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Seattle , Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Investigators searching for the suspected killer of four Seattle-area police officers have rounded up several of his relatives and friends to keep them from helping him escape , a sheriff 's spokesman said Monday . Police have brought in five or six relatives and other acquaintances of Maurice Clemmons , `` and we expect that number to grow , '' Pierce County Sheriff 's Department spokesman Ed Troyer said . Some of Clemmons ' family and friends have been trying to help him elude police and seek treatment for a gunshot wound , and they have tried to divert investigators by calling in false leads , he said . `` What we 're going to do is eliminate those people , so he 'll have no place to go , '' Troyer told CNN . A raid in the southern Seattle suburb of Renton late Monday was aimed at cutting off Clemmons from that support network , he said . Clemmons , 37 , is an ex-convict with a long rap sheet in Washington and Arkansas , according to authorities and documents . He is wanted in what police called the ambush-style killing of four police officers from Lakewood , near Tacoma , about 40 miles south of Seattle . Witnesses say Clemmons was shot in the torso during the Sunday morning attack , and blood and gauze bandages were found in a truck linked to Clemmons , Troyer said . The sheriff 's department said associates who refuse to cooperate with the investigation could face criminal charges . Clemmons is thought to have slipped away from a home in Seattle 's Leschi neighborhood Sunday night , before police surrounded the residence for about 12 hours . He was not found in the home when the investigators moved in Monday morning , Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel told reporters . His escape was `` an unlucky thing for us , and a lucky thing for him , '' Troyer said Monday night . `` But his luck 's going to run out , because he does n't have people to help him do that any more . '' The slain officers , three men and a woman , were killed at a coffee shop in Parkland , a suburb of Tacoma . Early Monday , authorities started identifying Clemmons as a suspect , rather than as someone wanted for questioning . The night before the shootings , Clemmons had threatened to kill police officers , but witnesses did not report those threats until after the slayings , Troyer said on ABC 's `` Good Morning America . '' Clemmons was accused of child rape and assaulting a police officer in May . He had been released on $ 150,000 bond five days before the shootings , according to court records . After his arrest , Clemmons ' sister told police that he `` had not been himself lately '' and that his behavior was `` unpredictable and erratic . '' `` He had said that the Secret Service was coming to get him because he had written a letter to the president , '' an affidavit quoted her as telling investigators . In addition , neighbors had complained that he had been throwing rocks through their windows . Clemmons ' wife told deputies that she and her husband had argued over a `` newly discovered child , '' and she suggested that was why he went on his rock-throwing spree , according to an arrest affidavit . In 2000 , then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted a 95-year prison sentence for Clemmons , according to documents from the Arkansas Department of Community Correction . He returned to prison in 2001 but was paroled in 2004 . `` Should he be found responsible for this horrible tragedy , it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state , '' Huckabee 's office said in a statement Sunday night . During his 2008 presidential bid , Huckabee was criticized for granting clemency to another inmate , convicted rapist Wayne DuMond , who was later convicted of raping and murdering a woman in Missouri . Huckabee 's statement brought a sharp response from Troyer on Monday . `` We 're disappointed that Gov. Huckabee came out in the middle of the night without calling anybody here and blamed this on the criminal justice system in the state of Washington , '' Troyer said . `` We 're guessing that 's probably a spin doctor , not him . '' Sunday 's shooting was the first for the Lakewood police department , which was created five years ago for the town of nearly 60,000 . Until then , the Pierce County Sheriff 's Department provided law-enforcement services there . The slain officers were identified as Sgt. Mark Renninger , 39 ; Officer Ronald Owens , 37 ; Officer Tina Griswold , 40 ; and Officer Greg Richards , 42 . All of them were parents and had been with the department since its inception . `` My worst nightmare has come true , '' Tiffany Ryan , Griswold 's sister , told reporters . `` I ca n't tell you how painful it is to lose my sister . '' Police Chief Bret Farrar told reporters Monday that he has repeatedly been asked how the city 's officers are doing . `` This is how everybody 's doing , '' Farrar said , gesturing to the police force standing behind him . `` They 're here . They 're doing their jobs . They 're working hard . They 're dealing with their loss . ... We 're here to carry on . This is what we do . '' The four officers `` were good people , '' Farrar said , fighting to maintain his composure . `` They were great officers , and we will all miss them very much . '' The Lakewood Independent Police Guild is accepting donations for the officers ' families , said guild president and Lakewood police officer Brian Wurts . Contributions have poured in from as far away as Switzerland , he said . `` I ca n't believe he was out on the street , '' Wurts said of the suspect . `` If they want to rehabilitate them , you can rehabilitate them -- but you rehabilitate them in prison , where they 're supposed to be , '' he added . `` This guy should have never been on the street . '' The coffee shop on Steele Street is a popular hangout for law enforcement officers and is one of 22 Forza Coffee Company locations in Washington . The company 's CEO , Brad Carpenter , is a retired police officer . In a statement on the company Web site , he said the shooting `` hits extremely close to home to me . '' Police said the gunman walked past the officers to the counter as if to order , then pulled a gun out of his coat and began shooting at 8:15 a.m. Sunday . Two of the officers were `` executed '' as they sat at a table , Troyer said . Another was shot when he stood up , and the fourth was shot after struggling with the gunman all the way out the door , Troyer said . All were in uniform , with their marked patrol cars parked outside . Two baristas and other customers inside the shop were unharmed . `` Just the law enforcement officers were targeted , '' Troyer said . CNN 's Patrick Oppmann , Dan Simon , Dave Alsup , Dina Majoli and Matt Smith contributed to this report . | Police round up relatives , friends of suspect to keep them from helping him escape . Maurice Clemmons , 37 , is sought in the shooting deaths of 4 officers in coffee shop . Police : Some of Clemmons ' family , friends have been trying to help him elude police . Clemmons is an ex-convict with a long rap sheet in Washington and Arkansas . | [[0, 7], [10, 36], [92, 215], [255, 343], [451, 569], [40, 125], [1019, 1166], [1952, 1972], [1989, 2037], [255, 343], [451, 569], [894, 902], [910, 975]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A beloved giant panda will leave for China early next year to the disappointment of millions of fans in the United States . Washington 's National Zoo will say goodbye to 4-year-old Tai Shan as he makes his way to a breeding base in southwestern China . He 'll leave during the first quarter of 2010 , according to the zoo and Chinese state-run media . Tai Shan -- on loan from China -- was born at the National Zoo to pandas that also are borrowed from China . His father , 11-year-old Tian Tian , and his mother , 10-year-old Mei Xiang , are due in China in December 2010 , according to the Xinhua news agency . `` While we 're proud to send off a healthy panda to be part of China 's breeding program , we will indeed miss him dearly , '' the National Zoo 's Web site said of Tai Shan . He has more growing to do , however . `` Although Tai Shan has the build of a grownup male panda , we still have to wait for about two years before it is sexually mature , '' said Li Desheng , deputy director of the management office of the Wolong National Natural Reserve in Sichuan province , according to Xinhua . Tai Shan will never be released into the wild , but there is the hope that his offspring could be , the National Zoo said . `` Since we partnered with them 10 years ago , the Chinese have more than doubled their cub production , which means they 're about to reach the significant goal of having 300 pandas in captivity , '' the zoo said on its Web site . `` By reaching the target of 300 pandas , collectively we will ensure that the giant panda in captivity is demographically and genetically secure . It will be a huge conservation achievement . '' The United States has 13 pandas on loan from China , according to Xinhua . The three in Washington and one each in Atlanta , Georgia , and San Diego , California , are due to return to China next year . Though Tai Shan has lived in Washington , his fans have followed him online for years , via the National Zoo 's Pandacam . They 've oohed and aahed as he 's frolicked , had milestone exams and grown -- from less than 2 pounds at birth to more than 200 pounds at his peak weight . | Washington 's National Zoo will lose panda in 2010 . Tai Shan was born to pandas who were also on loan from China . Tai Shan is being sent to a breeding base in southwest China . China nearing goal of having 300 pandas in captivity . | [[383, 391], [408, 455], [446, 460], [466, 491], [154, 283], [224, 283], [1343, 1363], [1372, 1456], [1494, 1532]] |
Below is an essay written by Steven Stanton 's son Travis after he learned that his father was going to become a woman . The story of his father 's transformation can be seen on `` Her Name Was Steven '' at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday on CNN . Throughout my whole life , I thought my dad was a really tough guy . He went out with the cops and busted bad guys . He shot guns , fought fires , he was an aggressive driver , and he liked football and lots of sports . Then , one day my thoughts changed about him when we had a family meeting and he told me how he felt about himself . He said he felt like a woman on the inside and was going to change into one . He said he tried his best to be a manly guy , but he could n't stop his feelings to become a girl . I was very surprised to hear this . At first , I thought I was in a dream . It was very hard to believe such a thing . I thought he was a 100 % manly man , like more manly than most guys . After a few days , I thought about it . I knew he was making the right choice to become a girl . Although I ca n't relate to his feelings , it must be really hard to hide something like that . It would be like having one million dollars and not being able to spend it . After just so long , your feelings would take over and spend it . Now , though , I am very proud of my dad . Read Travis ' response to some viewer questions about his father . After I saw him , and saw that inside he was the same dad as he always was : he still likes football , he still likes to be an aggressive driver . He is still the same person , but just different on the outside . I am very happy for him now that he is who he wants to be . I think that everyone should be who they are and not try to be the same as other people . If you ask me , this has got to be the manliest thing he has done in his whole life . It takes a real man to come out of your shell and say , `` hey , I am who I am '' and take the responsibility of doing that . In conclusion , I thought my dad was a man , like , gender wise , but now he is who he is meant to be . He is himself . | Travis Stanton is son of Susan Stanton , who underwent sex-change operation . Travis says he 's happy for his father . Watch `` Her Name Was Steven '' at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday on CNN . | [[1605, 1628], [121, 241], [181, 203]] |
-LRB- The Frisky -RRB- -- When you 're in a relationship -- and have been for quite some time -- you and your love bird are bound to have gone on all the usual dates many , many times over . So for Valentine 's Day this year , do n't visit the restaurant the two of you eat at on a regular night and order the usual . We gathered romantic spots from around the country , along with some ideas that 'll work wherever you live , to help you plan a memorable day -LRB- and night -RRB- together . Because even though there 's a lot of emphasis on buying presents that are pink , red , and covered in hearts and roses , Valentine 's Day is about showing how much you appreciate your honey . Spend the day enjoying each other 's company and think of the rest as trimmings . Phoenix , Arizona . For great food , delicious wine , and a hip , sexy atmosphere , visit Postino Winecafé . But do n't eat too much ! You 'll want to save room for dessert at La Grande Orange Grocery next door . Pop over some for decadent , gourmet goodies before heading back to your love nest . Postino Winecafé , 3939 East Campbell Ave. , 602-852-3939 . La Grande Orange Grocery , 4410 N 40th St. , 602-840-7777 . New Orleans , Louisiana . There are plenty of romantic restaurants in New Orleans . In fact , almost everything in NOLA is swoon-worthy , save for Bourbon Street at 3 a.m. Feelings Cafe is singular for both its ambiance and location . The piano bar is dimly lit , so it 's obviously got that going for it , and it also features delicious food and an intimate courtyard festooned by plants , a fountain , and fairy lights . But perhaps its most attractive quality is that it 's hidden in the Fauberg Marigny , which is a lovely , picturesque neighborhood around the Bywater area that 's close enough to walk to from the French Quarter , but far enough away to weed out the tourists . Feelings Cafe , 2600 Chartres St. , 504-945-2222 . San Francisco , California . The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is an under-appreciated romantic gem located in Golden Gate Park . Built in 1879 , it 's the oldest building in Golden Gate Park , and the grounds around it are perfect for taking a daytime stroll while holding hands , of course . San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers , Golden Gate Park , 100 John F. Kennedy Drive , 415-831-2090 . The Frisky : Goodwill wants your relationship baggage . Chicago , Illinois . The Green Mill , a jazz bar on the north side where Al Capone 's henchman hung out in the '20s , is full of history and has sexy lighting , great music , and does n't really get going until well after dark . Green Mill Jazz Club , 4802 N Broadway Ave. , 773-878-5552 . Providence , Rhode Island . If you 're the type who believes food is the ultimate aphrodisiac , Al Forno is the place to get you in the mood . Rhode Islanders and weekenders from all over the Eastern seaboard travel to come sample their how-do-they-do-it grilled pizza , which rivals any of the best pies in New York City . Because the wait is usually long , here 's a trick : Put your name on the wait list and travel across the street for a drink at the Hot Club , which overlooks the water . Al Forno , 577 S Main St. , 401-273-9760 . Hot Club , 575 S Water St. , 401-861-9007 . Reno , Nevada . In a city that built its reputation on quickie divorces and casinos , it 's best to avoid tourist destinations and romantic casino packages for a memorable date . Reno has an attraction that 's getting harder to find across the country : a drive-in movie theater . The El Rancho , which opened in 1971 , is one of two drive-ins in the state . While you can pick up a tub of popcorn or a hamburger at the concession stand , part of the fun is packing food that you would n't be allowed to enjoy if you went to the local multiplex . El Rancho Drive-In , 555 El Rancho Drive , 775-358-6920 . Chapel Hill , North Carolina . The bar at Lantern Restaurant is dimly lit and sexy with brocade wallpaper . Make your way through the main restaurant or cut through the alley for the direct entrance . Plus , you can order delicious Asian fusion appetizers . Lantern Restaurant , 423 W. Franklin St. , 919-969-8846 . The Frisky : What woman are really saying with their clothes . Mobile , Alabama . Since the last century , downtown Dauphin Street has been vibrating with the musical sounds of Mobile . You 'll hear jazz , rock and country tunes filling the night air . A favorite spot for lovers around the corner from Dauphin Street is the Blind Mule , which features interesting new artists and taste bud-tingling Southern food . The Blind Mule , 57 N. Claiborne St. , 251-694-6853 . New York , New York . While the cocktails at the Bowery Hotel are n't cheap -LRB- around $ 10 - $ 20 -RRB- , it 's a small price to pay to sit in one of the most gorgeous hotel lobbies in Manhattan . Lush Persian rugs , Art Deco touches , and rich mahogany and leather furnishings lend the place a unique kind of hunter 's - lodge-in-Morocco feel , and there 's nothing dreamier than sipping hot spiced wine beside the cozy fireplace . The Bowery Hotel , 335 Bowery , 212-505-9100 . The Frisky : When is the ideal time to get married ? London , England . The most obvious way to express love is physically , with hugs , kisses , and other good stuff , but on the London National Gallery 's special Valentine 's Day tour at 4 p.m. , you and your honey will see how love has been depicted with a paintbrush . National Gallery Love Tour , Trafalgar Square , 020 7747 2885 . Paris , France . Le Petit Prince de Paris is a cozy restaurant on a super quiet street with some of the best food in Paris . The rich red interior provides a lush background for inspiring feelings of l'amour . Le Petit Prince de Paris , 12 , rue de Lanneau , 01 43 54 77 26 . The Frisky : The power of first loves . Places to go anywhere . 1 . Get out of the house : Go ice skating , take a walk , or swim in the ocean . You spend a lot of time indoors in your day-to-day life , so enjoying the outdoors -LRB- and each other 's company -RRB- will feel different and special . 2 . Learn something : Shared experiences are a lot of what makes a relationship . Visit a museum , check out an art gallery , or go to a reading . You might discover new things about each other as you pick up some new knowledge . 3 . Test-drive a hobby : Instead of spending another night cuddling on the couch , watching reruns of `` The Biggest Loser , '' try out a new activity . The two of you could even pick up a pastime that you 'll continue beyond Valentine 's Day . 4 . Relive the past : Stop by the dive bar that was the site of your first date or another relationship-related location , but only if you have n't been there in ages . It 'll help you remember the early feelings of excitement and pull you out of the rut of familiarity that 's developed . 5 . Celebrate with friends : We put a lot of emphasis on couples in February , but friendships enhance relationships . Toast your significant other in the company of intimates with a dinner celebration full of shared stories and laughter . TM & © 2010 TMV , Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | A list of 13 romantic spots and ideas that 'll work wherever you live . San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is an under-appreciated romantic gem . Relive the past by stopping by the site of your first date . Try a new activity that you could continue beyond Valentine 's Day . | [[318, 368], [382, 392], [398, 424], [1949, 2057], [1994, 2057], [6569, 6584], [6445, 6472], [6473, 6564], [6522, 6564]] |
