uncles and more experienced family members will rule from behind him and that he could ultimately be sacrificed . ' as pictures of ordinary north koreans mourning the loss of their dear leader continued to filter onto television screens across south korea tuesday , choi felt most people would have been struck by how staged they seemed . the pictures do n't reflect the reality in north korea , ' he argued . when kim il sung died there were a number of people who really went out and cried because they really did respect him . kim jong il 's case is different because about two or three million people died of starvation after he came to power . the level of mourning will be about a tenth of what it was in 1994 . this is the view of many defectors i have spoken to . ' | woosuk ken choi says most people in the south are calm about the situation |
choi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was just after midday on a cold december monday in south korea 's capital when news of kim jong il 's death filtered through . though the reclusive north korean leader had been plagued with health problems in recent years , the announcement was greeted with general astonishment in seoul , according to a journalist from the country 's largest newspaper . the initial reaction was shock , quickly followed by speculation about what was going to happen next , ' said woosuk ken choi , assistant editor with the chosun daily . for its part , the south korean military responded by raising its alert level , while the country 's media went into overdrive trying to predict how this oblique and erratic state would respond . but choi said most ordinary koreans were remaining calm . north korea : should we fear change ? there was no rush to supermarkets to buy up food , ' he said in an interview with cnn . the south korean public seems confident that the country will be able to manage this . many see the north koreans as like us , people we need to care for and help . ' outright conflict is not something many would expect , he added . there is a little tradition in korea that when someone passes away in a family you stop fighting . we 're on high alert not because we want to do something but because some renegade north korean unit might cause some trouble . but no one really thinks the north koreans will launch an attack . nothing happened in 1994 when kim il sung died and it will be the same this time . ' the architect of what became known as the democratic people 's republic of korea in 1948 after the korean peninsula was divided between u.s. and soviet occupation forces , kim il sung was an autocratic leader who presided over a policy of juche , or self-reliance , which did much to foster the communist country 's isolation . when kim jong il , his oldest son , succeeded him , north korea was crippled economically , having lost one of its main trading partners when the soviet union collapsed . kim largely ignored the massive problems at home and focused on shoring up the regime 's position and investing in the military as a bulwark against the wealthy , u.s.-backed south . what military hardware does north korea have ? but with kim dead , choi believes many in the south will see this as an opportunity to improve relations with their dysfunctional neighbor , perhaps even paving the way for reunification . most people , whether left or right on the political spectrum , hope this is the case , ' he said . however a large chunk of south koreans do worry about the financial burden of reunification , citing the case of west and east germany in the early 1990s . others argue the cost of living together will be a lot less than living separately in the long run . i also believe a whole host of issues could be resolved with reunification . ' but choi said each generation in south korea has its own viewpoint when it comes to relations with the north . those in their teens and 20s have a real fear of military conflict , as they are the ones who have to complete their compulsory military service , ' he said . many people in their 30s and 40s worry about the financial cost to them of reunification , while those in their 50s and 60s back a united korea whatever the cost . ' if reunification is a pipe dream for now , choi says there is a difference of opinion in south korea about the dynastic succession in the north . many people believe the transfer of power to a third generation is absurd , totally anachronistic and not what the world is about today , ' he said . but those who believe in a policy of engagement with north korea say it does n't matter whether it is third or fourth generation , they 're still our people and we need to talk to them to try and resolve the situation . ' another view , according to choi , is the great successor ' will not last long . he 's simply too young , ' he said . kim jong un is believed to be in his late 20s . there is this notion in korean society -- north and south -- that if you take the throne too young you wo n't last long . no matter how good he is , they think his uncles and more experienced family members will rule from behind him and that he could ultimately be sacrificed . ' as pictures of ordinary north koreans mourning the loss of their dear leader continued to filter onto television screens across south korea tuesday , choi felt most people would have been struck by how staged they seemed . the pictures do n't reflect the reality in north korea , ' he argued . when kim il sung died there were a number of people who really went out and cried because they really did respect him . kim jong il 's case is different because about two or three million people died of starvation after he came to power . the level of mourning will be about a tenth of what it was in 1994 . this is the view of many defectors i have spoken to . ' | choi : nothing happened in 1994 when kim il sung died and it will be the same this time ' |
hail to the chief <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there will be a good deal of public singing these next few days , during the parties , celebrations and services surrounding the inauguration , and at the inaugural ceremonies themselves . democrats and republicans alike will join voices and sing the star-spangled banner , ' god bless america ' and other patriotic songs . politicians and regular citizens , regardless of where they align themselves along the liberal-conservative continuum , have long been able to put aside their differences as they blend their voices for certain time-honored lyrics : ' my country't is of thee , sweet land of liberty ... ' ' o beautiful , for spacious skies , for amber waves of grain ... ' but the song that is the centerpiece of every inauguration , and of virtually every formal public appearance by a president of the united states , will be heard instrumentally these next few days -- yet will not be sung . the song is hail to the chief . ' most people are probably unaware that it even has lyrics . we 're accustomed to hearing the united states marine band play the stirring , brass-heavy chords as the president comes into sight . why are the words to the song seldom sung ? when you read them , it 's easy to surmise one possible reason . in our hyper-partisan times , it would be unrealistic to assume that members of the party out of power would want to enthusiastically belt them out . take this year , for example . try to envision the television pictures of inauguration day , were hail to the chief ' expected to be sung by all the attendees . president obama appears from inside the capitol , some of the tv cameras focus on republican congressional leaders john boehner or mitch mcconnell or eric cantor -- and they are presumed to wish to ardently vocalize : ' hail to the chief we have chosen for the nation , hail to the chief ! we salute him , one and all , hail to the chief , as we pledge cooperation in proud fulfillment of a great , noble call . yours is the aim to make this grand country grander , this you will do , that 's our strong , firm belief . hail to the one we selected as commander , hail to the president ! hail to the chief ! ' yes , those are the lyrics to hail to the chief ' -- and it 's no wonder that few people have ever heard them . they express a lovely all-american sentiment , but -- especially in our superheated political climate -- they possess the potential for some pretty awkward moments of public crooning . go back a few years . try to picture , during the administration of george w. bush , the trio of harry reid , nancy pelosi and then-sen. barack obama raising their voices in song to warble in bush 's direction : hail to the chief , as we pledge cooperation ... ' or imagine , during bill clinton 's time in office , the sight and sound of newt gingrich , bob dole and trent lott harmonizing as they gaze at clinton : yours is the aim to make this country grander/this you will do , that 's our strong , firm belief ... ' if , in these political times , the words to hail to the chief ' sound a little odd , the history of the song is also not short on oddity . the phrase -- hail to the chief ' -- originated in scotland in 1810 as part of a poem by sir walter scott . the poem , the lady of the lake , ' had nothing to do with the united states , or with the presidency . but the story told in the poem 's plot became a british stage play that made it across the ocean within a few years . among the songs that came to the united states as part of the play was hail to the chief , ' written by james sanderson . it was given new lyrics to honor the presidency , and reportedly was used in that context for the first time at an 1815 ceremony to commemorate the birthday of george washington . it was played at the inaugurations of presidents martin van buren in 1837 and john tyler in 1841 , according to historians , and during the administration of president james polk from 1845 to 1849 it became routinely played any time the president entered a room during public occasions . not everyone was in love with the song . president chester a. arthur , who served from 1881 to 1885 , directed the leader of the marine band to compose a new one to replace it . fortunately for arthur , the leader of the marine band at the time was a pretty fair songwriter -- a young marine sergeant major by the name of john philip sousa . he came up with a new tune called presidential polonaise . ' unfortunately for presidential polonaise , ' it never caught on , and hail to the chief ' made a return . sousa was undeterred ; he would go on to write , among other patriotic classics , the stars and stripes forever . ' president jimmy carter , in seeking to make the trappings of his presidency a little less regal , asked that hail to the chief ' not be played when he made public entrances . this turned out to be a highly unpopular decision . carter would later tell cbs news : one of the most unpleasant things that surprised me was when i quit having'hail to the chief'every time i entered a room , but there was an outcry of condemnation . ' before long , hail to the chief ' was back . the marine band continues to play it as presidents make their entrances . the words , however , continue to mostly go unsung , and that will almost certainly be the case during the inaugural festivities these next few days . in the spirit of the history of this -- and as a nod to what might have been -- we leave you with a parting gift of music . on behalf of chester a. arthur , please click and enjoy the song you never got the chance to tap your feet to . ladies and gentlemen , the mount prospect , illinois , community band performs , for your listening pleasure , presidential polonaise . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | bob greene : patriotic songs sung at inauguration wo n't include hail to the chief ' |
hail to the chief <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there will be a good deal of public singing these next few days , during the parties , celebrations and services surrounding the inauguration , and at the inaugural ceremonies themselves . democrats and republicans alike will join voices and sing the star-spangled banner , ' god bless america ' and other patriotic songs . politicians and regular citizens , regardless of where they align themselves along the liberal-conservative continuum , have long been able to put aside their differences as they blend their voices for certain time-honored lyrics : ' my country't is of thee , sweet land of liberty ... ' ' o beautiful , for spacious skies , for amber waves of grain ... ' but the song that is the centerpiece of every inauguration , and of virtually every formal public appearance by a president of the united states , will be heard instrumentally these next few days -- yet will not be sung . the song is hail to the chief . ' most people are probably unaware that it even has lyrics . we 're accustomed to hearing the united states marine band play the stirring , brass-heavy chords as the president comes into sight . why are the words to the song seldom sung ? when you read them , it 's easy to surmise one possible reason . in our hyper-partisan times , it would be unrealistic to assume that members of the party out of power would want to enthusiastically belt them out . take this year , for example . try to envision the television pictures of inauguration day , were hail to the chief ' expected to be sung by all the attendees . president obama appears from inside the capitol , some of the tv cameras focus on republican congressional leaders john boehner or mitch mcconnell or eric cantor -- and they are presumed to wish to ardently vocalize : ' hail to the chief we have chosen for the nation , hail to the chief ! we salute him , one and all , hail to the chief , as we pledge cooperation in proud fulfillment of a great , noble call . yours is the aim to make this grand country grander , this you will do , that 's our strong , firm belief . hail to the one we selected as commander , hail to the president ! hail to the chief ! ' yes , those are the lyrics to hail to the chief ' -- and it 's no wonder that few people have ever heard them . they express a lovely all-american sentiment , but -- especially in our superheated political climate -- they possess the potential for some pretty awkward moments of public crooning . go back a few years . try to picture , during the administration of george w. bush , the trio of harry reid , nancy pelosi and then-sen. barack obama raising their voices in song to warble in bush 's direction : hail to the chief , as we pledge cooperation ... ' or imagine , during bill clinton 's time in office , the sight and sound of newt gingrich , bob dole and trent lott harmonizing as they gaze at clinton : yours is the aim to make this country grander/this you will do , that 's our strong , firm belief ... ' if , in these political times , the words to hail to the chief ' sound a little odd , the history of the song is also not short on oddity . the phrase -- hail to the chief ' -- originated in scotland in 1810 as part of a poem by sir walter scott . the poem , the lady of the lake , ' had nothing to do with the united states , or with the presidency . but the story told in the poem 's plot became a british stage play that made it across the ocean within a few years . among the songs that came to the united states as part of the play was hail to the chief , ' written by james sanderson . it was given new lyrics to honor the presidency , and reportedly was used in that context for the first time at an 1815 ceremony to commemorate the birthday of george washington . it was played at the inaugurations of presidents martin van buren in 1837 and john tyler in 1841 , according to historians , and during the administration of president james polk from 1845 to 1849 it became routinely played any time the president entered a room during public occasions . not everyone was in love with the song . president chester a. arthur , who served from 1881 to 1885 , directed the leader of the marine band to compose a new one to replace it . fortunately for arthur , the leader of the marine band at the time was a pretty fair songwriter -- a young marine sergeant major by the name of john philip sousa . he came up with a new tune called presidential polonaise . ' unfortunately for presidential polonaise , ' it never caught on , and hail to the chief ' made a return . sousa was undeterred ; he would go on to write , among other patriotic classics , the stars and stripes forever . ' president jimmy carter , in seeking to make the trappings of his presidency a little less regal , asked that hail to the chief ' not be played when he made public entrances . this turned out to be a highly unpopular decision . carter would later tell cbs news : one of the most unpleasant things that surprised me was when i quit having'hail to the chief'every time i entered a room , but there was an outcry of condemnation . ' before long , hail to the chief ' was back . the marine band continues to play it as presidents make their entrances . the words , however , continue to mostly go unsung , and that will almost certainly be the case during the inaugural festivities these next few days . in the spirit of the history of this -- and as a nod to what might have been -- we leave you with a parting gift of music . on behalf of chester a. arthur , please click and enjoy the song you never got the chance to tap your feet to . ladies and gentlemen , the mount prospect , illinois , community band performs , for your listening pleasure , presidential polonaise . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | imagine boehner joining in to hail to the chief , as we pledge cooperation ... , ' he says |
syria <tsp> in the midst of the struggle against bashar al-assad 's government stands jabhat al-nusra , recently designated by the u.s. state department as a foreign terrorist organization . a new report by the quilliam foundation in london says the organization is the most effective arm of the syrian insurgency and now fields about 5,000 fighters against the assad regime . practically speaking , the terrorist designation means little that is new for the immediate struggle in syria . shortly after al-nusra claimed credit for one of its early suicide bombings in january 2012 , the obama administration made known al-nusra 's connection to al qaeda in iraq , a group with which i was intimately familiar in my capacity as an analyst and targeting officer at the central intelligence agency . the administration 's position was reinforced when director of national intelligence james clapper one month later testified in front of the senate armed services committee that ... we believe al-qaeda in iraq is extending its reach into syria . ' analysis : study shows rise of al qaeda affiliate in syria al-nusra is filling a power vacuum through charitable efforts to galvanize local support and generating influence among syrians . in light of al-nusra 's influence in syria , the real question is not so much about the scope and scale of al-nusra currently , but rather how should the united states respond to its rise , particularly after al-assad 's eventual exit ? read more : al-assad touts plan for resolution , says enemies of syria'will go to hell' historically , the u.s. government seemed to believe that as soon as people are given the chance , they will choose and then create a jeffersonian democracy . then we are surprised , if not outraged , that people turn to organizations such as hamas , hezbollah or the muslim brotherhood in electoral contests . these organizations often provide the basic necessities that people need to survive : food , water , medical care , education and security . as ideologically distasteful as we might find them , they are often doing things corrupt , weak or failing governments do not : providing the basic necessities that people need to survive ( let alone create the conditions that enable people to aspire to thrive ) . why does al-nusra keep quiet about its ties to al qaeda in iraq ? the documents pulled from the abottabad raid that killed osama bin laden shed light on his awareness that the al qaeda brand had been deteriorating . read more : appeals court to consider release of photos of bin laden 's body bin laden urged regional groups , if asked , it would be better to say there is a relationship with al qaeda , which is simply a brotherly islamic connection , and nothing more , ' according to cnn . bin laden and ayman al-zawahiri had criticized the jordanian-born founder and leader of al qaeda in iraq , abu musab al-zarqawi , for his killing of civilians and lack of political acumen to win public support . talk about al qaeda seems distant . it was a bogeyman made real in 1993 when it unsuccessfully attacked the world trade center and terrifyingly tangible in 2001 when its operatives succeeded in destroying the twin towers and expanded their attacks to the pentagon and the air over pennsylvania . its looming shadow has since faded from the public eye , particularly with the death of bin laden . its vision and ideology , however , continue to have a strong appeal . now that al qaeda central has a less visible role , what makes players like al-nusra and al qaeda in iraq threats ? even today , after zarqawi 's death , al qaeda in iraq has managed to continue to wreak havoc in iraq and in the region through an autonomous , adaptable structure . read more : senior al qaeda leader killed in pakistan , officials say al-nusra has declared itself a player in the fight for a global jihad , a bold statement for what is today a localized group . even small groups , however , have the potential to disrupt regional stability and complicate america 's pursuit of its national security objectives—a fact i learned firsthand tracking and trying to stem the rise , influence and efficacy of al qaeda in iraq in the aftermath of the u.s. invasion of iraq . zarqawi , until his death in 2006 , was able to confound u.s. forces and attack jordan by attracting recruits from north africa ( including libya ) , central europe , jordan and syria . some of zarqawi 's earliest recruits were veterans of the syrian muslim brotherhood , an organization that lashed out against the syrian government during the 1980s . captured records from a raid near the city of sinjar , iraq , indicated that during the 2006-2007 time frame , 8 % of al qaeda in iraq operatives were syrians . the percentage likely ebbed and flowed as the group formed , became influential and waned , but it suggests that there was no shortage of recruits amenable to engage in religious conflict in syria as recently as 5-10 years ago . read more : what is the muslim brotherhood ? the most striking thing about the captured records , however , is that it appears almost every foreign fighter entering iraq to join al qaeda in iraq came through syria . as a targeter , i can tell you that facilitation networks are key : they are the means by which groups such as al qaeda in iraq are funded , supplied and sustained . during the iraq war , zarqawi 's top aides in syria played a critical role in recruiting , funding and operational planning outside iraq . read more : syrian minister : enemies'brainwashed'slain rebel son one of the things u.s. officials and the international media should watch for is how al-nusra uses its terrorist designation : if it seeks to use the declaration to burnish its jihadist credentials , it might be able to bolster the image of the organization in the eyes of the extremist community and parlay that recognition into larger , or steadier , streams of funding—a development that will make the group more viable over the long-term or allow it to expand its operations or influence in the short- to mid-term . an important differentiator between al qaeda in iraq and al-nusra is one of its tactics : zarqawi made a practice of indiscriminately killing iraqi civilians , effectively terrorizing the iraqi population , especially the shiite minority . zarqawi , despite identifying with al qaeda , had a much thinner theological basis than al qaeda central . key figures at al qaeda central such as bin laden and zawahiri argued with zarqawi over his tactics , complaining that alienating mainstream muslims would not help achieve the over-arching goal of instilling sharia law . read more : ayman al-zawahiri - fast facts al-nusra is using some of the same tactics as al qaeda in iraq ( e.g. , suicide bombings , kidnappings and car bombs ) , but it appears to be trying to strike a balance zarqawi was unwilling to make : not only does it seem to be avoiding alienating—if not antagonizing—the larger population , but it also is providing the people of syria with a range of goods and services such as food , water and medical care—basic necessities that people need to survive in the best of times , let alone when their country is in the throes of a civil war . if this becomes a trend , it might signal that al-nusra aspires to be more like hezbollah or hamas , organizations that defy neat categorization based on the range of social , political and military activities they engage in and the resultant legitimacy they have in the eyes of their constituencies . read more : hamas leader unbending , but seeks palestinian unity in the syrian uprising , the opportunity for meaningful u.s. intervention might have passed : exhaustion from operations in iraq and afghanistan have taken their toll on the u.s. military , have taxed the national treasury , and sapped political will , especially as the state of the economy remains at the center of the debate in washington . our absence from the fight is going to cost us if the al-assad regime fails , leaving rebel groups like al-nusra dictating the direction , pace and scope of a new syria . read more : syrian rebel leader talks victory and squalor given that managing affairs in the middle east has never been one of our strong suits , the question at this point should be how can the united states , particularly the department of state , best engage groups that might be inimical to u.s. values but necessary to our interests in the middle east ? for that , i am not sure there is a clear or simple answer . one opportunity would be if the united states uses its designation of al-nusra as both a stick and carrot , cajoling and encouraging it to enter into mainstream politics when ( or if ) the assad regime falls . my read of al-nusra , however , is that , like zarqawi , it does not aspire to be a political player and is unlikely to settle for a political role in the new government . instead , it may aim to play the spoiler for any transitional government and use its resources and political violence to empower and encourage other like-minded extremists . with time and opportunity , al-nusra could not only add to regional instability in the middle east , but also rekindle global jihad . follow @ cnnopinion on twitter | u.s. declared a key opposition group in syria a terrorist organization |
google reader <tsp> google reader , one of the best-known feeds through which users can pull together their favorite web content in one place , will be shutting down , the company announced . in an age of facebook posts and retweets , google senior vice president urs holzle said in a post on the official google blog that reader was losing popularity . while the product has a loyal following , over the years usage has declined , ' holzle wrote . reader will be shut down on july 1 . users wanting to port their content to another rss ( rich site summary ) feed can use google takeout to move it over the next four months . the move is part of a massive spring cleaning ' that google began in 2011 and which has nuked about 70 of its wide array of products . the point is focus in a time when mobile technology is dramatically and quickly changing the computing world , said holzle . it 's been a long time since we have had this rate of change -- it probably has n't happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago , ' he wrote . to make the most of these opportunities , we need to focus -- otherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact . among the 40 shutdowns announced wednesday also were the google voice app for blackberry , the desktop version of photo app snapseed , google cloud connect and google building maker , which lets users create models of buildings on google earth and google maps . released in 2005 , google reader was begun four years earlier as a project called javacollect by independent software engineer chris wetherell . after joining google , he worked with a team to perfect and enhance it . we know reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go , ' said software engineer alan green on the google reader blog . we 're sad too . ' reader , and rss feeds in general , remain popular with active , web-savvy users who rely upon them to pull together the best of the internet in one easy-to-read stream . but they never caught on among more casual users content to visit their favorite sites or rely on friends on social media to share interesting posts . the feeds are also difficult to make money from , and google never tried to place ads on reader or charge for its use . indeed . within hours of the announcement , several online petitions to save the service had gotten thousands of signatures . on petition site change.org , more than 46,000 people had signed the petition google : keep google reader running . ' our confidence in google 's other products -- gmail , youtube , and yes , even plus -- requires that we trust you in respecting how and why we use your other products , ' wrote dan lewis , of new york city , who created the petition . this is n't just about our data in reader . this is about us using your product because we love it , because it makes our lives better , and because we trust you not to nuke it . ' there are several alternatives for reader users , some of which have sprung up recently . feedly and pulse offer web-based rss feeds that also have mobile apps for apple 's ios and android . zite ( which is owned by cnn ) lets users create a feed based on their interests then refine the feed by voting content up or down . it uses google reader info to help select content . rival flipboard allows users to directly import their google reader content , a point they expressly made in a post thursday . | google announces plans to shut down google reader |
ukraine <tsp> a separatist leader declared monday that eastern ukraine 's donetsk region was not only independent , but also would ask to join russia -- a day after referendum organizers claim voters in the region chose to break away from kiev . denis pushilin , self-declared leader of the donetsk people 's republic , told a crowd that no further referendum was needed to ask russia to annex it . pro-russian separatists held a referendum sunday asking residents of the donetsk region whether it should declare independence from ukraine . nearly 90 % of voters in the area favored secession , an election official said monday . a similar question was put to voters in luhansk . preliminary results were expected monday , officials said . but a new poll for cnn suggests that support for alliance with russia is much weaker than pro-russian separatists say , even in the east . just over a third ( 37 % ) of ukrainians in three eastern regions favor an alliance with russia , while 14 % of the region backs an alliance with the european union and about half ( 49 % ) say ukraine would be better off if it did not ally with either , the poll found . eastern ukraine ' includes the regions of donetsk , luhansk and kharkiv . neither ukraine 's government nor the european union immediately reacted to pushilin 's overture to russia , though both dismissed sunday 's votes . this propagandist farce will not have any legal consequences , only criminal responsibility of its organizers , ' acting ukrainian president oleksandr turchynov said in a statement monday . that farce the terrorists call a referendum is nothing else but a propagandist cover for killings , kidnapping , violence and other grave crimes , ' he said . he reiterated that his government will continue fighting against terrorists , saboteurs and criminals ' but will negotiate with those in eastern ukraine who do not have blood on their hands and those who are ready to defend their goals and beliefs in a legal way . ' a vote for autonomy is a vote for the self-destruction of the east , turchynov has said . it would cut residents off from the national economy and social programs , he said . it is a step ( to ) nowhere for these regions . it is euphoria that may lead to very complex consequences , and many people can already feel them . ' polls close amid allegations of fraud and double-voting pushilin 's announcement is reminiscent of separatists'moves in the black sea peninsula of crimea , which russia annexed after crimeans voted to secede from ukraine and join russia in a march 16 referendum . nationwide , the comres poll for cnn poll found that 56 % of ukrainians feel a stronger sense of loyalty towards europe , 19 % towards russia , and 22 % towards neither . the cnn findings come from a poll by the agency comres of 1,000 adult ukrainians contacted by telephone in russian and ukrainian between may 7-11 . three percent said they did n't know . the poll 's margin of error is 3.1 percentage points . reactions from russia , nato , european union russia welcomed sunday 's votes . moscow respects the will of the population of the donetsk and luhansk regions , and hopes that the practical implementation of the outcome of the referendums will proceed along civilized lines , without repeat outbreaks of violence , ' the kremlin said in a statement . nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen told cnn 's christiane amanpour on monday that those referendums do n't count . ' he called the vote illegal . ' the referendum was organized in a chaotic manner with dubious and ambiguous questions , ' he said , adding that the only thing that counts ' is ukraine 's planned presidential election on may 25 . i urge all actors to make sure that those general elections can be conducted in an orderly manner , ' rasmussen said . he said that he feels nato and its allies have sent a very clear message to moscow ' and assured its allies . recently , u.s. army forces have been deployed to poland and three baltic states . amanpour challenged rasmussen , asking him whether he thought that was enough to demonstrate heft . ' rasmussen responded that nato is considering further steps . ' those further steps might include an update of existing defense plans , development of new defense plans , enhanced exercises and also appropriate deployment , ' he said . it 's too early , he said , to describe anything more specifically , but we will not hesitate to take further steps if needed , ' he said . u.s. exercises in poland : what 's the message ? german chancellor angela merkel also described the referendum as illegitimate and said the focus should be on the may 25 presidential election in ukraine . meanwhile , the european union imposed sanctions related to the ukraine crisis on another 13 people , bringing the total number to 61 , an eu diplomat said monday . details about the sanctions given to the 13 were n't immediately available , but previously announced sanctions included asset freezes and visa bans . the diplomat did not name the newly sanctioned people or reveal their nationalities . previous targets included dmitry kozak , russia 's deputy prime minister ; valery gerasimov , russia 's military chief ; and pro-russian separatists in ukraine , including pushilin . the eu also has imposed sanctions on two entities in crimea , the diplomat said monday . merkel and french president francois hollande have warned that russia could face more consequences if the ukrainian presidential vote does not go ahead as planned . if no internationally recognized presidential election were to take place , this would inevitably further destabilize the country , ' merkel said . in that case , she said , we are ready to take further sanctions against russia . ' merkel and hollande also said that russian troops along the ukrainian border should undertake visible steps to reduce their readiness . ' putin announced a troop pullback wednesday , but nato says it has seen no signs of a withdrawal of russian forces from the border area . russia annexed the southern region of crimea after announced results in a separatist referendum showed more than 90 % in favor of joining russia . in an independent survey by the pew research center , 54 % of crimea residents showed support for secession . the kremlin has said that it has no interest in annexing other parts of ukraine . but it is pushing for the country to adopt a constitution that would give regions where russian is widely spoken a larger voice in policy-making . critics fear that the creation of autonomous pro-russian regions in ukraine would cement alliances with the kremlin that would give it essential control over them . | separatists say people in donetsk voted to secede from ukraine |
iraqis <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- syria and iraq each recalled their ambassadors from the other country tuesday , after baghdad demanded that damascus hand over two suspects in last week 's deadly bombings in the iraqi capital . plastic flowers decorate a car destroyed in last week 's bombings in baghdad , iraq . syrian state-run news agency sana reported the government was ordering its ambassador home after the iraqi government summoned its envoy from syria and demanded that damascus turn over two iraqis living in syria who played direct roles in the execution of the terror attack , ' last wednesday , iraqi government spokesman ali al-dabbagh said in a statement . a string of bombings struck iraq 's capital august 19 , with two truck bombs ripping through the iraqi finance ministry and foreign ministry . at least 100 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded in baghdad 's bloodiest day since u.s. troops handed over security control to iraqi forces and moved outside iraqi cities nearly two months ago . iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki visited the foreign ministry bombing site tuesday . we know it was the baath party , known for its heinous crimes throughout history , along with al qaeda , who did this , ' he said , according to his office . the islamic state of iraq , the umbrella group for al qaeda in iraq , has claimed responsibility for the attack , which syria condemned . syria felt pain over those bombings and strongly condemned them , describing those explosions as painful terrorist bombings and reiterating the syrian support to the security , stability , safety and unity of iraq , ' sana reported . but what is regretful is the hastiness of the iraqi government to arbitrarily accuse syria while analysts say the issue was internal political or , perhaps , foreign disagreements . ' the iraqi government asked tuesday that syria hand over all those wanted [ by the iraqi judiciary ] for committing crimes of murder and destruction against the iraqi people , ' al-dabbagh 's statement said . it further demanded that syria expel terrorist organizations that use syria as a headquarters and launchpad to plan terrorist operations against the iraqi people . ' sana reported that the syrian government was willing to help the iraqis investigate the bombings . syria informed the iraqi side of its readiness to receive an iraqi delegation to inspect the evidence available to them concerning the bombings'perpetrators , ' a syrian official said , according to sana . otherwise syria considers what has been broadcast through the iraqi media as mere fabricated evidence intended to serve internal political goals , and the conflicting and contradicting statements by the iraqi officials are proof of that . ' the official added , syria , which has frequently repeated its keenness on the unity , independence , security and stability of iraq , expresses its regret that relations between syria and iraq have become subject to internal disagreements and perhaps foreign agendas . ' in its claim of responsibility for the attacks , the islamic state of iraq said , the earth shook under their feet and their hearts were torn in fear and horror . ... and the weakness and fragility of their state became apparent to everyone . ' the statement was posted on web sites typically used by the group . the iraqi government released on sunday what it said was a confession from a man who said he received orders for the bombing of the finance ministry building from a member of former iraqi president saddam hussein 's baath party who now lives in syria . the videotaped statement from wissam ali kadhim ibrahim , who was identified as a former baathist police official , aired on iraqi television . ibrahim said he received orders from sattam farhan , who he said was a baath party leader in syria . farhan and mohammed younis al-ahmed , a former senior member of hussein 's regime , are the two men iraq demands syria turn over . the iraqi government put al-ahmed as the no . 2 man on a most wanted list it released in 2006 , and the u.s. government announced a $ 1 million reward for him two years earlier . the spokesman for al-ahmed 's wing of the baath party in syria contended monday that the videotaped statement was fabricated and alleged that the man could have been paid to make it . the spokesman said the paths and ideologies of the party could never meet with those of al qaeda , and blamed the attacks on struggles between shiite parties in iraq . some midlevel and senior members of the baath party sought refuge in syria after the u.s. invasion that ousted hussein in 2003 . al-maliki asked for the handover of some of those ex-officials during a visit to damascus last week , iraqi officials said . | iraq demands syria turn over 2 iraqis living in syria , who are suspects in the attacks |
goodluck jonathan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed into law a ban on same-sex marriage in africa 's most populous nation . u.s. secretary of state john kerry slammed the decision monday . beyond even prohibiting same-sex marriage , this law dangerously restricts freedom of assembly , association and expression for all nigerians , ' he said in a statement . people everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality . no one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or who they love . ' samantha power , u.s. ambassador to the united nations , characterized the law as a big setback for human rights for all nigerians . ' according to the news agency of nigeria ( nan ) , the bill passed by the senate at the end of last year introduces a 14-year prison sentence for people who are convicted of entering into a same-sex marriage or civil union . it also reportedly makes it an offense to administer , witness or help at a same-sex marriage ceremony . nan said the law also forbids people from running gay clubs , societies , processions or meetings in nigeria . the punishment for such acts is 10 years in prison , it said . and the law even states that marriages or civil unions from outside the country will be void inside the country , according to nan . last month , uganda 's parliament passed controversial legislation that would make some gay acts punishable by life in prison . for the bill to become law , it would need the signature of that county 's president , who has 30 days to make a decision . homosexuality is illegal in most african nations based on remnants of sodomy laws introduced during the british colonial era and perpetuated by cultural beliefs . punishments across the continent range from fines to years in prison . worldwide , a growing number of countries now allow same-sex marriage , the majority of them in europe . the netherlands was the first , in 2001 , and it was later joined by belgium , spain , norway , sweden , iceland , portugal , denmark and france . a bill to allow same-sex marriage in england and wales is also now law , though it is n't expected to come into force until later this year . french court rules mayors can not block same-sex marriage argentina , uruguay , canada , brazil , new zealand and south africa are the non-european countries in the group , according to the pew research center . same-sex marriage is also legal in some parts of mexico and the united states . cnn 's christian purefoy , marilia brocchetto and faith karimi contributed to this report . | nigerian president goodluck jonathan signs the bill into law |
nigerian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nigerian president goodluck jonathan has signed into law a ban on same-sex marriage in africa 's most populous nation . u.s. secretary of state john kerry slammed the decision monday . beyond even prohibiting same-sex marriage , this law dangerously restricts freedom of assembly , association and expression for all nigerians , ' he said in a statement . people everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality . no one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or who they love . ' samantha power , u.s. ambassador to the united nations , characterized the law as a big setback for human rights for all nigerians . ' according to the news agency of nigeria ( nan ) , the bill passed by the senate at the end of last year introduces a 14-year prison sentence for people who are convicted of entering into a same-sex marriage or civil union . it also reportedly makes it an offense to administer , witness or help at a same-sex marriage ceremony . nan said the law also forbids people from running gay clubs , societies , processions or meetings in nigeria . the punishment for such acts is 10 years in prison , it said . and the law even states that marriages or civil unions from outside the country will be void inside the country , according to nan . last month , uganda 's parliament passed controversial legislation that would make some gay acts punishable by life in prison . for the bill to become law , it would need the signature of that county 's president , who has 30 days to make a decision . homosexuality is illegal in most african nations based on remnants of sodomy laws introduced during the british colonial era and perpetuated by cultural beliefs . punishments across the continent range from fines to years in prison . worldwide , a growing number of countries now allow same-sex marriage , the majority of them in europe . the netherlands was the first , in 2001 , and it was later joined by belgium , spain , norway , sweden , iceland , portugal , denmark and france . a bill to allow same-sex marriage in england and wales is also now law , though it is n't expected to come into force until later this year . french court rules mayors can not block same-sex marriage argentina , uruguay , canada , brazil , new zealand and south africa are the non-european countries in the group , according to the pew research center . same-sex marriage is also legal in some parts of mexico and the united states . cnn 's christian purefoy , marilia brocchetto and faith karimi contributed to this report . | nigerian president goodluck jonathan signs the bill into law |
antarctic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- environmental activists have declared an early success at the start of their annual high seas showdown with japanese whalers in antarctic waters . the anti-whaling group sea shepherd australia said its ships had split up the japanese fleet in the southern ocean and chased it out of the main antarctic zone . the whale poaching fleet is scattered and currently not hunting whales , ' sea shepherd said in a statement monday . but japanese authorities say the hunt is still on . japan 's fleet carries out an annual whale hunt despite a worldwide moratorium , taking advantage of a loophole in the law that permits the killing of the mammals for scientific research . whale meat is commonly available for consumption in japan . each year , environmental groups like sea shepherd pursue the japanese hunters in an attempt to disrupt the whaling . the resulting confrontations have led to collisions of ships and the detention of activists . sea shepherd said monday that the japanese fleet 's harpoon ships are separated by hundreds of miles . ' the factory ship , the nisshin maru , is on the run , ' the environmental group claimed . it said its three ships had ushered the japanese fleet out of the antarctic treaty zone , the internationally designated area below 60 degrees south latitude . within a day and a half , we have the entire whaling fleet in disarray , ' said siddarth chakravarty , the captain of one of the sea shepherd ships . japan 's fisheries agency , which oversees the annual hunt , said tuesday that the whaling operation has not been halted . it said the fleet remains in the southern ocean , which is generally considered to cover a similar area to the antarctic treaty zone . the agency declined to comment specifically on sea shepherd 's claims or on the fleet 's exact whereabouts . on monday , sea shepherd published photos and videos that it said showed three harpooned minke whales lying on the deck of the nisshin maru and another being butchered . the australian government has challenged the japanese whaling program in the international court of justice . but the current hunt will continue , and sea shepherd activists say they 'll continue to fight it . we have won this battle , ' said adam meyerson , another of the group 's ship captains . but the war for the southern ocean whale sanctuary will wage on over the coming months . ' cnn 's yoko wakatsuki contributed to this report . | an anti-whaling group says it split up japan 's fleet and chased it out of the antarctic zone |
eiffel tower <tsp> the eiffel tower is n't the most popular place for pictures in paris , nor is the empire state building the top photo destination in new york . at least , that 's the case among users of google 's geolocation-oriented photo-sharing website , panoramio , according to sightsmap.com , which has ranked 15,000 cities and their attractions according to photos tagged . the result is a heatmap ' with bright areas indicating more photos . new york tops the list as the most photographed -- or the highest panoramio-penetrated -- city in the world . europe dominates the chart with eight places in the top 10 . among them are three cities in italy , including rome , which ranked second . barcelona rounds out the top three cities , with park guell as its top attraction . more photos are tagged of the guggenheim museum and the tweed courthouse than the empire state building in new york city , according to the poll . ( perhaps because the empire state building is a tougher picture to take ? ) the church of the santissima trinita dei monti triumphs in rome and the city 's favorite wishing pond , trevi fountain , follows . moulin rouge is the most panoramio-photographed attraction in paris -- the eiffel tower came fifth . istanbul , recently named the world 's top destination by tripadvisor , was the fifth hottest city on sightsmap.com -- kiz kulesi ( maiden 's tower ) is the city 's top attraction . top 10 cities ( and their most photographed attractions ) 1 . new york ( guggenheim museum ) 2 . rome ( church of the santissima trinita dei monti ) 3 . barcelona , spain ( park guell ) 4 . paris ( moulin rouge ) 5 . istanbul ( kiz kulesi ) 6 . venice , italy ( ponte dell'accademia ) 7 . monte carlo , monaco ( hotel de paris ) 8 . florence , italy ( piazzale michelangelo ) 9 . buenos aires ( caminito ) 10 . budapest , hungary ( st. stephen 's basilica ) | moulin rouge not eiffel tower scored as the most popular picture place in paris |
warsaw <tsp> ( cnn ) -- u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon urged developed nations to lead by example ' wednesday as a climate change conference bogged down over support for poor nations trying to adapt to a warming world . the two-week conference in poland 's capital , warsaw , opened with a hunger strike by the top delegate from the typhoon-battered philippines to demand concrete action toward a new global pact on climate change . but with two days of talks left , participants said countries remained split on the big issues . next year will require a lot of heavy lifting if we are to remain on track for an agreement in 2015 , ' ban said wednesday . he called on countries to put their money where their mouths were by devoting more funding to deal with climate change and the carbon emissions blamed for causing it . the developed countries have great capacity and should lead by example , ' ban said . science is telling us we need to do more . economists are highlighting the huge cost of inaction . businesspeople want the signals from government that will create the right incentives to build a low-carbon future , ' he added . the warsaw conference brings together countries that have signed onto the u.n . framework convention on climate change to review their progress in limiting global temperature increases . but this year 's meeting has been discouraging for advocates of aggressive action to limit carbon emissions and rein in a projected increase in global average temperatures . australia 's new conservative government recently announced plans to repeal a carbon tax aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions . japan announced last week it would n't meet its stated emissions targets , citing the replacement of nuclear power plants idled after the 2011 meltdown at fukushima daiichi with fossil fuel generation . canada made a similar announcement in october . a study released tuesday by researchers at britain 's east anglia university found greenhouse gas emissions will top 39 billion tons in 2013 . the rate of increase has slowed , but the improvement is a drop in the bucket by global standards . polish environment minister marcin korolec , the warsaw conference 's president , lost his job in a cabinet shuffle on wednesday . but korolec told delegates that prime minister donald tusk is keeping him on as president of the conference and as a government official responsible for climate policy . delegates from developing countries staged a three-hour walkout early wednesday to protest what kamrul haque , a member of bangladesh 's delegation , called a stalemate ' over how to compensate their nations for climate-related losses . haque said negotiators had gone back into the talks wednesday night , but added , unless and until everything is agreed , then nothing is agreed . ' but todd stern , the head of the u.s. delegation , said the talks ended with everybody leaving ' after businesslike and productive ' discussions . i do n't see this negotiation blowing up over that , ' he said . i think we will find a resolution , but we 're still some distance apart . ' an october study in the scientific journal nature noted that more than 5 billion people live in areas that would be affected by climate change by 2050 , and the countries that will first see its effects are the ones least capable of responding . u.n. members have committed to setting up a $ 100 billion-a-year fund to deal with climate change . but steve kretzmann of the u.s.-based environmental group oil change international said global subsidies for fossil fuel industries already top $ 500 billion and some estimates run as much as $ 2 trillion . there is plenty of money there , ' kretzmann said . it 's just going in the wrong direction for the moment . ' | warsaw conference split between developed and developing nations |
michael uslan <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- cartoonist jerry robinson , who worked on the earliest batman comics and claimed credit for creating the super-villain the joker , died thursday at the age of 89 , his family confirmed . batman has lost another father , ' batman movie producer michael uslan said . farewell to my dear , dear friend , mentor and idol , jerry robinson . ' spider-man co-creator stan lee , who was with rival marvel comics , called him a genuine talent and a genuine gentleman . ' jerry robinson was not only one of the finest artists ever to illustrate comic books , but he was also the head of an editorial syndicate which made cartoons available worldwide , as well as being an inspiration to young artists , whom he always found time to help and advise , ' lee said . robinson , in a panel discussion at new york comic con in 2009 , said he was a 17-year-old creative writing student at columbia university when he was hired as a writer and illustrator at dc comics . though he was initially just assisting batman creators bob kane and bill finger , his chance to create the joker came in 1940 , when the demand for more batman stories overloaded finger . this was going to be a problem , so i volunteered to do one of the stories , ' robinson said . he handed in the work for a grade in his college creative writing class , he said . i wanted a very strong villain , because i thought that 's going to carry the story , ' robinson said . villains are more exciting . ' he wanted his villain to have a sense of humor , and in a space of hours ' one night somehow the joker came out , ' robinson said . the first joker image was modeled out of the joker card in a deck of playing cards , he said . it 's extraordinary what 's happened over the years , ' he said . cesar romero played the joker in the 1960 television batman tv series , followed by jack nicholson 's and heath ledger 's portrayals in batman films . his creative work is immortal as co-creator of the joker , robin the boy wonder , and the visualizations of alfred , the penguin and many more , ' uslan said . jerry elevated comic books as art and fought for respectability for all his fellow artists . ' robinson 's role in the creation of the joker is a long-running controversy in the comics industry . kane downplayed robinson as his assistant at the time . but those now working for the dc entertainment issued statements thursday making it clear they credit robinson for his creative contributions . jerry robinson illustrated some of the defining images of pop culture 's greatest icons , ' dc entertainment co-publisher jim lee said . as an artist myself , it 's impossible not to feel humbled by his body of work . everyone who loves comics owes jerry a debt of gratitude for the rich legacy that he leaves behind . ' it 's impossible to work at dc entertainment without feeling the impact of jerry robinson 's contributions to the industry , ' dc entertainment editor-in-chief bob harras said . his influence continues to resonate today . ' | batman has lost another father , ' batman movie producer michael uslan says |
maire kent <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was about eight months into her fight with heart cancer that 24-year-old maire kent knew she was going to die . in november 2012 , kent was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoma , a rare and aggressive form of cancer . by the end of september 2013 , she was gone . but it 's what happened in the final weeks of her life that made her friends and family feel as if she 's still around . i met her by chance , actually , ' filmmaker keith famie told cnn . i went to the hospital because i was having some chest pains and we ended up having the same doctor . our conversations took off from there . ' famie happened to be working on a documentary about how people deal with the end of life . so he and kent decided to document the last leg of her life and her final wishes . inspired by her favorite children 's book , paddle to sea , ' in which a boy carves a wooden boat and sets it free in the great lakes , kent turned to her family and said , i want to do that . i want to go to the ocean . cremate me and put my ashes in a boat . i want to go from lake michigan to the atlantic ocean . ' she wanted to create a dialogue about cardiac sarcoma , ' her older brother geoff kent told cnn . her dream was to be a nurse , because she loved helping people . she knew she was n't going to live to achieve that , so this was her way of helping people after she died . we all know someone with cancer . ' sarcoma is a rare type of cancer , and cardiac sarcoma even rarer , according to dr. monika leja , a cardiologist in ann arbor , michigan , who treated kent , a former army private . it can grow from any part of the body , even connective tissues . it usually happens to very healthy , young , individuals , ' leja told cnn . a purely genetic disease that 's rapid growing . it 's kind of like having a ticking time bomb in your body and no one is recognizing it . ' three weeks before kent 's life ended , the plans to get her ashes to the atlantic ocean began . and famie was there to document the whole thing . it was just a little 3â½-foot boat carved out of wood by a totally blind carpenter . that 's what she wanted to have her ashes put in , ' famie said . the hope was that , with the help of strangers , she would have her dream come true . as it turns out , it was kind of like the olympic torch . people wanted to be part of this journey . ' an unpredictable journey that -- keeping true to the story in paddle to the sea ' -- would only work with the help of people kent never met . to encourage the support , kent had her family write a message on the small sail of the handcrafted wooden boat : ' my name is maire . i died of cardiac sarcoma cancer . my ashes are enclosed in this boat and i am on my way to the ocean . if you find me , please send me back on my path . i 'll bless you from heaven . ' the boat set sail in lake michigan and in the weeks that followed , kent 's ashes would travel by water and over land , riding on everything from planes to trains to the sidecars of motorcycles . cancer is really everybody 's story , ' famie told cnn . and maire knew that . once the journey started , it was incredible watching people engage the boat . it created a dialogue of life after death . we knew it would resonate with people but we had no idea it would be this strong . ' people helped on a whim , like burton bogart , who jumped into the erie canal to rescue kent 's small boat , which had become stuck in the brush on the riverbank and was at risk of being lost . so he runs down the bank of a river , takes his clothes off , swims down the canal and releases her . and people are all clapping and cheering , ' famie said , remembering the scene . but then the boat stops again , directly under this group of 40 people watching it all from a balcony above the river . and i can see this woman is really upset . ' along with kent 's written message on the boat 's sail were 12 random names of people famie had chosen from across the country who , like kent , had died from cancer . one of the names was george davis . the women turns to me and says ,'george davis ? that was my dad 's name . he died 20 years ago from lung cancer ,'' famie said . it turns out in life , chance encounters are n't so chance at all . ' before she died , maire kent said , you ca n't really predict your own future . there 's always a road that 's going to pop up out of nowhere . and that 's why life is a journey . ' on july 26 , in new york harbor , her journey ended when her ashes made it to the atlantic ocean , just as the sun was setting . when maire told me she wanted to do this , i promised her that we 'd get her there . and we did , ' famie said . in that little gleaming moment you just knew that you were doing something that was supposed to be done for somebody . it is a transcendental journey . maire , who nobody knew , so many people will meet . ' mom sews a new dream after toddler 's death teen who inspired many with'clouds'song passes cnn 's ritika shah contributed to this report . | maire kent had cardiac sarcoma , a rare and aggressive form of cancer |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in case you have n't noticed , this election season is awash in money . by the end of july , mitt romney had widened his cash advantage over president obama by $ 62 million . romney has also been raising more money than obama in the last three months . if romney continues to outraise obama , does it mean that he will win the presidential race ? can money buy elections ? palin not present at rnc but still a presence historically , the candidate who raises the most money is likely to win . in recent presidential elections , the only victors whose campaign committees raised less than their opponent were bill clinton in 1996 ( raising $ 116.8 million to sen. bob dole 's $ 134.7 million ) and ronald reagan , who raised less than jimmy carter but nevertheless swept into washington in a 1980 landslide . in both instances , the comparison of funds raised is limited to their primary campaigns as , unlike today , these candidates relied exclusively upon the presidential public financing system which provided funds in equal amounts to both major party candidates for their general election campaigns . fortunately , for candidates in any given race , money alone provides no guarantee of victory . candidates need exceptional campaign skills , a solid election team , charisma , name recognition and it helps to be an incumbent who usually has these attributes and whose viability often attracts more donations . still , money is essential . for example , in the 2010 cycle ( including both primaries and general elections ) , only 9 winning house challengers spent under $ 1 million . candidates need a lot of resources to conduct a meaningful campaign and , these days , that costs $ 1.4 million for an average house seat and up to hundreds of millions to take the white house . over the last decade , we 've seen that in the vast majority of congressional races , those who raised the most money emerged victorious . in 2004 , senate candidates who raised the most money won 88 % of the time and house candidates who raised the most money won an astonishing 97.8 % of the time . it is a testament to money 's influence that even in what was widely considered to be a wave election ' in 2010 , when the political environment favored the gop , candidates with the most money still held sway in most of the races . in 2012 , money is even more important because candidates are not just competing with their electoral opponent anymore , but also with the messages and money from highly professionalized super pacs and nonprofits with lots of campaign experience . these unfamiliar groups'agendas may or may not be clear to candidates , or the voters they 're trying to influence . outside spending is now the hallmark of america 's elections , particularly in tight races . walmart moms not yet buying romney or obama expect to see record spending this year , which will largely come from very few donors . while the presidential campaigns are raising less money overall than in 2008 , money spent by super pacs and secretive nonprofits , ostensibly independently , to influence elections is soaring . groups across the political spectrum are making independent expenditures ' and issue ads ' that talk about candidates and issues without explicit vote for ' messages . this is the evolutionary effects of two critical changes in the campaign finance world . one is the demise of the presidential public funding program and the other is the formal legal sanctioning of unlimited and unrestricted spending directed at candidates . since 1976 , the presidential public financing system included matching funds for small contributions in primaries and equal grants for the two general election nominees . beginning with george w. bush rejecting public matching funds in the 2000 primary campaign ( and the spending limits that went with them ) , that system was diminished incrementally until 2008 when obama 's rejection of general election funding spelled its final demise . the system was far from perfect , but it offered an equal base from which the two presidential candidates could conduct the eight or nine week sprint to the finish . and it would reduce the fundraising frenzy that now surrounds this presidential race . witness how paul ryan began his tenure as romney 's running mate with a stop at the venetian hotel to meet sheldon adelson , the billionaire casino magnate who has previously said he will spend up to $ 100 million to ensure president obama 's defeat . team obama , meanwhile , is holding exclusive , coast-to-coast fundraisers in homes of the super-rich , giving face time ( with the president , vice president , first lady and various other celebrities ) to those who can bring $ 70,000 or so to the table . similarly , a series of judicial and regulatory decisions in recent years has yielded a system in which unlimited funds from virtually any source can be brought directly into the campaign at any time , often with no indication of who is paying the bill . the maze of obscure organizations designed to coordinate these outside efforts and obfuscate their financial sources is just one more example of the cynical efforts of the political class to bend the rules and manipulate the process in hopes of gaining some small advantage on election day . it 's an attitude that is not lost on an already frustrated electorate that finds little in the political process worthy of respect . the result is an atmosphere where candidates and parties must raise upwards of $ 20 million or more each week or risk falling behind . the airwaves are saturated in an unprecedented effort to influence voters in the dozen states up for grabs this year . in the largest of these states ( ohio , florida , virginia ) the campaigns , super pacs and other shadowy groups have spent an average of nearly $ 30 million each month since may , levels not seen until late fall in the closest of previous presidential races . we 've reached the point in the campaign where groups running issues ads that identify a candidate would normally have to disclose their donors . but in a cynical move , groups like the u.s. chamber of commerce and crossroads gps readily admit to employing evasive tactics which , ironically , require that they take a more aggressive position for or against the candidate , in exchange for which they may completely dodge disclosure of their donors . meanwhile , we move toward fall pretending that our campaign finance system remains sound and will protect us when , in some key respects , the rules and disclosure that the citizens united decision , and the entire system , depends on no longer exist . partisan advantage appears to have replaced institutional dysfunction as the driving forces behind the eroding disclosure of those paying the piper ' in this election . the question is whether and when enough people will engage their representatives and collectively demand more authentic dialogue and intellectually honest leadership from lawmakers in washington . if there is to be any hope of change , this is step no . 1 . otherwise , we should n't be surprised when , come 2013 , we start hearing a new tune , but ca n't see who 's calling it . meanwhile , romney , obama , their parties and the outside groups that support them are all locked in an exhaustive race for funds . while romney has done well compared to obama in the last few months , the obama campaign has raised far more overall this cycle . both camps will have enough money to get their message out , but only one will win the election . in the end , money may not be the only reason , but if history is any indication , whichever candidate raises more of it will likely be our next president . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sheila krumholz . | recently , mitt romney widened his cash advantage over president obama by $ 62 million |
italy <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- later this summer , a motor rally will make its way across europe . nothing strange in that you might think . but this is a race with a difference -- a banger rally ' if you like -- and one with a well-tuned environmental message . andy pag is leading a chip fat ' rally to greece in august 2008 . the grease to greece ' expedition will attempt to travel from the uk to greece powered exclusively by chip fat scrounged from a variety of restaurants , kebab shops and burger vans en route . organizer andy pag said : the aim is to see if using vegetable oil for long distances is practical and feasible , and to have a bit of a laugh on the way . ' pag , who lives in london , is no stranger to environmentally-friendly jaunts . in 2007 , pag successfully drove a bio-truck powered by waste chocolate from the uk to timbuktu . the starting point for this summer 's road trip is , not surprisingly , a 1950 's style greasy spoon cafe in south london . the team will then set off for the continent traveling down through germany -- stopping off at the nurburgring for the grease lightening stage -- before heading off towards austria and then italy , before following the croatian coast down to greece . the fat finding ' mission , as organizers have dubbed it , will start on the 16th august . it will take around two weeks to reach the finish line . if teams find waste oil hard to come by they can load up with fresh cooking oil from supermarkets . but the aim is to show that carbon neutral motoring , using waste fat as a biofuel , is achievable . pag told cnn that he currently has 15 spaces filled and that there are still a few places left . all you need is a diesel car , ' he said . with conventional fuel prices high and rising , pag could n't have picked a better time to take on the challenge . next year , he plans to fly from the uk to china powered by fuel created from landfill waste . the idea is to highlight the process of making low-carbon aviation fuel . it 's such an exciting concept because it could revolutionize the aviation industry and the way we think about travel , ' pag said . the key factors are that it needs to economically and environmentally viable . so far the experiments that have been done have n't really hit the mark yet , but it 's good that they are developing the ideas . ' if you want join the grease to greece ' challenge or want to find out more about the trip follow the link here . | teams will travel from uk through germany , austria , italy and croatia |
cristiano ronaldo <tsp> paris , france -- ac milan 's brazilian midfielder kaka has been named european player of the year , lifting france football 's ballon d'or award . kaka has already claimed all of the game 's major prizes . his success comes two years after his fellow countryman , barcelona 's ronaldinho , claimed the award the 25-year-old kaka was a major factor in ac milan 's triumphant champions league campaign . the runner-up was manchester united 's portuguese winger cristiano ronaldo with barcelona 's argentinian midfielder lionel messi finishing third . this is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me , ' kaka said . it 's the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like ac milan . it 's great to be part of a team that wins . ' at 25 years old , he has already won all the game 's major prizes , individually and collectively . he was part of brazil 's 2002 world cup winning squad , although he was limited to just 19 minutes as a substitute against costa rica . he was top scorer in last season 's champions league , helping milan to avenge their loss to liverpool in the 2005 final . he won the italian domestic title in his first season at milan having joined from brazilians sao paulo for $ 8.5 million , a sum that milan president silvio berlusconi then described as peanuts . e-mail to a friend | the ac milan player is chosen ahead of cristiano ronaldo of manchester utd |
brazilian <tsp> paris , france -- ac milan 's brazilian midfielder kaka has been named european player of the year , lifting france football 's ballon d'or award . kaka has already claimed all of the game 's major prizes . his success comes two years after his fellow countryman , barcelona 's ronaldinho , claimed the award the 25-year-old kaka was a major factor in ac milan 's triumphant champions league campaign . the runner-up was manchester united 's portuguese winger cristiano ronaldo with barcelona 's argentinian midfielder lionel messi finishing third . this is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me , ' kaka said . it 's the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like ac milan . it 's great to be part of a team that wins . ' at 25 years old , he has already won all the game 's major prizes , individually and collectively . he was part of brazil 's 2002 world cup winning squad , although he was limited to just 19 minutes as a substitute against costa rica . he was top scorer in last season 's champions league , helping milan to avenge their loss to liverpool in the 2005 final . he won the italian domestic title in his first season at milan having joined from brazilians sao paulo for $ 8.5 million , a sum that milan president silvio berlusconi then described as peanuts . e-mail to a friend | brazilian kaka is named european player of the year |
the maze runner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at age 59 , denzel washington may have something new : a franchise . the two-time oscar winner added to his string of successes this weekend with the equalizer , ' which had no equal at the box office , opening with an estimated $ 35 million in ticket sales . it 's the 15th time in 15 years that a washington film has debuted with $ 20 million or more , but not one of those movies has been -- or had -- a sequel , let alone a franchise . denzel washington : the essential roles that may change with the equalizer . ' it has been widely reported that sony , the studio behind the action thriller loosely based on the '80s tv series , hopes it will spawn at least a sequel . the film 's solid debut , one of washington 's best , certainly makes that a solid prospect . of course , washington 's career itself is something of a franchise . as this weekend 's box office shows , audiences are far from tired of seeing this star in star vehicles , righting wrongs and dispensing justice , violently when necessary . the only difference is that washington , as he nears his 60th birthday this december , may finally be set to play the same character in more than one movie . a sequel is already in the works for the maze runner , ' which yielded the top spot at the weekend box office , but managed to hold off the debut of the stop-motion animated film the boxtrolls ' for second . meanwhile , that other star for the senior set , liam neeson , did n't fare nearly as well as washington , as a walk among the tombstones ' slid from second place all the way to seventh . ticket sales dropped by two-thirds in its sophomore weekend . as for the year 's top movie , guardians of the galaxy ' is now at $ 319 million and counting in domestic theaters , ranking behind only the avengers ' and iron man 3 ' among marvel 's mã©lange of mega-hits . domestic weekend box office estimates from exhibitor relations co. ( final numbers available monday afternoon ) : 1 . the equalizer -- $ 35 million 2 . the maze runner -- $ 17.5 million ( $ 58 million in 10 days ) 3 . the boxtrolls -- $ 17.3 million 4 . this is where i leave you -- $ 7 million ( $ 22.6 million in 10 days ) 5 . dolphin tale 2 -- $ 4.8 million ( $ 39.7 million in 17 days ) | the maze runner , ' last week 's box office victor , comes in second |
a walk among the tombstones <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at age 59 , denzel washington may have something new : a franchise . the two-time oscar winner added to his string of successes this weekend with the equalizer , ' which had no equal at the box office , opening with an estimated $ 35 million in ticket sales . it 's the 15th time in 15 years that a washington film has debuted with $ 20 million or more , but not one of those movies has been -- or had -- a sequel , let alone a franchise . denzel washington : the essential roles that may change with the equalizer . ' it has been widely reported that sony , the studio behind the action thriller loosely based on the '80s tv series , hopes it will spawn at least a sequel . the film 's solid debut , one of washington 's best , certainly makes that a solid prospect . of course , washington 's career itself is something of a franchise . as this weekend 's box office shows , audiences are far from tired of seeing this star in star vehicles , righting wrongs and dispensing justice , violently when necessary . the only difference is that washington , as he nears his 60th birthday this december , may finally be set to play the same character in more than one movie . a sequel is already in the works for the maze runner , ' which yielded the top spot at the weekend box office , but managed to hold off the debut of the stop-motion animated film the boxtrolls ' for second . meanwhile , that other star for the senior set , liam neeson , did n't fare nearly as well as washington , as a walk among the tombstones ' slid from second place all the way to seventh . ticket sales dropped by two-thirds in its sophomore weekend . as for the year 's top movie , guardians of the galaxy ' is now at $ 319 million and counting in domestic theaters , ranking behind only the avengers ' and iron man 3 ' among marvel 's mã©lange of mega-hits . domestic weekend box office estimates from exhibitor relations co. ( final numbers available monday afternoon ) : 1 . the equalizer -- $ 35 million 2 . the maze runner -- $ 17.5 million ( $ 58 million in 10 days ) 3 . the boxtrolls -- $ 17.3 million 4 . this is where i leave you -- $ 7 million ( $ 22.6 million in 10 days ) 5 . dolphin tale 2 -- $ 4.8 million ( $ 39.7 million in 17 days ) | liam neeson 's a walk among the tombstones ' drops from 2nd to 7th |
bubka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was a record some thought would never be broken : sergey bubka 's mark in the pole vault . but frenchman renaud lavillenie -- with bubka cheering him on -- did the almost unthinkable by bettering bubka in the latter 's hometown of donetsk in ukraine . lavillenie cleared a height of 6.16 meters , surpassing the 6.15 meters bubka achieved in 1993 on nearly the same day in february . i think it 's going to take me some time to come back to earth because it 's incredible , ' lavillenie , the reigning olympic and european champion , was quoted as saying by the iaaf 's website . this is a world record that is so mythical , and to clear it on the first jump , without touching ( the bar ) , there 's nothing to say . it 's just a moment to savor . ' bubka had no issue with being upstaged . i think this is a great day , a fantastic performance , i am very happy that renaud did this record in my home city where i did 6.15 , ' bubka was quoted as saying by the iaaf . i 'm very happy and proud for him , because he 's a great athlete and a fantastic role model . i 'm not disappointed because i thought this already before , even yesterday when we had a discussion about the record with renaud . i felt it would be great if this guy could continue and receive the baton from me and bring glory to athletics . ' | bubka was in attendance for lavillenie 's feat in bubka 's hometown |
bubka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was a record some thought would never be broken : sergey bubka 's mark in the pole vault . but frenchman renaud lavillenie -- with bubka cheering him on -- did the almost unthinkable by bettering bubka in the latter 's hometown of donetsk in ukraine . lavillenie cleared a height of 6.16 meters , surpassing the 6.15 meters bubka achieved in 1993 on nearly the same day in february . i think it 's going to take me some time to come back to earth because it 's incredible , ' lavillenie , the reigning olympic and european champion , was quoted as saying by the iaaf 's website . this is a world record that is so mythical , and to clear it on the first jump , without touching ( the bar ) , there 's nothing to say . it 's just a moment to savor . ' bubka had no issue with being upstaged . i think this is a great day , a fantastic performance , i am very happy that renaud did this record in my home city where i did 6.15 , ' bubka was quoted as saying by the iaaf . i 'm very happy and proud for him , because he 's a great athlete and a fantastic role model . i 'm not disappointed because i thought this already before , even yesterday when we had a discussion about the record with renaud . i felt it would be great if this guy could continue and receive the baton from me and bring glory to athletics . ' | he breaks the longstanding mark of ukrainian legend sergey bubka |
lavillenie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was a record some thought would never be broken : sergey bubka 's mark in the pole vault . but frenchman renaud lavillenie -- with bubka cheering him on -- did the almost unthinkable by bettering bubka in the latter 's hometown of donetsk in ukraine . lavillenie cleared a height of 6.16 meters , surpassing the 6.15 meters bubka achieved in 1993 on nearly the same day in february . i think it 's going to take me some time to come back to earth because it 's incredible , ' lavillenie , the reigning olympic and european champion , was quoted as saying by the iaaf 's website . this is a world record that is so mythical , and to clear it on the first jump , without touching ( the bar ) , there 's nothing to say . it 's just a moment to savor . ' bubka had no issue with being upstaged . i think this is a great day , a fantastic performance , i am very happy that renaud did this record in my home city where i did 6.15 , ' bubka was quoted as saying by the iaaf . i 'm very happy and proud for him , because he 's a great athlete and a fantastic role model . i 'm not disappointed because i thought this already before , even yesterday when we had a discussion about the record with renaud . i felt it would be great if this guy could continue and receive the baton from me and bring glory to athletics . ' | bubka was in attendance for lavillenie 's feat in bubka 's hometown |