-LRB- Reader 's Digest -RRB- -- What causes the greatest amount of `` green guilt '' across the globe ? Not recycling enough was the number one response in 9 out of 15 countries surveyed , followed by wasting water . A new global `` Around the World '' poll , conducted by Reader 's Digest and published in all of its 50 April editions worldwide , found that Brazil was the country where the largest number -LRB- 42 percent -RRB- polled said they feel guilty about not recycling enough , followed by Malaysia and Russia -LRB- both 40 percent -RRB- , China and the Netherlands -LRB- both 35 percent -RRB- , and France -LRB- 31 percent -RRB- . The United States and the Philippines -LRB- both 30 percent -RRB- ranked below them . The most guilt in the survey was felt by the water-worried Spaniards . Cosme Ojeda , editor of Reader 's Digest Spain , says , `` In our arid country , we are all aware of the lack of water every day . '' India -LRB- 39 percent -RRB- and Italy -LRB- 30 percent -RRB- ranked behind them , but it was also their biggest concern . Cristian Arratia , 28 , of Blue Mountains , Australia , told the magazine , `` I do stupid things like running the tap while I brush my teeth . '' The United States , which has the highest number of motor vehicles per capita of any nation on earth -LRB- 844 per 1,000 people -RRB- , also felt guilty about driving too much , according to 30 percent of Americans polled . Fran Musetti , 58 , of Clovis , California , said , `` Our society has become too rushed , and that 's why we drive everywhere . '' | Not recycling enough was the number one response in 9 out of 15 countries surveyed . Brazil -LRB- 42 percent -RRB- had the highest number of people feeling guilty about recycling . 30 percent of people in the U.S. feel guilty about driving . | [[104, 177], [165, 186], [189, 197], [359, 622], [1203, 1220], [1344, 1378], [1203, 1220], [1381, 1426]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At first glance of Friday 's Los Angeles Times , you might think the Mad Hatter has taken over the newspaper . Johnny Depp 's colorful character in Disney 's new film `` Alice in Wonderland '' dominates a faked front page , which includes the paper 's traditional flag and two stories that appeared in the paper last month . Los Angeles Times spokesman John Conroy said the `` cover-wrap '' was an `` unusual opportunity to stretch the usual boundaries and design an innovative ad designed to create buzz . '' Roy Peter Clark , a senior journalism scholar at the Poynter Institute , said tough economic times and lower ads sales have forced newspapers to tear down the ethics wall that separated a paper 's front page from advertisers . `` The wall became in recent years a fence , but the Los Angeles Times has created a swinging gate , '' Clark said . `` What offends my traditional sensibilities is the notion that you would be willing to deceive the reader into thinking that this was the actual front page , '' Clark said . Although Conroy said readers would not be confused by the fake front , several journalists in CNN 's Los Angeles bureau did not immediately realize that the real front page was inside . A Times reader who works for a movie marketing company in Hollywood said he felt deceived by the ad . He asked not to be identified because his company , which was not involved in the Disney campaign , deals with the newspaper . `` We propose these kinds of ads all the time but have never gotten them approved , '' he said . `` I do n't always agree with what we do . '' He estimated that the ad would cost `` well over $ 100,000 . '' Conroy would not disclose the price , but he said , `` Our front page section is our most valued real estate . The ad was priced accordingly . '' The use of real newspaper stories , published previously in the newspaper , to make the ad appear to be a real front page is another issue , Clark said . `` I 'm particularly nervous about them running fake stories that are really real stories , '' he said . `` That seems like a misappropriation of the journalism in the newspaper . '' An online search revealed that the article on the left column -- headlined `` To take reins on health proposal '' -- was a slightly altered version of a story written by Tribune Co. . Washington reporter Noam Levey . It was published February 18 . The second article , appearing on the right column of the Disney ad , was headlined `` Major Afghan Figure Caught . '' The original story was published February 19 , with the bylines of Times foreign correspondent Laura King and Moscow bureau chief Alex Rodriguez . `` If I had written one of those stories , I would be pissed , '' Clark said . CNN has received no response from e-mails and calls to the three journalists . Although they may not be pleased with their work being used in a movie ad -- without the byline -- they have jobs while many of their co-workers have been laid off . The Tribune Publishing Co. , the paper 's parent , has ordered several rounds of staff cuts at its newspapers and bureau in recent years . Some have left in protest of changes in editorial practices aimed at boosting revenue , Clark said . `` There 's been one editor after another that 's walked out the door because they did n't want to cave in to pressure from the top to do the wrong thing , '' Clark said . What he might have objected to five years ago , he could now accept it helps papers survive , Clark said . But not if it confuses editorial content with ads , he said . `` Every time I see a big ad in my local newspaper I send up a little cheer , '' he said . When HBO paid the newspaper for a wrap-around ad last summer , for the vampire series `` True Blood , '' it was not mixed with the flag or editorial content . The Los Angeles Times drew criticism in April when it sold NBC the right column of its front page , where a lead story is normally placed . The network used the space to advertise the debut of its `` Southland '' series . | Los Angeles Times ' `` Alice in Wonderland '' ad uses two real stories published last month . Tough economy forces newspapers to tear down ethics wall , expert says . One estimate has ad costing more than $ 100,000 . | [[317, 328], [334, 368], [1841, 1874], [1877, 1914], [554, 569], [627, 695], [653, 724], [685, 780], [1631, 1691], [1649, 1691]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A New York judge Friday postponed a decision on a proposed $ 657 million settlement for people who became ill after working on the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 terrorist attacks . The settlement , announced Thursday , would cover about 10,000 plaintiffs , said Marc Bern , one of the lawyers representing the workers . The postponement appeared to take attorneys -- and Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- by surprise . Attorneys for both sides and the mayor earlier made statements assuming the proposal would be approved by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein . The judge is particularly interested in making sure the attorneys ' cut of the settlement is equitable for all parties . `` This will not be a giveaway , '' Hellerstein said Friday . `` This will be a fair and just settlement . '' Christine LaSala , president of WTC Captive Insurance Co. , which announced the settlement , repeated after the judge 's announcement a statement issued Thursday night . `` This agreement enables workers and volunteers claiming injury from the WTC site operations to obtain compensation commensurate with the nature of their injuries and the strength of their claims , while offering added protection against possible future illness , '' she said . The agreement comes after six years of legal wrangling -- a sometimes excruciating wait for his clients , Bern said . Many of his clients worked rescuing victims from the terrorist attacks or removing debris after the World Trade Center toppled . After the work , some found their health deteriorated , with many suffering from asthma , other respiratory issues and blood cancer , Bern told CNN Radio . `` I am quite gratified that we been able to reach a settlement for the heroes of 9/11 , '' said Bern . `` The men and women who were exposed at the site have waited a long time for some type of resolution . '' The WTC Captive Insurance Co. announced the settlement on Thursday . `` This agreement enables workers and volunteers claiming injury from the WTC site operations to obtain compensation commensurate with the nature of their injuries and the strength of their claims , while offering added protection against possible future illness , '' the organization said in a statement . WTC Captive was created with a $ 1 billion FEMA grant and provides insurance coverage to the City of New York and its debris-removal contractors . In the aftermath of 9/11 , New York was unable to get adequate amounts of liability insurance for the rescue , recovery and debris-removal work done at the World Trade Center site . The settlement would provide a system to pay for the compensation of the injury claims made by workers . This would include construction workers , firefighters , police officers and other workers and volunteers . The settlement would also fund a special insurance policy , which provides additional compensation to any plaintiff contracting certain types of cancer in the future . The settlement agreement will be presented to a judge Friday morning who then could give preliminary approval of it by afternoon , Bern said . If the judge gives his OK , Bern 's law firm will send letters to the plaintiffs to tell them what money they are eligible for . `` The payments could range from thousands of dollars to nearly $ 2 million for clients , '' Bern said . In order to make a claim , plaintiffs will have to submit proof they were present and participated in the post-9 / 11 efforts . They will also have to present specific medical documentation , including a diagnosis confirming their illness or injury . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said of the resolution , `` This settlement is a fair and reasonable resolution to a complex set of circumstances . Since September 11th , the city has moved aggressively to provide medical treatment to those who were present at Ground Zero , and we will continue our commitment to treatment and monitoring . '' A spokesman for the mayor declined further comment . After the 9/11 attacks , individuals who worked or volunteered in the rescue , recovery and debris-removal project were entitled to and have received free medical care , which has been funded by the City of New York and the federal government . Participating in the settlement would not deter access to that care . Former New York firefighter Kenny Specht told CNN 's Campbell Brown , `` You really ca n't put a price on your health , so I hope that this settlement was done the right way and I hope that it was done with people 's health and safety and future in mind . '' Specht , 37 , was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2008 . CNN 's Jamie Guzzardo and Patty Lane contributed to this report . | NEW : . WTC Captive Insurance Co. announced settlements with more than 10,000 plaintiffs . WTC Captive provides coverage to the city and its debris-removal contractors . Settlement would provide system to pay for compensation of injury claims . | [[218, 232], [245, 253], [256, 291], [858, 883], [892, 916], [1889, 1957], [2265, 2276], [2323, 2411], [2594, 2680]] |
Paris , France -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- France has denied citizenship to a man because he allegedly forced his wife to wear a full Islamic veil , the French immigration minister said in a statement Wednesday . The man was applying for citizenship in order to join his French wife in France , Immigration Minister Eric Besson said . The man was refused citizenship because he was depriving his wife of the liberty to come and go with her face uncovered , Besson said . The decision , made Tuesday , came exactly a week after a French parliamentary commission recommended a partial ban on any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa , the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women . The ban -- which has not yet come up for a vote -- would apply in public places like hospitals and schools , and on public transport , the commission announced . Foreigners may become French citizens if they marry French nationals and meet certain criteria , including integrating well in French society and having `` good morality , '' Besson said . It is on the criteria of morality that the man 's citizenship request was denied , Besson said . `` This individual imposes the full veil upon his wife , does not allow her the freedom to go and come as she pleases , and bans her from going out with her face unveiled , and rejects the principles of secularism and equality between man and woman , '' Besson said he told President Nicolas Sarkozy . France 's top court denied a Moroccan woman 's naturalization request in 2008 on the grounds that she wore a burqa . Sarkozy controversially told lawmakers six months ago that the traditional Muslim burqa was `` not welcome '' in France . He said the issue is one of a woman 's freedom and dignity , and did not have to do with religion . France has relatively tight controls on religion , according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life . It has among the most severe government restrictions on religion in Western Europe , as well as some of the highest levels of social tension involving religion , Pew senior researcher Brian Grim told CNN . More than half of French people support a full ban veils , according to a recent opinion poll . The Ipsos poll for Le Point magazine found 57 percent of French people said it should be illegal to appear in public wearing clothes that cover the face . That 's despite government estimates that fewer than 2,000 women in the country actually wear the full Islamic veil . France has about 3.5 million Muslims , representing about 6 percent of the population , according to Pew Forum research . The country does not collect its own statistics on religion in accordance with laws enshrining France 's status as a secular state . France already has a law against Muslim girls wearing headscarves in state schools . It sparked widespread Muslim protests when the French Parliament passed the law in 2004 , even though the law also bans other conspicuous religious symbols including Sikh turbans , large Christian crucifixes and Jewish skull caps . CNN 's Jessica Hartogs in London , England , contributed to this report . | Immigration Minister says man denied wife liberty of coming going with face uncovered . France is scheduled to vote on whether to ban full veils . France denied a Moroccan woman 's naturalization request in 2008 on the because she wore a burqa . | [[286, 325], [366, 414], [1135, 1153], [1192, 1252], [1259, 1305], [1437, 1521], [1535, 1553]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Maoist group has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Hindu leader , whose death sparked a wave of Hindu-Christian riots in southern India . Indian nuns protest against the recent violence which has seen Christians attacked . Sabyasachi Panda , the head of the Communist Party of India-Maoist , told reporters of two private television stations that his group was behind the Hindu leader 's death , the country 's national news agency said Sunday . The leader , Laxmananda Saraswati , preached the tenets of Hinduism to the tribal people of the state . And Panda said Maoists had earlier warned him to desist from `` such works '' or face consequences , PTI said . Panda said the Maoists killed Saraswati because he was `` spreading social unrest '' in the tribal area , the news agency said . The Indian government has consistently claimed the shooting death may have been the work of Maoist rebels . But hardline Hindu groups blamed the state 's Christian minority for Saraswati 's death . He and four others were killed in August when 20 to 30 gunmen barged into a Hindu school and began shooting . Afterward , police arrested five Christians as suspects in the case . The hardliners held up the arrests as proof of Christian complicity . They took to the streets in anger , rampaging through predominantly Christian neighborhoods , ransacking shops and torching houses . A Christian orphanage was set on fire . A 20-year-old woman , who was teaching children inside , burned to death . Christian resident fought back , and the clashes spread . The communal violence left churches and temples razed to the ground . More than 20 people died , and hundreds were arrested . Even after the Maoists ' claim of responsibility , some fundamentalist Hindu groups blamed Christians for the death . The hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad , or World Hindu Council rejected the claim saying the communist group -- known as ` Naxals ' -- did not have a religious agenda . `` Have the Maoists started fighting in the name of God now ? '' VHP leader Subansh Chauhan was quoted as saying by CNN-IBN , CNN 's sister network . The rebels , who claim to be fighting for the poor and the dispossessed , have been battling the government in an insurgency that has resulted in thousands of casualties since the late 1960s . Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called Naxalism India 's biggest security threat . Last year , more than 800 people were killed in Naxal-related violence across the country , according to local media reports . CNN 's Bharati Naik contributed to this report . | Maoist group claims responsibility for killing of Hindu leader . His death sparked a wave of Hindu-Christian riots in southern India . India 's PM has called the Maoists the country 's biggest security threat . | [[0, 9], [37, 112], [396, 442], [879, 947], [98, 112], [127, 186], [2347, 2438]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Space shuttle Atlantis launched Monday afternoon to deliver key spare parts to prolong the life of the International Space Station . The shuttle lifted off as scheduled , at 2:28 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral . The delivery will add years to the station 's life after the space shuttle fleet is retired next year , according to NASA . Monday 's launch is among six planned before then . `` You 'll see this theme in some of the flights that are going to come after ours as well , '' said Brian Smith , the lead space station flight director for the 11-day mission . `` This flight is all about spares . Basically , we 're getting them up there while we still can . '' Some parts are for systems that keep the station from overheating or tumbling through space , according to NASA . `` We 're taking the big ones , '' Smith said . `` And not only are they the big ones -- they 're the ones deemed most critical . That 's why they 're going up first . '' The six-member crew will return to Earth with flight engineer Nicole Stott , who launched in August . CNN iReport : Share your photos , video of shuttle launch . The mission also will include three spacewalks and installation of two platforms to the station 's backbone . The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station operations after the shuttles are discontinued . `` As the only vehicle large enough to carry many of the big pieces of equipment into space , several of the flights are devoted to the task , '' NASA said . iReporter attends NASA `` Tweet-up '' Other items set for delivery include nitrogen and ammonia tank assemblies , a high-pressure gas tank and the station 's robotic arm . The tanks help cool and pressurize the station . | NEW : The Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off Monday on schedule at 2:28 p.m. ET . Shuttle launched on schedule from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral . The delivery of key spare parts will add years to the space station 's life . The space shuttle fleet is to be retired next year . | [[0, 15], [19, 151], [152, 187], [190, 235], [152, 187], [190, 235], [0, 15], [19, 151], [258, 338], [315, 359]] |