lavillenie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was a record some thought would never be broken : sergey bubka 's mark in the pole vault . but frenchman renaud lavillenie -- with bubka cheering him on -- did the almost unthinkable by bettering bubka in the latter 's hometown of donetsk in ukraine . lavillenie cleared a height of 6.16 meters , surpassing the 6.15 meters bubka achieved in 1993 on nearly the same day in february . i think it 's going to take me some time to come back to earth because it 's incredible , ' lavillenie , the reigning olympic and european champion , was quoted as saying by the iaaf 's website . this is a world record that is so mythical , and to clear it on the first jump , without touching ( the bar ) , there 's nothing to say . it 's just a moment to savor . ' bubka had no issue with being upstaged . i think this is a great day , a fantastic performance , i am very happy that renaud did this record in my home city where i did 6.15 , ' bubka was quoted as saying by the iaaf . i 'm very happy and proud for him , because he 's a great athlete and a fantastic role model . i 'm not disappointed because i thought this already before , even yesterday when we had a discussion about the record with renaud . i felt it would be great if this guy could continue and receive the baton from me and bring glory to athletics . ' | france 's renaud lavillenie sets a new world record in the pole vault |
california <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a man who in 2001 ran over five people , killing four of them , then exclaimed he was the angel of death , ' will be transferred from a california mental hospital to a less restrictive facility . david attias , son of director daniel attias , has been at patton state hospital in san bernardino , california , for the past 10 years . on february 23 , 2001 , david attias sped down a road in isla vista , near the campus of the university of california-santa barbara . he ran over five people and hit nine parked cars . elie israel , chris divis , nick bourdakis and ruth levy died that night and ruth 's brother , albert , suffered debilitating injuries . attias was reportedly forcibly detained by witnesses that night and told them he was the angel of death . ' he was convicted in june 2002 of four murders , but a week later a jury ruled him not guilty by reason insanity . this month , judge thomas r. adams ruled that attias can be released from the hospital and be treated at a less restrictive facility . but if attias falters in his treatment rehabilitation ' he will be sent back to patton hospital . the david attias that was called to testify by the prosecution was clearly not the same vacant , troubled and confused david attias that this court first became acquainted with in 2001 . ' santa barbara senior deputy district attorney paula waldman told cnn affiliate ktla that attias , now 30 , should stay at patton state hospital . you ca n't ignore history , ' waldman said , according to the ktla report . every scientist will tell you the best predictor of the future is the past . he is a violent human being . ' one of the victims'fathers agreed . a lot of people , unfortunately , could get hurt , ' tony bourdakis told ktla . attias'attorney , public defender deedrea edgar , said he will still get around-the-clock state supervision at the new facility . he just wo n't be behind walls and barbed wire anymore , she said . in the ruling , adams said he heard from seven witnesses and only one health professional objected to attias being released . that person had never met attias , the judge noted . adams wrote that each defense witness said attias was no longer a danger to others . | he killed four people in 2001 when he plowed his car down a california street |
ferguson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- vonderrit deondre myers , a teenager who died in a police shooting , was struck by seven or eight bullets , st. louis city medical examiner dr. michael graham said thursday night . all but one gunshot wound were to the lower extremities , ' graham said . the one fatal wound was to the head . ' police chief sam dotson said the killing happened wednesday evening when a suspect shot a pistol three times at the st. louis officer , who was off-duty but wearing his uniform while moonlighting for a security company . the officer fired his pistol 17 times , police said . the shooting sparked angry street protests , with residents pointing out similarities to the august killing of michael brown in nearby ferguson . myers and brown were both 18 and black and killed by white police officers . one big difference : police said brown was not armed . it ` s a clear case of this young man being gunned down by an insensitive white officer who was off-duty , ' akbar muhammad , part of a coalition seeking justice in the brown shooting , told cnn affiliate ktvi . he chased them off a corner . ' were 17 shots excessive ? st. louis police officers'association lawyer neil bruntrager discussed that thursday night on erin burnett outfront . ' when he uses deadly force he uses deadly force until the threat is gone , ' bruntrager said . bruntrager said without video of the incident or unbiased witnesses , the police and the public must rely on physical evidence . a 9mm pistol allegedly fired by myers was found at the scene , police said . but van jones , a civil rights activist and cnn contributor , said nobody can trust the police after the brown killing . you 're seeing a wholesale breakdown of trust , ' he said on outfront . ' thursday night , st. louis residents held a candlelight vigil for myers at a sandwich shop where he bought food shortly before being shot . they sang hymns , prayed and released balloons into the air . speakers urged the people to remain peaceful . the chief did an outstanding job yesterday , keeping the tension down between the police officers , as well the protesters , ' missouri state sen. jamilah nasheed of st. louis said to ktvi . it is an unfortunate situation . my heart goes out to the family , but again from what i am hearing it was a direct correlation to racial profiling , racial profiling went deadly . ' the myers shooting occurred just ahead of a weekend of resistance ' in st. louis , where activists will push for movement in the investigation into the brown case . tensions are already high in the community , and it 's uncertain how the latest shooting will affect its mood . an animated crowd quickly gathered late wednesday near the shooting site close to the missouri botanical garden , chanting slogans as st. louis police officers stood by . hey , hey , ho , ho , these killer cops have got to go , ' the crowd chanted , repurposing a popular chant from the brown protests . the confrontations with police were intense and laced with profanity . that was somebody 's baby , ' screamed one man , referring to the man who was killed . think about your own child , ' pleaded another person in the crowd . despite the tensions , dotson said no businesses were looted and no windows were smashed . he praised officers for showing a tremendous amount of restraint ' as members of the crowd confronted them face-to-face and damaged three police cruisers . cnn affiliate kmov reported that a post office was damaged . complete coverage of ferguson the officer , a six-year veteran who has not been named , was placed on administrative leave . bruntager said he served two tours of duty with the military in iraq and was awarded a bronze star and a purple heart . while on patrol , the officer saw three black males run away as he approached , dotson said . he gave chase because one of them was holding up his pants in a way that made the officer believe the teen may be carrying a gun , dotson said . the officer and one of the three tussled . the teen ran off , then turned around and fired at least three shots at the officer , dotson said . the officer returned fire , killing the teen . online court documents show myers was arrested june 27 and charged with unlawful use of a weapon , a felony , and resisting arrest . he 'd been released on bond . a hearing scheduled for monday had been postponed , with the next hearing on november 17 , the documents show . the two other males have not been apprehended . a man describing himself as the owner of regal foods in st. louis , but who did n't want to give his name , told cnn in a phone interview that myers was in his store before the shooting . myers was wearing a t-shirt , the store owner said , adding that he did n't see a gun . the teen bought a sandwich and left . he was shot across the street from the store about 10 minutes later , he said . myers'cousin , latara franks , said another cousin , her brother and a family friend were with myers , and they confirmed to her he purchased a sandwich at a corner store shortly before the shooting . he got in trouble with police , but he went to school and work , ' franks said of myers . i ca n't believe they did him like this . ' share your stories and opinions on the protests with cnn ireport this weekend 's protests start with a rally outside the office of the prosecutor investigating the brown shooting . demonstrators will call for bob mcculloch to step aside and allow a special prosecutor to be appointed . additional marches and demonstrations will mark the weekend , along with civil disobedience actions around the st. louis region , ' according to a statement from organizers that also says thousands of people from across the country are expected . cnn 's shawn nottingham , eliott c. mclaughlin , dave alsup , tony marco , bill kirkos and dana ford contributed to this report . | protests are planned this weekend in ferguson , st. louis |
st. louis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- vonderrit deondre myers , a teenager who died in a police shooting , was struck by seven or eight bullets , st. louis city medical examiner dr. michael graham said thursday night . all but one gunshot wound were to the lower extremities , ' graham said . the one fatal wound was to the head . ' police chief sam dotson said the killing happened wednesday evening when a suspect shot a pistol three times at the st. louis officer , who was off-duty but wearing his uniform while moonlighting for a security company . the officer fired his pistol 17 times , police said . the shooting sparked angry street protests , with residents pointing out similarities to the august killing of michael brown in nearby ferguson . myers and brown were both 18 and black and killed by white police officers . one big difference : police said brown was not armed . it ` s a clear case of this young man being gunned down by an insensitive white officer who was off-duty , ' akbar muhammad , part of a coalition seeking justice in the brown shooting , told cnn affiliate ktvi . he chased them off a corner . ' were 17 shots excessive ? st. louis police officers'association lawyer neil bruntrager discussed that thursday night on erin burnett outfront . ' when he uses deadly force he uses deadly force until the threat is gone , ' bruntrager said . bruntrager said without video of the incident or unbiased witnesses , the police and the public must rely on physical evidence . a 9mm pistol allegedly fired by myers was found at the scene , police said . but van jones , a civil rights activist and cnn contributor , said nobody can trust the police after the brown killing . you 're seeing a wholesale breakdown of trust , ' he said on outfront . ' thursday night , st. louis residents held a candlelight vigil for myers at a sandwich shop where he bought food shortly before being shot . they sang hymns , prayed and released balloons into the air . speakers urged the people to remain peaceful . the chief did an outstanding job yesterday , keeping the tension down between the police officers , as well the protesters , ' missouri state sen. jamilah nasheed of st. louis said to ktvi . it is an unfortunate situation . my heart goes out to the family , but again from what i am hearing it was a direct correlation to racial profiling , racial profiling went deadly . ' the myers shooting occurred just ahead of a weekend of resistance ' in st. louis , where activists will push for movement in the investigation into the brown case . tensions are already high in the community , and it 's uncertain how the latest shooting will affect its mood . an animated crowd quickly gathered late wednesday near the shooting site close to the missouri botanical garden , chanting slogans as st. louis police officers stood by . hey , hey , ho , ho , these killer cops have got to go , ' the crowd chanted , repurposing a popular chant from the brown protests . the confrontations with police were intense and laced with profanity . that was somebody 's baby , ' screamed one man , referring to the man who was killed . think about your own child , ' pleaded another person in the crowd . despite the tensions , dotson said no businesses were looted and no windows were smashed . he praised officers for showing a tremendous amount of restraint ' as members of the crowd confronted them face-to-face and damaged three police cruisers . cnn affiliate kmov reported that a post office was damaged . complete coverage of ferguson the officer , a six-year veteran who has not been named , was placed on administrative leave . bruntager said he served two tours of duty with the military in iraq and was awarded a bronze star and a purple heart . while on patrol , the officer saw three black males run away as he approached , dotson said . he gave chase because one of them was holding up his pants in a way that made the officer believe the teen may be carrying a gun , dotson said . the officer and one of the three tussled . the teen ran off , then turned around and fired at least three shots at the officer , dotson said . the officer returned fire , killing the teen . online court documents show myers was arrested june 27 and charged with unlawful use of a weapon , a felony , and resisting arrest . he 'd been released on bond . a hearing scheduled for monday had been postponed , with the next hearing on november 17 , the documents show . the two other males have not been apprehended . a man describing himself as the owner of regal foods in st. louis , but who did n't want to give his name , told cnn in a phone interview that myers was in his store before the shooting . myers was wearing a t-shirt , the store owner said , adding that he did n't see a gun . the teen bought a sandwich and left . he was shot across the street from the store about 10 minutes later , he said . myers'cousin , latara franks , said another cousin , her brother and a family friend were with myers , and they confirmed to her he purchased a sandwich at a corner store shortly before the shooting . he got in trouble with police , but he went to school and work , ' franks said of myers . i ca n't believe they did him like this . ' share your stories and opinions on the protests with cnn ireport this weekend 's protests start with a rally outside the office of the prosecutor investigating the brown shooting . demonstrators will call for bob mcculloch to step aside and allow a special prosecutor to be appointed . additional marches and demonstrations will mark the weekend , along with civil disobedience actions around the st. louis region , ' according to a statement from organizers that also says thousands of people from across the country are expected . cnn 's shawn nottingham , eliott c. mclaughlin , dave alsup , tony marco , bill kirkos and dana ford contributed to this report . | protests are planned this weekend in ferguson , st. louis |
mlb <tsp> baseball superstar alex rodriguez is n't going down without a fight . but in the process , the slugger may have let out a dirty little secret . tucked deep in the lawsuit rodriguez filed monday against major league baseball to get his suspension vacated is an exhaustive report about his alleged steroid use . and boy , is it detailed . the report alleges injections of banned drugs , secret meetings and big money payments . part of the 34-page document details rodriguez 's alleged cocktail of banned substances to the milligram . some of these accusations have leaked out in recent days as rodriguez 's fight with baseball has gotten uglier and uglier . but this report , compiled by arbitrator fredric horowitz , is a graphic look at the case against rodriguez . trying to save his career rodriguez filed his lawsuit monday in new york 's southern district against major league baseball in an effort to get back on the field . two days earlier , an arbitration panel ruled that he would serve a 162-game doping suspension , the longest in baseball history . so rodriguez sued league commissioner bud selig and even his own union , the major league baseball players association . in the lawsuit , rodriguez 's lawyers say the actions against the slugger have been a carefully orchestrated smear campaign ' and the suspension should be vacated . the lawsuit also alleges that the baseball union did not protect rodriguez from continual leaks of prejudicial information ' from baseball officials . the player 's union has denied that allegation . it is unfortunate that alex rodriguez has chosen to sue the players association . his claim is completely without merit , and we will aggressively defend ourselves and our members from these baseless charges , ' said tony clark , head of the union . aging slugger all this comes as the clock is ticking for a-rod . the suspension will not only cost rodriguez $ 25 million in salary , it also further clouds the groundbreaking career of a player who 'll turn 40 in the 2015 season . major league baseball says rodriguez is dirty . it says he used three different performance-enhancing drugs in a three-year period and had ties to the now-shuttered biogenesis clinic in south florida . biogenesis was an anti-aging clinic that mlb said supplied steroids to at least a dozen baseball players . rodriguez , fifth on mlb 's list of all-time home run leaders , says he did n't use performance-enhancing drugs at that time . he says he has not failed a drug test . in court documents , his lawyers accused horowitz of being unfair . horowitz exhibited a manifest disregard for the law , ' the lawsuit alleged . he did so in a way which ensured such testimony would be selective and one-sided . ' gummies and food the horowitz report seemed to be mostly based on rodriguez 's relationship with anthony bosch , who ran the biogenesis clinic . the two were introduced by rodriguez 's cousin in 2009 or 2010 , according to the report . by late 2010 , rodriguez was a client of bosch , paying thousands of dollars for banned substances , the report says . the two became close . they created their own language to camouflage the performance-enhancing drugs . testosterone cream was called pink food , ' and lozenges containing testosterone were called gummies . ' melted testosterone was called liquid soup . ' in 2012 , the pair spoke on the phone 53 times and exchanged 556 text messages , the report said . in one exchange , detailed in the report , bosch messaged rodriguez , saying he was going to pick up his meds . ' rodriguez wrote back : not meds , dude . food . ' in another message rodriguez warns bosch : erase all these messages . ' clearly , somebody did n't . | alex rodriguez received the longest drug-related suspension in mlb history |
alex rodriguez <tsp> baseball superstar alex rodriguez is n't going down without a fight . but in the process , the slugger may have let out a dirty little secret . tucked deep in the lawsuit rodriguez filed monday against major league baseball to get his suspension vacated is an exhaustive report about his alleged steroid use . and boy , is it detailed . the report alleges injections of banned drugs , secret meetings and big money payments . part of the 34-page document details rodriguez 's alleged cocktail of banned substances to the milligram . some of these accusations have leaked out in recent days as rodriguez 's fight with baseball has gotten uglier and uglier . but this report , compiled by arbitrator fredric horowitz , is a graphic look at the case against rodriguez . trying to save his career rodriguez filed his lawsuit monday in new york 's southern district against major league baseball in an effort to get back on the field . two days earlier , an arbitration panel ruled that he would serve a 162-game doping suspension , the longest in baseball history . so rodriguez sued league commissioner bud selig and even his own union , the major league baseball players association . in the lawsuit , rodriguez 's lawyers say the actions against the slugger have been a carefully orchestrated smear campaign ' and the suspension should be vacated . the lawsuit also alleges that the baseball union did not protect rodriguez from continual leaks of prejudicial information ' from baseball officials . the player 's union has denied that allegation . it is unfortunate that alex rodriguez has chosen to sue the players association . his claim is completely without merit , and we will aggressively defend ourselves and our members from these baseless charges , ' said tony clark , head of the union . aging slugger all this comes as the clock is ticking for a-rod . the suspension will not only cost rodriguez $ 25 million in salary , it also further clouds the groundbreaking career of a player who 'll turn 40 in the 2015 season . major league baseball says rodriguez is dirty . it says he used three different performance-enhancing drugs in a three-year period and had ties to the now-shuttered biogenesis clinic in south florida . biogenesis was an anti-aging clinic that mlb said supplied steroids to at least a dozen baseball players . rodriguez , fifth on mlb 's list of all-time home run leaders , says he did n't use performance-enhancing drugs at that time . he says he has not failed a drug test . in court documents , his lawyers accused horowitz of being unfair . horowitz exhibited a manifest disregard for the law , ' the lawsuit alleged . he did so in a way which ensured such testimony would be selective and one-sided . ' gummies and food the horowitz report seemed to be mostly based on rodriguez 's relationship with anthony bosch , who ran the biogenesis clinic . the two were introduced by rodriguez 's cousin in 2009 or 2010 , according to the report . by late 2010 , rodriguez was a client of bosch , paying thousands of dollars for banned substances , the report says . the two became close . they created their own language to camouflage the performance-enhancing drugs . testosterone cream was called pink food , ' and lozenges containing testosterone were called gummies . ' melted testosterone was called liquid soup . ' in 2012 , the pair spoke on the phone 53 times and exchanged 556 text messages , the report said . in one exchange , detailed in the report , bosch messaged rodriguez , saying he was going to pick up his meds . ' rodriguez wrote back : not meds , dude . food . ' in another message rodriguez warns bosch : erase all these messages . ' clearly , somebody did n't . | alex rodriguez received the longest drug-related suspension in mlb history |
fema <tsp> ( cnn ) -- some of the $ 85 million in hurricane relief supplies given away as federal surplus will be sent back to louisiana and given to nonprofit agencies for distribution , the state 's hurricane recovery office said tuesday . hand towels sit unused in fort worth , texas . goods ranged from cots to camp stoves to coffee makers . today we can report that we have been notified that some of the surplus property has been located in texas and will be coming to the state of louisiana for distribution by unity new orleans , ' said paul rainwater , the executive director of the louisiana recovery authority . a cnn investigation revealed last week that fema gave away the supplies as government surplus , even though agencies like unity -- which works to resettle hurricane victims -- were still seeking the kind of supplies given away . after the disclosure , rainwater 's organization asked the federal emergency management agency to return some of the extensive stockpiles of household goods that had been purchased as starter kits ' for people living in trailers after hurricane katrina . after cnn reported on the giveaway , other louisiana officials also asked that the supplies be redirected to the state , which originally passed on them . john medica , director of louisiana 's federal property assistance agency , told cnn he was unaware katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office . sen. mary landrieu of louisiana , an outspoken critic of fema 's response to the hurricane , told cnn the supply giveaway was just a shame . ' it 's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy , ' landrieu said last week . she wrote homeland security secretary michael chertoff to request an explanation . fema administrator david paulison on sunday defended the agency 's decision , telling cnn that louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles , but that state officials had declined the goods . rainwater said state officials will move to quickly get these supplies in the hands of those who need them . ' moving forward , we have made it clear that i am to be the point of contact for fema when supplies for katrina and rita victims are set aside for our state , ' he said . we will also be informing nonprofits about how to access such supplies , so that we can all better serve our citizens who are struggling to rebuild their lives . ' cnn 's abbie boudreau and scott zamost contributed to this report . | cnn investigation revealed fema gave away supplies as government surplus |
fema <tsp> ( cnn ) -- some of the $ 85 million in hurricane relief supplies given away as federal surplus will be sent back to louisiana and given to nonprofit agencies for distribution , the state 's hurricane recovery office said tuesday . hand towels sit unused in fort worth , texas . goods ranged from cots to camp stoves to coffee makers . today we can report that we have been notified that some of the surplus property has been located in texas and will be coming to the state of louisiana for distribution by unity new orleans , ' said paul rainwater , the executive director of the louisiana recovery authority . a cnn investigation revealed last week that fema gave away the supplies as government surplus , even though agencies like unity -- which works to resettle hurricane victims -- were still seeking the kind of supplies given away . after the disclosure , rainwater 's organization asked the federal emergency management agency to return some of the extensive stockpiles of household goods that had been purchased as starter kits ' for people living in trailers after hurricane katrina . after cnn reported on the giveaway , other louisiana officials also asked that the supplies be redirected to the state , which originally passed on them . john medica , director of louisiana 's federal property assistance agency , told cnn he was unaware katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office . sen. mary landrieu of louisiana , an outspoken critic of fema 's response to the hurricane , told cnn the supply giveaway was just a shame . ' it 's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy , ' landrieu said last week . she wrote homeland security secretary michael chertoff to request an explanation . fema administrator david paulison on sunday defended the agency 's decision , telling cnn that louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles , but that state officials had declined the goods . rainwater said state officials will move to quickly get these supplies in the hands of those who need them . ' moving forward , we have made it clear that i am to be the point of contact for fema when supplies for katrina and rita victims are set aside for our state , ' he said . we will also be informing nonprofits about how to access such supplies , so that we can all better serve our citizens who are struggling to rebuild their lives . ' cnn 's abbie boudreau and scott zamost contributed to this report . | fema administrator has defended the agency 's decision to give away items |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- some of the $ 85 million in hurricane relief supplies given away as federal surplus will be sent back to louisiana and given to nonprofit agencies for distribution , the state 's hurricane recovery office said tuesday . hand towels sit unused in fort worth , texas . goods ranged from cots to camp stoves to coffee makers . today we can report that we have been notified that some of the surplus property has been located in texas and will be coming to the state of louisiana for distribution by unity new orleans , ' said paul rainwater , the executive director of the louisiana recovery authority . a cnn investigation revealed last week that fema gave away the supplies as government surplus , even though agencies like unity -- which works to resettle hurricane victims -- were still seeking the kind of supplies given away . after the disclosure , rainwater 's organization asked the federal emergency management agency to return some of the extensive stockpiles of household goods that had been purchased as starter kits ' for people living in trailers after hurricane katrina . after cnn reported on the giveaway , other louisiana officials also asked that the supplies be redirected to the state , which originally passed on them . john medica , director of louisiana 's federal property assistance agency , told cnn he was unaware katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office . sen. mary landrieu of louisiana , an outspoken critic of fema 's response to the hurricane , told cnn the supply giveaway was just a shame . ' it 's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy , ' landrieu said last week . she wrote homeland security secretary michael chertoff to request an explanation . fema administrator david paulison on sunday defended the agency 's decision , telling cnn that louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles , but that state officials had declined the goods . rainwater said state officials will move to quickly get these supplies in the hands of those who need them . ' moving forward , we have made it clear that i am to be the point of contact for fema when supplies for katrina and rita victims are set aside for our state , ' he said . we will also be informing nonprofits about how to access such supplies , so that we can all better serve our citizens who are struggling to rebuild their lives . ' cnn 's abbie boudreau and scott zamost contributed to this report . | cnn investigation revealed fema gave away supplies as government surplus |
polyzonis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when apostolos polyzonis 's bank refused to see him last september , the 55-year-old greek businessman had just 10 euros ( $ 13 ) in his pocket . out of work and bankrupt , he thought all he could do with his remaining money was to buy a gas can . desperate and angry , polyzonis stood outside the bank in central thessaloniki , in northern greece , doused himself in fuel and surrendered to the flames . at that moment , i saw my life as worthless , i really did n't care if i was going to live or die , ' recalls polyzonis , who says he was hit by financial troubles after the bank recalled a loan given to him for his business . my sense of living was much lower than my sense of self-respect and pride , the fact that i had lost my right to be a free greek , ' adds polyzonis . polyzonis , a father of three , was eventually saved by police . he recovered after spending seven days in hospital on life support . his public protest made headlines and touched a nerve with many greeks bearing the burden of a worsening debt crisis . one in five greeks was unemployed last year , according to eurostat figures . many more have suffered unprecedented hardship due to increasing pension and salary cuts . i do n't feel proud about it , no way , but all these situations made me lose my self-respect and feel like i 've been deprived of my rights , ' says polyzonis , because being able to pay your taxes is not only an obligation but also a right . people should have the possibility to pay their taxes , to pay their obligations to others , to offer the basic goods to their family so they can feel that they live with self-respect and dignity . ' until now , polyzonis 's self-immolation was the most vivid image of a singular public act of protest in a country that 's been shaken by anti-austerity violence . but greece was jolted even more wednesday after a 77-year-old man took his own life in the busy syntagma square , central athens , the scene of several violent clashes between anti-austerity protesters and the police in recent months . just a few hundred yards away from the greek parliament , retired pharmacist dimitris christoulas shot himself with a handgun amid the morning rush hour , in what was apparently a protest over the financial crisis gripping the nation . minor clashes between police and protesters followed a vigil held wednesday night to mark his death . up to 1,000 people gathered for another rally thursday in syntagma square , which was largely peaceful apart from a few scuffles between small groups of protesters , athens police said . in his suicide note , christoulas wrote that the government had made it impossible for him to survive , according to greek state tv . christoulas 's death can be added to an increasing number of suicides in greece , as more people feel hopeless amid the worst economic crisis in the country 's recent history : according to the health ministry data , the suicide rate jumped about 40 % in the first five months of 2011 compared with a year earlier . the further we go into the crisis , the more things get ugly , ' says aris violatzis of klimaka , a non-governmental organization that runs a suicide helpline in greece . the group -- klimaka translates as scale ' -- says it receives up to 100 calls a day , with three of four callers citing economic problems as their main concern . in 2007 , just before greece fell into recession , the helpline used to take 10 calls a day maximum , explains violatzis , and only one in four callers mentioned economic issues . the social framework in greece has become pathogenic -- we have a morbid social environment where one of its symptoms is suicide , ' he adds . under its second bailout program , approved last month , greece has agreed to implement a series of austerity measures and undertake broader reforms to make its economy more competitive . new taxes , rising unemployment and cuts to pay , pensions and social welfare provisions have brought many ordinary greeks to their knees . as greece remains mired in financial woes -- the country 's economy is heading for its fifth year of recession -- many now fear that christoulas 's public act of protest could find more imitators . i believe there are going to be more suicides and that 's what got the government worrying , ' says archaeologist despoina koutsoumpa , who was among the hundreds who rushed yesterday in syntagma square to pay tributes to christoulas . his act was a punch in the stomach for all of us . it made you realize that the overthrowing of these policies requires self-sacrifice , like in tunisia and in egypt where hundreds of people died , ' koutsoumpa , a regular at the anti-austerity demonstrations in athens , told cnn . in greece there are also hundreds of people dying because of the crisis , people we do n't see -- there are suicides over debts , there are people dying in the streets because they do n't have anything to eat , ' she adds . a lot of people here understand that there will have to be even sacrifices of people in order to get rid of the situation . ' seven months after setting himself on fire , polyzonis says more and more greeks find themselves close to the desperate condition he was in last september . the situation is becoming every day worse , ' he says . every day people lose their jobs , every day people are unable to pay rent for their house , the basics to find something to eat -- the last step before doing what i did or what another human being yesterday did in greece . ' | apostolos polyzonis set himself on fire outside his bank last year after falling into financial trouble |
polyzonis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when apostolos polyzonis 's bank refused to see him last september , the 55-year-old greek businessman had just 10 euros ( $ 13 ) in his pocket . out of work and bankrupt , he thought all he could do with his remaining money was to buy a gas can . desperate and angry , polyzonis stood outside the bank in central thessaloniki , in northern greece , doused himself in fuel and surrendered to the flames . at that moment , i saw my life as worthless , i really did n't care if i was going to live or die , ' recalls polyzonis , who says he was hit by financial troubles after the bank recalled a loan given to him for his business . my sense of living was much lower than my sense of self-respect and pride , the fact that i had lost my right to be a free greek , ' adds polyzonis . polyzonis , a father of three , was eventually saved by police . he recovered after spending seven days in hospital on life support . his public protest made headlines and touched a nerve with many greeks bearing the burden of a worsening debt crisis . one in five greeks was unemployed last year , according to eurostat figures . many more have suffered unprecedented hardship due to increasing pension and salary cuts . i do n't feel proud about it , no way , but all these situations made me lose my self-respect and feel like i 've been deprived of my rights , ' says polyzonis , because being able to pay your taxes is not only an obligation but also a right . people should have the possibility to pay their taxes , to pay their obligations to others , to offer the basic goods to their family so they can feel that they live with self-respect and dignity . ' until now , polyzonis 's self-immolation was the most vivid image of a singular public act of protest in a country that 's been shaken by anti-austerity violence . but greece was jolted even more wednesday after a 77-year-old man took his own life in the busy syntagma square , central athens , the scene of several violent clashes between anti-austerity protesters and the police in recent months . just a few hundred yards away from the greek parliament , retired pharmacist dimitris christoulas shot himself with a handgun amid the morning rush hour , in what was apparently a protest over the financial crisis gripping the nation . minor clashes between police and protesters followed a vigil held wednesday night to mark his death . up to 1,000 people gathered for another rally thursday in syntagma square , which was largely peaceful apart from a few scuffles between small groups of protesters , athens police said . in his suicide note , christoulas wrote that the government had made it impossible for him to survive , according to greek state tv . christoulas 's death can be added to an increasing number of suicides in greece , as more people feel hopeless amid the worst economic crisis in the country 's recent history : according to the health ministry data , the suicide rate jumped about 40 % in the first five months of 2011 compared with a year earlier . the further we go into the crisis , the more things get ugly , ' says aris violatzis of klimaka , a non-governmental organization that runs a suicide helpline in greece . the group -- klimaka translates as scale ' -- says it receives up to 100 calls a day , with three of four callers citing economic problems as their main concern . in 2007 , just before greece fell into recession , the helpline used to take 10 calls a day maximum , explains violatzis , and only one in four callers mentioned economic issues . the social framework in greece has become pathogenic -- we have a morbid social environment where one of its symptoms is suicide , ' he adds . under its second bailout program , approved last month , greece has agreed to implement a series of austerity measures and undertake broader reforms to make its economy more competitive . new taxes , rising unemployment and cuts to pay , pensions and social welfare provisions have brought many ordinary greeks to their knees . as greece remains mired in financial woes -- the country 's economy is heading for its fifth year of recession -- many now fear that christoulas 's public act of protest could find more imitators . i believe there are going to be more suicides and that 's what got the government worrying , ' says archaeologist despoina koutsoumpa , who was among the hundreds who rushed yesterday in syntagma square to pay tributes to christoulas . his act was a punch in the stomach for all of us . it made you realize that the overthrowing of these policies requires self-sacrifice , like in tunisia and in egypt where hundreds of people died , ' koutsoumpa , a regular at the anti-austerity demonstrations in athens , told cnn . in greece there are also hundreds of people dying because of the crisis , people we do n't see -- there are suicides over debts , there are people dying in the streets because they do n't have anything to eat , ' she adds . a lot of people here understand that there will have to be even sacrifices of people in order to get rid of the situation . ' seven months after setting himself on fire , polyzonis says more and more greeks find themselves close to the desperate condition he was in last september . the situation is becoming every day worse , ' he says . every day people lose their jobs , every day people are unable to pay rent for their house , the basics to find something to eat -- the last step before doing what i did or what another human being yesterday did in greece . ' | polyzonis : i had lost my right to be a free greek ' |
kampusch <tsp> vienna , austria ( cnn ) -- if anyone can understand what the cleveland abduction victims must have endured , it 's natasha kampusch . like the three women , the 25-year-old austrian spent most of a decade imprisoned in her abductor 's house after being abducted on a vienna street in 1998 . wolfgang priklopil kept her locked in his cellar for eight tortuous years . he raped her , then committed suicide when she finally escaped seven years ago . she said amanda berry , gina dejesus and michelle knight should enjoy the feeling of freedom but be careful . it was an enormous feeling of joy that can not be compared to anything else , ' she told cnn . you see all of the possibilities laid out in front of you . ... ' the women in cleveland should really try to savor this joyous feeling as long as possible , and to avoid letting themselves be pushed back into everyday life too soon . ' in 1998 , kampusch , then 10 , was dragged into a car while walking to school . she was often locked inside a hermetically sealed ' concrete jail . her abductor used restraints on her to keep her in bed with him as he slept . she wrote that she was beaten as many as 200 times a week -- until she heard her own spine snap . ' she escaped in august 2006 and wrote a book entitled 3,096 days ' about the ordeal . the days immediately after her escape were hard . it was a very difficult time to experience for me , the media everywhere , and re-establishing my relationship with my parents again , ' she said . in many ways the case in cleveland is a lot like hers , but she was alone , while the three ohio women had each other to talk to during their captivity . she also never heard her abductor explain why he did it , but she said that was n't as important as knowing he would never be able to harm anyone else . she said she was glad the women were still alive . i am very happy for the three women , and thank god they had survived their ordeal , ' she said . they are certainly very strong women . ' kampusch said former captives need to take time to work through the emotional issues themselves . do n't let other people take over , ' she said , standing outside the home where she was held . she owns it now ; it was awarded to her by the austrian courts as damages . the property is an important symbol , she said , and keeping it is her way of dealing with her past . it 's so very emotional for me because it never stops , ' she said . you live with it . ' the ordeal will be with her for her whole life , she said . she tries to see positives in her life and look forward , not back . she had to bury the hate you feel for the person who did this to you , ' she said . besides assimilating back into normal lives slowly , former captives also have to deal with the people who do n't believe their stories are entirely true . she would tell the cleveland women : do n't worry what people say . they are the ones that experienced it , they are the ones who survived it , and they are the ones who have to come to terms with what they experienced their entire lives . ' it 's a sobering message for women already scarred by years of terrible conditions . their captivity has ended , but their ordeal may be far from over . cnn 's matthew chance reported from vienna , and steve almasy wrote in atlanta . cnn 's victoria eastwood contributed to this report . | kampusch says she had to bury hate ' for her abductor , who later committed suicide |
kampusch <tsp> vienna , austria ( cnn ) -- if anyone can understand what the cleveland abduction victims must have endured , it 's natasha kampusch . like the three women , the 25-year-old austrian spent most of a decade imprisoned in her abductor 's house after being abducted on a vienna street in 1998 . wolfgang priklopil kept her locked in his cellar for eight tortuous years . he raped her , then committed suicide when she finally escaped seven years ago . she said amanda berry , gina dejesus and michelle knight should enjoy the feeling of freedom but be careful . it was an enormous feeling of joy that can not be compared to anything else , ' she told cnn . you see all of the possibilities laid out in front of you . ... ' the women in cleveland should really try to savor this joyous feeling as long as possible , and to avoid letting themselves be pushed back into everyday life too soon . ' in 1998 , kampusch , then 10 , was dragged into a car while walking to school . she was often locked inside a hermetically sealed ' concrete jail . her abductor used restraints on her to keep her in bed with him as he slept . she wrote that she was beaten as many as 200 times a week -- until she heard her own spine snap . ' she escaped in august 2006 and wrote a book entitled 3,096 days ' about the ordeal . the days immediately after her escape were hard . it was a very difficult time to experience for me , the media everywhere , and re-establishing my relationship with my parents again , ' she said . in many ways the case in cleveland is a lot like hers , but she was alone , while the three ohio women had each other to talk to during their captivity . she also never heard her abductor explain why he did it , but she said that was n't as important as knowing he would never be able to harm anyone else . she said she was glad the women were still alive . i am very happy for the three women , and thank god they had survived their ordeal , ' she said . they are certainly very strong women . ' kampusch said former captives need to take time to work through the emotional issues themselves . do n't let other people take over , ' she said , standing outside the home where she was held . she owns it now ; it was awarded to her by the austrian courts as damages . the property is an important symbol , she said , and keeping it is her way of dealing with her past . it 's so very emotional for me because it never stops , ' she said . you live with it . ' the ordeal will be with her for her whole life , she said . she tries to see positives in her life and look forward , not back . she had to bury the hate you feel for the person who did this to you , ' she said . besides assimilating back into normal lives slowly , former captives also have to deal with the people who do n't believe their stories are entirely true . she would tell the cleveland women : do n't worry what people say . they are the ones that experienced it , they are the ones who survived it , and they are the ones who have to come to terms with what they experienced their entire lives . ' it 's a sobering message for women already scarred by years of terrible conditions . their captivity has ended , but their ordeal may be far from over . cnn 's matthew chance reported from vienna , and steve almasy wrote in atlanta . cnn 's victoria eastwood contributed to this report . | natasha kampusch was held for eight years in an austrian man 's basement |
reddit <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- newsflash : '80s icon molly ringwald is still cool . like , really cool . the secret life of the american teenager ' star just did an ask me anything ' interview on social news site/intense internet community reddit , and by all accounts , it was a smashing success . over the course of a few hours , ringwald shared anecdotes from her john hughes-directed heyday , proved she knows a thing or two about the site 's unique memes , and poked fun at woody harrelson , whose own ama interview went disastrously wrong this past february . ringwald does n't have a project to promote ; secret life ' is in the middle of its fourth season , and though she 's working on a jazz album , it wo n't be released until next spring . maybe that 's why she was so loose and funny on reddit . here , for example , is how she responded when a user asked about her famous breakfast club ' lipstick trick : ' regarding lipstick , it 's all movie magic . there is a story behind that : john hughes wrote it but never actually thought about me having to do it . he kept putting it off until the end of filming that long scene . i kept bringing it up , like ,'hey . we got ta figure this out . are we going to have robotic breasts ?'finally we decided it was better to see less and let everyone assume that i was particularly skilled . ' robotic breasts ! when someone asked for details about a proposed sixteen candles ' sequel : i do n't remember much about it , but the script eventually became'avatar .'' the best part of the interview , though , came when accioc asked , how did you manage to get hotter with age ? ' though i 've already spoiled ringwald 's answer here , it 's worth repeating anyway : i drink the blood of kristen stewart . ' ( also worth noting is user cheryldad33′s response to ringwald 's response : i had assumed that blood would be stale and lifeless . ' ) this , celebrities , is how you can convince the internet 's cynical denizens that you 're more than an empty vessel : do your research , do n't be afraid to stray from talking points , and above all else , show off your personality . ( unless you 're not funny in real life , i guess . ) read ringwald 's full interview -- there 's plenty more stuff about her '80s movies in there , as well as a truly great american psycho ' reference -- then tell us : what 's your favorite part of this ama ? oh , and p.s . -- molly ringwald is also on twitter now . just do n't try to get her attention by tweeting , what 's happening , hot stuff ? ' see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | molly ringwald just did an ask me anything ' interview on reddit |
delhi <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- police probing a deadly blast outside the delhi high court on wednesday have released two sketches based on descriptions of suspects from eyewitnesses and they are focused on leads that an islamic extremist group carried out the attack . at least 11 people were killed wednesday after a bomb inside a briefcase went off outside the delhi high court , india 's home minister told lawmakers . the home minister 's website said another 76 people were injured and officials fear the death toll will rise . it was the second explosion outside the court complex in four months . this is a cowardly act and we will never succumb to the pressure of terrorists , ' prime minister manmohan singh said during a visit to bangladesh . several tv news channels received an e-mail from an islamic extremist group harkat-ul-jihar-al-islami taking responsibility for the attack . government officials said its too early to jump to conclusions but national investigation agency officials told local media the group is known to be lethal ' and they are taking the e-mail very seriously . ' the blast took place about 10:15 a.m. , after the court opened and shortly before cases usually begin . it was a particularly busy day at the court . wednesdays are dubbed public interest litigation ' days , when many members of the public arrive to put cases before judges . the briefcase was placed in front of gate no . 5 , used by litigants and lawyers . whatever we could gather from the blast investigations is that it is an ied ( improvised explosive device ) with ammonium nitrate . we are working with the delhi police to get details , ' national security guard director gen. rajen medhekar told reporters . pandemonium covered the streets of delhi as emergency vehicles weaved around crowds , casualties were rushed off on stretchers and stunned residents wandered about with hands over their mouths . the area was cordoned off , and police and bomb-sniffing dogs continued working the scene as rain poured down . the nia , a security agency set up after the mumbai terror attacks in 2008 , was also investigating . on may 25 , ammonium nitrate wrapped in a bag and placed in a car exploded outside the court 's gate no . 7 . no one was hurt , but the explosion prompted authorities to place delhi on high alert . delhi is a target of terrorist groups . when parliament is in session , and during certain other times of the year , delhi is placed on high alert , ' home minister p. chidambaram told lawmakers . despite ongoing work between intelligence agencies and police , chidambaram said , at this stage , it is not possible to identify the group that caused the bomb blast today . ' cnn 's andreena narayan contributed to this report | home minister : delhi is a terrorist target and is regularly placed on high alert |
melbourne <tsp> ( cnn ) -- world champion lewis hamilton has been disqualified from last weekend 's australian grand prix in melbourne after presenting misleading ' evidence to stewards . hamilton has been disqualified from the australian gp after presenting misleading ' evidence to stewards . the mclaren driver and toyota 's jarno trulli were called to an fia hearing in malaysia -- the site of this weekend 's grand prix -- on thursday to discuss an incident during sunday 's race . trulli finished third at melbourne 's albert park , only to later be handed a 25-second penalty by race stewards which relegated him to 12th position and saw hamilton lifted into third . however , following thursday 's hearing , trulli has been reinstated in third position . mclaren had complained that veteran italian trulli had illegally passed hamilton under yellow flags following an accident late on involving red bull 's sebastian vettel and robert kubica in his bmw sauber -- who were running second and third at the time . trulli had decided not to appeal the original decision but the fia , the sport 's governing body , said it had received new information and pressed ahead with a second hearing . the stewards , having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 australian grand prix , consider that lewis hamilton , and the vodafone mclaren mercedes team , acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the stewards at the hearing on sunday 29th march 2009 , ' the fia said in a statement . it said hamilton and mclaren had violated its rules and retrospectively disqualified him from the race . meanwhile , trulli believes justice has been served after thursday 's decision . i am happy because i wanted some justice and i got it , ' he told pa sport . i am happy for myself and the team and i have to thank the fia because it does not happen very often they reconsider something . it must have been really hard for them , but they had common sense to really try and understand what was going on . i have always been honest and it has paid off . ' | hamilton was involved in incident with toyota driver jarno trulli in melbourne |
toyota <tsp> ( cnn ) -- world champion lewis hamilton has been disqualified from last weekend 's australian grand prix in melbourne after presenting misleading ' evidence to stewards . hamilton has been disqualified from the australian gp after presenting misleading ' evidence to stewards . the mclaren driver and toyota 's jarno trulli were called to an fia hearing in malaysia -- the site of this weekend 's grand prix -- on thursday to discuss an incident during sunday 's race . trulli finished third at melbourne 's albert park , only to later be handed a 25-second penalty by race stewards which relegated him to 12th position and saw hamilton lifted into third . however , following thursday 's hearing , trulli has been reinstated in third position . mclaren had complained that veteran italian trulli had illegally passed hamilton under yellow flags following an accident late on involving red bull 's sebastian vettel and robert kubica in his bmw sauber -- who were running second and third at the time . trulli had decided not to appeal the original decision but the fia , the sport 's governing body , said it had received new information and pressed ahead with a second hearing . the stewards , having considered the new elements presented to them from the 2009 australian grand prix , consider that lewis hamilton , and the vodafone mclaren mercedes team , acted in a manner prejudicial to the conduct of the event by providing evidence deliberately misleading to the stewards at the hearing on sunday 29th march 2009 , ' the fia said in a statement . it said hamilton and mclaren had violated its rules and retrospectively disqualified him from the race . meanwhile , trulli believes justice has been served after thursday 's decision . i am happy because i wanted some justice and i got it , ' he told pa sport . i am happy for myself and the team and i have to thank the fia because it does not happen very often they reconsider something . it must have been really hard for them , but they had common sense to really try and understand what was going on . i have always been honest and it has paid off . ' | hamilton was involved in incident with toyota driver jarno trulli in melbourne |
mclaren <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sergio perez was announced as force india 's new driver thursday , but is the mexican racer already getting itchy feet ? the 23-year-old lost his drive with mclaren less than a month ago and perez is determined to prove he deserves another chance with a front-running formula one team . i learned a lot at mclaren last year , ' perez , who last year finished 11th in the drivers'championship , told cnn . mclaren made me a better driver than i was before i joined them . i learned a lot and i 'm really looking forward to proving myself in 2014 ; achieving great things , good results . hopefully we can have a strong car and confirm once again to top teams that i 'm the right one for them . hopefully i can do that and have another chance in a top team in a winning car . ' for now , the mexican 's immediate future lies with force india , the british-based team who were ranked as 2013 's fifth fastest team before the introduction of new pirelli tires halfway through the season saw their early season form fade . the team , overseen by indian tycoon vijay mallya , finished sixth in the team standings with german adrian sutil and scotland 's paul di resta at the wheel , both of whom are now without a drive in f1 . next season sees perez partner highly-rated german nico hulkenberg , who is returning for a second stint as a force india driver . i 'm happy now that i know what i 'm doing for next year , ' said perez , who took three podiums for sauber in a breakthrough 2012 season that helped earn him a step up to mclaren as lewis hamilton 's replacement . i 'm very excited to join a young team full of energy , full of hunger to prove itself . nico is one of the best drivers out there , there 's no doubt about it . he 's still looking for a great opportunity for his future and it 's the same for me . i think we are one of the strongest driver lineups on the grid . ' mallya insisted neither of his 2013 drivers had done anything to warrant the axe but that that the time had come for a change . with a major technical rule change on the horizon in 2014 and a smattering of new rules , which include a dose of double points at the season finale in abu dhabi , the indian businessman believes he has chosen the right duo to drive forward a new era for his team . i 'm very , very happy with our driver lineup , ' mallya told cnn . i could n't have done better than nico and sergio . i 've always backed those drivers who have exceptional talent and who are basically gutsy and hungry and sergio certainly fits that bill . i watched him at sauber and he did an excellent job , no surprise that mclaren picked him up . i saw at times what sergio did to my own drivers on the track and i said that this guy meets the criteria i 'm looking for , exceptionally talented , quick and he has fire in his belly . ' hulkenberg has some history with the team , joining them as a reserve in 2011 before being promoted to a race seat in 2012 . the 26-year-old then joined sauber as perez 's replacement last season . despite the german being a known quantity , mallya insists he will not be the team leader in 2014 . there is no number one or number two or senior and junior , they should have healthy competition amongst themselves , ' he insisted . but , if perez wanted an extra incentive to prove his talents when the new season beings in march , then his new boss might have given it to him . nico hulkenberg , i have a huge amount of respect for his talent , ' mallya mused . one day i think he will be world champion . ' | perez lost his seat at mclaren this year but says he is now a better driver |
google <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one country 's dusty backyard is another country 's dream vacation , according to google 's 2013 year-in-review list . published tuesday , the zeitgeist charts reveal the hottest travel destinations by country . the data is divided into two kinds of lists . the first reflects the trending ' destinations -- those that show the greatest growth in searches when compared to last year -- while the second shows rankings of topics with the largest total search volumes . google is the world 's most popular search engine , with 71 % of the global search engine market share . the roundup yielded some surprising results -- macau was the most searched destination in india this year , for example . in australia the top destination was disneyland , despite the fact that the closest magical kingdom is an ocean away in hong kong . london topped the destination searches in the united arab emirates , while those in the uk were planning trips to rome and new york . more : the world 's best city is ... zeitgeist also analyzed the top destination wedding and honeymoon searches coming from the united states . american couples wanted to head to the warm waters of mexico , bahamas and kauai for their weddings , while new zealand topped their honeymoon searches . croatia rounded out the top 10 honeymoon list . true value ' this info is gold if you want to really know what the local hotspots are , ' says google spokesperson joyce hau . for instance , what island destination is the most popular amongst thais in thailand ? hint : it 's not koh samui . ' it 's actually koh larn . despite having only a 3 % market share in china , google 's study also looked at search queries there . hangzhou and suzhou were declared of greatest interest to travelers . china will soon become the world 's largest domestic travel market and account for 40 % of all outbound asian travelers according to a new study by the boston consulting group . highlights for the most searched destinations around the world are below . you can see the full lists at google zeitgeist . most searched destinations australia ( search volume ) 1 . disneyland 2 . dubai 3 . china 4 . london 5 . malaysia 6 . koh samui 7 . phuket 8 . cambodia 9 . antarctica 10 . mecca india ( search volume ) 1 . macau 2 . maldives 3 . mauritius 4 . bali 5 . boston 6 . dubai 7 . amsterdam 8 . singapore 9 . bangkok 10 . philippines new zealand ( search volume ) 1 . australia 2 . fiji 3 . vanuatu 4 . sydney 5 . bali 6 . mexico 7 . brisbane 8 . vietnam 9 . new caledonia 10 . london more : the most instagrammed places in 2013 united arab emirates ( search volume ) 1 . london 2 . singapore 3 . madrid 4 . barcelona 5 . thailand 6 . doha 7 . beirut 8 . sydney 9 . cannes 10 . paris united kingdom ( trending ) 1 . rome 2 . new york 3 . amsterdam 4 . palma 5 . magaluf 6 . bangkok 7 . sydney 8 . bruges 9 . venice 10 . mauritius china ( search volume ) 1 . hangzhou 2 . suzhou 3 . jiuzhaigou 4 . wuzhen 5 . beijing 6 . yunnan 7 . tibet 8 . hong kong 9 . shanghai 10 . taiwan u.s. searches for destination wedding locations ( trending ) 1 . mexico 2 . bahamas 3 . kauai 4 . caribbean 5 . jamaica 6 . italy 7 . las vegas 8 . florida 9 . costa rica 10 . bermuda u.s. searches for honeymoon locations ( trending ) 1 . new zealand 2 . cancãºn 3 . maldives 4 . bali 5 . thailand 6 . belize 7 . st lucia 8 . tahiti 9 . caribbean 10 . croatia top domestic travel destination searches , by search volume japan ( top japanese destinations by japanese users ) 1 . disneyland 2 . universal studios japan 3 . tokyo disneysea 4 . sky tree 5 . isejingu ( ise shrine ) 6 . tokyo dome 7 . fujikyuu highland 8 . huis ten bosch 9 . izumo taisha 10 . ooedo hot springs malaysia 1 . genting highlands 2 . langkawi 3 . gold coast morib 4 . pulau perhentian 5 . penang 6 . pulau tioman 7 . port dickson 8 . melaka 9 . kuching 10 . pulau redang philippines 1 . sky ranch tagaytay 2 . movenpick resort cebu 3 . tubbataha reef 4 . pico de loro 5 . tugawe cove resort 6 . potipot island 7 . amana waterpark 8 . misibis bay 9 . nuvali 10 . laiya resorts taiwan 1 . kenting 2 . national palace museum 3 . wuling farm 4 . yushan 5 . gongyuan 6 . lamay island 7 . chateau in the air , miaoli 8 . jiufen 9 . huashan 10 . alishan thailand 1 . koh lahn 2 . asiatique 3 . siam park 4 . koh chang 5 . accommodation in hua hin 6 . samed island 7 . dream world theme park 8 . pattaya 9 . korea 10 . chiang rai more : 11 places to go in 2014 | google 's year-in-review zeitgeist list reveals most searched and trending destinations by country |
zeitgeist <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one country 's dusty backyard is another country 's dream vacation , according to google 's 2013 year-in-review list . published tuesday , the zeitgeist charts reveal the hottest travel destinations by country . the data is divided into two kinds of lists . the first reflects the trending ' destinations -- those that show the greatest growth in searches when compared to last year -- while the second shows rankings of topics with the largest total search volumes . google is the world 's most popular search engine , with 71 % of the global search engine market share . the roundup yielded some surprising results -- macau was the most searched destination in india this year , for example . in australia the top destination was disneyland , despite the fact that the closest magical kingdom is an ocean away in hong kong . london topped the destination searches in the united arab emirates , while those in the uk were planning trips to rome and new york . more : the world 's best city is ... zeitgeist also analyzed the top destination wedding and honeymoon searches coming from the united states . american couples wanted to head to the warm waters of mexico , bahamas and kauai for their weddings , while new zealand topped their honeymoon searches . croatia rounded out the top 10 honeymoon list . true value ' this info is gold if you want to really know what the local hotspots are , ' says google spokesperson joyce hau . for instance , what island destination is the most popular amongst thais in thailand ? hint : it 's not koh samui . ' it 's actually koh larn . despite having only a 3 % market share in china , google 's study also looked at search queries there . hangzhou and suzhou were declared of greatest interest to travelers . china will soon become the world 's largest domestic travel market and account for 40 % of all outbound asian travelers according to a new study by the boston consulting group . highlights for the most searched destinations around the world are below . you can see the full lists at google zeitgeist . most searched destinations australia ( search volume ) 1 . disneyland 2 . dubai 3 . china 4 . london 5 . malaysia 6 . koh samui 7 . phuket 8 . cambodia 9 . antarctica 10 . mecca india ( search volume ) 1 . macau 2 . maldives 3 . mauritius 4 . bali 5 . boston 6 . dubai 7 . amsterdam 8 . singapore 9 . bangkok 10 . philippines new zealand ( search volume ) 1 . australia 2 . fiji 3 . vanuatu 4 . sydney 5 . bali 6 . mexico 7 . brisbane 8 . vietnam 9 . new caledonia 10 . london more : the most instagrammed places in 2013 united arab emirates ( search volume ) 1 . london 2 . singapore 3 . madrid 4 . barcelona 5 . thailand 6 . doha 7 . beirut 8 . sydney 9 . cannes 10 . paris united kingdom ( trending ) 1 . rome 2 . new york 3 . amsterdam 4 . palma 5 . magaluf 6 . bangkok 7 . sydney 8 . bruges 9 . venice 10 . mauritius china ( search volume ) 1 . hangzhou 2 . suzhou 3 . jiuzhaigou 4 . wuzhen 5 . beijing 6 . yunnan 7 . tibet 8 . hong kong 9 . shanghai 10 . taiwan u.s. searches for destination wedding locations ( trending ) 1 . mexico 2 . bahamas 3 . kauai 4 . caribbean 5 . jamaica 6 . italy 7 . las vegas 8 . florida 9 . costa rica 10 . bermuda u.s. searches for honeymoon locations ( trending ) 1 . new zealand 2 . cancãºn 3 . maldives 4 . bali 5 . thailand 6 . belize 7 . st lucia 8 . tahiti 9 . caribbean 10 . croatia top domestic travel destination searches , by search volume japan ( top japanese destinations by japanese users ) 1 . disneyland 2 . universal studios japan 3 . tokyo disneysea 4 . sky tree 5 . isejingu ( ise shrine ) 6 . tokyo dome 7 . fujikyuu highland 8 . huis ten bosch 9 . izumo taisha 10 . ooedo hot springs malaysia 1 . genting highlands 2 . langkawi 3 . gold coast morib 4 . pulau perhentian 5 . penang 6 . pulau tioman 7 . port dickson 8 . melaka 9 . kuching 10 . pulau redang philippines 1 . sky ranch tagaytay 2 . movenpick resort cebu 3 . tubbataha reef 4 . pico de loro 5 . tugawe cove resort 6 . potipot island 7 . amana waterpark 8 . misibis bay 9 . nuvali 10 . laiya resorts taiwan 1 . kenting 2 . national palace museum 3 . wuling farm 4 . yushan 5 . gongyuan 6 . lamay island 7 . chateau in the air , miaoli 8 . jiufen 9 . huashan 10 . alishan thailand 1 . koh lahn 2 . asiatique 3 . siam park 4 . koh chang 5 . accommodation in hua hin 6 . samed island 7 . dream world theme park 8 . pattaya 9 . korea 10 . chiang rai more : 11 places to go in 2014 | google 's year-in-review zeitgeist list reveals most searched and trending destinations by country |
olympics <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the olympic games have produced some of the greatest sports moments in history . and to go along with the great moments , there are often great photos : images that craft our memory of these moments . click through the gallery above to see some classic olympic photos and read about why they 're great ( be sure to toggle the hide/show caption button to see each frame in its entirety ) . then put your own photo skills to the test with cnn ireport 's sports photography master class . also visit cnn 's photo blog for more great olympic shots , and check out our check out our tips for capturing great sports photos of your own . | sports photographers will descend on london for the 2012 olympics |
olympics <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the olympic games have produced some of the greatest sports moments in history . and to go along with the great moments , there are often great photos : images that craft our memory of these moments . click through the gallery above to see some classic olympic photos and read about why they 're great ( be sure to toggle the hide/show caption button to see each frame in its entirety ) . then put your own photo skills to the test with cnn ireport 's sports photography master class . also visit cnn 's photo blog for more great olympic shots , and check out our check out our tips for capturing great sports photos of your own . | click through the gallery above to see some classic photos from olympics past |
cnn ireport <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the olympic games have produced some of the greatest sports moments in history . and to go along with the great moments , there are often great photos : images that craft our memory of these moments . click through the gallery above to see some classic olympic photos and read about why they 're great ( be sure to toggle the hide/show caption button to see each frame in its entirety ) . then put your own photo skills to the test with cnn ireport 's sports photography master class . also visit cnn 's photo blog for more great olympic shots , and check out our check out our tips for capturing great sports photos of your own . | put yourself to the test with cnn ireport 's sports photography master class |
nairobi <tsp> garissa , kenya ( cnn ) days after a horrific al-shabaab attack on its soil , kenya launched airstrikes targeting the terror group in somalia , according to a military source , who insisted the strikes were not retribution for last week 's massacre at garissa university college that killed nearly 150 people . the latest attack of al-shabaab bases by the kenya military is part of the ongoing operations that started in 2011 . it is not a retaliation to the garissa attack . the operation has been ongoing , ' the military source said monday . it is customary for kenyan military sources not to give their names to media . two of the airstrikes hit al-shabaab training camps , according to a resident of the southwest somalian town of bardera , almost 200 kilometers ( 125 miles ) from the kenyan border , and a local journalist who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety . the kenyan military began its bombing raids sunday afternoon , targeting the al-shabaab stronghold of godon dhawe , somali resident ibrahim mohammed said . godon dhawe is between bardera and the somalia-kenya border . al-shabaab , an al qaeda-linked militant group based in somalia , has claimed responsibility for the university attack . also monday , a police source said kenyan authorities had intelligence beforehand that a university in garissa could be attacked , yet the country 's rapid response team was stuck in nairobi for hours after the massacre began , arranging for transport . it 's not clear exactly why the elite team was stuck in the kenyan capital , roughly 370 kilometers ( 230 miles ) west of the attack , but the police source in garissa told cnn that kenyan politicians and nairobi-based journalists arrived on the scene before the team did . journalists on the ground corroborated that report . once the team entered the university complex , the situation was quickly defused , journalists and the police source said . manoah esipisu , a spokesman for kenya 's president and deputy president , defended the response time , telling cnn there is always criticism regarding whether you reacted as fast as you have or should n't have . ' with the benefit of hindsight you can always say things could have been done better , ' he said , adding that kenyan authorities saved a lot of students and got the job done . ' foreign minister amina mohamed echoed those remarks in a monday interview with cnn , saying the response was sufficient and denying reports that it was the elite rapid response team alone that brought an end to the situation . we have a military garrison in garissa , and the work began immediately after the attack was reported and continued for a number of hours until we were able to rescue 663 students of the 800 students that had been taken hostage by these terrorists . so the response was adequate , ' she said . she repeated esipisu 's assertion that dubbing the response slow is a reaction that comes only with the luxury of hindsight . obviously when parents are grieving and the country is mourning , it 's always easy to fall back on things like that , but i can assure you that we took very quick action as soon as this was reported , ' mohamed said . obviously hindsight is always 20/20 . we did everything that we could do . ' the kenyan government says mohamed mohamud is the mastermind of thursday 's terrorist attack on garissa university college . the country 's interior ministry singled out mohamud , a senior leader of al-shabaab , on twitter . he is also known by the aliases dulyadin and gamadhere , it said . mohamud is credited with having an extensive terrorist network within kenya , ' according to a kenyan ministry document given to cnn . the ministry posted a most wanted ' notice for mohamud . it offers a reward of 20 million kenyan shillings , about $ 215,000 . we appeal to anyone with any info on # gamadhere to share with relevant authorities and security agencies , ' the interior ministry posted on twitter . mohamud is in charge of external operations against kenya , the document says , and he is the regional commander within al-shabaab in charge of the juba region . in this role , he commands the militia along the border and is responsible for cross-border incursions in the country . ' his position as one of al-shabaab 's top field commanders in southern somalia has brought him into direct conflict with kenyan troops deployed as part of african union forces in the country . this is a man who has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' said stig jarle hansen , an associate professor at oslo 's norwegian university of life sciences and author of al-shabaab in somalia : the history and ideology of a militant islamist group . ' mohamud 's network extends within the dadaab refugee camp , the document says . dadaab is the world 's biggest refugee camp , home to thousands of people , according to the united nations . it 's in kenya 's north eastern province near somalia . garissa , the town where the university attack took place , is about 150 kilometers ( 90 miles ) from the somali border . it 's within striking distance ' of mohamud 's stronghold in somalia 's middle juba province , hansen told cnn . but he noted that mohamud is better known for tactical military attacks rather than terrorist attacks . ' inside garissa university college dorm 's scene of slaughter over the weekend , al-shabaab promised to bring about another bloodbath ' in kenya . though the terrorist group is based in somalia , it has n't confined its violence to the lawless nation . in 2013 , militants attacked nairobi 's upscale westgate mall . mohamud has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the past few years , including december 's attack on a quarry in a kenyan village near the somali border , which killed at least 36 people . in that attack , al-shabaab militants separated non-muslim workers from their muslim counterparts and killed them . mohamud is kenyan and has three wives and three siblings , including two with links to al-shabaab , the document says . he 's from a clan , the ogaden , that has a heavy presence in kenya and somalia , hansen said . the borders historically have been meaningless to them , ' he said . cnn exclusive : exposing smuggler routes across the somalia-kenya border on sunday , kenya 's interior ministry identified another terrorist involved in the garissa university college attack as abdirahim abdullahi . abdullahi 's father , abdullahi daqare , a government chief in mandera in northern kenya , told cnn that his son was missing . daqare is a kenyan somali , he said . his son graduated in 2013 from nairobi university law school and worked for a bank for two months before he went missing , daqare said in a phone interview . i have received reports from people who found information ( on ) the internet that my son was one of the terrorists , ' daqare said . i previously told the government that the son is missing . i sought their help to find the whereabouts of my son . ' he added that the two had not been in contact since his son disappeared . daqare said he had really given up on him . ' on sunday , families of some of the more than 147 people slain at garissa university college left a mortuary in nairobi after identifying the bodies of their loved ones . one woman almost had to be carried out . why ? why ? where are you , my children ? ' she wailed . across garissa , there was a sense of fear , foreboding and grief . the news agency reuters videotaped a man holding his daughter 's hand at a church as military patrols and security officials searched people . a church member told the agency , nowhere is safe , but here in church you can come , you be with god and then you just console yourself . ' three days of national mourning for victims of the attack , declared by kenyan president uhuru kenyatta , began sunday . cnn 's christian purefoy and lilian leposo reported from garissa ; eliott c. mclaughlin and greg botelho wrote from atlanta ; and jethro mullen reported and wrote from hong kong . cnn 's christiane amanpour , mick krever , david mckenzie , dominique van heerden , nick migwi , ashley fantz , florence obondo , jessica king and journalist omar nor contributed to this report . | despite intelligence , rapid response team stuck in nairobi for hours after massacre , official says |