-LRB- CareerBuilder.com -RRB- -- Are you an online enthusiast ? The dictionary does n't have a definition for it just yet , but if it were to exist , I suspect it would look something like this : . Internet enthusiast -LRB- n -RRB- : 1 . One whose hand has molded to fit the contour of the computer mouse ; 2 . One who feels energized by the glow of a computer screen in much the same way a fresh cup of coffee makes most people feel in the morning ; 3 . One who dreads going to sleep because he or she is unable to go online for eight hours . Is this you ? Do you hate the fact that your job gets in the way of your Internet activity ? Perhaps you do n't let that stop you from surfing the Web during the day and praying the boss wo n't catch you . Whatever the situation may be , you might be better off at a different job . Say , a job where you 're paid for your love of everything online . Maybe you need help weaning yourself off of the computer , but until your friends and family stage an intervention , you should consider one of these `` webtastic '' jobs . Branding consultant . Branding is a buzzword that has worked its way into the permanent lexicon . Companies , organizations and individuals want to have a brand -- an identity that customers instantly recognize and respond to positively . Much of that branding is formed online via ad campaigns , press and customer interaction . Branding consultants help companies identify what type of brand they want . They then help create it and keep it consistent through all outlets . They know the likes and dislikes of their target audience so they try to be in front of them as much as possible to get exposure and gauge their reactions . The placement of banner ads , the spread of viral videos and other places you see a company 's advertisements are the results of branding consultants ' efforts . Public relations director . The world of PR is busy and ever-changing . In fact , what you do as a public relations specialist or director depends on the organization in which you work . What is the same everywhere is the need to monitor what type of media attention you 're getting and employ damage control if necessary . Directors give interviews online , in print , on radio and on TV to speak on the company 's behalf . They stay on message so the company presents a cohesive voice at all times . Directors also monitor what publications and critics , both online and offline , are saying about the company and are prepared to respond to all inquiries that come their way . Recruiter . The Internet has been changing industries for more than a decade . Recruiting has also experienced a shift , mostly due to networking sites . Sites where people can post their education history , work experience and skills are ripe for recruiters who need to find new talent . By logging on to a social network , they have access to thousands of potential employees at the click of their mouse . Of course , good recruiters want the right candidate , so they spend hours scouring different networks to find the most qualified individuals . Social media consultant . Social media is still relatively new in the business world , as is this position . In some companies , a social media consultant is a busy , high-level job . In others , it 's a part-time gig suited for an intern . What you can be certain of is the need to find new ways to engage customers online . Companies need someone to set up and maintain accounts on Twitter , Facebook , MySpace and any other social media site that pops up . The social media consultant might work for a public relations director or alongside a branding consultant . Whatever the case , this person needs to keep the content fresh , monitor user feedback and create a persona for the company -- all through the click of a mouse . User operations analyst . What one thing do advertisers and site owners want to know more than anything else ? How online users behave -- the pages they visit , how far they scroll down a page , how many clicks they are willing to make to find information and anything else that gives insight to how users navigate a site . User operations analysts monitor how users interact with the site and they also answer users ' questions or listen to their feedback to see what they want in a site . The analysts then share their information with the site owner . & copy CareerBuilder.com 2010 . All rights reserved . The information contained in this article may not be published , broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority . | The Internet has been changing industries for more than ten years , now . What you do as a public relations specialist or director differs depending on that particular organization . Recruiters have access to thousands of potential employees at the click of their mouse thanks to social networks . | [[2554, 2620], [1950, 2001], [1960, 2029], [2867, 2949]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They have titles like `` El Secreto de Sus Ojos , '' `` No Puedo Vivir sin Ti '' and `` Casanegra . '' They 're directed by auteurs with names like Paresh Mokashi and Giuseppe Tornatore . They 've been selected from hundreds , sometimes thousands , of entries from countries like South Korea , Venezuela and Bangladesh . And some experts say they do n't have the slightest chance of winning the Oscar for best picture . Certainly not this year . No foreign language films were nominated in the best picture category . The foreign language film category at the Academy Awards is one of the most respected worldwide , Academy executive director Bruce Davis said . The category was launched in the late 1940s , when it became clear that European and Asian nations were creating incredible films . Every year , each of more than 60 countries around the world selects one film to send to the Academy for consideration -- kind of like the Olympics for filmmakers . The Oscar is then awarded , not to the filmmakers , but to the winning country . `` A better analogy is -LSB- soccer 's -RSB- World Cup , '' Davis said . `` You only get to submit one team to the World Cup and filmmakers have to decide within countries what they 're going to send . Even India , which makes thousands of films a year , can only send one . '' See list of Oscar nominees -- including foreign language films . Richard Brody , a film critic for The New Yorker , thinks the nomination process is peculiar and leads to some strange films being selected by certain governments . For example , `` We 're not likely to see the best of Chinese cinema because it tends to be critical of Chinese government , '' he said . A film must have predominantly non-English dialogue to be included in the foreign language film category . Yet any film submitted is also eligible for other categories , as long as it has been shown in a Los Angeles , California , theater for one week . The French film `` Z '' won an Oscar for film editing in 1969 ; it was also nominated for best picture , directing and writing . In 1972 the Swedish film `` The Emigrants '' was nominated for best picture , best actress , directing and writing . In 2000 , the best picture nominee `` Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon '' from China won for art direction , cinematography and best score . Yet no foreign language film has ever won best picture . `` I do understand why the Academy is looking first to American films , '' Brody said . `` It 's an Academy that 's centered around Hollywood . '' Davis equates it with any other country 's film awards -- if you watch the British Film Awards you 'll see mostly British films win ; if you watch France 's Cesar Awards , you 'll see mostly French films win . The Academy chose 10 nominees in the best picture category , up from five in past years . Foreign film lovers had hoped it would open up the category to their favorite picks . `` I 'm a great fan of many foreign filmmakers , '' Davis said . `` There have been years that , if they only counted my ballot , ... a foreign film would have won . '' David Wallechinsky has a good grasp on the foreign language film nominees for this year -- he 's already seen 47 of the 65 submitted . With a DVD collection including films from 105 countries , he 's watched the gamut of foreign films from artsy to action-packed . And his pick this year was n't the nominated German film , `` The White Ribbon . '' It 's the French film `` Un Prophete , '' by director Jacques Audiard -- which also was nominated . `` The ` Prophete ' is way better than most of the movies in the U.S. , '' Wallechinsky said . `` It 's definitely better than ` Inglourious Basterds . ' Even a film that was good like ` The Hurt Locker ' -- that was a good film , I have no problem with that film -- ` Prophete ' is still a better film . '' Brody believes a film 's Oscar win has less to do with its superior quality than with its commercial success . He says last year 's winner , `` Slumdog Millionaire , '' which grossed more than $ 141 million at U.S. theaters , might not have done as well if it was a foreign language film . `` Slumdog Millionaire '' swept the 81st Academy Awards with eight Oscars , including best picture , director and adapted screenplay . But would it have won best picture if it had n't been shot in English and released in the U.S. ? `` In a word , no , '' Wallechnisky said . `` There are lots of people who will only see a film in English . I know very educated , very sophisticated people who just can not handle subtitles . '' Still , with U.S. companies increasingly embracing the global economy , more Hollywood flicks are being filmed overseas . The lines are blurring between American and foreign -- Japanese anime is popular in the U.S. , as are Asian action films and British comedies . Davis says he can imagine a future when the lines wo n't exist at all . `` I think it would be great to think of a day when there is no need for a foreign language category . I 'd love it , but I do n't think we 're quite there yet . '' | No foreign language film has ever won the Oscar for best picture . Sixty-five nations submitted foreign language films for consideration this year . Best picture nominees expanded from five to 10 , increasing chances for foreign films . Film fan : `` Slumdog Millionaire '' would n't have won last year if it had n't been in English . | [[2345, 2382], [2387, 2401], [2345, 2401], [813, 823], [826, 977], [2759, 2817]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Country music singer-songwriter Brad Paisley was examined and released from a hospital after taking a nasty spill during a South Carolina concert Saturday , the entertainer says on his Web site and Twitter account . `` I hit hard , '' Paisley wrote on Twitter . `` And I mean freaking hard . '' Paisley was examined at Medical University of South Carolina Hospital in Charleston and released Sunday . `` Tnx4 prayers , after my fall , I was just discharged from the hospital.Just very very bruised . Nothing broken , had a ct scan all is okay ! '' he said on his Twitter account , @paisleyofficial . Paisley was on the final note of an encore finale , a song titled `` Alcohol , '' when he fell , his Web site says . `` If ur wondering , it was the last song & last night of the tour & I was running fast on stage , tripped.really did think I broke a rib or something , '' Paisley wrote . He also posted two photos of himself posing with medical personnel while he was being treated at the hospital emergency room . Paisley was able to complete the show after his fall . '' -LSB- H -RSB- e bounced back up , finished the show and thanked the audience and told them good-bye , '' his Web site said Sunday . `` Once he left the stage he was transported to the local hospital via ambulance to be checked out -- all is well , only badly bruised . Brad was discharged from the hospital and is on his way home to Nashville . '' Paisley , 37 , was making his final stop of the `` American Saturday Night Tour '' at the Charleston Coliseum . He won his third consecutive Country Music Association Male Vocalist Award in November , his 13th prize from the organization . | Brad Paisley fell off stage during a performance in South Carolina . Singer says he was `` running fast , '' tripped and took a tumble . After being treated at a local hospital , he tweeted he was fine , just `` very bruised '' | [[0, 15], [81, 173], [805, 832]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dr. Rajiv Shah President Obama announced Wednesday that Shah , the 36-year-old administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development , will be in charge of the overall U.S. relief effort in Haiti . `` The goal of the relief effort in the first 72 hours will be very focused on saving lives , '' Shah said . At Shah 's USAID swearing-in ceremony on January 7 , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said , `` One only needs to ask his wife , Shivam , the lengths to which Raj will go to achieve important goals . After all , this is a man who flew to India for one day to propose to her at the Taj Mahal when she was traveling there alone . This is also a man who summited the 14,400-foot Mount Rainier -- one of the most difficult climbs in the continental United States , and it combines the challenges of an unforgiving glacier with the unpredictability of an active volcano . That may be the best preparation Raj has for working in Washington these days . '' According to his USAID biography , Shah , a medical doctor and health economist , was an under-secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture . Prior to joining the Obama administration , Shah served as director of agricultural development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation . In 2001 , Shah was the health care policy adviser on the Gore 2000 presidential campaign and a member of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell 's transition committee on health . In addition , he has served as a policy aide in the British Parliament and worked at the World Health Organization . USAid.gov : Biography of Dr. Rajiv Shah . US State Department : Swearing-In Ceremony of Dr. Rajiv Shah . Jimmy Jean-Louis The Haitian native and cast member of the TV series `` Heroes '' was searching for his elderly parents in Haiti on Wednesday afternoon . Jean-Louis learned that a house he had grown up in had collapsed , killing several of his relatives . `` I have not slept yet . The second house that I grew up in was down , and some relatives have died , from what I have been told , '' Jean-Louis said yesterday . `` I have n't been able to reach my parents . I have heard that they are OK , but I do not know what is going on around them . '' Jean-Louis was born in Petionville , Haiti , where he grew up without electricity or running water . He moved to Paris , France , when he was 12 to pursue a modeling career and had supported his parents by sending money home since he started acting nearly 20 years ago . He is the founder of Hollywood Unites for Haiti , a nonprofit organization whose original mission was to provide sports and cultural education to underprivileged youth on the island . The group is now mobilizing for disaster relief . CNN : ` Heroes ' actor searching for parents after earthquake . Pat Robertson The evangelical Christian , who once suggested God was punishing Americans with Hurricane Katrina , says a `` pact to the devil '' brought on the devastating earthquake in Haiti . Officials fear more than 100,000 people have died as a result of Tuesday 's 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti . Robertson , the host of the `` 700 Club , '' blamed the tragedy on something that `` happened a long time ago in Haiti , and people might not want to talk about it . '' The Haitians `` were under the heel of the French . You know , Napoleon III and whatever , '' Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday . `` And they got together and swore a pact to the devil . They said , ` We will serve you if you will get us free from the French . ' True story . And so , the devil said , ` OK , it 's a deal . ' '' Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence . CNN : Pat Robertson says Haiti paying for ` pact to the devil ' Martha Coakley and Scott Brown With less than a week to go until a special Senate election in Massachusetts , the state 's airwaves are packed with campaign ads as Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown battle to fill the last three years of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy 's term . Groups outside of the state are supporting the two candidates to the tune of millions of dollars . Brown is hoping to become the first Massachusetts Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat since 1972 . Independent Joseph Kennedy , a third party candidate who is not related to the late senator , is also in the race . The Boston Globe endorsed Coakley on Wednesday , saying the state 's current attorney general is more qualified to serve in Washington than her Republican opponent . Brown , a state senator , `` believes in a culture of family , patriotism and freedom '' and `` is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard , where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals -LRB- JAG -RRB- Corps , '' according to his Web site . CNN Political Ticker : Coakley endorsed by The Boston Globe . CNN Political Ticker : Campaign ads flood Massachusetts TV . Brown for U.S. Senate campaign site . Coakley U.S. Senate campaign site . Teddy Pendergrass The R&B legend died Wednesday evening at a hospital in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , the city where he was born . He was 59 . Pendergrass , known for smash-hit love ballads such as `` Turn Off the Lights '' and `` Love TKO , '' died after a long illness , according to Lisa Barbaris , who described herself as a close friend and his last publicist . His family did not reveal details about his illness , but said it was related to complications from a 1982 car accident , Barbaris said . The crooner , affectionately known as just `` Teddy '' by many fans , started in music with a group called the Cadillacs in the late 1960s and was still with the group when it merged with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes , according to his official Web site . He began as a drummer , but soon became the lead singer after the group heard his powerful voice . In 1972 , Pendergrass ' baritone could be heard on the classic Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes song `` If You Do n't Know Me by Now . '' After going solo , Pendergrass received several Grammy nominations , Billboard 's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award , and an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978 , Barbaris said . In 1982 , Pendergrass was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed . But he returned to the studio in 1984 in his wheelchair to record an album . Before his death , Pendergrass was working on a musical documenting his life , called `` I Am Who I Am . '' CNN : R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass dies at 59 . What makes a person intriguing ? There are people who enter the news cycle every day because their actions or decisions are new , important or different . Others are in the news because they are the ones those decisions affect . And there are a number of people who are so famous or controversial that anything they say or do becomes news . Some of these people do what we expect of them : They run for office , pass legislation , start a business , get hired or fired , commit a crime , make an arrest , get in accidents , hit a home run , overthrow a government , fight wars , sue an opponent , put out fires , prepare for hurricanes and cavort with people other than their spouses . They do make news , but the action is usually more important than who is involved in the story . But every day , there are a number of people who become fascinating to us -- by virtue of their character , how they reached their decision , how they behaved under pressure or because of the remarkable circumstances surrounding the event they are involved in . They arouse our curiosity . We hear about them and want to know more . What they have done or said stimulates conversations across the country . At times , there is even a mystery about them . What they have done may be unique , heroic , cowardly or ghastly , but they capture our imaginations . We want to know what makes them tick , why they believe what they do , and why they did what they did . They intrigue us . | 36-year-old doctor , health administrator takes lead on U.S. effort in Haiti . Televangelist says Haitian pact with Satan brought on deadly earthquake . Race to fill Ted Kennedy 's Senate seat comes down to the wire . | [[2913, 2974], [3677, 3732]] |
Johannesburg , South Africa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Exiled Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has announced that he is ready to return home to help rebuild his earthquake-shattered country . The former president has been living in South Africa since fleeing Haiti during a violent uprising in 2004 . Aristide told reporters gathered at a hotel near Johannesburg 's international airport that he is ready to return from exile as soon as today . `` To symbolize our readiness we have decided to meet not just anywhere but here in the shadow of the Oliver Tambo International airport , '' he said . `` As far as we are concerned we are ready to leave today , tomorrow , at any time to join the people of Haiti , to share in their suffering , help rebuild the country moving from misery to poverty with dignity . '' Get the latest developments in Haiti . A massive international rescue operation is under way to treat the thousands of survivors trapped and injured by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the country on Tuesday . Aristide said he and his wife were planning to fly to Haiti with friends who were ferrying emergency medical supplies to the country . Impact Your World . It is not clear whether Aristide has sought formal permission from the Haitian government to return . He refused to answer questions from the media . Analysts say Aristide 's arrival back in the country after six years could aggravate an already tense political situation . `` If he goes back to Haiti it will be a massive blow to the fragile political stability at the moment , '' said Irenea Renuncio-Mateos , Latin American and Caribbean country analyst for IHS Global Insight . Aid groups : Catastrophic situation looms . Aristide is a controversial figure in Haiti . A former priest , his left-wing views appealed to the poorest of the poor , many of whom have called for his return in recent years amid increasing discontent with the current government . Once coalition partners , the political divide between Aristide and President Rene Preval has widened . Aristide 's party Fanmi Lavalas is one of 15 that have been banned from contesting legislative elections to be held in February . Irenea Renuncio-Mateos said it remains to be seen whether Haitians welcome Aristide 's return as their `` savior , '' or whether they turn to the United States and the international community to pull the country from turmoil . `` An important factor is that the U.N.