kenyans <tsp> garissa , kenya ( cnn ) days after a horrific al-shabaab attack on its soil , kenya launched airstrikes targeting the terror group in somalia , according to a military source , who insisted the strikes were not retribution for last week 's massacre at garissa university college that killed nearly 150 people . the latest attack of al-shabaab bases by the kenya military is part of the ongoing operations that started in 2011 . it is not a retaliation to the garissa attack . the operation has been ongoing , ' the military source said monday . it is customary for kenyan military sources not to give their names to media . two of the airstrikes hit al-shabaab training camps , according to a resident of the southwest somalian town of bardera , almost 200 kilometers ( 125 miles ) from the kenyan border , and a local journalist who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety . the kenyan military began its bombing raids sunday afternoon , targeting the al-shabaab stronghold of godon dhawe , somali resident ibrahim mohammed said . godon dhawe is between bardera and the somalia-kenya border . al-shabaab , an al qaeda-linked militant group based in somalia , has claimed responsibility for the university attack . also monday , a police source said kenyan authorities had intelligence beforehand that a university in garissa could be attacked , yet the country 's rapid response team was stuck in nairobi for hours after the massacre began , arranging for transport . it 's not clear exactly why the elite team was stuck in the kenyan capital , roughly 370 kilometers ( 230 miles ) west of the attack , but the police source in garissa told cnn that kenyan politicians and nairobi-based journalists arrived on the scene before the team did . journalists on the ground corroborated that report . once the team entered the university complex , the situation was quickly defused , journalists and the police source said . manoah esipisu , a spokesman for kenya 's president and deputy president , defended the response time , telling cnn there is always criticism regarding whether you reacted as fast as you have or should n't have . ' with the benefit of hindsight you can always say things could have been done better , ' he said , adding that kenyan authorities saved a lot of students and got the job done . ' foreign minister amina mohamed echoed those remarks in a monday interview with cnn , saying the response was sufficient and denying reports that it was the elite rapid response team alone that brought an end to the situation . we have a military garrison in garissa , and the work began immediately after the attack was reported and continued for a number of hours until we were able to rescue 663 students of the 800 students that had been taken hostage by these terrorists . so the response was adequate , ' she said . she repeated esipisu 's assertion that dubbing the response slow is a reaction that comes only with the luxury of hindsight . obviously when parents are grieving and the country is mourning , it 's always easy to fall back on things like that , but i can assure you that we took very quick action as soon as this was reported , ' mohamed said . obviously hindsight is always 20/20 . we did everything that we could do . ' the kenyan government says mohamed mohamud is the mastermind of thursday 's terrorist attack on garissa university college . the country 's interior ministry singled out mohamud , a senior leader of al-shabaab , on twitter . he is also known by the aliases dulyadin and gamadhere , it said . mohamud is credited with having an extensive terrorist network within kenya , ' according to a kenyan ministry document given to cnn . the ministry posted a most wanted ' notice for mohamud . it offers a reward of 20 million kenyan shillings , about $ 215,000 . we appeal to anyone with any info on # gamadhere to share with relevant authorities and security agencies , ' the interior ministry posted on twitter . mohamud is in charge of external operations against kenya , the document says , and he is the regional commander within al-shabaab in charge of the juba region . in this role , he commands the militia along the border and is responsible for cross-border incursions in the country . ' his position as one of al-shabaab 's top field commanders in southern somalia has brought him into direct conflict with kenyan troops deployed as part of african union forces in the country . this is a man who has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' said stig jarle hansen , an associate professor at oslo 's norwegian university of life sciences and author of al-shabaab in somalia : the history and ideology of a militant islamist group . ' mohamud 's network extends within the dadaab refugee camp , the document says . dadaab is the world 's biggest refugee camp , home to thousands of people , according to the united nations . it 's in kenya 's north eastern province near somalia . garissa , the town where the university attack took place , is about 150 kilometers ( 90 miles ) from the somali border . it 's within striking distance ' of mohamud 's stronghold in somalia 's middle juba province , hansen told cnn . but he noted that mohamud is better known for tactical military attacks rather than terrorist attacks . ' inside garissa university college dorm 's scene of slaughter over the weekend , al-shabaab promised to bring about another bloodbath ' in kenya . though the terrorist group is based in somalia , it has n't confined its violence to the lawless nation . in 2013 , militants attacked nairobi 's upscale westgate mall . mohamud has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the past few years , including december 's attack on a quarry in a kenyan village near the somali border , which killed at least 36 people . in that attack , al-shabaab militants separated non-muslim workers from their muslim counterparts and killed them . mohamud is kenyan and has three wives and three siblings , including two with links to al-shabaab , the document says . he 's from a clan , the ogaden , that has a heavy presence in kenya and somalia , hansen said . the borders historically have been meaningless to them , ' he said . cnn exclusive : exposing smuggler routes across the somalia-kenya border on sunday , kenya 's interior ministry identified another terrorist involved in the garissa university college attack as abdirahim abdullahi . abdullahi 's father , abdullahi daqare , a government chief in mandera in northern kenya , told cnn that his son was missing . daqare is a kenyan somali , he said . his son graduated in 2013 from nairobi university law school and worked for a bank for two months before he went missing , daqare said in a phone interview . i have received reports from people who found information ( on ) the internet that my son was one of the terrorists , ' daqare said . i previously told the government that the son is missing . i sought their help to find the whereabouts of my son . ' he added that the two had not been in contact since his son disappeared . daqare said he had really given up on him . ' on sunday , families of some of the more than 147 people slain at garissa university college left a mortuary in nairobi after identifying the bodies of their loved ones . one woman almost had to be carried out . why ? why ? where are you , my children ? ' she wailed . across garissa , there was a sense of fear , foreboding and grief . the news agency reuters videotaped a man holding his daughter 's hand at a church as military patrols and security officials searched people . a church member told the agency , nowhere is safe , but here in church you can come , you be with god and then you just console yourself . ' three days of national mourning for victims of the attack , declared by kenyan president uhuru kenyatta , began sunday . cnn 's christian purefoy and lilian leposo reported from garissa ; eliott c. mclaughlin and greg botelho wrote from atlanta ; and jethro mullen reported and wrote from hong kong . cnn 's christiane amanpour , mick krever , david mckenzie , dominique van heerden , nick migwi , ashley fantz , florence obondo , jessica king and journalist omar nor contributed to this report . | al-shabaab 's mohamed mohamud has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' expert says |
al-shabaab <tsp> garissa , kenya ( cnn ) days after a horrific al-shabaab attack on its soil , kenya launched airstrikes targeting the terror group in somalia , according to a military source , who insisted the strikes were not retribution for last week 's massacre at garissa university college that killed nearly 150 people . the latest attack of al-shabaab bases by the kenya military is part of the ongoing operations that started in 2011 . it is not a retaliation to the garissa attack . the operation has been ongoing , ' the military source said monday . it is customary for kenyan military sources not to give their names to media . two of the airstrikes hit al-shabaab training camps , according to a resident of the southwest somalian town of bardera , almost 200 kilometers ( 125 miles ) from the kenyan border , and a local journalist who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety . the kenyan military began its bombing raids sunday afternoon , targeting the al-shabaab stronghold of godon dhawe , somali resident ibrahim mohammed said . godon dhawe is between bardera and the somalia-kenya border . al-shabaab , an al qaeda-linked militant group based in somalia , has claimed responsibility for the university attack . also monday , a police source said kenyan authorities had intelligence beforehand that a university in garissa could be attacked , yet the country 's rapid response team was stuck in nairobi for hours after the massacre began , arranging for transport . it 's not clear exactly why the elite team was stuck in the kenyan capital , roughly 370 kilometers ( 230 miles ) west of the attack , but the police source in garissa told cnn that kenyan politicians and nairobi-based journalists arrived on the scene before the team did . journalists on the ground corroborated that report . once the team entered the university complex , the situation was quickly defused , journalists and the police source said . manoah esipisu , a spokesman for kenya 's president and deputy president , defended the response time , telling cnn there is always criticism regarding whether you reacted as fast as you have or should n't have . ' with the benefit of hindsight you can always say things could have been done better , ' he said , adding that kenyan authorities saved a lot of students and got the job done . ' foreign minister amina mohamed echoed those remarks in a monday interview with cnn , saying the response was sufficient and denying reports that it was the elite rapid response team alone that brought an end to the situation . we have a military garrison in garissa , and the work began immediately after the attack was reported and continued for a number of hours until we were able to rescue 663 students of the 800 students that had been taken hostage by these terrorists . so the response was adequate , ' she said . she repeated esipisu 's assertion that dubbing the response slow is a reaction that comes only with the luxury of hindsight . obviously when parents are grieving and the country is mourning , it 's always easy to fall back on things like that , but i can assure you that we took very quick action as soon as this was reported , ' mohamed said . obviously hindsight is always 20/20 . we did everything that we could do . ' the kenyan government says mohamed mohamud is the mastermind of thursday 's terrorist attack on garissa university college . the country 's interior ministry singled out mohamud , a senior leader of al-shabaab , on twitter . he is also known by the aliases dulyadin and gamadhere , it said . mohamud is credited with having an extensive terrorist network within kenya , ' according to a kenyan ministry document given to cnn . the ministry posted a most wanted ' notice for mohamud . it offers a reward of 20 million kenyan shillings , about $ 215,000 . we appeal to anyone with any info on # gamadhere to share with relevant authorities and security agencies , ' the interior ministry posted on twitter . mohamud is in charge of external operations against kenya , the document says , and he is the regional commander within al-shabaab in charge of the juba region . in this role , he commands the militia along the border and is responsible for cross-border incursions in the country . ' his position as one of al-shabaab 's top field commanders in southern somalia has brought him into direct conflict with kenyan troops deployed as part of african union forces in the country . this is a man who has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' said stig jarle hansen , an associate professor at oslo 's norwegian university of life sciences and author of al-shabaab in somalia : the history and ideology of a militant islamist group . ' mohamud 's network extends within the dadaab refugee camp , the document says . dadaab is the world 's biggest refugee camp , home to thousands of people , according to the united nations . it 's in kenya 's north eastern province near somalia . garissa , the town where the university attack took place , is about 150 kilometers ( 90 miles ) from the somali border . it 's within striking distance ' of mohamud 's stronghold in somalia 's middle juba province , hansen told cnn . but he noted that mohamud is better known for tactical military attacks rather than terrorist attacks . ' inside garissa university college dorm 's scene of slaughter over the weekend , al-shabaab promised to bring about another bloodbath ' in kenya . though the terrorist group is based in somalia , it has n't confined its violence to the lawless nation . in 2013 , militants attacked nairobi 's upscale westgate mall . mohamud has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the past few years , including december 's attack on a quarry in a kenyan village near the somali border , which killed at least 36 people . in that attack , al-shabaab militants separated non-muslim workers from their muslim counterparts and killed them . mohamud is kenyan and has three wives and three siblings , including two with links to al-shabaab , the document says . he 's from a clan , the ogaden , that has a heavy presence in kenya and somalia , hansen said . the borders historically have been meaningless to them , ' he said . cnn exclusive : exposing smuggler routes across the somalia-kenya border on sunday , kenya 's interior ministry identified another terrorist involved in the garissa university college attack as abdirahim abdullahi . abdullahi 's father , abdullahi daqare , a government chief in mandera in northern kenya , told cnn that his son was missing . daqare is a kenyan somali , he said . his son graduated in 2013 from nairobi university law school and worked for a bank for two months before he went missing , daqare said in a phone interview . i have received reports from people who found information ( on ) the internet that my son was one of the terrorists , ' daqare said . i previously told the government that the son is missing . i sought their help to find the whereabouts of my son . ' he added that the two had not been in contact since his son disappeared . daqare said he had really given up on him . ' on sunday , families of some of the more than 147 people slain at garissa university college left a mortuary in nairobi after identifying the bodies of their loved ones . one woman almost had to be carried out . why ? why ? where are you , my children ? ' she wailed . across garissa , there was a sense of fear , foreboding and grief . the news agency reuters videotaped a man holding his daughter 's hand at a church as military patrols and security officials searched people . a church member told the agency , nowhere is safe , but here in church you can come , you be with god and then you just console yourself . ' three days of national mourning for victims of the attack , declared by kenyan president uhuru kenyatta , began sunday . cnn 's christian purefoy and lilian leposo reported from garissa ; eliott c. mclaughlin and greg botelho wrote from atlanta ; and jethro mullen reported and wrote from hong kong . cnn 's christiane amanpour , mick krever , david mckenzie , dominique van heerden , nick migwi , ashley fantz , florence obondo , jessica king and journalist omar nor contributed to this report . | al-shabaab 's mohamed mohamud has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' expert says |
mohamed mohamud <tsp> garissa , kenya ( cnn ) days after a horrific al-shabaab attack on its soil , kenya launched airstrikes targeting the terror group in somalia , according to a military source , who insisted the strikes were not retribution for last week 's massacre at garissa university college that killed nearly 150 people . the latest attack of al-shabaab bases by the kenya military is part of the ongoing operations that started in 2011 . it is not a retaliation to the garissa attack . the operation has been ongoing , ' the military source said monday . it is customary for kenyan military sources not to give their names to media . two of the airstrikes hit al-shabaab training camps , according to a resident of the southwest somalian town of bardera , almost 200 kilometers ( 125 miles ) from the kenyan border , and a local journalist who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety . the kenyan military began its bombing raids sunday afternoon , targeting the al-shabaab stronghold of godon dhawe , somali resident ibrahim mohammed said . godon dhawe is between bardera and the somalia-kenya border . al-shabaab , an al qaeda-linked militant group based in somalia , has claimed responsibility for the university attack . also monday , a police source said kenyan authorities had intelligence beforehand that a university in garissa could be attacked , yet the country 's rapid response team was stuck in nairobi for hours after the massacre began , arranging for transport . it 's not clear exactly why the elite team was stuck in the kenyan capital , roughly 370 kilometers ( 230 miles ) west of the attack , but the police source in garissa told cnn that kenyan politicians and nairobi-based journalists arrived on the scene before the team did . journalists on the ground corroborated that report . once the team entered the university complex , the situation was quickly defused , journalists and the police source said . manoah esipisu , a spokesman for kenya 's president and deputy president , defended the response time , telling cnn there is always criticism regarding whether you reacted as fast as you have or should n't have . ' with the benefit of hindsight you can always say things could have been done better , ' he said , adding that kenyan authorities saved a lot of students and got the job done . ' foreign minister amina mohamed echoed those remarks in a monday interview with cnn , saying the response was sufficient and denying reports that it was the elite rapid response team alone that brought an end to the situation . we have a military garrison in garissa , and the work began immediately after the attack was reported and continued for a number of hours until we were able to rescue 663 students of the 800 students that had been taken hostage by these terrorists . so the response was adequate , ' she said . she repeated esipisu 's assertion that dubbing the response slow is a reaction that comes only with the luxury of hindsight . obviously when parents are grieving and the country is mourning , it 's always easy to fall back on things like that , but i can assure you that we took very quick action as soon as this was reported , ' mohamed said . obviously hindsight is always 20/20 . we did everything that we could do . ' the kenyan government says mohamed mohamud is the mastermind of thursday 's terrorist attack on garissa university college . the country 's interior ministry singled out mohamud , a senior leader of al-shabaab , on twitter . he is also known by the aliases dulyadin and gamadhere , it said . mohamud is credited with having an extensive terrorist network within kenya , ' according to a kenyan ministry document given to cnn . the ministry posted a most wanted ' notice for mohamud . it offers a reward of 20 million kenyan shillings , about $ 215,000 . we appeal to anyone with any info on # gamadhere to share with relevant authorities and security agencies , ' the interior ministry posted on twitter . mohamud is in charge of external operations against kenya , the document says , and he is the regional commander within al-shabaab in charge of the juba region . in this role , he commands the militia along the border and is responsible for cross-border incursions in the country . ' his position as one of al-shabaab 's top field commanders in southern somalia has brought him into direct conflict with kenyan troops deployed as part of african union forces in the country . this is a man who has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' said stig jarle hansen , an associate professor at oslo 's norwegian university of life sciences and author of al-shabaab in somalia : the history and ideology of a militant islamist group . ' mohamud 's network extends within the dadaab refugee camp , the document says . dadaab is the world 's biggest refugee camp , home to thousands of people , according to the united nations . it 's in kenya 's north eastern province near somalia . garissa , the town where the university attack took place , is about 150 kilometers ( 90 miles ) from the somali border . it 's within striking distance ' of mohamud 's stronghold in somalia 's middle juba province , hansen told cnn . but he noted that mohamud is better known for tactical military attacks rather than terrorist attacks . ' inside garissa university college dorm 's scene of slaughter over the weekend , al-shabaab promised to bring about another bloodbath ' in kenya . though the terrorist group is based in somalia , it has n't confined its violence to the lawless nation . in 2013 , militants attacked nairobi 's upscale westgate mall . mohamud has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the past few years , including december 's attack on a quarry in a kenyan village near the somali border , which killed at least 36 people . in that attack , al-shabaab militants separated non-muslim workers from their muslim counterparts and killed them . mohamud is kenyan and has three wives and three siblings , including two with links to al-shabaab , the document says . he 's from a clan , the ogaden , that has a heavy presence in kenya and somalia , hansen said . the borders historically have been meaningless to them , ' he said . cnn exclusive : exposing smuggler routes across the somalia-kenya border on sunday , kenya 's interior ministry identified another terrorist involved in the garissa university college attack as abdirahim abdullahi . abdullahi 's father , abdullahi daqare , a government chief in mandera in northern kenya , told cnn that his son was missing . daqare is a kenyan somali , he said . his son graduated in 2013 from nairobi university law school and worked for a bank for two months before he went missing , daqare said in a phone interview . i have received reports from people who found information ( on ) the internet that my son was one of the terrorists , ' daqare said . i previously told the government that the son is missing . i sought their help to find the whereabouts of my son . ' he added that the two had not been in contact since his son disappeared . daqare said he had really given up on him . ' on sunday , families of some of the more than 147 people slain at garissa university college left a mortuary in nairobi after identifying the bodies of their loved ones . one woman almost had to be carried out . why ? why ? where are you , my children ? ' she wailed . across garissa , there was a sense of fear , foreboding and grief . the news agency reuters videotaped a man holding his daughter 's hand at a church as military patrols and security officials searched people . a church member told the agency , nowhere is safe , but here in church you can come , you be with god and then you just console yourself . ' three days of national mourning for victims of the attack , declared by kenyan president uhuru kenyatta , began sunday . cnn 's christian purefoy and lilian leposo reported from garissa ; eliott c. mclaughlin and greg botelho wrote from atlanta ; and jethro mullen reported and wrote from hong kong . cnn 's christiane amanpour , mick krever , david mckenzie , dominique van heerden , nick migwi , ashley fantz , florence obondo , jessica king and journalist omar nor contributed to this report . | al-shabaab 's mohamed mohamud has a lot of grudges against the kenyans , ' expert says |
india <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india 's dreaded delhi belly ' hit a number of top swimming stars , as australia continued to dominate at the commonwealth games on wednesday . england 's double olympic champion rebecca adlington said she was struggling with illness ahead of thursday 's 800m freestyle final -- an event she won at beijing in 2008 . her teammate fran halsall almost collapsed on the podium after winning a disappointing bronze in the 100m freestyle and then failing to reach the final of the 100m butterfly . australia 's andrew lauterstein pulled out of the men 's 50m butterfly final due to a stomach complaint , but his compatriots won five more golds -- setting three records -- as the country moved to a leading 21 and 46 medals in total on day three of the event . it is hygiene-related , ' england team doctor ian gordon told the uk press association . they have been assiduous in their personal hygiene , [ using ] alcohol gels . but everybody is going down with this acutely , and it just happened to hit fran today . ' halsall , who won the 50m butterfly and aims to swim in the 50m freestyle heats on thursday morning , saw alicia coutts win her second gold this week ahead of fellow australian emily seebohm . i do n't think i 'm very well , to be honest . i had tummy issues last night , and they carried on through today . i just did n't have anything to give , ' she told reporters . adlington wrote on social networking website twitter : got a bronze on the 4x200 tonight ! girls did amazing ! very proud ! hoping i feel better tomorrow though , not flash at the min ! ' leisel jones retained her 200m breaststroke title for the third successive games ahead of teammates tessa wallace and sarah katsoulis , while the highly-rated seebohm won the 100m backstroke from england 's world champion and world record-holder gemma spofforth in a commonwealth best time . australia also set records in winning the men 's and women 's 4x200m freestyle relays . another new mark was set by england 's james goddard in the 200m backstroke as he regained the title he won in 2002 . australians continued to dominate the cycling , though malaysia 's josiah ng ended their clean sweep of golds by claiming the men 's keirin title when his teammate azizulhasni awang was disqualified for dangerous riding after finishing first . world champion cameron meyer won the men 's points race , while 19-year-old megan dunn won the women 's 25km event , and australia also won the women 's team sprint for a haul of six golds in two days . hosts india remained second in the medals table with 11 golds , ahead of england on six , despite a disappointing day in the wrestling following tuesday 's clean sweep . rajender kumar retained his men 's 55kg title , thrashing pakistan 's azhar hussain 11-0 in the final , but sunil kumar could only manage bronze in the 66kg after losing to eventual winner myroslav dykun of england . manoj kumar lost 7-2 to nigeria 's joe agbonavbare in the 84kg final , while dharmender dalal earned bronze in the 120kg division after failing to reach the final -- won by australia 's ivan popov , 8-0 against talaram mamman of nigeria . the athletics program , which has been depleted by the withdrawal of several top names , opened with uganda 's moses kipsiro winning the men 's 5,000m , as he held off kenya 's former world champion eliud kipchoge , the fastest over the distance this year . the men 's 100m glamour event saw jamaica 's oshane bailey the fastest qualifier for thursday 's semifinals with a time of 10.12 seconds in the absence of his illustrious compatriots usain bolt and defending champion asafa powell . natasha mayers of st vincent and the grenadines was the fastest in the women 's 100m heats , but her 11.33 was a long way off the commonwealth best of 10.9 . in the men 's field hockey , world champions australia thrashed scotland 9-0 , pakistan beat malaysia 4-1 , new zealand posted a second success in defeating south africa 4-2 and trinidad and tobago crashed to another loss , 4-0 to england . in the women 's event , top seeds england beat canada 4-1 in pool b , and in pool a defending champions australia won 2-1 against india in a repeat meeting of the 2006 final . | host india retains second place despite disappointing results in favored wrestling events |
sudanese <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the supreme court for the third time this year has stopped the pending capital punishment of a texas inmate , giving lawyers for the man more time to file their appeals . the justices on tuesday issued an order granting a stay of execution for cleve foster , about 2 1/2 hours before his scheduled lethal injection . the gulf war veteran was convicted along with another man of the 2002 murder of nyanuer mary ' pal , a sudanese immigrant he met at a fort worth bar . the court indicated it would need more time to rule on the inmate 's claims of prior ineffective assistance of counsel , and related claims of innocence of the murder . this is the third time foster , 47 , has been granted a high court reprieve . his previous scheduled execution was stopped in january and april , once after he had already been given his last meal . his april procedure was to be the state 's first execution using a new sedative , the first in the lethal drug cocktail . a nationwide shortage of sodium thiopental forced corrections officials to announce they would use pentobarbital , a barbiturate that has alternately been used to put animals to sleep . foster 's lawyers had challenged that change , saying texas foisted the new protocols so late , with little time for legal or medical review . the state has since executed several inmates with the new drug mixture , without noted complications . foster has blamed his co-conspirator for the murder . his lawyers in their supreme court appeal presented letters from three fellow inmates who said co-defendant sheldon ward told them he acted alone in pal 's murder . the state countered ward 's statements to a psychologist implicating foster as the mastermind behind the killing . they also said dna from both men were found in the victim . texas has a planned lethal injection wednesday . lawrence brewer , 44 , was one of two white men convicted in the 1998 dragging death of james byrd jr. , an african-american . that widely reported crime led to national movement to step up prosecutions and penalties for hate crimes . brewer has no pending appeals . it would be the 11th execution this year in texas , the most active death-penalty state . the current case is foster v. texas ( 11-6427 ) . | he was scheduled to die for the 2002 murder of a sudanese woman |
trent bridge <tsp> ( cnn ) -- england 's 10-wicket hero and man-of-the-match james anderson admitted to total exhaustion after his side held off a gritty australian fight back to win an extraordinary first ashes test by 14 runs . it has been draining emotionally and physically , ' said anderson . i 'm lost for words - it 's been amazing . ' but the first test also threw up questions about the use of technology in sport , with australia ruing the decision review system ( drs ) that appeared to weigh heavily against the baggy greens . cnn looks at five things we learned from the first test at trent bridge . technology equals controversy unlike football , which has grappled with the issue of technological assistance for its embattled referees for years , cricket has long been comfortable with a little high tech help for its umpires . drs has been around in cricket since 2009 ; while not without its dissenters , by and large it has brought clarity and dampened down controversy in big games . not in this match though . as the old bumper sticker says , to err is human ; to foul things up completely requires a computer , ' except here the human element was solely to blame . from umpire aleem dar 's failure to pick up stuart broad 's clear edge to australia 's wicketkeeper brad haddin , to a dozy'hot-spot'camera operator who was still reviewing the previous ball as england appealed jonathan trott 's dismissal , this was an error-strewn performance by both the on and off-field umpiring team . the look on australian captain michael clarke 's face when he realized his profligate use of appeals had left him without recourse to the third umpire as broad stood his ground summed up the frustration around drs . broad 's decision not to walk was huge in itself , and prompted an impassioned debate that will linger for some time -- some argued that he was a disgrace , others that he was simply being professional . interestingly the people who seemed least bothered by it were the players , possibly because -- with very few exceptions -- no one in top-flight cricket walks any more . in the words of former australian wicketkeeper ian healy , walk in an ashes test match ? only if the car runs out of petrol ! ' interestingly though , broad did n't wait for the umpire 's signal when he did eventually depart . perhaps even he was a bit embarrassed . in the final analysis , much as was always argued when the umpires acted alone , the mistakes just about balanced themselves out . certainly , the australian captain could learn much from the approach of his opposite number alastair cook , who used his appeals wisely -- especially for the final decisive wicket . but the fact that technology 's role was so central to so much controversy at trent bridge must be cause for concern . anderson is a true great while the great australian side that dominated world cricket from the early 90s into the 21st century was full of stars , its bowling attack was arguably the key to its supremacy . alongside the genius of spinner shane warne it was the metronomic precision and controlled aggression of fast bowler glenn mcgrath that kept the game 's best batsmen in check . if the current australian side is crying out for such a presence , england can rest easy in the knowledge that they have their own mcgrath in anderson . the lancashire pace bowler has matured into an intimidating mix of cool exactitude and thoughtful endeavour . for over after over he pinned the australian attack back , reining them in each time they threatened to break free and ensuring they could never relax . it was a performance , on a pretty lifeless pitch , that underlined why he can now justifiably be ranked among the greatest pace bowlers . his 10 wickets added to a career tally that should eventually see him overtake ian botham as england 's highest wicket-taker . and his 10th wicket , albeit gained by the finest of margins and the faintest edge , may well be among those that come to define this ashes series . australia is here to win australia arrived in england as clear underdogs , before cementing this status with an implosion in the icc champions trophy that indicated a team in disarray . if off field disciplinary issues and major changes in the coaching staff left many wondering what kind of shape this team would be in for the first test , all agreed that -- on paper at least -- it had a long batting line-up . none , however , would have predicted just how long . making his test debut at just 19 , there were few indications that ashton agar , taking the field with australia on the brink of oblivion at 117 for 9 , would deliver such a dazzling performance . but what a performance it was -- full of eye-catching stroke play and stylish shots that reached all parts of trent bridge , watched by a gaping crowd that became gradually more appreciative as the records tumbled . as the highest ever score by an australian number 11 became the highest ever score by any number 11 , mcgrath remarked that he thought he 'd been presenting agar 's baggy green cap to a bowler , not an all-rounder . as the debutant reached 98 , it seemed the whole stadium , as well as most of those observing via twitter , were willing him into triple figures . it was n't to be , as an overly ambitious boundary attempt from the bowling of the test 's soon-to-be pantomime villain , broad , was lofted into the hands of graeme swann ; but the standing ovation he received was heartfelt . yes , he possibly should have been given out earlier , and it was n't quite enough to win the match for the australians , but no one , english or australian , will forget that innings . at the other end of the age scale , the veteran haddin 's performance on the final day was no less impressive , aided by james pattinson he brought his team within a whisker of an implausible victory . england beware : this team has a whale of a tail and bowlers will need to be at their best to clear the australian decks . the ashes are still worth fighting for the appeal of the ashes comes in large part from the fearsome way in which the series is contested . when england finally reclaimed the tiny urn in 2005 it was a release so cathartic that it elevated the series to new heights in the uk ; and made australia all the more determined to reclaim the prize , which they did emphatically in 2007 . however , recent contests have felt less competitive . as the australians struggled to rebuild , and england became ever more proficient and professional , it felt as though this year 's series might lack a little of the appeal of recent years . by sunday at trent bridge , those fears had been dispelled so emphatically that the very idea of a lacklustre ashes seemed laughable . this was , it was unanimously agreed , one of the best ever ashes tests , and quite possibly one of the best ever test matches . new rivalries , fresh controversies and innumerable talking points conspired to ensure that the second test will be the most hotly anticipated for years . the fact that much of the uk is currently basking in a heatwave only added to the sense of enjoyment from the home fans , but even in defeat the australians could draw succour from the fact that their team can clearly make a decent fist of winning the series . clarke 's dignified speech as he congratulated england spoke of a man well aware he had been part of something special . and best of all , this is just the beginning of back-to-back series in 2013 . test cricket is still uniquely compelling by the end of wednesday those fans with tickets for saturday 's action were justifiably pondering other plans . batsman after batsman failed to rein in his desire to play at every delivery , with wickets lost due primarily to poor decision making . bowling , too , was erratic -- the australians giving away 21 runs to the extras column . even the idea that the match could be over before friday was being seriously discussed , and inevitably that discussion turned to the format of test cricket . batsmen , it was agreed , were too used to the speed of twenty20 and 50-over games ; skills that fed a long innings , such as the ability to safely leave a ball , had been lost in the pressure to score quickly . punters preferred the quick fix entertainment of shorter forms of the game and this was the result . as the test entered the afternoon session on the fifth day , however , it became clear that this type of cricket still offers something unique . this was like choosing an emmy award winning dvd box set over a summer sci-fi blockbuster . as the hours and days rolled by , nuance , sub-plots , character development and twists were revealed that would be impossible in the frenetic environment of limited overs cricket . trent bridge was by turns feather bed and cauldron for the protagonists as the game 's story evolved ; nails were shorn to their stumps , eyes raised plaintively to the heavens by players and fans alike , cries of anguish were matched by sighs of relief and gasps of wonderment , eyes squinted intently at the square throughout . this utterly enthralling contest was the perfect reminder of what test cricket can offer . | england beat australia in thrilling first test at trent bridge |
australia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- england 's 10-wicket hero and man-of-the-match james anderson admitted to total exhaustion after his side held off a gritty australian fight back to win an extraordinary first ashes test by 14 runs . it has been draining emotionally and physically , ' said anderson . i 'm lost for words - it 's been amazing . ' but the first test also threw up questions about the use of technology in sport , with australia ruing the decision review system ( drs ) that appeared to weigh heavily against the baggy greens . cnn looks at five things we learned from the first test at trent bridge . technology equals controversy unlike football , which has grappled with the issue of technological assistance for its embattled referees for years , cricket has long been comfortable with a little high tech help for its umpires . drs has been around in cricket since 2009 ; while not without its dissenters , by and large it has brought clarity and dampened down controversy in big games . not in this match though . as the old bumper sticker says , to err is human ; to foul things up completely requires a computer , ' except here the human element was solely to blame . from umpire aleem dar 's failure to pick up stuart broad 's clear edge to australia 's wicketkeeper brad haddin , to a dozy'hot-spot'camera operator who was still reviewing the previous ball as england appealed jonathan trott 's dismissal , this was an error-strewn performance by both the on and off-field umpiring team . the look on australian captain michael clarke 's face when he realized his profligate use of appeals had left him without recourse to the third umpire as broad stood his ground summed up the frustration around drs . broad 's decision not to walk was huge in itself , and prompted an impassioned debate that will linger for some time -- some argued that he was a disgrace , others that he was simply being professional . interestingly the people who seemed least bothered by it were the players , possibly because -- with very few exceptions -- no one in top-flight cricket walks any more . in the words of former australian wicketkeeper ian healy , walk in an ashes test match ? only if the car runs out of petrol ! ' interestingly though , broad did n't wait for the umpire 's signal when he did eventually depart . perhaps even he was a bit embarrassed . in the final analysis , much as was always argued when the umpires acted alone , the mistakes just about balanced themselves out . certainly , the australian captain could learn much from the approach of his opposite number alastair cook , who used his appeals wisely -- especially for the final decisive wicket . but the fact that technology 's role was so central to so much controversy at trent bridge must be cause for concern . anderson is a true great while the great australian side that dominated world cricket from the early 90s into the 21st century was full of stars , its bowling attack was arguably the key to its supremacy . alongside the genius of spinner shane warne it was the metronomic precision and controlled aggression of fast bowler glenn mcgrath that kept the game 's best batsmen in check . if the current australian side is crying out for such a presence , england can rest easy in the knowledge that they have their own mcgrath in anderson . the lancashire pace bowler has matured into an intimidating mix of cool exactitude and thoughtful endeavour . for over after over he pinned the australian attack back , reining them in each time they threatened to break free and ensuring they could never relax . it was a performance , on a pretty lifeless pitch , that underlined why he can now justifiably be ranked among the greatest pace bowlers . his 10 wickets added to a career tally that should eventually see him overtake ian botham as england 's highest wicket-taker . and his 10th wicket , albeit gained by the finest of margins and the faintest edge , may well be among those that come to define this ashes series . australia is here to win australia arrived in england as clear underdogs , before cementing this status with an implosion in the icc champions trophy that indicated a team in disarray . if off field disciplinary issues and major changes in the coaching staff left many wondering what kind of shape this team would be in for the first test , all agreed that -- on paper at least -- it had a long batting line-up . none , however , would have predicted just how long . making his test debut at just 19 , there were few indications that ashton agar , taking the field with australia on the brink of oblivion at 117 for 9 , would deliver such a dazzling performance . but what a performance it was -- full of eye-catching stroke play and stylish shots that reached all parts of trent bridge , watched by a gaping crowd that became gradually more appreciative as the records tumbled . as the highest ever score by an australian number 11 became the highest ever score by any number 11 , mcgrath remarked that he thought he 'd been presenting agar 's baggy green cap to a bowler , not an all-rounder . as the debutant reached 98 , it seemed the whole stadium , as well as most of those observing via twitter , were willing him into triple figures . it was n't to be , as an overly ambitious boundary attempt from the bowling of the test 's soon-to-be pantomime villain , broad , was lofted into the hands of graeme swann ; but the standing ovation he received was heartfelt . yes , he possibly should have been given out earlier , and it was n't quite enough to win the match for the australians , but no one , english or australian , will forget that innings . at the other end of the age scale , the veteran haddin 's performance on the final day was no less impressive , aided by james pattinson he brought his team within a whisker of an implausible victory . england beware : this team has a whale of a tail and bowlers will need to be at their best to clear the australian decks . the ashes are still worth fighting for the appeal of the ashes comes in large part from the fearsome way in which the series is contested . when england finally reclaimed the tiny urn in 2005 it was a release so cathartic that it elevated the series to new heights in the uk ; and made australia all the more determined to reclaim the prize , which they did emphatically in 2007 . however , recent contests have felt less competitive . as the australians struggled to rebuild , and england became ever more proficient and professional , it felt as though this year 's series might lack a little of the appeal of recent years . by sunday at trent bridge , those fears had been dispelled so emphatically that the very idea of a lacklustre ashes seemed laughable . this was , it was unanimously agreed , one of the best ever ashes tests , and quite possibly one of the best ever test matches . new rivalries , fresh controversies and innumerable talking points conspired to ensure that the second test will be the most hotly anticipated for years . the fact that much of the uk is currently basking in a heatwave only added to the sense of enjoyment from the home fans , but even in defeat the australians could draw succour from the fact that their team can clearly make a decent fist of winning the series . clarke 's dignified speech as he congratulated england spoke of a man well aware he had been part of something special . and best of all , this is just the beginning of back-to-back series in 2013 . test cricket is still uniquely compelling by the end of wednesday those fans with tickets for saturday 's action were justifiably pondering other plans . batsman after batsman failed to rein in his desire to play at every delivery , with wickets lost due primarily to poor decision making . bowling , too , was erratic -- the australians giving away 21 runs to the extras column . even the idea that the match could be over before friday was being seriously discussed , and inevitably that discussion turned to the format of test cricket . batsmen , it was agreed , were too used to the speed of twenty20 and 50-over games ; skills that fed a long innings , such as the ability to safely leave a ball , had been lost in the pressure to score quickly . punters preferred the quick fix entertainment of shorter forms of the game and this was the result . as the test entered the afternoon session on the fifth day , however , it became clear that this type of cricket still offers something unique . this was like choosing an emmy award winning dvd box set over a summer sci-fi blockbuster . as the hours and days rolled by , nuance , sub-plots , character development and twists were revealed that would be impossible in the frenetic environment of limited overs cricket . trent bridge was by turns feather bed and cauldron for the protagonists as the game 's story evolved ; nails were shorn to their stumps , eyes raised plaintively to the heavens by players and fans alike , cries of anguish were matched by sighs of relief and gasps of wonderment , eyes squinted intently at the square throughout . this utterly enthralling contest was the perfect reminder of what test cricket can offer . | england beat australia in thrilling first test at trent bridge |
lincoln <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a long-hidden message has been discovered inside abraham lincoln 's pocket watch , the smithsonian 's museum of american history announced tuesday . the message in the watch differs slightly from what the watchmaker later said he wrote . watchmaker jonathan dillon was repairing lincoln 's watch in april 1861 when he heard about the attack on fort sumter , south carolina , and wrote a short message on the metal inside the watch , the smithsonian said . there it remained , unseen for almost 150 years , it said . in a 1906 interview with the new york times , dillon reported that as soon as he heard the news about the first shots of the civil war , he unscrewed the dial of the watch and wrote on the metal , the first gun is fired . slavery is dead . thank god we have a president who at least will try . ' the actual message that the museum found differs from the watchmaker 's recollection . it says , jonathan dillon , april 13-1861 , fort sumpter [ sic ] was attacked by the rebels on the above date j dillon , april 13-1861 , washington , thank god we have a government , jonth dillon . ' according to the smithsonian , it was not unusual for professional watchmakers to record their work inside a watch . lincoln never knew of the message he carried in his pocket , ' said brent d. glass , director of the national museum of american history . the museum decided to open the watch after being contacted by the watchmaker 's great-great-grandson , doug stiles , who had heard about the message dillon said he had inscribed and wanted to see if it was really there . | lincoln never knew about message , historian says |
del <tsp> ( realsimple.com ) -- a lengthy separation -- and a surprise trip to paris -- caused this husband and wife to realize that their marriage could be saved . mary l. tabor and del persinger washington , d.c. married 26 years mary was still in her nightgown and robe , sipping a cappuccino in the kitchen of the washington , d.c. , brownstone she shared with her husband , del , when he walked in and announced he wanted to live alone . they had been married for 21 years . i did n't know what had hit me , ' mary , 64 , recalls of that fall morning in 2005 . i wondered , does he have a girlfriend ? a boyfriend ? i had no idea what was wrong . ' although the couple 's relationship had been strained for a few months , mary simply assumed they were going through a rough patch . she attributed del 's loss of interest in sex and his suddenly quick temper to stress from his high-pressure job as a financial analyst . del was so on edge that he would yell at me about every little thing -- like a knife accidentally placed in the dishwasher with the point up , ' says mary , a writer and a teacher . still , she figured that things would soon return to normal . realsimple.com : how to break bad habits for del , the decision had been a long time coming . increasingly restless within his marriage , he wondered whether it was holding him back from leading a more exciting life . i knew the problem was n't mary -- it was me , ' he says . and i felt i needed to work through my mixed emotions alone . ' to mary 's frustration , del could n't articulate any of these concerns -- all she knew was that he wanted a separation . she and del took turns sleeping in the guest room for a few months until she moved into an apartment of her own . by january 2006 , the couple had hired attorneys . their home , which they had spent the previous seven years painstakingly renovating , was put up for sale . mary felt broken ' without del , who had helped her raise two children from her first marriage and supported her through the deaths of her parents and sister . he understood me better than anyone , ' she says . she tried to move on and began dating other men -- to little avail . i was still in love with my husband . ' for del , the bachelor lifestyle lost its luster rather quickly . i thought the separation would allow me to make all those friends i never had , do all the things i never did , ' says del , 61 . but in reality his days were fairly mundane . i went to work , went to the gym , and spent the rest of my time reading . ' he also found himself stalling on the divorce negotiations , bringing up smaller and smaller details . in retrospect , he realizes he probably did that to prolong the process indefinitely . by august 2009 , the couple had cautiously started spending time together again , even venturing out on a few dates . it was n't the dinners or dances that made me feel in love , but the conversations , ' says mary . del , who had been seeing a therapist , finally opened up to her about his worries and fears . to me , the most seductive thing a man can do is be truly honest , ' says mary . del had clearly experienced a change of heart . but mary , concerned it would n't last , wanted time to think . in the winter of 2009 , she took an extended trip alone to paris . one morning , as she was having her breakfast , her cell phone rang . it was del . he had flown in from d.c. and was outside her building . could he come up ? mary buzzed him in , and when he reached her doorway , suitcase in hand , he told her how much he loved her . that grand romantic gesture , so out of character for del , moved me deeply , ' says mary . at that moment , i thought our marriage could be saved . ' realsimple.com : things worth admitting to a few weeks later , the pair flew home together . del sold his apartment and moved in with mary . divorce proceedings were halted . their new ' relationship is free of the stressful arguments that were so commonplace back in 2005 , the couple report . i 'm not confused anymore , so i 'm a more contented person , ' says del . del is at ease with himself , and that makes him at ease in the world , ' mary explains . when people hear that del left me , they say ,'you were betrayed !'but i do n't feel that way . look , life is messy . i 'm happy we got this second shot . ' get a free trial issue of real simple - click here ! copyright © 2010 time inc. all rights reserved . | mary felt broken ' without del , who had helped raise her two children |
del <tsp> ( realsimple.com ) -- a lengthy separation -- and a surprise trip to paris -- caused this husband and wife to realize that their marriage could be saved . mary l. tabor and del persinger washington , d.c. married 26 years mary was still in her nightgown and robe , sipping a cappuccino in the kitchen of the washington , d.c. , brownstone she shared with her husband , del , when he walked in and announced he wanted to live alone . they had been married for 21 years . i did n't know what had hit me , ' mary , 64 , recalls of that fall morning in 2005 . i wondered , does he have a girlfriend ? a boyfriend ? i had no idea what was wrong . ' although the couple 's relationship had been strained for a few months , mary simply assumed they were going through a rough patch . she attributed del 's loss of interest in sex and his suddenly quick temper to stress from his high-pressure job as a financial analyst . del was so on edge that he would yell at me about every little thing -- like a knife accidentally placed in the dishwasher with the point up , ' says mary , a writer and a teacher . still , she figured that things would soon return to normal . realsimple.com : how to break bad habits for del , the decision had been a long time coming . increasingly restless within his marriage , he wondered whether it was holding him back from leading a more exciting life . i knew the problem was n't mary -- it was me , ' he says . and i felt i needed to work through my mixed emotions alone . ' to mary 's frustration , del could n't articulate any of these concerns -- all she knew was that he wanted a separation . she and del took turns sleeping in the guest room for a few months until she moved into an apartment of her own . by january 2006 , the couple had hired attorneys . their home , which they had spent the previous seven years painstakingly renovating , was put up for sale . mary felt broken ' without del , who had helped her raise two children from her first marriage and supported her through the deaths of her parents and sister . he understood me better than anyone , ' she says . she tried to move on and began dating other men -- to little avail . i was still in love with my husband . ' for del , the bachelor lifestyle lost its luster rather quickly . i thought the separation would allow me to make all those friends i never had , do all the things i never did , ' says del , 61 . but in reality his days were fairly mundane . i went to work , went to the gym , and spent the rest of my time reading . ' he also found himself stalling on the divorce negotiations , bringing up smaller and smaller details . in retrospect , he realizes he probably did that to prolong the process indefinitely . by august 2009 , the couple had cautiously started spending time together again , even venturing out on a few dates . it was n't the dinners or dances that made me feel in love , but the conversations , ' says mary . del , who had been seeing a therapist , finally opened up to her about his worries and fears . to me , the most seductive thing a man can do is be truly honest , ' says mary . del had clearly experienced a change of heart . but mary , concerned it would n't last , wanted time to think . in the winter of 2009 , she took an extended trip alone to paris . one morning , as she was having her breakfast , her cell phone rang . it was del . he had flown in from d.c. and was outside her building . could he come up ? mary buzzed him in , and when he reached her doorway , suitcase in hand , he told her how much he loved her . that grand romantic gesture , so out of character for del , moved me deeply , ' says mary . at that moment , i thought our marriage could be saved . ' realsimple.com : things worth admitting to a few weeks later , the pair flew home together . del sold his apartment and moved in with mary . divorce proceedings were halted . their new ' relationship is free of the stressful arguments that were so commonplace back in 2005 , the couple report . i 'm not confused anymore , so i 'm a more contented person , ' says del . del is at ease with himself , and that makes him at ease in the world , ' mary explains . when people hear that del left me , they say ,'you were betrayed !'but i do n't feel that way . look , life is messy . i 'm happy we got this second shot . ' get a free trial issue of real simple - click here ! copyright © 2010 time inc. all rights reserved . | after 21 years of marriage , del announced to his wife that he wanted to live alone |
del <tsp> ( realsimple.com ) -- a lengthy separation -- and a surprise trip to paris -- caused this husband and wife to realize that their marriage could be saved . mary l. tabor and del persinger washington , d.c. married 26 years mary was still in her nightgown and robe , sipping a cappuccino in the kitchen of the washington , d.c. , brownstone she shared with her husband , del , when he walked in and announced he wanted to live alone . they had been married for 21 years . i did n't know what had hit me , ' mary , 64 , recalls of that fall morning in 2005 . i wondered , does he have a girlfriend ? a boyfriend ? i had no idea what was wrong . ' although the couple 's relationship had been strained for a few months , mary simply assumed they were going through a rough patch . she attributed del 's loss of interest in sex and his suddenly quick temper to stress from his high-pressure job as a financial analyst . del was so on edge that he would yell at me about every little thing -- like a knife accidentally placed in the dishwasher with the point up , ' says mary , a writer and a teacher . still , she figured that things would soon return to normal . realsimple.com : how to break bad habits for del , the decision had been a long time coming . increasingly restless within his marriage , he wondered whether it was holding him back from leading a more exciting life . i knew the problem was n't mary -- it was me , ' he says . and i felt i needed to work through my mixed emotions alone . ' to mary 's frustration , del could n't articulate any of these concerns -- all she knew was that he wanted a separation . she and del took turns sleeping in the guest room for a few months until she moved into an apartment of her own . by january 2006 , the couple had hired attorneys . their home , which they had spent the previous seven years painstakingly renovating , was put up for sale . mary felt broken ' without del , who had helped her raise two children from her first marriage and supported her through the deaths of her parents and sister . he understood me better than anyone , ' she says . she tried to move on and began dating other men -- to little avail . i was still in love with my husband . ' for del , the bachelor lifestyle lost its luster rather quickly . i thought the separation would allow me to make all those friends i never had , do all the things i never did , ' says del , 61 . but in reality his days were fairly mundane . i went to work , went to the gym , and spent the rest of my time reading . ' he also found himself stalling on the divorce negotiations , bringing up smaller and smaller details . in retrospect , he realizes he probably did that to prolong the process indefinitely . by august 2009 , the couple had cautiously started spending time together again , even venturing out on a few dates . it was n't the dinners or dances that made me feel in love , but the conversations , ' says mary . del , who had been seeing a therapist , finally opened up to her about his worries and fears . to me , the most seductive thing a man can do is be truly honest , ' says mary . del had clearly experienced a change of heart . but mary , concerned it would n't last , wanted time to think . in the winter of 2009 , she took an extended trip alone to paris . one morning , as she was having her breakfast , her cell phone rang . it was del . he had flown in from d.c. and was outside her building . could he come up ? mary buzzed him in , and when he reached her doorway , suitcase in hand , he told her how much he loved her . that grand romantic gesture , so out of character for del , moved me deeply , ' says mary . at that moment , i thought our marriage could be saved . ' realsimple.com : things worth admitting to a few weeks later , the pair flew home together . del sold his apartment and moved in with mary . divorce proceedings were halted . their new ' relationship is free of the stressful arguments that were so commonplace back in 2005 , the couple report . i 'm not confused anymore , so i 'm a more contented person , ' says del . del is at ease with himself , and that makes him at ease in the world , ' mary explains . when people hear that del left me , they say ,'you were betrayed !'but i do n't feel that way . look , life is messy . i 'm happy we got this second shot . ' get a free trial issue of real simple - click here ! copyright © 2010 time inc. all rights reserved . | mary and del say open communication repaired their marriage |
newtown united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as the capitol building came into view tuesday morning , lee shull tried to help his neighbor po murray navigate their car into washington . he 's a 43-year-old software consultant . she 's a mother of four . a week ago , they lived in a town and a neighborhood they thought was safe . now their block in sandy hook is set off by caution tape . inside a house 100 yards from murray 's front door , nancy lanza was found in her bed on friday , a gunshot to her face . the killer , her 20-year-old son , adam lanza , took three of his mother 's high-powered guns to sandy hook elementary and murdered 20 first-graders and six adults . i can not even tell you what that feels like to have that happen in your town . it was like we were grabbing for something , anything , ' said shull . on friday night , neighbors and friends starting calling each other . we all thought we have to do something , ' he said . that turned into ,'what are you doing saturday ? can we get people together saturday ?'' remembering the victims about 50 people got together saturday , then sunday and again monday at the town 's public library , the only place that could accommodate the growing crowd of 75-plus people . they decided to call themselves newtown united . a facebook and twitter account were set up . then they scrambled to find people in the group who could drop their jobs for a day or put off family obligations to go to washington . the brady campaign to prevent gun violence , which holds perhaps the biggest pro-gun control megaphone in the country , was staging a press conference at the capital . shull , murray and murray 's 16-year-old daughter , tess , just wanted to be a part of that , if only to stand and listen . they get that they 're entering a foreign , complex and often ugly world of politics and ideology . maybe that sounds like a pipe dream , and maybe that 's arrogant , ' said shull . but why not ? if we fail , and maybe we will , but we do n't know if we do n't try . ' so many victims , a long fight at the press conference , more than 40 relatives of people who have been victims of gun violence spoke . one after another , they approached the microphone : -- mothers of an 8-year-old and a 27-year-old killed in the aurora , colorado , movie theater shootings this july . -- a man who talked about his sister who was shot to death in a classroom in 2007 at virginia tech . -- a mother who held a picture of her 16-year-old son , gunned down the same year on a bus in chicago . -- the sons of a member of the sikh temple in wisconsin where a gunman murdered six in august . -- the mother of a little girl killed in the tucson , arizona , shooting that targeted former u.s. rep. gabby giffords . tom mauser , the father of daniel mauser , who was one of 13 people killed at columbine high school in colorado in 1999 , walked to the podium . he had on worn , gray sneakers . i am here today wearing my son 's shoes , ' he said . it 's amazing we have the same size shoes so i wear them , because he was a member of the debate team at columbine high school , so i now wear his shoes in this great debate and it 's a debate we need to have in this country . ' mauser knows what he 's talking about . he 's dedicated the past 13 years to urging politicians to pass stricter gun laws . experts say the effort has been largely unsuccessful . part of the reason for that rests with the troubled ban on assault weapons that passed in 1994 and was due to last 10 years . it expired in 2004 during president george w. bush 's administration . the specifics of that ban were complicated , critics said , which allowed for numerous loopholes . it also only applied to new gun purchases . further , gun-control advocates are up against the national rifle association , which has 4 million members in the united states . this year , the nra spent $ 17 million on federal elections . annual gun sales in the united states total about $ 3.5 billion , according to cnn money . it 's not like the nra represents some tiny splinter of american culture , ' said paul barrett , author of glock : the rise of america 's gun . ' the liberal argument is that the nra distorts democracy or bullies politicians . that 's not true . they do n't speak for cosmopolitan circles on the east or west coast or the mayor of big cities , ' he said . they do n't speak for populations of people who are affected by urban crime . but they do speak for many , many people who have guns and do n't want those guns taken from them . ' barrett said he feels compassion for everyone in newtown . but newtown united is entering a fight tougher than they could possibly fathom at this stage , he added . they are entering into a very ideologically charged arena , and are going to run up against a very cynical , very complicated and well-practiced maelstrom , ' he said . i wish them the best but i would be surprised if they do n't end up quite disillusioned having watched this process . ' nra breaks silences after shootings start with talking shull appreciates that . neither he nor murray have had the time in the past 72 hours to dive into the language of the ban on assault weapons , they said . but they want to , and intend to . while shull said newtown united wants to also address loopholes in mental health care and making schools safer , he stressed that the group generally is focused on one objective . they think it 's achievable in the short-term . they want to sit down and talk to people who support gun rights . we have to sit down as adults and have an open dialogue and listen to that other person and find that middle ground , ' shull told cnn . at least two politicians who were for gun rights , democratic sens . joe manchin of west virginia and mark warner of virginia , said they would weigh supporting new proposed limits on firearms . the nra has been silent , though tuesday afternoon it announced it will hold a press conference friday . its facebook page has been deactivated , and visitors are redirected to a bare-bones page where comments are disabled ( although likes ' are still allowed ) . its twitter account , which typically posts several times a day , also has been quiet . the group 's last tweet , on friday morning , was a promotional message that said , 10 days of nra giveaways -- enter today for a chance to win an auto emergency tool ! ' newtown shooter 's guns : what we know an advocate for newtown ? shull said there 's hope within newtown united that they 'll have a major prizefighter in their corner -- sen. dianne feinstein , d-california . she was one of the major backers of the 1994 assault weapons ban . feinstein said she 'll introduce the bill when congress reconvenes in january and the same legislation will also be proposed in the house of representatives . it will ban the sale , transfer , importation and possession of big clips , drums or strips that contain more than 10 bullets , she said . she added the caveat that 900 specific weapons ' ... ' will not fall under the bill . ' president barack obama , she believes , will support the legislation . back in washington , murray is weary but optimistic . look at those beautiful babies , ' the mother said , her voice shaking . look at those children at sandy hook . i just want to tell people in washington to do what is right . ' she 's exhausted . so is her daughter tess . the teenager 's school was in lockdown on friday . when she got home later in the day , all she could do was hug her parents . she casually says , the next time my school is on lockdown , ' perhaps not realizing that she thinks there will be another time , no matter the circumstances , when a school is afraid . i trust the teachers in my school and the faculty , especially after seeing how they reacted , ' she said . but i 'm worried that everyone is going to be terrified . i know kids around the world feel the same way . they are going to know that this could happen to them . i just want to be a part of trying to change that . ' | newtown united residents trying to organize to talk gun control in d.c . |
bill <tsp> it 's been seven years , and a lot has changed , ' hillary clinton said sunday in her first visit to iowa since the state dealt her presidential campaign a devastating body blow . but there was a moment in the afternoon when it seemed like not much had . roughly 200 credentialed media were gathered in a far corner of the indianola balloon field , the grassy expanse where sen. tom harkin was convening his 37th and final steak fry , an annual fundraiser that doubles as a point of entry for ambitious democrats curious about the iowa caucuses . after a 90-minute wait , the press scrum -- scribblers and photographers alike -- were herded like cattle through a series of gates and escorted up to a hot smoking grill , waiting to capture the same image : a staged shot of bill and hillary clinton , fresh out of their motorcade , ritualistically flipping steaks with harkin . hillary clinton stumps for iowa democrats , and herself the clintons ignored the half-hearted shouted questions from reporters -- mr. president , do you eat meat ? ' -- with practiced ease . they were two football fields away from the nearest voter . mechanical , distant , heavy-handed : the afternoon spectacle felt a lot like hillary 's 2008 caucus campaign , a succession of errors that crumbled under the weight of a feuding top-heavy staff and the candidate 's inability to connect with her party 's grassroots . and then the head fake -- and something different . after a few minutes , the clintons walked into a nearby barn , out of view . most of the media swarm gave up and hustled back to the main event , where nearly 7,000 democrats were eating red meat and waiting patiently in the sunshine to hear from two of the most famous people in the world . a few dozen press were still milling about when the duo re-emerged . there she is ! ' a television reporter screamed , clamoring for her cameraman . an early moment of engagement there she was . bill , too , walking along a fence and gabbing with a small army of political reporters , a chore that has never come easy for hillary clinton , and one she has assiduously avoided since leaving the state department . it 's hardly a shock that the voluble ex-president handled a rope line full of reporters with gusto . but the willingness of the more reticent hillary clinton to thrust herself into the gaping maw of the hungry press dragon signaled , perhaps , that she and her aides are eager for a fresh start in iowa , and with the national media , if she runs for president once again . she kept both the state and the press at arm 's length during her last campaign , with troublesome consequences . on sunday , though , she gave it a go -- an early moment of engagement with the media and voters that revealed an understanding of past mistakes , but also the difficult road ahead if she takes the 2016 plunge . good to see you ! ' she told the assembled press , surely a half-truth . my goodness ! you guys having a good time ? good . we 're having a good time today . ' strutting back and forth , clinton declared that it was fabulous to be back ' in the state . i love iowa , ' she said , smiling as if she were in on a joke . she entertained and swatted away a bombardment of questions , mostly of the unremarkable will you run ? ' variety . does this whet your appetite for another campaign ? ' asked one reporter . we 're here to help democrats , ' clinton responded , offering requisite praise for iowa 's democratic candidates , senate hopeful bruce braley , gubernatorial challenger jack hatch and congressional candidate staci appel . this long-awaited interaction , so craved by the access-starved political press , was short-lived . never quite at ease in these situations , clinton milled about for five minutes or so , keeping a few feet between herself and the press , before walking back into the secure barn . the other clinton -- now he likes to talk bill clinton , meanwhile , was having at it , holding court with reporters for a good 20 minutes -- much of it with msnbc host ed schultz -- while his wife , the presumed candidate-in-waiting , was nowhere in sight . bill sidled up with harkin and held forth with the press on all manner of topics : the'92 campaign , the prospect of being a grandparent , the scourge of outside money in political campaigns , the arkansas and georgia governor 's races , a recent visit to atlanta . after their futile yelps of last question ! ' and we got ta go ' were ignored over and over again , aides finally dragged the former president away . then it was time to meet the voters . hillary clinton 's speech to the sun-drenched crowd , more workmanlike than impassioned , was littered with iowa pleasantries and nods to the last campaign , including her opening line : hello iowa ! i 'm back ! ' she lavished praise on harkin and , after a warm-up that included nods to her time as secretary of state and her constant grandchild watch , ' urged the audience to get behind iowa 's slate of democratic candidates . her biggest applause lines were about women 's issues -- equal pay and abortion rights -- a departure from the 2008 race in which she avoided focusing on her gender and the history-making nature of candidacy . the crowd was firmly in her corner , thanks in large part to the super pac ready for hillary , ' which plastered every nook and cranny of the rural setting with ready ' signs and bused in an army of volunteers to collect email addresses and phone numbers from arriving democrats . bill clinton laughingly called the young organizers energizer bunnies . ' leading in the polls , but ... she leads the early polls here by a wide margin , but there is still fault to be found with clinton among iowa democrats . conversations reveal that some of them skew more liberal than clinton on economic and foreign policy issues . others want a fresh face and see the 66-year-old clinton as an avatar of the past . and there are those who just say they 'd like to see a competitive race , for the sake of the process , ' even if clinton ultimately wins the nomination . maryland gov . martin o'malley has been welcomed warmly during his three visits to the state this year . sen. bernie sanders , a vermont socialist threatening to seek the nomination , also drew respectable crowds during a trip here timed to coincide with the clinton show . vice president joe biden will be in des moines later this week . supporters of progressive massachusetts sen. elizabeth warren , who promises not to run , ran a booth near the entrance and distributed several hundred t-shirts and bumper stickers . brenda brink drove down from ames and decked herself out in ready 4 warren ' gear , availing herself to any reporter willing to listen . hillary is fine , she has done her duty , but she does n't inspire me anymore , ' she said . she is aligned with the banking industry . but , you know , the democratic party is behind her . ' despite her lament , brink said she 'd received many-a-thumbs up during the day .'this time , she will make history' the fields of indianola , however , were firmly clinton turf on sunday . she was wonderful , ' sue laplante , a certified nursing assistant from des moines , said after the speech . if she runs , she will be the next president . ' hillary was a good candidate last time , but sometimes it 's what fate throws at you , and barack obama was making history , ' said irene hardisty , a 61-year old mortgage finance specialist from des moines . this time she will make history . ' everyone here -- operative , activist , politician , reporter -- has a theory about why clinton finished third in iowa in 2008 . and there are no shortages of bright ideas about how she can perform better in 2016 . but there is universal agreement from rank-and-file democrats that clinton has to touch and feel ' iowans , listen to them , talk one-on-one and get outside the security and media bubble that surrounds her everywhere she goes . she gave that a go , too , working the rope line after her speech for half an hour in the baking sun , signing copies of hard choices , ' awkwardly posing for selfies and saying thank you to the many people demanding she run for president . it was n't a perfect show . at times , as her secret service detail and her aide huma abedin escorted her along the crowd , she looked like she 'd rather be elsewhere . she ignored questions from not-so-friendly crowd members who wanted her to comment on the president 's immigration policy , recovery funds for superstorm sandy or the israeli-palestinian conflict . then it was back to the motorcade . but she put in the effort -- and got her first real taste of what 's to come if she decides to do this campaign thing all over again . | with bill at her side , hillary clinton attends the 37th and final harkin steak fry |
biden <tsp> it 's been seven years , and a lot has changed , ' hillary clinton said sunday in her first visit to iowa since the state dealt her presidential campaign a devastating body blow . but there was a moment in the afternoon when it seemed like not much had . roughly 200 credentialed media were gathered in a far corner of the indianola balloon field , the grassy expanse where sen. tom harkin was convening his 37th and final steak fry , an annual fundraiser that doubles as a point of entry for ambitious democrats curious about the iowa caucuses . after a 90-minute wait , the press scrum -- scribblers and photographers alike -- were herded like cattle through a series of gates and escorted up to a hot smoking grill , waiting to capture the same image : a staged shot of bill and hillary clinton , fresh out of their motorcade , ritualistically flipping steaks with harkin . hillary clinton stumps for iowa democrats , and herself the clintons ignored the half-hearted shouted questions from reporters -- mr. president , do you eat meat ? ' -- with practiced ease . they were two football fields away from the nearest voter . mechanical , distant , heavy-handed : the afternoon spectacle felt a lot like hillary 's 2008 caucus campaign , a succession of errors that crumbled under the weight of a feuding top-heavy staff and the candidate 's inability to connect with her party 's grassroots . and then the head fake -- and something different . after a few minutes , the clintons walked into a nearby barn , out of view . most of the media swarm gave up and hustled back to the main event , where nearly 7,000 democrats were eating red meat and waiting patiently in the sunshine to hear from two of the most famous people in the world . a few dozen press were still milling about when the duo re-emerged . there she is ! ' a television reporter screamed , clamoring for her cameraman . an early moment of engagement there she was . bill , too , walking along a fence and gabbing with a small army of political reporters , a chore that has never come easy for hillary clinton , and one she has assiduously avoided since leaving the state department . it 's hardly a shock that the voluble ex-president handled a rope line full of reporters with gusto . but the willingness of the more reticent hillary clinton to thrust herself into the gaping maw of the hungry press dragon signaled , perhaps , that she and her aides are eager for a fresh start in iowa , and with the national media , if she runs for president once again . she kept both the state and the press at arm 's length during her last campaign , with troublesome consequences . on sunday , though , she gave it a go -- an early moment of engagement with the media and voters that revealed an understanding of past mistakes , but also the difficult road ahead if she takes the 2016 plunge . good to see you ! ' she told the assembled press , surely a half-truth . my goodness ! you guys having a good time ? good . we 're having a good time today . ' strutting back and forth , clinton declared that it was fabulous to be back ' in the state . i love iowa , ' she said , smiling as if she were in on a joke . she entertained and swatted away a bombardment of questions , mostly of the unremarkable will you run ? ' variety . does this whet your appetite for another campaign ? ' asked one reporter . we 're here to help democrats , ' clinton responded , offering requisite praise for iowa 's democratic candidates , senate hopeful bruce braley , gubernatorial challenger jack hatch and congressional candidate staci appel . this long-awaited interaction , so craved by the access-starved political press , was short-lived . never quite at ease in these situations , clinton milled about for five minutes or so , keeping a few feet between herself and the press , before walking back into the secure barn . the other clinton -- now he likes to talk bill clinton , meanwhile , was having at it , holding court with reporters for a good 20 minutes -- much of it with msnbc host ed schultz -- while his wife , the presumed candidate-in-waiting , was nowhere in sight . bill sidled up with harkin and held forth with the press on all manner of topics : the'92 campaign , the prospect of being a grandparent , the scourge of outside money in political campaigns , the arkansas and georgia governor 's races , a recent visit to atlanta . after their futile yelps of last question ! ' and we got ta go ' were ignored over and over again , aides finally dragged the former president away . then it was time to meet the voters . hillary clinton 's speech to the sun-drenched crowd , more workmanlike than impassioned , was littered with iowa pleasantries and nods to the last campaign , including her opening line : hello iowa ! i 'm back ! ' she lavished praise on harkin and , after a warm-up that included nods to her time as secretary of state and her constant grandchild watch , ' urged the audience to get behind iowa 's slate of democratic candidates . her biggest applause lines were about women 's issues -- equal pay and abortion rights -- a departure from the 2008 race in which she avoided focusing on her gender and the history-making nature of candidacy . the crowd was firmly in her corner , thanks in large part to the super pac ready for hillary , ' which plastered every nook and cranny of the rural setting with ready ' signs and bused in an army of volunteers to collect email addresses and phone numbers from arriving democrats . bill clinton laughingly called the young organizers energizer bunnies . ' leading in the polls , but ... she leads the early polls here by a wide margin , but there is still fault to be found with clinton among iowa democrats . conversations reveal that some of them skew more liberal than clinton on economic and foreign policy issues . others want a fresh face and see the 66-year-old clinton as an avatar of the past . and there are those who just say they 'd like to see a competitive race , for the sake of the process , ' even if clinton ultimately wins the nomination . maryland gov . martin o'malley has been welcomed warmly during his three visits to the state this year . sen. bernie sanders , a vermont socialist threatening to seek the nomination , also drew respectable crowds during a trip here timed to coincide with the clinton show . vice president joe biden will be in des moines later this week . supporters of progressive massachusetts sen. elizabeth warren , who promises not to run , ran a booth near the entrance and distributed several hundred t-shirts and bumper stickers . brenda brink drove down from ames and decked herself out in ready 4 warren ' gear , availing herself to any reporter willing to listen . hillary is fine , she has done her duty , but she does n't inspire me anymore , ' she said . she is aligned with the banking industry . but , you know , the democratic party is behind her . ' despite her lament , brink said she 'd received many-a-thumbs up during the day .'this time , she will make history' the fields of indianola , however , were firmly clinton turf on sunday . she was wonderful , ' sue laplante , a certified nursing assistant from des moines , said after the speech . if she runs , she will be the next president . ' hillary was a good candidate last time , but sometimes it 's what fate throws at you , and barack obama was making history , ' said irene hardisty , a 61-year old mortgage finance specialist from des moines . this time she will make history . ' everyone here -- operative , activist , politician , reporter -- has a theory about why clinton finished third in iowa in 2008 . and there are no shortages of bright ideas about how she can perform better in 2016 . but there is universal agreement from rank-and-file democrats that clinton has to touch and feel ' iowans , listen to them , talk one-on-one and get outside the security and media bubble that surrounds her everywhere she goes . she gave that a go , too , working the rope line after her speech for half an hour in the baking sun , signing copies of hard choices , ' awkwardly posing for selfies and saying thank you to the many people demanding she run for president . it was n't a perfect show . at times , as her secret service detail and her aide huma abedin escorted her along the crowd , she looked like she 'd rather be elsewhere . she ignored questions from not-so-friendly crowd members who wanted her to comment on the president 's immigration policy , recovery funds for superstorm sandy or the israeli-palestinian conflict . then it was back to the motorcade . but she put in the effort -- and got her first real taste of what 's to come if she decides to do this campaign thing all over again . | while she leads in the polls , other names come up : biden , warren , o'malley |