-led mission in Haiti has been encountering problems on the ground in the past because people have been hostile to foreign presence on the ground , '' she said . `` If Aristide makes it to Haiti , what is going to be the impact ? Is it going to cause protests ? '' The former leader has a long and tumultuous relationship with Haiti , one of the world 's poorest countries . He became its first freely elected president in December 1990 before being ejected from office just one year later in a military coup . He was returned to power in 1994 after a peace agreement brokered by then-President Bill Clinton , backed by U.S. troops to restore order . After another change of leadership in 1995 , Aristide took office again in November 2000 in a vote blighted by an opposition boycott and claims of fraud . The deep unrest led to looting and violence that eventually forced Aristide into exile in 2004 . During his presidency , Aristide lost the support of the United States and angered France with his calls for reparations for huge sums of money paid to the country for its independence . President Rene Preval came to power for the second time in February 2006 . He has the backing of the U.S. government . During a 30-minute phone call on Friday , President Obama `` pledged the full support of the American people for the government and people of Haiti . '' President Preval in turn expressed his appreciation for the U.S. response to the earthquake . It is more than likely that the return of a political foe with the power to divide the country will not be similarly received . CNN 's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report . | Aristide tells reporters gathered in Johannesburg that he 's ready to return to Haiti . He was forced from office in 2004 by a violent uprising and has been living in exile in South Africa . Said he and his wife were ready to leave Johannesburg as soon as today . A massive rescue effort is under way to find and treat survivors of Tuesday 's earthquake . | [[0, 12], [15, 191], [301, 387], [315, 444], [192, 300], [192, 212], [245, 300], [2819, 2821], [2881, 2954], [3273, 3293], [3299, 3346], [0, 12], [15, 191], [315, 444], [627, 665], [627, 629], [640, 654], [668, 679], [852, 941], [852, 892], [954, 991], [965, 991], [997, 1027]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The military is investigating a `` shocking and deplorable '' YouTube video that seems to show a Marine throwing a puppy off a rocky cliff . YouTube.com removed the video for violating the Web site 's terms of use . The black-and-white puppy makes a yelping sound as it flies through the air . `` That 's mean , that was mean , '' one companion says off-camera , addressing the alleged puppy thrower by his last name . The fate of the animal is not known . The Marine is identified on the video and in other Internet postings as a lance corporal stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe . It 's not clear where the video was shot , although the man who appears to throw the puppy and another Marine are in full combat gear with helmets . YouTube.com had taken down the video by 12:30 p.m. ET Tuesday `` due to terms of use violation , '' according to a banner on the Web site . `` This is a shocking and deplorable video that is contrary to the high standards that we set for every Marine , '' Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Chris Perrine said at a news conference Monday night . `` We will investigate this and take appropriate actions , '' Perrine said . Watch other Marines and civilians react to the video '' He said the Marine is being kept safe in view of the anger over the alleged incident . Perrine added that the majority of Marines conduct themselves honorably . `` There are many examples of Marines who adopt pets and bring them back from Iraq and demonstrate their compassion on a daily basis , '' he said . If the video is deemed legitimate , the lance corporal could face a charge of conduct unbecoming a Marine , Perrine said . There could be administrative action , nonjudicial punishment or a court-martial , he added . `` It 's all governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice , and anything from reduction in pay to reduction in rank to confinement to discharge from the Marine Corps '' is possible , Perrine said . If others are involved , they too will be disciplined , he said . `` Certainly , there 's a lot of outrage , and a lot of people are upset about it . I think every Marine is upset about this video , '' he said . `` We hope that it turns out not to be what it looks like . '' E-mail to a friend . | Marine in YouTube video appears to throw tiny dog over a cliff . Corps investigating `` shocking and deplorable video , '' spokesman says . Location of scene not known , but Marines are in full combat gear . Lance corporal could face mild to severe discipline , spokesman says . | [[67, 94], [100, 159], [19, 94], [916, 947], [953, 986], [616, 656], [668, 764]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A preliminary autopsy on the body of an energy executive pulled from the Mississippi River in New Orleans , Louisiana , this week revealed a head laceration and evidence of drowning , investigators said Thursday . The body was found Tuesday , four days after Douglas Schantz , president of Houston , Texas-based Sequent Energy Management , disappeared . A toxicology report , due back in roughly three weeks , will show `` how much Schantz had to drink before falling into the Mississippi '' last week , said John Gagliano , lead investigator at the New Orleans coroner 's office . Authorities recovered Schantz 's body around noon Tuesday , said police spokesman Gary Flot . Police said Schantz was found with all his personal belongings , including his wallet , credit cards , identification and jewelry . Schantz , 54 , was last seen outside a Bourbon Street bar at 2:06 a.m. Friday , New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley told reporters Tuesday morning . No one had heard from him since then . At the Tuesday morning news conference , Riley said detectives reviewed video from `` almost every '' business in the busy French Quarter . Several cameras captured a `` disoriented '' Schantz walking alone from a bar toward the Mississippi River , Riley said . Schantz had been drinking , Riley said , and was headed toward a boat at the wharf . `` The last video of Mr. Schantz is when he was near the boat Natchez , walking on a 2 - to 3-foot-wide walkway near the river , '' Riley said . `` From 2:40 until 6:40 a.m. video was watched and ... once he -LSB- Schantz -RSB- walked out of that frame near the Natchez , he never returned on any frames of the video . '' Riley said that according to the video , no one approached Schantz during the walk . Texas Equusearch , a search-and-rescue team , searched the waters with sonar equipment , and the Coast Guard and Harbor Police had also joined the search , according to Riley . Family and friends said they knew something was wrong Friday morning when Schantz did n't show up at the airport , missed a company meeting , and did n't return calls . Such behavior , they said , was uncharacteristic of him . `` There 's never been a time he was out of reach , '' said Pete Tumminello , vice president of Sequent Energy , on Monday . `` I 've worked with him for seven years . There 's never been a time he 's been out of reach . '' Schantz missed a flight Friday morning with his daughter , a Tulane University senior , police said . He also did not show up for an office meeting in Houston . Schantz went to the French Quarter with friends on Thursday night , Sequent Energy spokesman Alan Chapple told CNN on Tuesday . They went there after an earlier event at Tulane University to present a $ 25,000 donation to the Tulane Energy Institute , Chapple said . Schantz and his colleagues had dinner with professors and students at the school , and later he and some others went to the bar . Schantz was staying at the Royal Sonesta Hotel , only about two blocks from the bar that he was seen leaving , Chapple said . Members of the party had left the establishment at varying times , he said . During their investigation , police had not discovered any evidence of a crime , Flot said Tuesday morning . The FBI , U.S. Marshals Service and private investigators were also working the case , Riley said . Schantz 's son , Michael , described Monday the agony his family was feeling as they awaited news . `` My family is distraught , I 'm distraught , -LSB- in -RSB- shock , '' he said . `` We just want him found alive and back with our family . '' CNN 's Carolina Sanchez and Khadijah Rentas contributed to this report . | Body of Douglas Schantz , 54 , was found Tuesday . Body found four days after Schantz disappeared . Schantz was president of Houston , Texas-based Sequent Energy Management . | [[233, 259], [601, 658], [319, 324], [325, 356]] |
CLARENCE CENTER , New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The pilots of a commuter airliner that crashed late Thursday about 6 miles from a Buffalo , New York , airport discussed `` significant ice buildup '' on the plane 's wings and windshields before the plane plunged to the ground , killing 50 . Only a few pieces of the Continental Connection Dash 8 turboprop were recognizable after the crash . Continental Connection Flight 3407 was en route from Newark , New Jersey , to Buffalo Niagara International Airport when it went down about 10:20 p.m. ET Thursday . Preliminary information recovered from the flight 's cockpit voice and data recorders indicated that the plane underwent `` severe '' pitching and rolling motions after the landing gear was lowered and wing flaps were set for the approach , Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday afternoon . `` The crew discussed significant ice buildup , ice on the windshield and leading edge of the wings , '' Chealander said . `` The crew attempted to raise the gear and -LSB- reset -RSB- flaps shortly before the recordings ended , '' he said . iReport.com : Are you there ? Let us know . The plane crashed into a home in Buffalo , killing all 49 people aboard and one person on the ground . Firefighters brought under control a blaze at the crash site on Friday , blaming a natural gas leak for the fire 's persistence . Two occupants of the house survived -- a woman and her daughter -- and were released from a hospital after treatment for minor injuries , authorities said . Read about the escape . The first sign the air traffic controllers had of trouble was when Flight 3407 went off the radar . Before that , it had been business as usual . The first officer , who was the co-pilot , had no sign of stress in her voice as she talked with air traffic control . The plane was cleared for approach . About a minute later , the air traffic controller said that contact with the plane had been lost and asked whether crews in other aircraft could see anything . No one responded . The controller then said there might be a plane down . Although there was a mix of sleet and snow in the area , other planes landed safely at the airport about the time the flight went down . Watch what weather was like when disaster happened '' The crew of a Delta flight reported rime icing , a condition in which ice quickly builds up on the leading edge of the wings . A US Air flight also reported icing . CNN meteorologist Chad Myers noted that there was `` icing all over western New York '' at the altitude the plane was flying . See how ice affects airplanes '' `` Almost every minute of their flight was in an ice event , '' he said . The NTSB 's Chealander said the flight crew reported that visibility was about 3 miles and there was snow and mist as they descended . The voice and data recorders indicated that the plane 's internal de-icing was on during the landing approach , he said . Watch report from witness : `` All I saw was flames '' '' `` A significant ice buildup is an aerodynamic impediment , '' Chealander said . Tony Tatro was on his way home from the gym when the plane flew about 75 feet above him . The craft 's nose was lower than usual , and and the left wing was tilted , he said . `` The engines did n't sound typical , did n't sound normal , '' he said . Watch witness describe how plane went down '' The plane was loud as it came in , as if for a takeoff rather than for a landing , said David Luce , who lives 300 feet from the crash site . `` The engines sounded like they were revving at very high speed , an unnatural sound , '' Luce said . `` Then the engine cut out -- stopped . And within a couple of seconds , there was this tremendous explosion . `` It was an enormous explosion . It sounded like it hit , frankly , right in our backyard . ... The house shook ; the windows shook ; the ground shook , '' he said . `` It was a real blast . '' Watch Mary Jane Luce describe what she heard '' Among the dead were Beverly Eckert , widow of a September 11 attack victim , and Susan Wehle , a cantor at Temple Beth Am in Williamsville , outside Buffalo . Also aboard was Alison Des Forges , senior Africa adviser for Human Rights Watch , a colleague confirmed . Des Forges spent four years in Rwanda documenting the 1994 genocide and had testified about the atrocity and the current situation in central Africa to Congress and the United Nations , according to the organization . Read about the victims . A representative for Colgan Air , which operated the plane for Continental , identified the crew as pilot Capt. Marvin Renslow , first officer Rebecca Shaw and flight attendants Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco . An off-duty pilot , Capt. Joseph Zuffoletto , was also aboard . On Friday afternoon , a minister from Renslow 's church in Lutz , Florida , made a statement on the family 's behalf . `` They are very proud of Marvin 's accomplishments as a pilot , '' said Alan Burner , associate pastor at the First Baptist Church of Lutz . `` They know he did everything he could to save as many lives as he could , even in the accident . '' Shaw , a 25-year-old pilot from Maple Valley , Washington , had been with the airline about a year , according to her family . `` We 're in shock , '' her mother , Lynn Morris , said . `` We do n't understand . We kind of keep expecting Becky to come around the corner and say it 's not real . '' Watch Morris discuss the loss of her daughter '' In Washington , President Obama issued a statement expressing his condolences . `` Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones , '' Obama said . `` I want to thank the brave first responders who arrived immediately to try and save lives and who are continuing to ensure the safety of everyone in the area . We pray for all those who have been touched by this terrible tragedy to find peace and comfort in the hard days ahead . '' The Erie County Medical Examiner 's Office established a command post at the scene and had investigators there , a statement from the office said . Officials said relatives of passengers aboard the flight should call 800-621-3263 for information . Watch what iReporter captured on film . Thursday 's incident is the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since August 2006 , when Comair Flight 5191 crashed while attempting to take off from the wrong runway near Lexington , Kentucky . | NEW : Tapes indicate crew discussed ice buildup on windshield , wings , NTSB says . NEW : Crew attempted to raise gear and reset flaps before recordings ended . Officials say all 49 aboard the plane died ; one confirmed death on ground . 9/11 widow , cantor , human rights expert among the dead . | [[149, 234], [884, 950], [2308, 2354], [2435, 2450], [2456, 2472], [1007, 1107], [1167, 1176], [1210, 1269], [3999, 4033]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four days after Haiti 's massive earthquake , efforts are under way to bury the dead as thousands of bodies crumpled in the streets of Port-au-Prince lay exposed to the sun or draped in sheets and cardboard . Throughout the city , people covered their noses from the stench and some resorted to face masks . CNN correspondents in Haiti reported efforts to remove the bodies , including the creation of a mass grave . It 's still unclear how many people have been killed in Tuesday 's earthquake ; the prime minister suggested there could be several hundreds of thousands . CNN 's Anderson Cooper , reporting Friday from a mass grave on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince , described seeing hundreds of bodies mixed with garbage in open pits . Some bodies were bulldozed into the half-filled pits . `` These people will vanish , '' Cooper said in a phone report . `` No one will know what happened to them . That 's one of the many horrors . `` There 's no system in place here . Literally these people here are being collected off the streets , dumped into a dump truck , then brought out here and dumped in the pits , '' he said . The fear of disease is frequently the reason for rapidly burying bodies in mass graves . But contrary to popular belief , bodies do not cause epidemics after natural disasters , experts said . `` The reality is that most of the disease that live in us -- once our body is dead they ca n't survive very long , '' said Oliver Morgan , an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Fecal matter from the deceased could contaminate the water supply , posing a risk , but `` it 's nowhere near the risk of all the survivors living in the streets with no sanitation , '' said Morgan , who contributed to the World Health Organization 's guidelines on managing bodies after a natural disaster . There has never been an epidemic after a natural disaster that was traced to exposure to bodies , according to the WHO . The chief priority must lie with the living , experts said . `` Body collection is not the most urgent task after a natural disaster , '' according to the WHO 's 2006 guidance on the Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters . `` The priority is to care for survivors . There is no significant public health risk associated with the presence of bodies . Nevertheless , bodies should be collected as soon as possible and taken away for identification . '' Mass graves , it warned , are `` not justified on public health grounds . Rushing to dispose of bodies without proper identification traumatizes families and communities and may have serious legal consequences . '' `` There 's always talks about mass graves because that 's always the easiest solution , '' said Frank Ciaccio , vice president of commercial services at Kenyon International Emergency Services , a disaster management company that responds to mass fatality accidents . `` We do n't strongly recommend them . However , sometimes in situations in very developing nations , that 's the only thing to do . '' In cases of mass graves , teams should at least document or photograph the individual for future identification , he said . Kenyon has deployed an emergency response assessment team to Haiti . Ciaccio was part of the crew that responded to the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004 and New Orleans , Louisiana , after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . Having bodies on the street is very distressing to survivors . `` That 's going to be very stressful , '' Ciaccio said . `` It 's hot temperatures and that 's not a pleasant sight . There 's decomposed bodies . And the hotter the weather , the quicker the decomposition . '' Decomposition starts as early as the day of death , bringing stench and pests . `` When you have bodies on the street that begin to decompose , you eventually get maggot infestation because of flies and you have a potential of rats , '' said Vernie Fountain , the disaster task force leader of the National Funeral Directors Association . At one of the capital city 's cemeteries , people opened up old crypts and shoved corpses of quake victims into them before resealing them . Workers loaded bodies -- piled on the sides of roads -- into the basket of a front-loader tractor , which then deposited them into blood-stained dump trucks , according to CNN correspondents in Haiti . `` There 's little dignity in death in Port-au-Prince these days , '' Cooper said in his report . The United States is deploying mortuary teams to identify and bury the dead in a public safety rescue mission , Kathleen Sebelius , secretary of Health and Human Services , said Thursday . After huge disasters , mortuary teams often face logistical nightmares , working with little resources , thousands of bodies , collapsed infrastructure , language barriers and different cultural and religious views . After working in the aftermath of landslides , cyclones , hurricanes and tsunamis with mass fatalities , Morgan realized the lack of a guidelines for handling the bodies was a recurring problem . `` What we often see are these pictures of mass graves which are dug three feet deep with hundreds of bodies thrown into this large hole , '' Morgan said . `` That 's discouraged in preference to having a more organized situation with a long trench grave and putting bodies in an ordered way , or marked graves so people know where the victims are buried . '' One possible solution is to move the bodies to a temporary , organized collection point and to gather as much information to help with future identification , said Fountain , who served as a national officer for Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team , a national response team designed to provide mortuary assistance in mass fatality incidents . After the tsunami killed 225,000 people in 2004 , various Southeast Asian countries handled the dead differently based on location and available resources . While none of the countries affected by the tsunami had enough refrigerated storage to handle the corpses , many found alternatives by burying the dead in temporary , shallow graves with the intent to exhume them later . Other bodies were hastily buried within 24 hours in mass graves . `` The parallels are mass fatalities and catastrophic events , '' Ciaccio said . `` We have a significant loss of life ; we have people that are unknown ; we have a significant number of missing people . The one minor difference in Thailand was that it was isolated to shoreline about a mile in . Here you have total destruction of an infrastructure system . '' | CNN 's Anderson Cooper reported on a mass grave with hundreds of bodies . Fear of disease is frequently the reason for rapidly burying bodies in mass graves . This theory is unfounded , because disease-causing agents die with the corpse . WHO report : `` Rapid mass burial of victims is not justified on public health grounds '' | [[592, 614], [617, 686], [592, 614], [689, 724], [5095, 5109], [5116, 5163], [1148, 1236], [1148, 1151], [1193, 1236], [6145, 6210], [1148, 1236], [1148, 1151], [1193, 1236], [1899, 1917], [1958, 1980], [2450, 