eu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european union on wednesday agreed to pay 210 million euros ( $ 307 million ) to farmers who suffered losses due to the e.coli outbreak that has killed at least 25 people , mostly in germany . the figure is up considerably from the 150 million euros eu agriculture officials proposed tuesday , and dacion ciolos , the eu 's agriculture commissioner , said that figure may change again . this envelope will enable us to respond to the compensation requests for the period from the 26th of may through to the end of june , ' ciolos said . we will then take stock of the situation and see whether we need to adjust these figures . ' farmers in several european countries are seeking to be paid back for losses they suffered after being wrongly blamed for the outbreak . farmers who grow cucumbers , tomatoes , peppers , zucchini and lettuce will be eligible to receive up to 50 percent of the average market price they would have received , based on figures from 2008-2010 , the eu said . some producers could get up to 70 percent of market prices when funds from eu-supported producer organizations are included , ciolos said . the planned settlement still needs to be accepted by eu member states on june 14 , ciolos said . spain alone has sought more than 400 million euros ( $ 600 million ) in lost farm exports of cucumbers , tomatoes and other produce from the past few weeks , and farmers in belgium , france , holland and even germany say they have millions in losses , too . the death toll from the outbreak rose to 25 on wednesday as german health authorities confirmed two more e.coli fatalities there . all but one of the 25 were in germany , while the remaining victim died in sweden after a having visited germany . local officials in the german state of lower saxony said another man , aged 73 , also died , but he had other health problems as well , so they are not certain his death was due to e. coli . there are a total 2,648 cases of e. coli infection in germany , according to the robert koch institute , germany 's top health authority . but health minister daniel bahr said wednesday the number of new cases of infection has been falling significantly . there have also been a handful of infections in a dozen other european countries , but they appear to be linked to northern germany . the cause of the 10-day-old crisis still has not been conclusively identified . there was no trace of e. coli in a pack of bean sprouts in a household in hamburg , where a man had become infected , health authorities there told cnn tuesday . the sprouts came from the farm which officials believe could be the source of the outbreak . but initial tests showed no sign of e. coli there , agriculture officials in the german state of lower saxony said monday . but authorities said that does not mean their suspicions were wrong ; they would not expect to find evidence of e. coli if the tainted sprouts were no longer in the supply chain . and wednesday , lower saxony agriculture officials said three workers at the suspect farm had diarrhea in early may and at least one has been diagnosed with the dangerous strain of e.coli . authorities have also found that a cafeteria in the town of cuxhaven , where 18 people came down with the infection , had also received sprouts from the farm in question , said natascha manski , a spokeswoman for the state agriculture ministry . cnn 's frederik pleitgen in berlin and david wilkinson in london contributed to this report . | new : eu agrees to 210 million euros to compensate farmers |
germany <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european union on wednesday agreed to pay 210 million euros ( $ 307 million ) to farmers who suffered losses due to the e.coli outbreak that has killed at least 25 people , mostly in germany . the figure is up considerably from the 150 million euros eu agriculture officials proposed tuesday , and dacion ciolos , the eu 's agriculture commissioner , said that figure may change again . this envelope will enable us to respond to the compensation requests for the period from the 26th of may through to the end of june , ' ciolos said . we will then take stock of the situation and see whether we need to adjust these figures . ' farmers in several european countries are seeking to be paid back for losses they suffered after being wrongly blamed for the outbreak . farmers who grow cucumbers , tomatoes , peppers , zucchini and lettuce will be eligible to receive up to 50 percent of the average market price they would have received , based on figures from 2008-2010 , the eu said . some producers could get up to 70 percent of market prices when funds from eu-supported producer organizations are included , ciolos said . the planned settlement still needs to be accepted by eu member states on june 14 , ciolos said . spain alone has sought more than 400 million euros ( $ 600 million ) in lost farm exports of cucumbers , tomatoes and other produce from the past few weeks , and farmers in belgium , france , holland and even germany say they have millions in losses , too . the death toll from the outbreak rose to 25 on wednesday as german health authorities confirmed two more e.coli fatalities there . all but one of the 25 were in germany , while the remaining victim died in sweden after a having visited germany . local officials in the german state of lower saxony said another man , aged 73 , also died , but he had other health problems as well , so they are not certain his death was due to e. coli . there are a total 2,648 cases of e. coli infection in germany , according to the robert koch institute , germany 's top health authority . but health minister daniel bahr said wednesday the number of new cases of infection has been falling significantly . there have also been a handful of infections in a dozen other european countries , but they appear to be linked to northern germany . the cause of the 10-day-old crisis still has not been conclusively identified . there was no trace of e. coli in a pack of bean sprouts in a household in hamburg , where a man had become infected , health authorities there told cnn tuesday . the sprouts came from the farm which officials believe could be the source of the outbreak . but initial tests showed no sign of e. coli there , agriculture officials in the german state of lower saxony said monday . but authorities said that does not mean their suspicions were wrong ; they would not expect to find evidence of e. coli if the tainted sprouts were no longer in the supply chain . and wednesday , lower saxony agriculture officials said three workers at the suspect farm had diarrhea in early may and at least one has been diagnosed with the dangerous strain of e.coli . authorities have also found that a cafeteria in the town of cuxhaven , where 18 people came down with the infection , had also received sprouts from the farm in question , said natascha manski , a spokeswoman for the state agriculture ministry . cnn 's frederik pleitgen in berlin and david wilkinson in london contributed to this report . | germany 's health minister says the rate of infection is falling |
germany <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european union on wednesday agreed to pay 210 million euros ( $ 307 million ) to farmers who suffered losses due to the e.coli outbreak that has killed at least 25 people , mostly in germany . the figure is up considerably from the 150 million euros eu agriculture officials proposed tuesday , and dacion ciolos , the eu 's agriculture commissioner , said that figure may change again . this envelope will enable us to respond to the compensation requests for the period from the 26th of may through to the end of june , ' ciolos said . we will then take stock of the situation and see whether we need to adjust these figures . ' farmers in several european countries are seeking to be paid back for losses they suffered after being wrongly blamed for the outbreak . farmers who grow cucumbers , tomatoes , peppers , zucchini and lettuce will be eligible to receive up to 50 percent of the average market price they would have received , based on figures from 2008-2010 , the eu said . some producers could get up to 70 percent of market prices when funds from eu-supported producer organizations are included , ciolos said . the planned settlement still needs to be accepted by eu member states on june 14 , ciolos said . spain alone has sought more than 400 million euros ( $ 600 million ) in lost farm exports of cucumbers , tomatoes and other produce from the past few weeks , and farmers in belgium , france , holland and even germany say they have millions in losses , too . the death toll from the outbreak rose to 25 on wednesday as german health authorities confirmed two more e.coli fatalities there . all but one of the 25 were in germany , while the remaining victim died in sweden after a having visited germany . local officials in the german state of lower saxony said another man , aged 73 , also died , but he had other health problems as well , so they are not certain his death was due to e. coli . there are a total 2,648 cases of e. coli infection in germany , according to the robert koch institute , germany 's top health authority . but health minister daniel bahr said wednesday the number of new cases of infection has been falling significantly . there have also been a handful of infections in a dozen other european countries , but they appear to be linked to northern germany . the cause of the 10-day-old crisis still has not been conclusively identified . there was no trace of e. coli in a pack of bean sprouts in a household in hamburg , where a man had become infected , health authorities there told cnn tuesday . the sprouts came from the farm which officials believe could be the source of the outbreak . but initial tests showed no sign of e. coli there , agriculture officials in the german state of lower saxony said monday . but authorities said that does not mean their suspicions were wrong ; they would not expect to find evidence of e. coli if the tainted sprouts were no longer in the supply chain . and wednesday , lower saxony agriculture officials said three workers at the suspect farm had diarrhea in early may and at least one has been diagnosed with the dangerous strain of e.coli . authorities have also found that a cafeteria in the town of cuxhaven , where 18 people came down with the infection , had also received sprouts from the farm in question , said natascha manski , a spokeswoman for the state agriculture ministry . cnn 's frederik pleitgen in berlin and david wilkinson in london contributed to this report . | the outbreak has killed 25 people , all but one of them in germany |
mccain <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- one of the first things president obama did after republicans seized control of the senate was to announce his intention to seek new congressional authority for military action against isis in syria and iraq to replace those passed more than a decade ago to wage the war on terror . the president said he would begin consultation with lawmakers on an authorization of the use of military force , or aumf , while democrats still control the senate . but he added , it may carry over into the next congress . ' the new found enthusiasm for engaging congress could be viewed as either olive branch to the incoming republican senate to answer accusations he does n't consult enough , or a belief republicans will be more forward-leaning on granting authority that has made some members of his own party nervous . but it precludes what is sure to be a bolder role for republicans in u.s. foreign policy . here are some of the things to watch as republicans take over the senate majority in january : the players - the three senate committees with oversight over foreign policy will now be chaired by republicans . defense -- john mccain ascends sen. john mccain is widely expected to head the armed service committee . he has long sat on the committee and also been its ranking member , but this will be his first time being in charge of it . as one of the staunchest critics of president obama 's syria strategy , the gavel gives mccain a greater platform to push for more aggressive military action against but isis and president bashar al-assad . mccain would also play a key role in writing the defense authorization bill , which sets policies on everything from defense spending to weapons systems to military base closers . although the appropriations committees control the purse strings , mccain would have a larger say in how the pentagon spends its money . the navy veteran has blasted the pentagon about what he considers expensive , outdated and ineffective weapons systems , and is expected to be outspoken on reforming pentagon spending , he has pressed to replace defense budget cuts under sequestration . pentagon press secretary rear adm. john kirby said despite mccain 's criticism on the administration 's handling of foreign policy issues , defense secretary chuck hagel enjoys a strong and productive ' relationship with mccain . that relationship would exist despite the public ringer mccain put hagel through during his 2013 confirmation hearings . despite his reputation for blunt talk mccain is also known for reaching across the aisle and officials believe restoring the failed 2008 republican presidential nominee to a position of power could see a return to the statesman-like mccain of years past . foreign relations -- corker is a deal maker sen. bob corker of tennessee is likely to replace new jersey democratic senator robert menendez , who was n't seen as particularly friendly chair to the obama administration . corker has criticized obama for being an unreliable ally ' and blasted the president for withdrawing his request to launch military strikes last year . corker also wants the administration to get tougher on russian president putin . despite his conservative credentials , corker is known for his willingness to work with democrats on issues foreign and domestic and has a good relationship with menendez , the current chair . during an editorial board with his hometown newspaper the tennessean , corker laid out a thoughtful argument for broad us engagement in the world and suggesting he would support an increase to the us foreign aid budget . intelligence -- a fresh start with burr sources say sen. richard burr of north carolina will likely take the gavel from diane feinstein , who has had a rocky relationship with cia director john brennan . their disagreement is over the agency 's meddling into a senate investigation into bush-era interrogation techniques and a long-awaited report on the issue . the administration could actually find a friendlier chair in burr on the interrogations report , as well as on surveillance programs and the use of drones . he also expected to be less forceful on pushing for reform of nsa data collection called for in the wake of the edward snowden revelations . burr will also likely dive into the threat posed by isis , including improving weak intelligence on the number of foreign fighters who may have u.s. passports . syria and iraq -- a debate on the use of force republicans supported president obama 's decision to order airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria this summer . and incoming senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said wednesday he is open to a senate floor debate on a new authorization for the use of military force ( aumf ) . discussion is likely to intensify over what the gop considers a tentative and ineffective campaign against the terrorist group . republicans charge that president obama , by not acting sooner , contributed to isis growth . they have argued that defeating the group now will require more boots and special forces on the ground , increased airstrikes in iraq and syria and a no-fly zone and buffer zone in syria . republicans also want to more forcefully confront syrian president bashar al-assad . there is also sure to be scrutiny of the administration 's plan train moderate rebels . the white house has asked congress to train 5,000 voted syrian rebel troops to take on isis , and the current authorization for that program expires at the end of the year . incoming majority leader mitch mcconnell said wednesday the republicans want to revisit the discussion with the president on his strategy . that strategy could include cooperation with iran , which would create a new sideline debate on captiol hill . president obama wrote a letter to iran 's supreme leader pointing out the two countries both oppose isis . but the ongoing and troubled nuclear talks between iran and the west stand in the way . iran 's nukes -- opposition to obama 's strategy the deadline for an agreement between western nations and iran to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for easing some sanctions is weeks away . it 's resolution is far from certain . president obama said wednesday world powers presented a framework ' to iran for a deal . senate republicans are opposed to any agreement allows iran to continue enriching any uranium and could now pass anti-iran legislation which would effectively derail a diplomatic solution . if a deal is reached the white house could choose to bypass congress entirely . president obama has the authority to suspend u.s. sanctions without congressional approval , a move which could force republicans to more forcefully confront iran . republican senators corker , john mccain , and marco rubio have already proposed legislation that would compel president obama to submit any deal with iran to a full up-or-down vote , and senator lindsay graham of south carolina said he would not tolerate ' a deal with iran without such a measure . president obama demurred when asked on wednesday , saying if there was a deal on the table he would engage congress . i think that we 'll be able to make a strong argument to congress that this is the best way for us to avoid a nuclear iran . ' democrats could also make things difficult for obama on iran . proposed legislation enacting even stricter sanctions against iran is sponsored by democratic sen. robert menendez of new jersey and republican sen. mark kirk of illinois . the nuclear weapon free iran act of 2013 would expand the number of blacklisted sectors of iran 's economy , expand the number of senior officials in iran and penalize foreign institutions that do business with iran 's blacklisted entities . the white house fears such legislation would push iran away from the negotiating table , alienate it 's international partners and effectively kill the and deny president obama what he had hoped could be one of the most important foreign policy achievements of his presidency . russia and ukraine -- more help for ukraine ? there may be little practical effect of a new republican senate on policy toward russia . president obama has already taking a tough line against president putin over his actions in ukraine . republicans , particularly mccain , paint putin as a dangerous enemy who must be contained and are likely to push against any future engagement with russia and a return to a cold war stance . republicans could also increase pressure on the white house to provide arms to ukraine to defend itself against russian aggression and increase support for georgia and other emerging democracies in eastern europe . guantanamo -- more difficult to close president obama campaigned in 2008 on closing the guantanamo bay detention facility , calling it a stain on america 's reputation around the world . those hopes are now all but gone . congressional restrictions prohibit the administration from spending any pentagon money for transferring detainees for imprisonment or trail has tied the president 's hands . republicans are the most passionate opponents of closing gitmo and are likely to continue to thwart the closure of the facility , pressing the administration to try alleged terrorists before military tribunals . trade -- possible new partners for the white house , this could be a potential silver lining of a republican-controlled senate . two key trade deals are being negotiated . the trans-pacific partnership ( tpp ) is an expansive free trade agreement between asian and north and south america . the transatlantic trade and investment partnership ( ttip ) is a broad free-trade agreement between the united states and the european union . republicans could make those negotiations smoother by giving the president fast track ' negotiation authority , eliminating the need for amendments democrats are seeking on behalf of labor . while republicans may be reluctant to hand president obama what would be considered major accomplishments , both trade agreements could result in greater u.s. economic growth and jobs which are republican priorities . | sen. john mccain will likely head the armed services committee |
mccain <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- one of the first things president obama did after republicans seized control of the senate was to announce his intention to seek new congressional authority for military action against isis in syria and iraq to replace those passed more than a decade ago to wage the war on terror . the president said he would begin consultation with lawmakers on an authorization of the use of military force , or aumf , while democrats still control the senate . but he added , it may carry over into the next congress . ' the new found enthusiasm for engaging congress could be viewed as either olive branch to the incoming republican senate to answer accusations he does n't consult enough , or a belief republicans will be more forward-leaning on granting authority that has made some members of his own party nervous . but it precludes what is sure to be a bolder role for republicans in u.s. foreign policy . here are some of the things to watch as republicans take over the senate majority in january : the players - the three senate committees with oversight over foreign policy will now be chaired by republicans . defense -- john mccain ascends sen. john mccain is widely expected to head the armed service committee . he has long sat on the committee and also been its ranking member , but this will be his first time being in charge of it . as one of the staunchest critics of president obama 's syria strategy , the gavel gives mccain a greater platform to push for more aggressive military action against but isis and president bashar al-assad . mccain would also play a key role in writing the defense authorization bill , which sets policies on everything from defense spending to weapons systems to military base closers . although the appropriations committees control the purse strings , mccain would have a larger say in how the pentagon spends its money . the navy veteran has blasted the pentagon about what he considers expensive , outdated and ineffective weapons systems , and is expected to be outspoken on reforming pentagon spending , he has pressed to replace defense budget cuts under sequestration . pentagon press secretary rear adm. john kirby said despite mccain 's criticism on the administration 's handling of foreign policy issues , defense secretary chuck hagel enjoys a strong and productive ' relationship with mccain . that relationship would exist despite the public ringer mccain put hagel through during his 2013 confirmation hearings . despite his reputation for blunt talk mccain is also known for reaching across the aisle and officials believe restoring the failed 2008 republican presidential nominee to a position of power could see a return to the statesman-like mccain of years past . foreign relations -- corker is a deal maker sen. bob corker of tennessee is likely to replace new jersey democratic senator robert menendez , who was n't seen as particularly friendly chair to the obama administration . corker has criticized obama for being an unreliable ally ' and blasted the president for withdrawing his request to launch military strikes last year . corker also wants the administration to get tougher on russian president putin . despite his conservative credentials , corker is known for his willingness to work with democrats on issues foreign and domestic and has a good relationship with menendez , the current chair . during an editorial board with his hometown newspaper the tennessean , corker laid out a thoughtful argument for broad us engagement in the world and suggesting he would support an increase to the us foreign aid budget . intelligence -- a fresh start with burr sources say sen. richard burr of north carolina will likely take the gavel from diane feinstein , who has had a rocky relationship with cia director john brennan . their disagreement is over the agency 's meddling into a senate investigation into bush-era interrogation techniques and a long-awaited report on the issue . the administration could actually find a friendlier chair in burr on the interrogations report , as well as on surveillance programs and the use of drones . he also expected to be less forceful on pushing for reform of nsa data collection called for in the wake of the edward snowden revelations . burr will also likely dive into the threat posed by isis , including improving weak intelligence on the number of foreign fighters who may have u.s. passports . syria and iraq -- a debate on the use of force republicans supported president obama 's decision to order airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria this summer . and incoming senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said wednesday he is open to a senate floor debate on a new authorization for the use of military force ( aumf ) . discussion is likely to intensify over what the gop considers a tentative and ineffective campaign against the terrorist group . republicans charge that president obama , by not acting sooner , contributed to isis growth . they have argued that defeating the group now will require more boots and special forces on the ground , increased airstrikes in iraq and syria and a no-fly zone and buffer zone in syria . republicans also want to more forcefully confront syrian president bashar al-assad . there is also sure to be scrutiny of the administration 's plan train moderate rebels . the white house has asked congress to train 5,000 voted syrian rebel troops to take on isis , and the current authorization for that program expires at the end of the year . incoming majority leader mitch mcconnell said wednesday the republicans want to revisit the discussion with the president on his strategy . that strategy could include cooperation with iran , which would create a new sideline debate on captiol hill . president obama wrote a letter to iran 's supreme leader pointing out the two countries both oppose isis . but the ongoing and troubled nuclear talks between iran and the west stand in the way . iran 's nukes -- opposition to obama 's strategy the deadline for an agreement between western nations and iran to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for easing some sanctions is weeks away . it 's resolution is far from certain . president obama said wednesday world powers presented a framework ' to iran for a deal . senate republicans are opposed to any agreement allows iran to continue enriching any uranium and could now pass anti-iran legislation which would effectively derail a diplomatic solution . if a deal is reached the white house could choose to bypass congress entirely . president obama has the authority to suspend u.s. sanctions without congressional approval , a move which could force republicans to more forcefully confront iran . republican senators corker , john mccain , and marco rubio have already proposed legislation that would compel president obama to submit any deal with iran to a full up-or-down vote , and senator lindsay graham of south carolina said he would not tolerate ' a deal with iran without such a measure . president obama demurred when asked on wednesday , saying if there was a deal on the table he would engage congress . i think that we 'll be able to make a strong argument to congress that this is the best way for us to avoid a nuclear iran . ' democrats could also make things difficult for obama on iran . proposed legislation enacting even stricter sanctions against iran is sponsored by democratic sen. robert menendez of new jersey and republican sen. mark kirk of illinois . the nuclear weapon free iran act of 2013 would expand the number of blacklisted sectors of iran 's economy , expand the number of senior officials in iran and penalize foreign institutions that do business with iran 's blacklisted entities . the white house fears such legislation would push iran away from the negotiating table , alienate it 's international partners and effectively kill the and deny president obama what he had hoped could be one of the most important foreign policy achievements of his presidency . russia and ukraine -- more help for ukraine ? there may be little practical effect of a new republican senate on policy toward russia . president obama has already taking a tough line against president putin over his actions in ukraine . republicans , particularly mccain , paint putin as a dangerous enemy who must be contained and are likely to push against any future engagement with russia and a return to a cold war stance . republicans could also increase pressure on the white house to provide arms to ukraine to defend itself against russian aggression and increase support for georgia and other emerging democracies in eastern europe . guantanamo -- more difficult to close president obama campaigned in 2008 on closing the guantanamo bay detention facility , calling it a stain on america 's reputation around the world . those hopes are now all but gone . congressional restrictions prohibit the administration from spending any pentagon money for transferring detainees for imprisonment or trail has tied the president 's hands . republicans are the most passionate opponents of closing gitmo and are likely to continue to thwart the closure of the facility , pressing the administration to try alleged terrorists before military tribunals . trade -- possible new partners for the white house , this could be a potential silver lining of a republican-controlled senate . two key trade deals are being negotiated . the trans-pacific partnership ( tpp ) is an expansive free trade agreement between asian and north and south america . the transatlantic trade and investment partnership ( ttip ) is a broad free-trade agreement between the united states and the european union . republicans could make those negotiations smoother by giving the president fast track ' negotiation authority , eliminating the need for amendments democrats are seeking on behalf of labor . while republicans may be reluctant to hand president obama what would be considered major accomplishments , both trade agreements could result in greater u.s. economic growth and jobs which are republican priorities . | mccain and other republicans have been critical of obama 's foreign policy |
bristol airport <tsp> ( cnn ) anyone stuck reading this while waiting for a delayed flight should take note : next time fly via bristol airport . the small airport serving the southwest england port city has emerged as the world 's most punctual aviation hub in 2014 , outperforming some of the biggest destinations on the planet . with connections to europe and north africa , bristol managed to get 94.4 % of its flights on or off the ground within 15 minutes of schedule , according to stats from uk-based aviation data monitors oag . it 's a figure that might discomfit officials at the main airports serving london -- including europe 's busiest at heathrow ( 75.5 % ) -- none of which made the top rankings , with the exception of london luton . that puts it top of the league not only for small airports , but also larger facilities . john grant , oag executive vice president , says the findings of his company 's first annual punctuality league ' were positive , although many leading operators would probably be looking to up their game in 2015 . with many airports and airlines achieving in excess of 90 % on-time performance within 15 minutes of schedule there is a lot to celebrate , ' he said . european destinations dominated the timekeeping list when it comes to small airports , with bristol followed closely by brussels south charleroi airport at 93.1 % and berlin schoenefeld at 92.3 % . japan 's osaka international airport claimed the top spot for medium sized airports with 93.2 % , followed by moscow sheremetyevo ( 89.8 % ) and copenhagen airport ( 89.8 % ) . the most punctual large air hub was named as munich airport ( 89 % ) -- a fact that 'll do little to dispel stereotypes of german efficiency , but one that also highlights the five-year delay to berlin 's still unopened brandenburg airport . munich was followed by tokyo haneda at 87.9 % and seattle 's sea-tac airport at 86.2 % . the world 's busiest air destination , atlanta , was ranked 12th on the large airports list with a score of 82.4 % . dubai , at 14th with 82.3 % , was the only middle eastern airport to make any of the top twenties . in a week when it emerged that passengers spent 28 hours stuck on a delayed flight from abu dhabi to san francisco , oag 's rankings for the world 's most punctual airlines makes interesting reading . smaller operations again took the lead , with latvia 's airbaltic outperforming all others at 94.9 % . second and third were hawaiian airlines at 92.3 % and austrian airlines at 90 % . the rest of the top 10 includes : iberia ( 89.7 % ) , klm ( 89.4 % ) , saudi arabian airlines ( 89.4 % ) , sas ( 89.1 % ) , japan airlines ( 88.8 % ) , finnair ( 88.6 ) and alaska airlines ( 88.5 % ) . norwegian air shuttle was named the most punctual low-cost carrier , with almost nine out of 10 flights sticking to schedule . it was followed by thai airasia and easyjet . | uk 's small bristol airport outperforms larger rivals when it comes to timekeeping , according to oag report |
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the mercedes team has denied reports that seven-time world formula one champion michael schumacher must improve next season or face having his three-year contract cut short . the 41-year-old has struggled in his comeback season , having retired in 2006 , and has been outperformed by young teammate nico rosberg . rosberg , 25 , is seventh in the drivers'standings with four races to go -- while schumacher is 76 points back in 10th as mercedes has been unable to emulate the success of the double world champion brawn team that the german manufacturer took over at the end of last year . german newspaper bild reported this week that schumacher 's future was in doubt unless he did better in 2011 , but mercedes-benz motorsport vice-president norbert haug dismissed those claims while talking to reporters at a conference at the japanese grand prix . of course there was no ultimatum , ' haug said after friday 's practice sessions at suzuka , a circuit where schumacher has won six times and was eighth in both runs . rosberg was 10th and 11th . red bull duo top practice times ' i think michael again showed today his class , his full commitment . we are currently a little bit handicapped with our car , but i have no complaints and no regrets that we 're going to achieve our target . michael is , for me , as good as he ever was and probably even better . he 's relaxed , concentrated . he does n't need anybody to defend him , certainly not me , but we are very happy with the job he 's doing and we need to give nico and him a better car . ' haug admitted that rosberg had done a better job in getting the best out of his car , and acclaimed him as the best of the young drivers on the f1 circuit . it 's not easy for anybody to compete against such a guy , and michael does that quite well -- not always in qualifying but if you look throughout the season , if you take into consideration that he was not in formula one for three years , we are heading in the right direction and there is certainly not an ultimatum , ' he said . meanwhile , reports have claimed that mercedes could face competition from another german team in the near future , with porsche considering a return to the grid for the first time since 1964 . porsche provided engine for mclaren when the english outfit won five world drivers'and manufacturers'titles in the 1980s , but has not been involved in motorsport 's elite class since 1991 . the financial times deutschland reported on friday that porsche was considering a comeback , while the company 's new chairman matthias muller hinted as much to the autocar website . he suggested that audi , which is also owned by volkswagen and has previously said it is not interested in racing in f1 , may focus on lmp1 prototype sportscar racing . with lmp1 , there are two classes and two brands : audi and porsche . we do not like both to go into lmp1 , that is not so funny . so therefore we have to discuss whether it makes better sense for one of the brands to go into lmp1 , and the other brand into formula one . so we will have a round-table to discuss the pros and cons , ' he said in an interview at the paris motor show . | german manufacturer porsche hints it may return to f1 grid for first time since 1960s |
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the mercedes team has denied reports that seven-time world formula one champion michael schumacher must improve next season or face having his three-year contract cut short . the 41-year-old has struggled in his comeback season , having retired in 2006 , and has been outperformed by young teammate nico rosberg . rosberg , 25 , is seventh in the drivers'standings with four races to go -- while schumacher is 76 points back in 10th as mercedes has been unable to emulate the success of the double world champion brawn team that the german manufacturer took over at the end of last year . german newspaper bild reported this week that schumacher 's future was in doubt unless he did better in 2011 , but mercedes-benz motorsport vice-president norbert haug dismissed those claims while talking to reporters at a conference at the japanese grand prix . of course there was no ultimatum , ' haug said after friday 's practice sessions at suzuka , a circuit where schumacher has won six times and was eighth in both runs . rosberg was 10th and 11th . red bull duo top practice times ' i think michael again showed today his class , his full commitment . we are currently a little bit handicapped with our car , but i have no complaints and no regrets that we 're going to achieve our target . michael is , for me , as good as he ever was and probably even better . he 's relaxed , concentrated . he does n't need anybody to defend him , certainly not me , but we are very happy with the job he 's doing and we need to give nico and him a better car . ' haug admitted that rosberg had done a better job in getting the best out of his car , and acclaimed him as the best of the young drivers on the f1 circuit . it 's not easy for anybody to compete against such a guy , and michael does that quite well -- not always in qualifying but if you look throughout the season , if you take into consideration that he was not in formula one for three years , we are heading in the right direction and there is certainly not an ultimatum , ' he said . meanwhile , reports have claimed that mercedes could face competition from another german team in the near future , with porsche considering a return to the grid for the first time since 1964 . porsche provided engine for mclaren when the english outfit won five world drivers'and manufacturers'titles in the 1980s , but has not been involved in motorsport 's elite class since 1991 . the financial times deutschland reported on friday that porsche was considering a comeback , while the company 's new chairman matthias muller hinted as much to the autocar website . he suggested that audi , which is also owned by volkswagen and has previously said it is not interested in racing in f1 , may focus on lmp1 prototype sportscar racing . with lmp1 , there are two classes and two brands : audi and porsche . we do not like both to go into lmp1 , that is not so funny . so therefore we have to discuss whether it makes better sense for one of the brands to go into lmp1 , and the other brand into formula one . so we will have a round-table to discuss the pros and cons , ' he said in an interview at the paris motor show . | german newspaper bild claims that michael schumacher has been told to improve |