2459], [2462, 2509], [2436, 2447], [2462, 2509]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Nelson Mandela stepped out of South Africa 's Victor Verster prison a free man 20 years ago Thursday , he was his country 's most famous freedom fighter . Black South Africans and other opponents of apartheid lined streets to see him when he was released , cheering wildly and waving flags . He was a hero , imprisoned for 27 years for the crime of opposing a government that sought to enforce severe segregation laws with brutality . Once free , Mandela worked with South Africa 's white president , F.W. de Klerk to end those policies , knocking down the pillars of segregation one at a time . Three years after his release from prison , Mandela and de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize . The African National Congress -- once again legal after being banned in 1961 -- elected Mandela as its president , and he won South Africa 's presidential election in a landslide in 1994 , the country 's first black president . `` We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free , '' he said in his inauguration speech . `` Their dreams have become reality . Freedom is their reward . We are both humbled and elevated by the honor and privilege that you , the people of South Africa , have bestowed on us , as the first President of a united , democratic , non-racial and non-sexist government . '' And he kept his promise to serve but one term . Already in prison when convicted of treason in 1964 and given a life sentence , Mandela was a living symbol of the struggle against South Africa 's racist apartheid system enacted when he was 30 years old . But the African National Congress leader fought for justice long before the National Party 's 1948 election and subsequent introduction of apartheid . And in his last public words before he was whisked off to jail , Mandela spoke of his own dream . `` I have fought against white domination , and I have fought against black domination , '' he said . `` I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony , and with equal opportunities . It is an ideal which I hope to live for , and to see realized . But if needs be , it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die . '' Rolihlahla Mandela was always meant for great things , but his name -- it means `` pulling the branch of a tree '' or , colloquially `` troublemaker , '' in the Xhosa language -- foreshadowed how that greatness would manifest . Born into a Thembu royal family -- but the wrong branch to be considered in line for the throne -- Mandela was the first of his family to attend school , where a teacher gave him the name `` Nelson . '' He even went to college but was tossed out at the end of his first year for protesting school policies . And he ran away to Johannesburg , where he finished college and began law studies , to escape an arranged marriage . But 1948 focused Mandela 's life like nothing before . First organizing non-violent resistance to apartheid policies , Mandela and his ANC cohorts were nevertheless hounded -- arrested , beaten , followed , spied upon -- by the government . When the ANC was formally banned in 1961 , the group realized that non-violence was n't working . `` It was only when all else had failed , when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us , that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle , '' he said in court . '' ... the government had left us no other choice . '' Prior to his imprisonment , Mandela was anything but a free man , traveling incognito , organizing the business of the African National Congress without having to bring its members together in one place where they would be vulnerable to government action , spending days and weeks away from his family . Even before his release , Mandela had moved beyond freedom fighter to statesman , a position he still holds despite retiring from public life in 2004 to spend more time with his family . He spoke out for democracy , human rights and peace . He fought against AIDS but admitted he probably could have done more to stop the spread of the disease . He created foundations to carry on his legacy , spoke around the world and tirelessly told the world that the end of apartheid was not his doing but the work of many others who shared the same dream . But Mandela is not remembered simply for ending apartheid . He was also behind reconciliation , a painful and lengthy process that attempted to hold those responsible for the brutality accountable for their acts without alienating the other white South Africans . In nearly every speech , Mandela pushed this concept . He urged black South Africans to support the South African national rugby team -- hated by many blacks because they viewed it as the sport of their oppressors -- in 1995 . And when the team won the 1995 Rugby World Cup , team captain Francois Pienaar received the trophy from the president himself , wearing a duplicate of Pienaar 's jersey . Pienaar , after the release of the movie `` Invictus '' that tells the story , said of his first meeting with Mandela -- when the president described his plan to use the team to help bring white and black south Africa together -- `` I left that first meeting with the feeling that we were in good hands in South Africa . I felt safe with him . '' And Mandela was instrumental in bringing soccer 's World Cup to South Africa -- finally arriving this year , six years after soccer 's world body awarded the event . Now 91 , Mandela rests in the company of his family , including his third wife , Graca Machel . The accolades have been heaped upon him . He is a hero to his people , and to much of the world . But 15 years into democracy , South Africa still faces rife poverty , unemployment and crime . Many people do not enjoy the benefits of freedom -- there is more to be done , but no one pretends otherwise . `` I 've been amazed that they have n't said to hell with Mandela and Tutu and all these people who talk about reconciliation and go on a rampage , '' Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu said of the patience of South Africa 's poor . Tutu also won a Nobel Peace Prize -- in 1984 -- and was one of many who carried on Mandela 's work through the late 1960s , the 1970s and the 1980s . He was chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and is now chairman of The Elders , a group he , Mandela and Machel founded to provide a mechanism for world leaders to share their wisdom . F.W. de Klerk is not a member of that group . But he recognizes both the transformative work he and Mandela did in the 1990s and the troubles the country still faces . `` We have averted a catastrophe , the new South Africa with all these big problems is a much better place than it would have been had we not taken the initiatives we did in the early 1990s , '' he said . `` We are back in the international community ; we play a positive good role on the problematic continent of Africa . So life is good but not for the poor . '' And no one is more keenly aware of those `` big problems '' than Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela , now known fondly in South Africa by his clan name , Madiba . He saw it clearly in 1994 , when his autobiography , `` Long Walk to Freedom , '' was published . `` I have traveled this long road to freedom , '' he wrote . `` I trust I did not falter . I made missteps along the way . But I have discovered the secret that , after crossing a great hill , one only finds that there are many more hills to cross . '' Twenty years ago , there was no freedom for Mandela , no freedom for black South Africans . There may be more hills to cross , but those black South Africans are no longer strangers to freedom . | Mandela was convicted of treason in 1964 , given a life sentence . Mandela , de Klerk shared Nobel Peace Prize . Mandela once said violent political struggle became rule after nonviolence failed . Mandela was the first of his family to attend school . | [[1508, 1541], [1490, 1507], [1546, 1567], [620, 661], [664, 715], [3340, 3359], [3362, 3403], [3424, 3499], [2655, 2707]] |
CHENNAI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sipping a sweet lime juice on the rooftop bar of a designer hotel in Chennai , Vinod Harith looks the epitome of a relaxed , confident young Indian entrepreneur . High hopes : Vinod , left , and Pramod Harith set up thier marketing outsourcing company . But setting up his marketing outsourcing company just seven months ago was far from a relaxing experience . It 's a recent memory that still provokes a momentary look of discomfort . `` It was just painful , '' he says with a wry smile . It seems that despite the potential riches to be had by tapping in to all the talent , energy and potential in India , going it alone is still a unique experience in the country , even for those who are used to working there . Multinational companies may be finding their path into the world of Indian business smooth , but that official approach has n't trickled down to India 's burgeoning business brains with billionaire aspirations . `` If you 're a large company trying to set up a subsidiary and you want to set up in India , a lot of that bureaucracy has gone away , but not for an entrepreneur , '' says Harith who previously worked for Wipro Technologies . From getting a bank account to securing a line of credit , the same rigid attitude from officialdom remains with decisions made at a glacial place . `` The government ministry has not been so fast to change . It 's become easier , but still a lot of that thinking has not gone away , '' he said . Harith and his brother Pramod even had trouble registering the name of their company , CMOaxis . `` We called the company CMOaxis , which stands for Chief Marketing Officer , but for a long time could n't get the name approved by the registrar of companies here , because they said CMO means Chief Minister 's Office . So we had a really tough time , just convincing people . '' But for the 36-year-old Vinod seeing the bigger picture and potential of his company was worth of all the aggravation . An October 2007 report into the marketing sector by First Research put its value at around $ 8 billion . A year on , the potential value might still be there , but tapping in to it during an economic downturn as investors and companies return to `` studying the market '' will be the big challenge . `` Despite so many global funds being in India it 's still very difficult for a start-up to get funding . '' It certainly is for first time entrepreneurs , as Harith suggests that those with a family history in business or politics where it 's easier to secure backing find things much easier . `` In PR first generation entrepreneur successes are still there but you can count them on the fingers of one hand . `` The understanding just is n't there in a part of India that is more used to the garment industry and traditional forms of business , '' says Pramod Harith , Vinod 's brother and business partner . Different industries , same problems . 700 miles -LRB- 1,127 kilometers -RRB- away in Pune , Jesh Krishna Murthy is busy with his fledgling animation company Anibrain . After 13 years working abroad he returned to India to find the same frustrations as the Hariths in setting up the business . `` If you are going to do business in India , there is a lot of red tape and corruption . You have to learn to deal with , but it is very frustrating . If you 're caught up in some regulation and the laws are kind of ambiguous and there 's no right or wrong the authorities can give you a lot of trouble , '' he said . If you ca n't deal with it , then you 're doing business in the wrong country . It is stupid , but part and parcel of being in India . '' Krishna Murthy brought much of Anibrain 's business contacts with him , doing post-production graphics on films such as `` Lust Caution '' John Woo 's `` Red Cliff '' and big budget Hollywood flicks , much of the hard work comes in maintaining quality . `` Getting the job is the easier part ; it 's delivering it to the quality that 's expected and with the service levels that expected that the harder part . We work on that day in and day out , '' he said . Having worked abroad he has an acute understanding of the differences between various work cultures and attitudes and the thought of working for a graphics company in India was almost unthinkable . `` There was no lack of talent in terms of the animators , but the way in which the animation studios were managed was lacking . `` I found it disheartening that the people who were managing these companies only cared about the hardware and how much money was pumped into the software , forgetting that it 's about people . I would have gone crazy working for people like that , especially having worked abroad , '' he said . At Anibrain employees have a five-day week and something closer to a 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. working day , compared to the more typical Indian routine of working 6 days a week , starting at 1pm and working until around midnight . With a more western work culture at Anibrain , Krishna Murthy 's company is still in the minority , although Pune has become something of a creative design hub attracting similar companies with like-minded attitudes , thanks to it 's proximity to Mumbai , but better quality of life , and the high quality of its universities and training colleges . Changing attitudes . Facing rigid attitudes from clients has been a challenge for both Krishna Murthy and the Hariths , but there is the potentially bigger task of changing attitudes closer to home . `` The mindset has changed in South India , thanks to the growth in the IT sector here and rise in entrepreneurs . Until this happened , doing business was not thought of as a very hot thing to do -- in traditional families in South India , if you 're doing business then there 's something wrong with you , '' said Harith . Vinod and Pramod were both born and raised in Chennai and the desire to blaze their own trail and be part of the positive changes to business and society in their hometown was one of their motivating forces . For Krishna Murthy the pains , pitfall but pleasures of setting up shop in India are all worth the effort : . `` For me it was challenge . I wanted to be in India and to do the kind of high end film graphics that you would have thought could n't be done in India with Indian talent that had n't been as trained . To do it you have to be a bit of a sadist , but that 's part of the charm of India . '' | Entrepreneurs and start-ups still face maddening tangle of bureaucracy . India has become an easier place for foreign firms to work and set up business . Officials and cultural attitudes are some of biggest battles new companies face . Krishna Murthy : `` You have to be a bit of a sadist , but that 's part of the charm of India . '' | [[754, 844], [3614, 3649], [6358, 6399]] |
-LRB- The Frisky -RRB- -- Groucho Marx once famously quipped `` I do n't care to belong to a club that would have me as a member . '' I sort of feel the same way about online dating sites . There has got to be a better way to meet people . Sadly , mental telepathy does not work . Unless you know what I was just thinking , in which case , e-mail me . We flock to digital artifices that both feed and coddle our egos , says writer of online dating sites . I 've recently begun ... researching popular dating sites . Not because I need a date . No ! I do n't need a date . I 'm up to my ears in hot lady action . No , this research is for you , for all of you . It 's a testament to my generosity of spirit I waded through these interweb love sewers in order to impart some sort of wisdom . Here 's the wisdom : dating sites are terrible . Possibly , if I was in prison , an Alaskan crab fisherman or a morbidly obese shut-in so humongous I had to wash myself with a ShamWow stapled to a broom handle , I could see the value in such sites . But I 'm not isolated , nor confined to a forklift . I do n't need a middleman brokering a get together between the potential woman of my dreams and my own abilities to self-sabotage and humiliate myself . I can do this without an intermediary . The Frisky : Have to go online to get a date ? This might or might not be a totally uninformed opinion . The extent of my research began and ended with me signing up for OK Cupid , and failing to finish my profile . I could n't even bring myself to pick a pseudonym , which just seemed like the first of many lies required to meet anyone . Do I call myself OptimusGandalf and admit from the get-go that I 'm an alpha nerd ? Do I overshare a little too much and pick EdgarAllanEeyore ? Or do I just admit to being a snarky , pretentious creep and go for HumbertHumbert ? The Frisky : Online dating dos and do n'ts . I tried to fill out the profile , but instead , it just filled me with a quiet rage . The self-summary section was baffling . It pushed me into an existential identity crisis . Who am I ? Or more importantly , who am I when it comes to who I want someone else to think I am , so they will contact me , go out with me , and eventually kiss me ? Am I a sensitive guy , or a romantic , or sarcastic ? Maybe I 'm all three . I love long walks , going to see live indie bands , and whatever . I made sure to pepper everything with winking non-sequiturs and casual attempts at pop profundity . Then there was the section where I define myself by the books , movies , and music I listen to . My music list was a near impenetrable list of overly eclectic bands that reflect my excellent taste , punctuated by `` and Genesis . '' My movies were all '80s flicks , foreign films , and David Lynch . By the time I got to books , and wrote `` Pynchon , '' I was in a full-fledged state of self-loathing . The Frisky : Five online dating types to avoid . Let me get this straight : I 'm going to spend a ton of time crafting a persona that is a borderline dishonest amplification of the personality traits I think other people will find attractive so I can find someone who 's done the same thing , and we can both go out and discover that we 're equally compatible idiots fakers . It 's like a masquerade party in the Twilight Zone : I take off my Brad Pitt mask just so I can reveal Sloth from `` The Goonies . '' The Frisky : Downside of online dating . There are , no doubt , many of you who have met the love of your life via online dating sites . Good for you . Congratulations on basically winning the lottery . I firmly believe I have a better chance of getting a girlfriend dressed like Zeus , stopping women on the street , and bellowing , `` Rut with me , mortal beauty , and feel thine mighty , fleshy thunder ! '' Not that I want a girlfriend . I just broke up with six the other day . I can deal with the risks of love . The threat of heartbreak is what makes finding that one person who sparks your fuse so precious . But I have to be honest , the online dating thing freaked me out . It touched a nerve , and I 'm flummoxed as to why . The only conclusion I could come up with was that , maybe , we deserved them . Perhaps online dating sites accurately reflect a generation of singles so entitled to instant happiness and acceptance , we flock to digital artifices that both feed and coddle our egos . Virtual environments where we can indiscriminately reject dishonest projections of identity , while simultaneously being insulated from the very rejection we dole out . A play land of false romantic promises and deferred risk . A huge solipsistic waste of time . TM & © 2009 TMV , Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | Writer has trouble filling out his profile for an online dating service . He figures if he is borderline dishonest about his traits , his date will be too . Thinks he would be better off dressing like Zeus , bellowing on the street at women . Says online dating sites draw singles who feel entitled to instant happiness . | [[1391, 1416], [1471, 1501], [3721, 3734], [3737, 3743], [168, 189], [3518, 3539]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Women in Somalia 's third-largest city , Baidoa , have been ordered to wear Islamic dress starting this week or face jail time , according to a resident and Somali media reports . Somali women wait to get medicine at a clinic near Mogadishu in July . The order -- issued last week by Al-Shabaab , the radical Islamist militia that controls the city -- also warns business owners to close their shops during daily prayers , or they will be temporarily shut down , a local journalist said . The militia has ordered women to cover their bodies and heads from view , according to a resident of Baidoa who did not want to be identified for security reasons . The clothing must be black , red or white , and women in the impoverished city are concerned that they will not be able to purchase clothing that conforms to the order , the resident said . He said women would be jailed if they violated the order after it goes into effect Tuesday . Somalia 's Shabelle Media , quoting an Al-Shabaab spokesman , said they would spend 12 hours in jail . Shabelle points out that it is unclear how Al-Shabaab will enforce its order in Baidoa . The militia has issued similar edicts that failed to be carried out , according to Shabelle . But this edict could be bolstered by Somalia 's parliament , which voted unanimously Saturday to allow sharia , or Islamic law , in the Horn of Africa country . Lawmakers hope to boost President Sharif Ahmed 's efforts to defeat Al-Shabaab , which has vowed to fight the government until sharia is imposed in Somalia . Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke told Voice of America that parliament 's vote `` removed any justifications for any opposition group ... to use Islam for political ends . '' There are concerns that Islamic law , which has numerous interpretations and variations , could lead to government-sanctioned human rights abuses in Somalia . The strict interpretation of sharia forbids girls from attending school , requires veils for women and beards for men , and bans music and television . Last week , Al-Shabaab fighters patrolling the streets shot and killed a 20-year-old Somali man because he was not praying at the designated time , according to a local journalist who can not be named for security reasons . Sharmarke denied that the vote would open the door for a radical interpretation of Islamic law , such as that carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan . `` People always think of the Taliban and Talibanization of a country . But that is n't the case , '' the prime minister said . `` I think sharia in Somalia is part of the laws for thousands of years , and we never had this kind of a thing . Besides , it does n't have to be that way , cutting hands . '' Under some strict interpretations of sharia , a thief is punished by having a hand cut off . Al-Shabaab was once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union , which took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006 . The United States says the group is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network , and it backed an Ethiopian invasion that drove the ICU from power in 2006 . CNN 's Ben Brumfield and journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report . | Islamist militia that controls Baidoa issued order effective Tuesday . Clothing must cover heads and bodies , must be black , white or red . Somali media say women who do n't conform will spend 12 hours in jail . Edict could get a boost from parliament vote to allow Islamic law . | [[316, 344], [350, 367], [508, 579], [673, 714], [0, 15], [60, 145], [863, 919], [956, 981], [1018, 1058], [1246, 1300], [1279, 1300], [1309, 1368]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. government warned consumers Sunday to avoid oysters from San Antonio Bay in Texas after investigators found the oysters caused a highly contagious virus . Consumers who bought San Antonio Bay-harvested oysters on or after November 16 should throw them away , the Food and Drug Administration announced . The agency also advised restaurant managers and grocers not to serve or sell the Texas oysters . About a dozen cases of norovirus-related illnesses in North Carolina and South Carolina were `` definitely linked '' to oysters recently harvested from the San Antonio Bay , FDA spokeswoman Rita Chappelle told CNN . Texas ' health department has already recalled all oysters harvested from the bay between November 16 and November 25 , the health department said in a statement on its Web site . San Antonio Bay has also been closed to commercial oyster harvesting , the statement said . Texas authorities are still investigating how the oysters were contaminated and where they were distributed , Chappelle said . Noroviruses cause gastroenteritis , also known as the stomach flu . They are highly contagious , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Aside from contracting the virus from food or drink , one can become ill by touching contaminated surfaces and then their mouth , or by coming into direct contact with an infected individual . Symptoms associated with the virus include nausea , vomiting , diarrhea and stomach cramping . Affected individuals often experience low-grade fever , chills , headache , muscle aches and fatigue . The illness typically lasts one to two days according to the CDC . Anyone who ate the now-recalled oysters and who are now showing symptoms of norovirus should see a doctor and contact the local health department . CNN 's Khadijah Rentas contributed to this report . | U.S. government warns against eating oysters from Texas ' San Antonio Bay . Oysters contaminated with highly contagious noroviruses , which cause stomach flu . Texas authorities are investigating how oysters were contaminated . | [[0, 9], [19, 129], [46, 147], [116, 182], [1062, 1077], [1085, 1111], [917, 1024]] |
Editor 's note : Ronald F. Ferguson is Senior Lecturer in Education and Public Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Kennedy School . His most recent book is `` Toward Excellence with Equity : An emerging vision for closing the achievement gap , '' published by Harvard Education Press . He is the creator of the Tripod Project for School Improvement and also the faculty co-chair and director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University . Ronald Ferguson says parents can play a key role in improving their children 's education . CAMBRIDGE , Massachusetts -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Raising the quality of teaching and learning in American schools is a priority . It receives a great deal of attention in our national discourse and should receive more . Test scores and graduation rates are improving faster in other nations than in the United States and this threatens our quality of life in a competitive world . In addition , achievement gaps between racial groups in the United States remain large . The social and political vitality of the nation may depend on closing these racial gaps . Blacks and Hispanics are doing better than in the past compared to whites , but still not nearly good enough . Making schools better should be only one part of our national strategy . Life at home has been a relatively neglected topic and needs to come out of the shadows . Especially in churches , neighborhood organizations , families and informal social networks , helping parents do their best needs to be as big a priority as achieving excellent schools . This goes beyond public policies . I am talking about changes in mindsets and lifestyles in a national social and cultural movement to close achievement gaps between groups -- a movement to achieve excellence with equity . More reading at home is a place to start . I present data in my recent book based on a large sample of students in elementary and secondary schools from several states . Black and Hispanic students reported less leisure reading at home compared to whites , watched television more , were much more likely to have televisions in their bedrooms and -LRB- perhaps as a consequence -RRB- were more prone to become sleepy at school . Also , blacks and Hispanics , including those with college-educated parents , reported fewer books in their homes than whites whose parents had fewer years of schooling . However , life at home helps shape academic outcomes long before children begin reading books . Family-level supports in the first two years of life help predict achievement years later , in elementary school . Beginning soon after birth , the most supportive mothers teach the joy of living and learning , through lots of active , encouraging , verbal and nonverbal communication . They engage actively in helping children learn to walk and talk and to explore their new world and manipulate their toys and other objects . Such mothers exist in large numbers in every racial group . Nonetheless , in a recent study by Harvard 's Richard Murnane and co-authors , differences in mother-child interaction patterns like these were found to account for one-third of the black-white gap in math and English skills at the beginning of kindergarten -- and one-quarter at the end of third grade . As children get older , highly responsive parents spend time with children , look for ways to be helpful and encourage them to voice their opinions . They are good listeners and they teach their children that they have a right to be heard and that people in positions of authority can sometimes be persuaded . The same parents can also be demanding , providing rules and structure and holding children consistently accountable for their behavior . Professor Jelani Mandara of Northwestern University found in a nationally representative sample that students who achieved the highest test scores among blacks , Hispanics and whites had parents who were both responsive and demanding . According to the study , white parents were much more likely to be both responsive and demanding than black and Hispanic parents ; whereas black parents , in particular , were often highly demanding , but tended not to be as responsive in the ways the study measured . Among early adolescents , differences along these dimensions helped account for the higher test scores of whites as compared with blacks and Hispanics . Findings like the above should be part of the conversation among black and Hispanic community leaders as they respond to the fact that even the children of college-educated parents often achieve at lower-than-expected levels . It is true that children of every racial group do better , on average , when their parents have more education . For example , black 12th graders whose parents completed college have higher average test scores than black 12th graders whose parents only completed high school . However , it is also true , according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress , that test score gaps between 12th-grade blacks and whites with highly educated parents -- parents with 16 or more years of schooling -- are greater than test score gaps between 12th-grade blacks and whites whose parents have less education . These are unpleasant facts , but we can not improve what we fear and refuse to confront . Yes , we should respectfully acknowledge and rectify injustices that have impeded the efforts of many non-white parents and we should also work relentlessly to provide high quality schooling opportunities for children from every background . But especially in our own homes and communities , there is another responsibility . It is to give parents of every racial and social-class background the examples , encouragement and supports they need to help their children experience the joy of learning and develop ambitious attitudes and habits of mind that will serve them well throughout their lives . As one effort to accept this responsibility , the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University has begun convening the AGI Parent Leadership Network . Beginning in September 2008 , researchers and parent leaders from communities in several states have met every four months at Harvard to learn about relevant research , trade ideas , coach one another , and share examples of their own leadership . Presentations and discussions have covered topics ranging from home-learning lifestyles to ways of helping schools and holding them accountable . The main purpose is to equip parent leaders with ideas and energy for helping others in home communities to help ALL our children succeed . In the Civil Rights Movement , legions of people worked in a multitude of ways for racial justice . That work continues . However , the time has come for a movement focused on realizing our full human potential as learners . We need a movement for excellence with equity -- to prepare all our children for the social , ethical and intellectual challenges of a 21st century world . For more information about the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University , click here . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ronald Ferguson . | Ronald Ferguson : Vitality of U.S. may depend on closing racial achievement gaps . He says achievement of black and Hispanic students is improving . He says further progress could come if parents were more responsive to children . Ferguson : Harvard has started a program to improve quality of parenting . | [[964, 1038], [1039, 1128], [1039, 1086], [1098, 1128], [1129, 1183]] |
BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chinese workers and army soldiers were racing to sweep snow-covered highways and unclog railway routes for millions of travelers trapped by cold weather . Souzhou , China , is blanketed by the most snow the city has had in 25 years , according to I-Reporter Susan Arthur . More than 67 million people have been affected by the weather and economic losses are expected to reach as much as $ 3 billion , Chinese officials say . Blizzards have snapped power lines and destroyed houses and farmland , prompting fears of food and energy shortages . Twenty-four people have died and some 827,000 people have been evacuated in 14 different provinces , the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday . In the past week , the snowstorms have hit the provinces in central , eastern and southern China -- places that are used to mild winters , not extreme wintry blasts . `` We 've never seen such a cold weather lasting for such long a time , '' said Tang Shan , a man in his 70s in Changsha , the capital of Hunan province . `` The last time we had one here was over 50 years ago , and not this bad . '' The snow and sleet have paralyzed roads , railways and airports , leaving tens of millions of travelers marooned , officials say . Many of them are bound for home ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year , also known as the Spring Festival , which falls on February 7 . Watch how the snowstorms have resulted in transit chaos '' For several days before and after that day , an estimated 178 million Chinese will travel by train , and 22 million more by plane , officials say . Millions more will take long-haul vans and buses . The Lunar New Year travel is China 's busiest travel period of the year . But the cold snap is hampering travel plans . Railway and highway routes have been brought to a standstill , several regional airports have been closed and many provinces have imposed power `` brownouts '' to conserve energy . On Hunan 's major highways , more than 60,000 bus riders were stranded because of icy roads . In the southern city of Guangzhou , as many as 500,000 train passengers were stranded the past few days when a power failure in neighboring Hunan province crippled the regular train services , local officials said . About 100,000 passengers packed the square in front of the train station while others found shelter in schools and other public buildings while waiting for their trains . Watch travelers packed shoulder to shoulder '' Even the local stock market seems affected by the nasty weather . The Shanghai composite index dropped by more than 7 percent on Monday , dragged in part by investors ' concerns over the damage caused by the foul winter weather . Worst hit were transport and power stocks . Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has ordered urgent measures to unclog the transport jam and ensure a steady supply of food and energy . `` Let us mobilize urgently and work as one to wage this tough battle against the disaster , '' he said in an emergency meeting . `` Let 's ensure that the people enjoy a joyful and auspicious Spring Festival . '' But more miserable weather is expected . China 's weather bureau Monday issued a rare `` red alert , '' warning of more severe snowstorms in the coming days . If so , the number of stranded travelers will surely swell . Tang Shan , the retired official in Hunan , is staying put instead of joining the holiday exodus . Even so , he finds the frigid weather a big nuisance . `` Hospitals now treat children who caught colds and old people who sprained bones after slipping and falling , '' he says . `` Even just walking in the icy street is perilous . '' E-mail to a friend . | NEW : Chinese officials say as many as 67 million people affected by weather . Heavy snowfalls put the nation into lockdown ahead of busiest travel week . There have been 24 deaths and 827,000 evacuations . Up to 500,000 stranded at a train station . | [[308, 389], [437, 460], [1394, 1452], [1400, 1449], [579, 607], [608, 677], [2047, 2080], [2083, 2201]] |
-LRB- PEOPLE.com -RRB- -- There 's another Brady in the bunch . Gisele Bündchen and husband Tom Brady welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday night . Brady announced the news to reporters Wednesday after People.com reported the story . The football star called his son 's birth `` a wonderful experience in my life . '' He also told reporters happily , `` I did n't get much sleep last night , '' USA Today reports . Bündchen , 29 , and New England Patriots quarterback Brady , 32 , were married in a private ceremony in February in Los Angeles . In April , they held a follow-up wedding for friends and family at Bündchen 's Costa Rican estate . The child is the first for the Brazilian supermodel . Brady has a 2-year-old son , Jack , with actress Bridget Moynahan . Brady had said earlier this month that he was aware of the baby 's gender , but that Bündchen preferred not to know . `` I wanted to find out and she did n't , so she said , ` Go ahead , ' '' he explained . `` It will be a surprise for her . '' Reps could not be reached for comment . PEOPLE.com 's Peter Mikelbank contributed to this report . © 2010 People and Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | Sources told PEOPLE that Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady have had a baby boy . The couple got married February in a private ceremony in Los Angeles . The child is the first for the Brazilian model ; the second for Brady . | [[64, 91], [102, 140], [408, 466], [469, 537], [638, 691]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson 's father suspects his son was murdered and that Dr. Conrad Murray is `` just a fall guy '' in a conspiracy . Joe Jackson appeared on CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' on Monday night , just hours after sitting in a courtroom to hear Murray plead not guilty to a single charge of involuntary manslaughter in his son 's death last summer . A Los Angeles judge set bail at $ 75,000 , despite arguments from the prosecutor that Murray is a flight risk and needs a higher bail . Murray posted the bond and was released several hours later . Michael Jackson 's family , including his parents , four of his brothers and one sister , filled the first two rows of the small courtroom . `` I was looking for justice , and justice , to me , would be a murder charge , '' Joe Jackson told King . Prosecutors charged Murray , who was Jackson 's personal physician , with causing the pop star 's death `` without malice '' by acting `` without due caution and circumspection . '' Murray was with the pop star when he died on June 25 , 2009 . The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson 's death a homicide , resulting from a combination of drugs , primarily propofol -- a powerful anesthesia -- and lorazepam . Joe Jackson suggested it was more than a doctor making a fatal judgment . `` To me , he 's just a fall guy , '' Jackson said . `` There 's other people , I think , involved with this whole thing . But I think that he 's interrogated -- he would come clean and tell everything he knows . '' He said Michael Jackson told his mother , as he was preparing for his comeback concerts in London , England , last year , that he thought he would be killed . `` He was afraid to even do all of these shows , because he was afraid that he would n't get a chance to finish all of the show , '' Joe Jackson said . `` He could n't do all those shows back-to-back . Even his kids say that he had told them that he would be murdered . '' Murray turned himself in shortly before 4 p.m. at a branch courthouse near Los Angeles International Airport . He pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing before Judge Keith L. Schwartz . The judge refused to suspend Murray 's medical license as a term of his bond , but he did order him not to use any anesthesia on patients . `` I do n't want you sedating people , '' Schwartz told Murray . Read the criminal complaint . The involuntary manslaughter charge means that Murray caused Jackson 's death by acting `` without due caution and circumspection . '' If convicted , Murray would face a maximum four-year prison sentence , according to prosecutors . More on involuntary manslaughter . Jackson family members later reacted to what they saw in the courtroom : . `` Not enough , '' Jermaine Jackson said when asked what he thought of the charge . `` I do n't like what happened , '' Joe Jackson said as he left the courthouse . La Toya Jackson later issued a statement through a publicist . `` Michael was murdered and although he died at the hands of Dr. Conrad Murray , I believe Dr. Murray was a part of a much larger plan , '' her statement said . `` There are other individuals involved and I will not rest and I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served . '' Her statement did not elaborate on what she meant in her reference to `` a much larger plan . '' Murray traveled to Los Angeles at the end of January from his home in Houston , Texas , in expectation of possible charges , his lawyer said . He used part of his time last week to visit the pop star 's resting place in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale , California . Murray , a cardiologist , was hired as Jackson 's personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for comeback concerts in London , England . The doctor told Los Angeles police that he was with Jackson at his $ 100,000-a-month rented Holmby Hills mansion through the early morning