ghosts of download <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- in an era of entourages and media minders , rock-n-roll hall of famer deborah harry arrived to our interview alone . wearing a black and white graphic scarf draped over a long sleeve t-shirt and practical black flip-flops , she wandered in off the street , browsing the hotel art installation like any other tourist . but this was no casual viewing . strewn around the room was four decades of memories -- stunning black and white photos taken by blondie bandmate and one-time boyfriend chris stein . it took me a few minutes to realize it was her . she seemed strangely detached looking at her younger self . but then , it was a lifetime ago . blondie hit their stride when the lines between music and video were mingling . they made their mark in the space between punk , new wave and disco and introduced mass audiences to hip-hop . they were a fixture on the new york scene , but that is a landscape that has changed literally ... and musically . when stein arrived a short time after harry , in his trademark leather and shades , he paused to look at the blown-up photo of harry up on the top of the world trade center observation deck . it made him emotional to see that building , now gone . neither could remember the exact date he snapped the shot or why she seems to be holding a folded bill . it was just one of the ghosts in the room . we talked about the clubs that have closed , music stores shuttered . songs now premiere on youtube before the radio or tv . you might expect the veteran rockers to lament this lost past . but harry and stein are surprisingly open about the change . while harry has been quoted in the past as saying the internet killed music , she was much more nuanced in our conversation . it makes it more important to tour , there is no record industry to speak of , but i sort of appreciate that a person can download a track they love , ' said harry . stein also seemed to appreciate technology 's ability to reach an audience . it used to be a struggle to get yourself on television -- before mtv even more so -- now it 's completely secondary , ' he said . now you can just press a button and watch anyone doing anything anywhere doing anything . in unison they agreed : the verdict is not in yet . ' the new studio album may be called ghosts of download , but both artists feel it 's forward looking , especially in the collaborations . beth ditto of indie rock group gossip , oakland-based panamanian rappers los rakas and colombian systema solar are featured on tracks . stein , laughing , noted : i think my ego is less pronounced -- it 's easier to take ideas from other people . ' though they may be rock-n-roll royalty , they are incredibly down to earth . harry , still striking , has a wry smile and a slight mystery about her . stein is more open . we joked about tv binge-watching house of cards and game of thrones ( which was why he was running late ) and the difficulty of getting things done in politics . does harry have a favorite song ? rapture and a little known track cautious lip , she wished she could play live . they tag team a conversation the way only long-time partners can . we get along , ' joked stein when i asked how they have survived when so many other bands have n't . the best thing about touring ? the fans , ' harry said without hesitation . the worst ? being away from my wife and kids , ' said stein , who is married to actress barbara sicuranza . though people dismiss the potency of aging rockers , there is a history they carry that is hard to resist . when i asked if they had a favorite live performance , they an told amazing story about being in bangkok on new year 's eve in the 70s , the night the curfew from the vietnam war was lifted . the band may have a treasure trove of memories , but they are now 40 years on -- in their words , blondie 4 ( 0 ) ever -- and looking to the future . when asked which musicians they admire , the reveal : justin timberlake and j-lo . read more : the evolution of mariah carey read more : what vivienne westwood did next watch more : sjp discusses humble start watch more : disney head embraces tech | new wave pioneers blondie are celebrating their 40th anniversary with a new album , ghosts of download |
koslow <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dear baby boomer parents , it 's time to talk . after people my age were done growing our hair long , wearing our bell bottoms and protesting the vietnam war , we got jobs , mortgages , high cholesterol and bunions . many of us also educated children -- often at colleges that would never have admitted us -- and groomed our kids to expect and accept only the best , never dreaming that they 'd graduate into an economy that would crush even some of the brightest . plenty of our children have gotten the short straw . some 53 % of people younger than 25 are unemployed or underemployed . many have been crippled by indecision , picking a direction , reversing it , spinning the dial again , and flying two stars to the right , straight on till morning before they return to live with us again . there is more , however , to their generational wandering and inertia than pure economics . boomers'fury at the very idea that we have to age sends a subliminal message that there will always be time for our kids to get another degree or to surf another couch , to break up with one more partner or employer , and to wait around to reproduce , while ignoring the reality that opportunities will evaporate . opinion : facebook parenting is destroying our children 's privacy if parents are n't old -- and who among us does n't feel 35 ? -- then for adultescents , the years must be standing still . if we 're not old , with our titanium joints and botox , how can we expect our kids to grow up ? if we 're not old , our offspring , whose complete childhoods we archive in our hearts with four-color illustrations and footnotes , must remain big babies . boomers have established the 2.0 model for self-involvement , enhanced by boasting about our most prized assets , our kids , whose attention we crave , and who all too often exist on a broad plain of entitlement that we 've hired gardeners to maintain if we 're not hoeing and mowing ourselves . in this devil of a job market , many young adults now exist in a cloud of overconfidence with an illusion of endless time . parenthood requires constant renegotiation , which is where boomers often bomb . we remain overinvolved in adultescents'lives , another twist on not wanting to get old . it 's painful for us to recognize that biology 's imperative is for youngsters to manage without parents , and that many life lessons must be learned alone . we ca n't teach kids how to learn to meet deadlines , get along with people and deal with rejection . these are solo projects . opinion : kid , you are not special on the motherhood spectrum , i 've always felt laid-back . after my two sons got college diplomas , each one moved to the opposite coast . roots and wings , i thought . that 's the ticket . but as a son became engaged to marry , i felt an unfamiliar panic . i realized it came from wondering if i 'd done enough to prep my child for the rest of life . did he have a full tool kit to evolve into the world 's most caring , contended man ? had i done my job to see that he was ? cnn profiles : michael thompson on raising independent children tough nuts if he was n't , because the statute of limitations on micromanaging that process was running out . was i ready to let go ? no . but i 'm trying . i worry deeply about peers who wo n't cop to this new job description , although i recognize that it 's harder for parents to let go if adultescents lead lives that appear much the same as 10 years ago , possibly even sleeping in their old bed . nonetheless , it 's up to us to allow adult children to determine their fates . opinion : non , the french are not better moms once kids graduate from college , it 's time to collectively peel off the bumper stickers and remind ourselves the ultimate goal as parents is to stop trying to vaccinate our children against every conceivable catastrophe . the best and most lasting gift we can offer our children is the chance to develop independence so that one day they can teach their own kids to do the same . this means boomers acting like tough coaches , not fairy godparents with an indefatigable ability to solve problems and limitless credit cards : 59 % of people 18 to 39 who are not students receive some financial aid from parents . mothers and fathers should start early , or at least earlier , to give kids a crash course in the diy drudgery -- from tax prep to turkey trussing -- that does n't make it onto school applications and resumes . these are the tasks our country undervalues . and when young adults return to live at home , we need to establish rules as well as time frames for how long stays will last , along with encouraging kids to expand job searches and perhaps take any position until dream jobs come along . parents need to step back for adult children to step forward . with the time we gain by not being a concierge to kids'lives , we can address the brain drain and social tragedy resulting from countless well-educated young adults lingering jobless , especially those who graduated in the dog years of 2007 and 2008 . these adultescents are n't damaged goods . they just look that way to employers , who when they do have a job to fill , prefer a more freshly graduated model . forcing ourselves to back off is no harder than what we expect of our children , whose journeys , i hope , lead them on a path to lasting fulfillment and calling home , often , so that both generations can say i love you . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sally koslow . | sally koslow : boomers resist aging ; message to kids : you 've got plenty of time to grow up |
koslow <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dear baby boomer parents , it 's time to talk . after people my age were done growing our hair long , wearing our bell bottoms and protesting the vietnam war , we got jobs , mortgages , high cholesterol and bunions . many of us also educated children -- often at colleges that would never have admitted us -- and groomed our kids to expect and accept only the best , never dreaming that they 'd graduate into an economy that would crush even some of the brightest . plenty of our children have gotten the short straw . some 53 % of people younger than 25 are unemployed or underemployed . many have been crippled by indecision , picking a direction , reversing it , spinning the dial again , and flying two stars to the right , straight on till morning before they return to live with us again . there is more , however , to their generational wandering and inertia than pure economics . boomers'fury at the very idea that we have to age sends a subliminal message that there will always be time for our kids to get another degree or to surf another couch , to break up with one more partner or employer , and to wait around to reproduce , while ignoring the reality that opportunities will evaporate . opinion : facebook parenting is destroying our children 's privacy if parents are n't old -- and who among us does n't feel 35 ? -- then for adultescents , the years must be standing still . if we 're not old , with our titanium joints and botox , how can we expect our kids to grow up ? if we 're not old , our offspring , whose complete childhoods we archive in our hearts with four-color illustrations and footnotes , must remain big babies . boomers have established the 2.0 model for self-involvement , enhanced by boasting about our most prized assets , our kids , whose attention we crave , and who all too often exist on a broad plain of entitlement that we 've hired gardeners to maintain if we 're not hoeing and mowing ourselves . in this devil of a job market , many young adults now exist in a cloud of overconfidence with an illusion of endless time . parenthood requires constant renegotiation , which is where boomers often bomb . we remain overinvolved in adultescents'lives , another twist on not wanting to get old . it 's painful for us to recognize that biology 's imperative is for youngsters to manage without parents , and that many life lessons must be learned alone . we ca n't teach kids how to learn to meet deadlines , get along with people and deal with rejection . these are solo projects . opinion : kid , you are not special on the motherhood spectrum , i 've always felt laid-back . after my two sons got college diplomas , each one moved to the opposite coast . roots and wings , i thought . that 's the ticket . but as a son became engaged to marry , i felt an unfamiliar panic . i realized it came from wondering if i 'd done enough to prep my child for the rest of life . did he have a full tool kit to evolve into the world 's most caring , contended man ? had i done my job to see that he was ? cnn profiles : michael thompson on raising independent children tough nuts if he was n't , because the statute of limitations on micromanaging that process was running out . was i ready to let go ? no . but i 'm trying . i worry deeply about peers who wo n't cop to this new job description , although i recognize that it 's harder for parents to let go if adultescents lead lives that appear much the same as 10 years ago , possibly even sleeping in their old bed . nonetheless , it 's up to us to allow adult children to determine their fates . opinion : non , the french are not better moms once kids graduate from college , it 's time to collectively peel off the bumper stickers and remind ourselves the ultimate goal as parents is to stop trying to vaccinate our children against every conceivable catastrophe . the best and most lasting gift we can offer our children is the chance to develop independence so that one day they can teach their own kids to do the same . this means boomers acting like tough coaches , not fairy godparents with an indefatigable ability to solve problems and limitless credit cards : 59 % of people 18 to 39 who are not students receive some financial aid from parents . mothers and fathers should start early , or at least earlier , to give kids a crash course in the diy drudgery -- from tax prep to turkey trussing -- that does n't make it onto school applications and resumes . these are the tasks our country undervalues . and when young adults return to live at home , we need to establish rules as well as time frames for how long stays will last , along with encouraging kids to expand job searches and perhaps take any position until dream jobs come along . parents need to step back for adult children to step forward . with the time we gain by not being a concierge to kids'lives , we can address the brain drain and social tragedy resulting from countless well-educated young adults lingering jobless , especially those who graduated in the dog years of 2007 and 2008 . these adultescents are n't damaged goods . they just look that way to employers , who when they do have a job to fill , prefer a more freshly graduated model . forcing ourselves to back off is no harder than what we expect of our children , whose journeys , i hope , lead them on a path to lasting fulfillment and calling home , often , so that both generations can say i love you . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sally koslow . | koslow : parents need to step back for their adultescent kids to step forward |
apple <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , the gps on your phone or dedicated device can get you from point a to point b on the interstate , frustrating calibrating ... calibrating ... ' moments aside . but a new move in mobile tech is seeing startups who want to help you find the store you 're looking for in the mall , turn around when you 're getting farther from your terminal at the airport or figure out where your friends are in an expansive convention hall . and the big guys of the tech world are taking notice . apple has bought a company called wifislam , a 2-year-old silicon valley-based startup focused on indoor gps , the company has confirmed to the wall street journal and other outlets . the reported price was $ 20 million . that move makes sense for apple , which in the last year has attempted , with varying degrees of success , to go head-to-head with rival google in the mapping space . the last several versions of google maps have included indoor navigation , at least for locations that have been mapped by the computing giant on its expansive database . google says it has mapped more than 10,000 buildings in 13 countries . with the big two going at it , other companies have teamed up . sony , samsung , nokia and others formed the in-location alliance last fall to advance indoor mapping . wifislam , which up until now had been shopping out its system to independent app developers , is one of several startups that are marrying traditional gps coordinates with smartphone tools like accelerometers and compasses to get more precise coordinates . those are the same tools used by fitness-oriented digital pedometers to track the number of steps a user has taken , their speed , the distance they 've climbed and other location-based data . the company claims to be able to pinpoint the user 's location indoors within about 8 feet . most gps features , designed for outdoor travel , can pinpoint the user within about 30 feet . this accuracy will change how you interact with indoor environments , ' co-founder anand atreya , one of the former stanford university students who started wifislam , told the mit technology review in 2011 . think about going to the supermarket . we can provide information relevant to the product right in front of you . ' depending upon the app that 's built on it , the opposite can , of course , be true , too . theoretically , indoor gps could be used to let the grocery store know where you are and digitally shout at you that those bananas in front of you are two bunches for $ 1 today only . like google maps , wifislam and other new indoor navigators require some advance work . someone must have mapped out a building with the tool for it to accurately give a good sense of things in a building . so , presumably , any mapping tool apple offers likely will be available for major locations in major cities first , before spreading elsewhere . i could walk into your building and have wi-fi location working within an hour , ' atreya told the mit review . presumably , a mall , hospital , grocery store or convention center could create its own app using indoor gps . ( but not wifislam 's now . by monday afternoon , virtually its entire official presence online had been scrubbed , including , not surprisingly , its spot in the google play store ) . of course , with any tool designed to track the user 's every move , privacy becomes in issue . google , apple and other tech and web heavyweights like facebook are n't in the business of giving away services ; they need to find a way to make money from them . consumers who want to use such products ca n't expect to get them for free and have complete privacy , loo wee teck , head of consumer electronics research for euromonitor international , told tech blog zdnet . users have to make their own judgment when using them , while companies have to thread a tightrope to ensure they do not enrage the users , ' he said . | apple buy highlights growing indoor gps ' capabilities |
english <tsp> he 's fluent in both english and arabic , and if his college degree in computers is any indication , he has a way with technology . then there 's his interest in radical islam . put it all together , and authorities say former boston resident and u.s. citizen ahmad abousamra could be a good fit inside the isis social media machine that 's become renowned in recent weeks for spewing brutal propaganda across social media -- messages meant both to terrify and recruit westerners . there 's no specific evidence pointing to abousamra 's involvement in the terror group 's social media campaign , but federal investigators think he may have joined the group and is helping with online efforts , a law enforcement official told cnn . abousamra , who holds dual u.s. and syrian citizenship , is wanted by the fbi on terrorism charges issued in 2009 . they include providing material support to terrorists . there 's a $ 50,000 reward for his capture . according to the fbi , abousamra repeatedly traveled to pakistan and yemen seeking military training for the purpose of killing american soldiers overseas . ' he returned to the united states but left after fbi terrorism investigators questioned him . he was last believed to be living in syria , according to the fbi . according to abc , abousamra grew up in boston . his father was a doctor , and he went to a private catholic high school and a public school before attending northeastern university , where he made the dean 's list , according to abc , which cited school officials . showing off its crimes : how isis flaunts its brutality as propaganda isis appears to have a well-funded , well-organized social media and video production effort . its videos are slickly produced , with high production values , experts say . and isis imagery has proven tough to stamp out . twitter lagged behind isis on efforts to remove images of the decapitation of u.s. journalists , cnn national security analyst fran townsend noted . we 've seen propaganda campaigns from al qaeda before , but nothing that acts that quickly in real-time events that 's able to target tactically , and that 's a real concern to american officials , ' she said . juliette kayyem , also a cnn national security analyst , said social media is helping isis , which also calls itself the islamic state , amplify its message . they are a serious threat , and they are using social media to make themselves even bigger in that regard , ' she said . social media battle augments iraq bloodshed cnn exclusive : from glasgow girl to'bedroom radical'and isis bride | he also has a computer degree and is fluent in english and arabic , fbi says |
fbi <tsp> he 's fluent in both english and arabic , and if his college degree in computers is any indication , he has a way with technology . then there 's his interest in radical islam . put it all together , and authorities say former boston resident and u.s. citizen ahmad abousamra could be a good fit inside the isis social media machine that 's become renowned in recent weeks for spewing brutal propaganda across social media -- messages meant both to terrify and recruit westerners . there 's no specific evidence pointing to abousamra 's involvement in the terror group 's social media campaign , but federal investigators think he may have joined the group and is helping with online efforts , a law enforcement official told cnn . abousamra , who holds dual u.s. and syrian citizenship , is wanted by the fbi on terrorism charges issued in 2009 . they include providing material support to terrorists . there 's a $ 50,000 reward for his capture . according to the fbi , abousamra repeatedly traveled to pakistan and yemen seeking military training for the purpose of killing american soldiers overseas . ' he returned to the united states but left after fbi terrorism investigators questioned him . he was last believed to be living in syria , according to the fbi . according to abc , abousamra grew up in boston . his father was a doctor , and he went to a private catholic high school and a public school before attending northeastern university , where he made the dean 's list , according to abc , which cited school officials . showing off its crimes : how isis flaunts its brutality as propaganda isis appears to have a well-funded , well-organized social media and video production effort . its videos are slickly produced , with high production values , experts say . and isis imagery has proven tough to stamp out . twitter lagged behind isis on efforts to remove images of the decapitation of u.s. journalists , cnn national security analyst fran townsend noted . we 've seen propaganda campaigns from al qaeda before , but nothing that acts that quickly in real-time events that 's able to target tactically , and that 's a real concern to american officials , ' she said . juliette kayyem , also a cnn national security analyst , said social media is helping isis , which also calls itself the islamic state , amplify its message . they are a serious threat , and they are using social media to make themselves even bigger in that regard , ' she said . social media battle augments iraq bloodshed cnn exclusive : from glasgow girl to'bedroom radical'and isis bride | he traveled to pakistan and yemen seeking terror training , fbi says |
fbi <tsp> he 's fluent in both english and arabic , and if his college degree in computers is any indication , he has a way with technology . then there 's his interest in radical islam . put it all together , and authorities say former boston resident and u.s. citizen ahmad abousamra could be a good fit inside the isis social media machine that 's become renowned in recent weeks for spewing brutal propaganda across social media -- messages meant both to terrify and recruit westerners . there 's no specific evidence pointing to abousamra 's involvement in the terror group 's social media campaign , but federal investigators think he may have joined the group and is helping with online efforts , a law enforcement official told cnn . abousamra , who holds dual u.s. and syrian citizenship , is wanted by the fbi on terrorism charges issued in 2009 . they include providing material support to terrorists . there 's a $ 50,000 reward for his capture . according to the fbi , abousamra repeatedly traveled to pakistan and yemen seeking military training for the purpose of killing american soldiers overseas . ' he returned to the united states but left after fbi terrorism investigators questioned him . he was last believed to be living in syria , according to the fbi . according to abc , abousamra grew up in boston . his father was a doctor , and he went to a private catholic high school and a public school before attending northeastern university , where he made the dean 's list , according to abc , which cited school officials . showing off its crimes : how isis flaunts its brutality as propaganda isis appears to have a well-funded , well-organized social media and video production effort . its videos are slickly produced , with high production values , experts say . and isis imagery has proven tough to stamp out . twitter lagged behind isis on efforts to remove images of the decapitation of u.s. journalists , cnn national security analyst fran townsend noted . we 've seen propaganda campaigns from al qaeda before , but nothing that acts that quickly in real-time events that 's able to target tactically , and that 's a real concern to american officials , ' she said . juliette kayyem , also a cnn national security analyst , said social media is helping isis , which also calls itself the islamic state , amplify its message . they are a serious threat , and they are using social media to make themselves even bigger in that regard , ' she said . social media battle augments iraq bloodshed cnn exclusive : from glasgow girl to'bedroom radical'and isis bride | he also has a computer degree and is fluent in english and arabic , fbi says |
ukraine <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- averting what could have been another gas crisis across europe , russia and ukraine have fixed a price on natural gas for 2008 while kiev has promised to pay its 2007 gas debts . the last-minute deal mirrored a similar situation in 2006 , when russia briefly cut off gas supplies to ukraine over pricing differences . ukraine is the largest facilitator of natural gas to european union countries , and the disruption caused shortages in western europe . russian president vladimir putin and ukraine president viktor yushchenko announced on tuesday they had reached agreement on the gas issue at a news conference in moscow following their talks . the russian natural gas company , gazprom , had threatened to stop supplying gas to ukraine on monday , then extended the deadline until tuesday evening while talks continued . the two leaders said several other issues between the countries had been resolved , as well . yushchenko said ukraine will pay its gas arrears of 2007 and will be a stable transit supplier to western europe . a final agreement will be signed in the next few days and payment for gas already used will begin shortly , putin said . after the gas cut-off in 2006 , eu leaders called for solutions that would allow the union to avoid being a victim of disputes between russia and other former soviet republics . a consortium of countries banded together to fund the nabucco pipeline , a $ 7.4 billion ( 5 billion euros ) project that will bring gas from turkey 's borders with georgia and iran to turkey , bulgaria , romania , hungary and austria , and then on to central and western europe , according to the nabucco web site . construction is to begin in 2009 on the 3,400-km ( 2,113-mile ) pipeline , and it 's expected to be operational in 2013 . but gazprom , along with italy 's eni , is planning a 900-km ( 560-mile ) pipeline following a similar route to feed into austria and italy , a project that would cost between $ 14.6 billion and $ 17.5 billion ( 10 billion to 12 billion euros ) . last week , the managing director of nabucco gas pipeline international , reinhard mitschek , announced that gazprom may also send gas through the nabucco pipeline . critics say the move would undermine the purpose of the project , which was to reduce european dependence on russian gas . e-mail to a friend | state energy giant gazprom had threatened to stop supplying gas to ukraine |
ukraine <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- averting what could have been another gas crisis across europe , russia and ukraine have fixed a price on natural gas for 2008 while kiev has promised to pay its 2007 gas debts . the last-minute deal mirrored a similar situation in 2006 , when russia briefly cut off gas supplies to ukraine over pricing differences . ukraine is the largest facilitator of natural gas to european union countries , and the disruption caused shortages in western europe . russian president vladimir putin and ukraine president viktor yushchenko announced on tuesday they had reached agreement on the gas issue at a news conference in moscow following their talks . the russian natural gas company , gazprom , had threatened to stop supplying gas to ukraine on monday , then extended the deadline until tuesday evening while talks continued . the two leaders said several other issues between the countries had been resolved , as well . yushchenko said ukraine will pay its gas arrears of 2007 and will be a stable transit supplier to western europe . a final agreement will be signed in the next few days and payment for gas already used will begin shortly , putin said . after the gas cut-off in 2006 , eu leaders called for solutions that would allow the union to avoid being a victim of disputes between russia and other former soviet republics . a consortium of countries banded together to fund the nabucco pipeline , a $ 7.4 billion ( 5 billion euros ) project that will bring gas from turkey 's borders with georgia and iran to turkey , bulgaria , romania , hungary and austria , and then on to central and western europe , according to the nabucco web site . construction is to begin in 2009 on the 3,400-km ( 2,113-mile ) pipeline , and it 's expected to be operational in 2013 . but gazprom , along with italy 's eni , is planning a 900-km ( 560-mile ) pipeline following a similar route to feed into austria and italy , a project that would cost between $ 14.6 billion and $ 17.5 billion ( 10 billion to 12 billion euros ) . last week , the managing director of nabucco gas pipeline international , reinhard mitschek , announced that gazprom may also send gas through the nabucco pipeline . critics say the move would undermine the purpose of the project , which was to reduce european dependence on russian gas . e-mail to a friend | russia and ukraine agree in principle price on natural gas for 2008 |
al-shabaab <tsp> they sent money overseas for orphans ' and brothers in the mountains , ' or for camels , ' according to court records . the justice department alleges that three women arrested wednesday actually directed the money labeled living expenses ' to al-shabaab , an islamist group in somalia designated by the united states as a terrorist organization . arrested in their homes were muna osman jama of reston , virginia ; hinda osman dhirane of kent , washington ; and farhia hassan of the netherlands , according to a justice department statement . two other women named in the indictment are fugitives in kenya and somalia , the statement said . the three arrested were charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and 20 counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization . if convicted , they could face up to 15 years in prison on each count . court records said the operation used code words to disguise the money transfers to somalia and kenya . references to orphans and brothers in the mountains meant the islamic insurgents , and camels referred to trucks . the money transfers often were broken down into small amounts as low as $ 50 or $ 100 , and the funds were intended for use by al-shabaab insurgents operating in somalia , ' according to the court records . the united states designated al-shabaab , an al qaeda-linked militant group , as a foreign terrorist organization in march 2008 . colorado woman accused of trying to help isis texas man pleads guilty to attempting to join isis'jihad in syria | justice department : the operation disguised money transfers to al-shabaab |
hu jintao <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- hu jintao is stepping down this week as the communist party 's general secretary -- the primus inter pares in the party politburo , china 's elite decision-making body . in march next year , he is also expected to hand over his post as china 's state president to his presumptive successor , xi jinping . but is the 69-year-old hu retiring completely ? will he give up all his posts , including chairmanship of the central military commission ( cmc ) , an influential post that oversees major national security and military affairs ? we do n't know if he will step down yet , ' said joseph cheng , professor at city university of hong kong . the party congress is still in the bargaining process . for xi jinping , he needs time to consolidate his power no matter if hu will retire or not . ' the months leading up to the ongoing 18th party congress , which is held once every five years , have brought contentious back-room horse-trading among the party elite , including party chief hu jintao and retired leaders like former president jiang zemin , china analysts say . speculation is rife as to why hu would give up the cmc chair . wenran jiang , a professor at university of alberta in canada , sees two possible reasons . one is that the different forces within the party are intensely locked in negotiations over top appointments and hu steps down in exchange for some personnel or policy arrangements that hu wants . another is possibly a new consensus that the institutional handover of leadership will be straightforward ... this could be either initiated by hu or by a collective decision . ' women breaking china 's glass ceiling ? the factional bargaining will culminate on wednesday , when the party congress closes with the election of a new central committee , a top body of more than 200 party leaders and cadres . the next day , the committee will meet to name a new politburo and its new standing committee -- china 's elite ruling council . it will also choose the new members of the central disciplinary inspection commission , an internal anti-corruption body , and the central military commission ( cmc ) . in theory , the congress delegates and the central committee members have some influence over -- and formally vote on -- leadership decisions . however , the lineup is largely decided among the most powerful party leaders and elders . why is cmc chairmanship important ? it is the highest decision-making body in military affairs and is usually chaired by the communist party chief . its members include the defense minister and top military commanders . the chair of the cmc is one of the most powerful leaders in chinese politics , along with the communist party chief and state president . hu warns party of'enemy within' in the recent past , all three posts have been held by one person . but hu will not be an exception if he decides to cling on to the cmc post after retirement . deng xiaoping kept his cmc chair and used it to exercise considerable power and influence even after he retired . deng 's successor jiang zemin also retained his cmc chair after he handed over top posts to hu jintao in 2002 . however , jiang gave it up to hu in 2004 , apparently due to pressure from party stalwarts and military leaders . only then was hu able to solidify his position as paramount leader . like deng and jiang , analysts say , hu would want to avoid getting relegated into a lame duck position after retirement . at stake for hu is the chance to perpetuate his influence in the leading party bodies and policy-making institutions . it will be a sign of hu 's continued political clout if he stays , but analysts say hu can also ensure that by proxy . even if he retires , he will not retire completely , ' said joseph cheng . he wants to maintain continuity of his influence in the party and in the military . ' how china 's party congress works cheng noted that fan changlong , a regional commander of the people 's liberation army , and xu qiliang , commander of the chinese air force -- both recently appointed to the cmc -- are close to hu . hu has marshaled much of his political capital to promote his top protã©gã© , li keqiang , already in the party 's inner circle and executive vice premier , as potential successor . whether hu can install li ahead of xi jinping , who is regarded as jiang zemin 's choice , is deemed a measure of hu 's strength . li is expected to move to the top , but not as hu 's successor as paramount leader . xi , 59 , was elected last week as the ad hoc secretary general of the congress proceedings , another signal that he is firmly lined up to inherit hu 's top posts . the only question that remains , experts say , is when xi will take up the cmc chairmanship . xi 's position will be enhanced if hu steps down now , ' said wenran jiang . he can assume full institutional power . of course , that will not change the basic dynamics that xi is a team leader in a collective decision-making system . he will have to build consensus for any major policy initiatives . ' such a consensus will be even more important if xi intends to pursue significant political reform measures . | hu jintao preparing to hand over power to presumptive successor , xi jinping |
modern family <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- what 's happening to modern family ? ' earlier this season , the acclaimed abc series was the highest-rated comedy on tv . but cbs'thursday king the big bang theory ' has since climbed to top the weekly chart hitting recent season highs , and modern family has slipped to no . 2 and relinquished its crown . last night 's episode marks a season low for the show , down 10 percent to 10.1 million viewers and a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating . what 's behind the slippage ? well , its abc neighbors sure do n't help much ( or rather , its neighbors ' ) . and modern family ' now has to contend with fox 's american idol , ' which has likely had an impact the past few weeks ( one analyst noted that modern family tends to hit its low point around this time of year ) . of course , big bang ' airs at 8 p.m. so it does n't even have a lead-in , also faces idol , ' plus is an older show . thor 's hammer ? scientist estimates weight perhaps it 's that modern family ' is rather ambitious and creatively complex with a large cast that seeks to work as a comedy with tinges of deeply heartfelt drama †” pulling all that off week after week is huge juggling act . the rest of abc 's lineup had mixed results . the middle ' was down 8 percent . the neighbors ' was up 13 percent and suburgatory ' went up 17 percent ( thanks to modern family not running a repeat this week ) . kristen stewart sizes up'big shoe'role on cbs , criminal minds ' tied its series low ; csi ' dropped 8 percent despite airing its well-promoted csi : ny ' cross-over episode . fox 's idol ' led the night yet fell 16 percent for the start of hollywood rounds . nbc was largely down about 10 percent except guys with kids ' which fluxed up a tenth . on the cw , arrow ' rose a notch and supernatural ' was flat . see the original article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | earlier this season , abc 's modern family ' was the highest-rated comedy on tv |
modern family <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- what 's happening to modern family ? ' earlier this season , the acclaimed abc series was the highest-rated comedy on tv . but cbs'thursday king the big bang theory ' has since climbed to top the weekly chart hitting recent season highs , and modern family has slipped to no . 2 and relinquished its crown . last night 's episode marks a season low for the show , down 10 percent to 10.1 million viewers and a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating . what 's behind the slippage ? well , its abc neighbors sure do n't help much ( or rather , its neighbors ' ) . and modern family ' now has to contend with fox 's american idol , ' which has likely had an impact the past few weeks ( one analyst noted that modern family tends to hit its low point around this time of year ) . of course , big bang ' airs at 8 p.m. so it does n't even have a lead-in , also faces idol , ' plus is an older show . thor 's hammer ? scientist estimates weight perhaps it 's that modern family ' is rather ambitious and creatively complex with a large cast that seeks to work as a comedy with tinges of deeply heartfelt drama †” pulling all that off week after week is huge juggling act . the rest of abc 's lineup had mixed results . the middle ' was down 8 percent . the neighbors ' was up 13 percent and suburgatory ' went up 17 percent ( thanks to modern family not running a repeat this week ) . kristen stewart sizes up'big shoe'role on cbs , criminal minds ' tied its series low ; csi ' dropped 8 percent despite airing its well-promoted csi : ny ' cross-over episode . fox 's idol ' led the night yet fell 16 percent for the start of hollywood rounds . nbc was largely down about 10 percent except guys with kids ' which fluxed up a tenth . on the cw , arrow ' rose a notch and supernatural ' was flat . see the original article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | last night 's episode marks a season low for modern family ' |
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