hours of June 25 , 2009 , in an effort to help the pop star fall asleep , according to a police affidavit . He administered sleep aids , and after Jackson finally began sleeping in the late morning hours , Murray said , he left the bedroom for `` about two minutes maximum , '' the affidavit says . `` Upon his return , Murray noticed that Jackson was no longer breathing , '' it says . The doctor stayed with Jackson as an ambulance rushed him to UCLA Medical Center . Efforts at CPR proved fruitless , and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. . The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson 's death a homicide , resulting from a combination of drugs , primarily propofol and lorazepam . The coroner 's statement said Jackson died from `` acute propofol intoxication , '' but there were `` other conditions contributing to death : benzodiazepine effect . '' Lorazepam and two other drugs Murray said he used are benzodiazepines . The doctor told investigators he had given Jackson three anti-anxiety drugs to help him sleep in the hours before he stopped breathing , a police affidavit said . Murray had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks at the time of the singer 's death . The doctor told investigators he gave Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol , the generic name for Diprivan , diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine every night via an intravenous drip . The doctor told police he was worried that Jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and tried to wean him off it . During the two nights before Jackson 's death , Murray said , he put together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep . The full autopsy report , which was released Monday afternoon , included an analysis by an anesthesiology consultant of the use of propofol . The consultant , Dr. Selma Calmes , concluded that the `` standard of care for administering propofol was not met . '' `` There was no evidence of an infusion pump for control of an IV infusion . No monitors were found at the scene ; a blood pressure cuff and portable pulse oximeter were recovered from a closet in the next room , '' Calmes wrote . An oxygen tank was found near where Jackson slept , but it was empty when the coroner investigator checked it two weeks after Jackson died , Calmes said . `` Multiple opened bottles of propofol were found with small amounts of remaining drugs , '' Calmes said . `` A used bottle should be discarded six hours after opening , to avoid possible bacterial growth . '' `` The level of propofol found on toxicology exam are similar to those found during general anesthesia for major surgery , '' Calmes said . During such surgery , any patient would be `` intubated and ventilated by an anesthesiologist , '' she said . The consultant 's report said that the level of lorazepam found in Jackson `` would have accentuated the respiratory and cardiovascular depression from propofol . '' CNN 's Stan Wilson and Ted Rowlands contributed to this report . | On `` Larry King Live , '' Joe Jackson says he believes Michael was murdered . Father says MJ had expressed fears that he would be murdered before London shows . Dr. Conrad Murray pleads not guilty to a single charge of involuntary manslaughter . Judge sets bail at $ 75,000 ; Murray posts bond and out of jail several hours later . | [[813, 839], [1671, 1702], [1905, 1972], [1923, 1972], [252, 393], [2087, 2164], [394, 434], [530, 552], [530, 536], [548, 591]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was Anabella De León 's frail 86-year-old mother who answered the door when the men came knocking . `` They told her , ` say to Anabella that we are going to kill her very soon , ' '' De León told CNN . The visit left her mother crying , anxious and shocked . Congresswoman Anabella de Leon with her husband in London for a performance of `` Seven '' by Vital Voices . That was four months ago . No attempt on her life has been made , De León said , but she still looks over her shoulder , takes alternative routes in her car , constantly checking that she 's not being followed . Anabella De León is not well known outside Guatemala . Within the Central American country though , she has made headlines as an outspoken critic of corruption . She 's serving her fourth term in Congress as a member of the Patriotic Party , which last weekend elected her to one of its top posts of Third National Secretary . The death threats are not new . Since 2002 , she 's been protected by at least one security guard on request from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights . Her 26-year-old son is also shadowed by a security guard ; a precautionary move in response to earlier threats connected to De León 's anti-corruption efforts . `` The fight against corruption does n't give you friends , '' she said . '' -LSB- It -RSB- gives you enemies , important and dangerous enemies , '' she told CNN during a recent trip to London for a performance of the play `` Seven , '' which profiles De León and six other international female leaders . Read more about `` Seven . '' After 22 years of speaking out against corruption , first as a lawyer and then as a congresswoman , De León says she remains fearful given the legacy of violence and instability in Guatemala . De León noted that the country had recently been shaken by one killing in particular . On May 10 , a high-profile lawyer was shot dead while cycling in Guatemala City . Rodrigo Rosenberg 's killing might not have made headlines had he not recorded a video message just four days earlier . `` If you are watching this message , '' Rosenberg said on the video , `` it is because I was assassinated by President Álvaro Colom , with help from Gustavo Alejos , '' his private secretary . In the video , the lawyer predicted he would be targeted for speaking out about the killings of his client , a prominent businessman and his daughter . Rosenberg claimed they were killed because they had refused to participate in acts of corruption . President Colom has vehemently denied the claims . `` We categorically reject the accusations that pretend to tie the president , first lady and private secretary as those responsible for this assassination , '' Colom said in a national address in May . Colom 's Foreign Minister blamed Rosenberg 's death on members of organized crime who he says are seeking to destabilize the country . The case sparked street protests both for and against the president . The government has promised a full and fair investigation into the killing and has received the support of the Organization of American States -LRB- OAS -RRB- . The inquiry is being led by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala -LRB- CICIG -RRB- , a United Nations-backed body established in 2007 to battle corruption in the country . The Federal Bureau of Investigation -LRB- FBI -RRB- is assisting . De León sees the killing and the political scandal as a reminder of the enormity of the problems plaguing Guatemala . The country has been struggling to recover from a bloody 36-year civil war which ended in 1996 . According to the United Nations , Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in the world , with many killed by street gangs or in robberies . Almost 2,000 violent deaths were recorded in the first four months of this year and the Office of Human Rights warns 2009 is on track to become the most violent year in the country 's recent history . Offenders know there 's little chance of being caught . The U.N. says only two percent of crimes are ever solved . Meanwhile , the gap between rich and poor is more like a chasm and social services are suffering as a result of one of the lowest rates of tax collection in the world . President Álvaro Colom and his party , the National Union of Hope , came to power last year with a promise to crack down on corruption , crime , poverty and impunity . Kevin Casas-Zamora , senior fellow in Foreign Policy and the Latin American Initiative at the Brookings Institution told CNN similar promises have been made by previous governments , but they have tried and failed to bring change . `` Business interests are very cohesive and very powerful in Guatemala , then you have organized crime which is a new and powerful actor , '' said Casas-Zamora , who recently served as Vice President of Costa Rica . `` Those actors have no intention whatsoever of letting the State become effective in fighting against corruption and organized crime . It 's been proven time after time that -LSB- the government -RSB- has been blocked , '' Casas-Zamora said . De León says regardless of the political outcome of the murder allegations , the scandal may have prompted a subtle and potentially powerful change among Guatemala 's population . She believes recent street protests demanding justice for Rodrigo Rosenberg 's death are a sign that people are ready for change . `` People in Guatemala are tired , tired of injustice , tired of corruption , tired of abuses , of violations , '' she said . `` Guatemala needs to change . But for change , you need not one voice , not two voices , not 20 voices . Fifty-thousand people in the last demonstration are proof that everybody 's tired . '' | Congresswoman Anabella De León tells CNN of her fight against corruption . De Leon : `` People in Guatemala are tired , tired of injustice ... abuses '' Guatemala gripped by political crisis after murder of a high-profile lawyer . President Álvaro Colom denies allegations of involvement in the murder . | [[220, 241], [5430, 5470], [1885, 1894], [1897, 1966], [2532, 2582], [2583, 2738]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Space shuttle astronaut Randy Bresnik has welcomed a daughter -- from space . Bresnik is part of the crew on the space shuttle Atlantis , currently docked with the International Space Station . Bresnik called Mission Control at 6:14 a.m. ET Sunday to announce the birth of Abigail Mae Bresnik about seven hours earlier , according to the NASA Web site on the shuttle mission . The baby weighed 6 pounds , 13 ounces and was 20 inches long . `` Just wanted to take this opportunity to report some good news , '' Bresnik said , according to a NASA transcript . `` At 11:04 last night , Abigail Mae Bresnik joined the NASA family , and mama and baby are doing very well . '' Bresnik had private communication channels arranged in advance for the birth , the agency said . Atlantis lifted off Monday on a mission to deliver parts to the international space station . `` I think like most parents , I would prefer to be there at the birth for sure , but we do n't pick this timing and so it 's ... a little bit disappointing not to see her in person right when she enters the world , '' Bresnik said in a preflight interview , a transcript of which is posted on the NASA Web site . `` But fortunately , through the wonders of modern technical advancements and our amazing communication systems on the ISS and space shuttle , hopefully I 'll be able to hear and see the pictures and be able to talk with her maybe on the IP phone and see some video shortly thereafter and be home only a few days afterwards . '' NASA did not disclose the location of Bresnik 's wife and daughter , citing privacy concerns . The couple already has a 3-year-old son , whom they adopted from Ukraine a year ago , Bresnik said . Bresnik 's wife echoed his mixed feelings in the preflight interview . `` I 'm a little disappointed that he wo n't be able to be there , but understanding that we do n't choose the timing , and -LSB- I 'm -RSB- excited for him that he 's doing what he 's doing , '' said Rebecca Bresnik , a NASA attorney . She said labor was being induced two weeks early for medical reasons , `` so we 're able to play with the date a little bit . '' The shuttle crew was awakened Sunday morning by the song `` Butterfly Kisses , '' which was selected for Bresnik , NASA said . The song , by Bob Carlisle , is about a man and his daughter . It was the second time a baby has been born to a U.S. astronaut who was on a space mission . Mike Fincke 's daughter was born in June 2004 while he was aboard the international space station , NASA said . Bresnik and astronaut Robert Satcher Jr. were gearing up Sunday for a third and final spacewalk , planned for Monday . The two will prepare spacesuits and tools Sunday , along with reviewing the updated procedures , NASA said . The spacewalk was replanned overnight after Bresnik and Mike Foreman were able to get ahead during a spacewalk Saturday , according to NASA . The shuttle is scheduled to land on Friday . CNN Radio 's Andy Rose contributed to this report . | Abigail Mae Bresnik was born Saturday night as her astronaut dad orbited Earth . Randy Bresnik is part of space shuttle Atlantis crew currently at space station . Bresnik and another astronaut spend Sunday preparing for Monday spacewalk . Bresnik says he 's sorry not to see baby `` in person right when she enters the world '' | [[213, 337], [577, 599], [602, 644], [97, 154], [128, 154], [157, 212], [2552, 2647], [2552, 2592], [2650, 2670], [1001, 1068]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Frozen winter conditions are helping slow the spread of a pipeline leak on Alaska 's North Slope , an environmental official said . An estimated 46,000 gallons of a water-and-oil mixture was spilled before the source of the leak -- a pipe rupture -- was identified Monday , according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation -LRB- ADEC -RRB- . The ruptured 18-inch line , owned by oil company BP and which usually carries a mixture of 75 percent water and 25 percent oil , has been repaired . The frozen conditions make the spill less mobile , Matthew Carr of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said late Wednesday . `` Any spill is regrettable , '' Steve Reinhart , a BP spokesman in Anchorage , told CNN . `` We will clean this up thoroughly and our investigation will find out what happened so that we can ensure this does n't happen again . '' Reinhart said the spill , which occurred entirely on land , has had no impact on production or wildlife in the area , and is contained to a small fraction of the much larger Prudhoe Bay oil field . `` It is not a pool of oil spreading out across the ground , '' Reinhart said , comparing its consistency to that of a snow cone . `` It 's a partially solidified mass that 's piled up in one area , and as we speak , truckloads of this material is being moved off this site and to a collection depot . '' According to officials , the rupture was approximately 24 inches lengthwise , running along the bottom of the pipeline . In an incident report on its Web site Wednesday , ADEC described the rupture as being `` consistent with an overpressure scenario , '' caused by ice inside the pipe . The leak was discovered early November 29 by a BP worker conducting a routine inspection . The North Slope 's biggest spill to date happened in 2006 when a corroded pipeline dumped 200,000 gallons of crude oil . CNN 's Nick Valencia contributed to this report . | Ice buildup led to Alaskan pipeline rupture , officials say . Nearly 46,000 gallons of water-and-oil mixture spilled entirely on land . Spill not believed to have any effect on production or wildlife in area . | [[0, 15], [19, 115], [1225, 1252], [1261, 1281], [1390, 1412], [1643, 1677], [151, 247], [887, 1002], [887, 1002]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Freezing temperatures plagued much of the nation Thursday after a major storm moved into Canada , but another storm that will dump more snow in the Sierra Nevada was brewing , forecasters said . That storm , which is expected to start overnight , should last several days and eventually make its way eastward , like its predecessor , CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said . The Sierras , straddling California and Nevada , received more than 3 feet of snow in the last few days . Crews in El Dorado County , California , have been working around the clock this week to restore power to residents who have been left in the dark and cold since Sunday , according to CNN affiliate KXTV . That county , near Lake Tahoe , has received more than 30 inches of snow . Elsewhere , more than 18 inches of snow had accumulated in parts of the Midwest by Thursday , and high winds made the snow difficult to clear . Unusually low temperatures were in store for much of the nation into Friday , the National Weather Service said . `` Almost the entire Lower 48 is below normal as far as temperatures . In some cases , 20 , 30 degrees , '' CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano said . Freezing or below-freezing temperatures were recorded from Dallas , Texas , and Memphis , Tennessee , to Minneapolis , Minnesota , and Chicago , Illinois . The temperature in Detroit , Michigan , was 16 ; in Minneapolis it was minus 5 ; and in Chicago it was 1 degree . Overnight temperatures were to dip to 17 in Denver , Colorado , and Kansas City , Missouri ; 24 in Seattle , Washington ; 31 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma ; 32 in Las Vegas , Nevada ; and 27 in Atlanta , Georgia . Lake-effect snow warnings and advisories were in effect for western Michigan and the state 's Upper Peninsula , areas that border Lake Michigan , according to the National Weather Service . Lake-effect snow forms when a mass of cold air moves over a body of warmer water . iReport : Share your photos , video . Tens of thousands of people were left in the dark in southeast Michigan , with temperatures that plunged well below freezing , after high winds blew down power lines , according to CNN affiliate WXYZ TV . Schools and government offices were closed in many cities . In Green Bay , Wisconsin , Jeanne Knurr took advantage of having her two children -- Sierra , 12 , and Austin , 15 -- home . `` We told them we were going to put them to work , '' she told CNN affiliate WLUK on Wednesday . `` We told them before they went to bed that they were going to have to help mom shovel because she 's going to be all alone . '' They did n't seem to mind . `` Well , I think shoveling snow 's actually better because afterward you actually get to make forts and stuff , '' Sierra said . `` Sleeping in is a lot better . '' iReport : Thousands join campus snowball fight . High winds made snow removal difficult . Wind gusts reached 50 mph in Omaha , Nebraska ; 58 mph in Fort Wayne , Indiana ; and 60 mph in Toledo , Ohio . In Omaha , as soon as plows cleared the snow , the wind blew more in their paths , noted former resident and CNN meteorologist Chad Myers as he watched a video clip . Several states reported storm-related deaths . In Northumberland , New York , authorities said a freight train struck a snowplow Wednesday , killing a passenger in the plow , reported CNN affiliate WTEN . In Yale , Iowa , an elderly man was discovered dead Wednesday outside his truck , said Bret Voorhees , spokesman for the state 's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency . A 28-year-old woman was killed in Omaha on Tuesday night when a truck plowing snow in a parking lot backed into her , police spokesman Jacob Bettin said . She was pronounced dead at the scene . In northern Arizona , dozens of elk hunters were stranded this week by deep snow in the area 's backwoods . The Coconino County Sheriff 's Office said it has assisted or offered assistance to about 50 hunters Wednesday and Thursday , including some air evacuations . The Arizona Game and Fish Department also has been providing flyovers by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft as rescue crews search for hunting parties and campsites , the sheriff 's office said . Brady Smith , a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service , said hunters were warned of the possibility of getting snowed in earlier in the week . The city of Flagstaff , the county seat , received at least 30 inches of snow . The elk hunt ends Thursday . CNN 's Chuck Conder contributed to this report . | Major storm moves into Canada , but another one brewing over Sierra Nevada . More than 18 inches of snow have fallen in parts of the Midwest . U.S. temperatures unusually low , forecasters say ; several states report storm-related deaths . | [[19, 114], [117, 134], [140, 180], [121, 192], [195, 206], [775, 784], [787, 866], [919, 994], [3152, 3198], [3176, 3181], [3182, 3198]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The death of a 14-year-old girl in England after she received a vaccination for Human Papilloma virus -LRB- HPV -RRB- has prompted a widespread freeze on the country 's national vaccination program . Millions of girls have received vaccinations for HPV since 2008 , the virus that causes 99 percent of cervical cancers . More than 1.4 million girls have received the vaccination in England since the National Health Service -LRB- NHS -RRB- started administering it in September 2008 . Natalie Morton 's sudden death Monday occurred within hours after she received a shot of the vaccine Cervarix at the NHS at her school in Coventry . Three other girls at the Blue Coat Church of England school suffered mild symptoms of dizziness and nausea after receiving the vaccine , according to media reports . It remains unclear if the vaccine caused Morton 's death . Only an autopsy will be able to determine the exactly cause of death . Glaxo Smith Kline , the manufacturer of Cervarix , issued a recall of the batch of vaccine used in Coventry as a `` precautionary measure . '' Watch reaction to Natalie Morton 's death '' `` At this stage the cause of this tragic death is unknown , '' the company said in a statement posted on their Web site . `` Following immediate quarantine of the batch involved last night , we have taken the decision to voluntarily recall this batch as a further precautionary measure while the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Natalie 's death is conducted . '' On Tuesday several NHS clinics and schools indefinitely postponed immunizations . `` As a purely precautionary measure , we have asked the NHS to quarantine all stocks of HPV vaccine from the batch related to this case , '' a spokesperson for the NHS said . `` Where the local NHS has supplies of vaccine from other production batches , they should continue with the vaccination program . '' Many clinics were forced to close as they checked the numbers on their batches of the vaccine . What is HPV ? HPV stands for human Papilloma virus . Although there are more than 100 types of HPV , only a few of them are known to cause cervical cancer . Most strains of HPV are harmless or cause genital warts . HPV is a common sexually-transmitted disease . Almost half of all women who have sex will be infected at one point in their life , according to the British National Health Service . HPV infects the cells of the surface of the cervix . Infections can clear up on their own or stay for many years without any symptoms and develop into cervical cancer . Ninety-nine percent of cervical cancers are caused by HPV . What is the Cervarix HPV vaccine ? The Cervarix HPV vaccine protects against the two strains of HPV -LRB- 16 and 18 -RRB- that cause cervical cancer in over 70 percent of women . The vaccine is typically injected in the upper arm , or thigh , in three doses within six months , and is recommended for teenage girls . How effective is the Cervarix vaccine ? According to the manufacturer , Glaxo Smith Kline , Cervarix is over 99 percent effective . Is Cervarix the most common vaccine for HPV ? No . Gardisil , manufactured by Merck is used by the majority of vaccine programs worldwide . Gardisil protects against four strains of HPV -LRB- 16 , 18 , 6 and 11 -RRB- . Strains 6 and 11 cause less serious conditions , such as genital warts . Gardisil proved comparatively effective in trials carried out by Merck . Of 23 million American girls who have already been vaccinated , 32 deaths were reported , though the reports do not determine if the deaths were caused by the vaccine or just a coincidence . Why was Cervarix chosen for the UK ? According to the NHS , Cervarix , `` was selected because the bid from this company scored higher than the competitor in the adjudication process against pre-agreed award criteria . The pre-agreed award criteria were shared with the manufacturers during the process so that they were fully informed of the criteria against which their bids would be evaluated . '' When was the vaccine introduced ? In September 2008 , England began a national program to vaccinate girls aged 12-13 , and a three-year catch up campaign offering the vaccine to 13-18 year old girls . Do condoms protect against HPV ? Using condoms reduces the risk of HPV transmission , but infection is still possible because HPV can be spread by contact with parts of the body that the condom does not cover . What are the known dangers associated with taking the HPV vaccine ? Cervarix has undergone rigorous safety testing as part of the licensing process required in the UK and other European countries , according to the NHS . The most commonly reported side effects are mild swelling or pain at the injection site , nausea , a mild temperature , dizziness , diarrhea and muscle aches . In rare cases allergic reactions in the form of skin rashes and in very rare cases anaphylactic shock has occurred . | Teenage girl dies after receiving Cervarix vaccination for HPV . England 's national vaccination program freezes as batches are recalled . HPV is a sexually-transmitted virus that causes 99 percent of cervical cancers . Almost 1.4 million girls in England have already received the vaccine . | [[521, 669], [587, 669], [132, 235], [302, 311], [317, 356], [2238, 2284], [2245, 2262], [2263, 2284], [2589, 2648], [236, 299], [357, 475]] |
Mecca , Saudi Arabia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chanting `` Allahu Akbar '' -- God is Greater than any -- more than 2 million pilgrims crossed new pedestrian bridges Saturday to perform one of the last rituals of the Hajj season . Jamarat is a re-enactment of an event when Prophet Abraham stoned the devil and rejected his temptations , according to Muslim traditions . The ritual stoning of three pillars , which occurs in the tent city of Mina -- about two miles from Mecca , was the scene of stampedes and many deaths in the 1980s and 1990s as pilgrims passed a crowded bottleneck area leading to the small pillars on the ground . But this year the Saudi government completed a new project that avoids past congestion at the site . The government has erected three massive pillars and completed a $ 1.2 billion , five-story bridge nearby where pilgrims can toss stones . Authorities and pilgrims say it 's a roomier atmosphere and more efficient way to accommodate the faithful . `` Everything went fine so far , '' Col. Khakled Qarar Mohammadi , head of the emergency forces at Jamarat , told CNN . `` It is an immense responsibility that we had to deal with . About 3 million pilgrims move in a small geographic area at the same time wanting to do the same ritual . So we have been preparing for this for years now . '' Irtiza Hasan , a pilgrim from the United States , said all went well at the ceremony . `` The only incident I saw was that there were some handicapped women who were turned away in fears that they get hurt . '' But Mohammadi said , `` There are 10 vans on the second floor especially designated to serve the elderly and handicapped . Each van can take up to 14 pilgrims . '' As a measure to alleviate harm , according to Muslim traditions , the elderly and the handicapped can appoint someone else to stone for them . The five-story Jamarat bridge is air-conditioned at 19 degrees Centigrade , or 66 Fahrenheit , throughout the day and backed by water sprinklers that can reduce the temperature to about 29 degrees C , or 84 F . The bridge is designed to allow the addition of seven more levels to hold as many as 5 million pilgrims in the future if the need arises . According to authorities , the bridge is 950 meters -LRB- 1,039 yards -RRB- long and 80 meters -LRB- 87 yards -RRB- wide . Each floor is 12 meters -LRB- 13 yards -RRB- high with three tunnels and 12 entrances and 12 exits in six directions . It has a helicopter pad for emergencies . According to Mohammadi , the project has 509 advanced closed-circuit television cameras monitoring pilgrims ' movements . Those cameras feed into the main operations room , which oversees the Jamarat Bridge and the surrounding areas -- all screened by dozens of security officers on 72 monitors at the operation room . The stoning ritual is done over at least two days , where pilgrims stone three pillars at Mina -- believed to be where the Prophet Abraham stoned the devil when he tried to dissuade him from obeying God 's orders to slaughter his son . According to tradition , the event was a test from God , who gave Abraham a ram to slaughter instead . The last ritual that marks the end of Hajj is when pilgrims go from Mina to Mecca to make a last visit to al-Masjid al-Haram , Islam 's holiest site , before going back home . The ritual is called Tawaf al-Wada ' a -- or farewell circumambulation in the holy mosque . It 's where pilgrims go around the black cube seven times counter-clockwise asking that their Lord accept their pilgrimage and grant them another visit to the holy city . | Goverment constructed three new massive pillars , five-story bridge for Hajj ritual . Jamarat re-enacts Abraham 's stoning the devil , according to Muslim tradition . Ritual was scene of deadly stampedes as pilgrims crammed through bottleneck . The air-conditioned bridge is 950 meters long , 80 meters wide ; each floor is 12 meters high . | [[631, 727], [728, 776], [728, 742], [781, 833], [1836, 1928], [266, 298], [330, 362], [1696, 1705], [1726, 1756], [363, 398], [471, 536], [540, 626], [2213, 2308], [2309, 2427]] |
BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- China 's worst winter in more than half a century showed no signs of abating Wednesday as forecasters warned of three more days of snow and sleet . Stranded passengers wait to get into the railway station at Wuhan in central China 's Hubei province . The weather has paralyzed transportation , frozen the power grid and delivered a $ 4.5 billion hit to the economy , according to figures released Wednesday by the Civil Affairs Ministry . The situation is compounding economic problems for China . Destroyed crops have resulted in increased food prices , while the inability to transport goods has further inflated prices and led to shortages at stores . China 's railways and roads are the lifeblood for its manufacturing sector , one of the fastest growing in the world . `` Being a manufacturer , we are so worried , '' said marketing manager Calvina Chan , who works for a Hong Kong-based firm that relies on a factory in mainland China to produce luggage for brands such as Samsonite . `` Because of the snowstorm , the transportation is n't very good and so there might be a late delivery . '' Automakers Toyota and Ford halted their China-based production this week . The transportation stoppage has had a domino effect , preventing the delivery of coal , which is vital to China 's power plants . That is amplifying China 's energy problems . `` Most of the coal is produced in the north and northeast , -LRB- while -RRB- the users are along the coast , '' said economist Nicholas Kwan . `` This time the snowstorm 's problem is not so much freezing the production but freezing the transportation line which makes transportation of coal to those power plants more difficult . '' Kwan said some of the power plants have already depleted their coal reserves . All this comes during the Lunar New Year holiday , the country 's busiest shopping season . In Guangzhou , hundreds of factory workers who had saved money all year to visit their families during China 's Lunar New Year filled the city 's train station , waiting for trains that were not expected to arrive for days . Up to half a million people have camped out in the southern city for nearly a week , hoping to get home for the holiday . Factories in the province of Guangzhou shut down Wednesday ahead of the February 7 holiday with workers joining the masses around the train station -- hoping the government would deliver on its promise of quick action and immediate relief for those trying to make it home . `` I have been sleeping out here for six days . I have spent all my money . I do n't know how I will get home , '' one man said . Another man told CNN 's Hugh Riminton he had tried to get out of Guangzhou every way possible -- by airplane , bus and his own car -- but could not make it because of the weather conditions . `` Now he 's in the queue with everyone else trying to get on a train , '' Riminton said . `` And the trains simply are n't going at the moment and it 's unlikely they 'll be going really in sufficient numbers for days to come '' Security is tight at the railway station as people occasionally stampeded the barricade in an attempt to get closer to the train platforms , to no avail . Armed riot police entered the station on Wednesday to regain control of the situation . So far , Chinese authorities have managed to persuade nearly 470,000 people to abandon their travel plans and accept a refund for their train tickets . Prime Minister Wen Jiabao apologized Tuesday to the hundreds of thousands of people stranded in train stations across his country -- a rare move by a Chinese politician . `` First we 'll fix the electric grid . After that , the trains will run again . ... Then all of you can go home for the Chinese New Year , '' the premier said . President Hu Jintao called an emergency meeting of the policy-making politburo and vowed a quick government response . More than 177 million Chinese were expected to travel by train , and 22 million more by plane , for Chinese Lunar New Year , also known as the Spring Festival . `` Going home every year is an obligation , '' one Chinese woman explained . `` It is family reunion , and no matter how difficult it is , we have to do it . '' Brian Blackwell of Chicago was stranded for two days at Shanghai 's Hongqiao International Airport . `` There were thousands of people there and they were pushing toward the counter . You had no idea what the status of your flight was . '' Brutal winter weather has pounded China 's central , eastern and southern sections . In its 10-day forecast , the China Meteorological Administration said Wednesday that southwestern , eastern and southern China can expect more snow and sleet with freezing temperatures , while northern China will stay clear but windy . The winter precipitation had caused at least 49 deaths due to collapsed roofs and treacherous travel conditions , the Ministry of Civil Affairs and local officials said . Nearly a million police have been dispatched to help keep roadways open as thousands of vehicles have become stranded in the snow and ice , according to Chinese Ministry of Public Safety spokesman Wu Heping . E-mail to a friend . | NEW : Toyota , Ford halt Chinese production ; power plants not getting coal deliveries . Forecasters expect three more days of bad weather in China . Millions heading home for the Chinese New Year holiday are stranded . Economic cost of winter storms reaches $ 4.5 billion , ministry says . | [[1135, 1209], [10, 31], [85, 182], [1893, 1905], [1908, 1935], [1965, 2019], [2118, 2145], [2203, 2239], [286, 297], [355, 399]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After emerging as victor in the long and bruising contest to seize the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential race , Barack Obama 's next move is to choose a running mate . And that search for a vice president is getting some added support . Caroline Kennedy has joined Obama 's vice presidential selection team , a campaign spokesman said Wednesday . Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson is heading up the search team , and former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is also serving on the committee . Kennedy , the daughter of President Kennedy , formally endorsed Obama late January in a New York Times op-ed piece titled , `` A President Like My Father . '' `` I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them , '' Kennedy wrote . `` But for the first time , I believe I have found the man who could be that president -- not just for me , but for a new generation of Americans . '' Sen. Hillary Clinton , whose tenacious refusal to surrender the nomination contest turned the Democratic race into one of the most nail-biting in modern U.S. political history , has indicated that she would be willing to sign up on a joint ticket . But while Clinton 's appointment could help heal rifts in the party after weeks of divisive campaigning from both candidates , Obama has the pick of a broad field of candidates from across the political spectrum . iReport.com : Whom do you see as VP ? Here is a list of possible front-runners : . Other names mentioned in the running include : Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle , former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards , Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine , Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill , Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano , former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland . CNN 's Candy Crowley and Roland Martin contributed to this report . | NEW : Obama picks Caroline Kennedy , Eric Holder for search committee . Obama faces tough choice of whom to pick for running mate . Hillary Clinton has indicated that she is open to a joint ticket . There is a wide field of contenders from across political spectrum . | [[270, 339], [450, 532], [145, 200], [964, 984], [1132, 1212], [1217, 1274], [1340, 1426]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When you finish one video game in a series and begin the next , you 're basically forced to start from scratch without carrying over any of your accomplishments from the previous game . But the popular `` Mass Effect '' sci-fi action trilogy aims to change that -- by allowing players to complete one game and transfer their character to the next one in the series . It is an ambitious project that involves nearly 35,000 lines of dialogue . `` We wanted to create the biggest story we could tell , '' said Casey Hudson , BioWare 's project director for `` Mass Effect 2 '' and executive producer of the `` Mass Effect '' franchise . The just-released `` Mass Effect 2 '' picks up the story as the lead character , named Shepard , has been brought back to life after a devastating attack by an invading race of machines bent on eliminating organic life . The action takes place shortly after the events of the first `` Mass Effect , '' which was set in the year 2183 in the Milky Way galaxy . In a rare twist , players who played the first `` Mass Effect '' game are being given the opportunity to import their characters into the new game along with all their rewards , romances and consequences . Hudson said his team tried to create a fictional universe that players could explore over long periods of time to `` have an epic experience . '' By carrying over the data from the original `` Mass Effect , '' Hudson 's team tried to show the consequences of characters ' choices . But by accounting for so many variables in the first games , Bioware was faced with a daunting task going forward . `` We used tech skills we developed going back to ` Baldur 's Gate ' -LSB- in 1998 -RSB- , '' Hudson explained . `` Writing for ` ME2 ' was the hardest thing we 've ever done . '' `` Mass Effect 2 '' has 15 to 20 percent more dialogue and 30 percent more key decisions -- choices that affect the game 's outcome -- than the first game , said Hudson , who believes the voice acting in the new game is more movie-like than the first one . `` It took several months of voice work , and often we would bring back an actor to get the right inflections for the character and the scene , '' he said . `` There are hundreds of characters in the game that needed voices . '' Although `` Mass Effect 2 '' is being billed as a dark second chapter in the trilogy , there are laugh-out-loud moments of dialogue . Playing the game reveals that even its tense moments are given a softer edge with unexpected comic exchanges between characters . For example , in one scene , Shepard tries to persuade a character not to follow orders that could lead to a `` suicide mission . '' Without missing a beat , Shepard 's squad mates look at each other as one says , `` We can ignore suicidal orders ? Why was n't I told about that ? '' `` Mass Effect 2 '' also offers players the opportunity to interrupt a conversation and create a whole new path . During a scene when another character is talking , icons will appear to let you change the conversation with a Paragon move -LRB- good -RRB- or Renegade move -LRB- bad -RRB- . Side plots tie into the main story more than in the first game , so even these chat-interrupting choices could have an impact later on . `` Things can happen in conversation , '' Hudson said when asked about the interrupt feature . `` It makes the conversation feel alive . '' Work has already begun to complete the final chapter of the `` Mass Effect '' trilogy . And gamers should n't assume that Shepard makes it to the end of `` Mass Effect 3 . '' Hudson said Shepard can die a final death if the player makes wrong choices or inspires bad loyalty from his crew . `` We made it so you 'll still get a satisfying ending , but yes , Shepard can actually die , '' he said . | Players who played the first `` Mass Effect '' game can import their data into the new game . `` Writing for ` ME2 ' was the hardest thing we 've ever done , '' project director says . `` Mass Effect 2 '' has 15 % to 20 % more dialogue and 30 % more decision-making options . | [[1012, 1027], [1030, 1217], [1364, 1409], [1729, 1749], [1752, 1792], [1799, 1884]] |
PICHER , Oklahoma -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Wearing powder blue pants and a plaid fedora , 84-year-old Orval `` Hoppy '' Ray arrived fashionably late to a celebration in Picher , Oklahoma , a vacated mining town at the center of one of the nation 's largest and most polluted toxic-waste sites . Hoppy Ray , 84 , was among the last people to leave the toxic town of Picher , Oklahoma . Former residents , bought out by the government because their town was deemed so dangerous , gathered in Picher 's elementary school to say farewell to a place where kids suffered lead poisoning , where homes built atop underground mines plunged into the Earth and where the local creek coughs up orange water , laced with heavy metals . A toothpick dangling out of the corner of his chapped mouth , Ray greeted several old friends as if he were in any other small town in America . `` Hello there , Hoppy ! How the hell are ya ? '' one called out . Gray mountains of toxic gravel loomed behind the school , just out of sight , as Hoppy hobbled past a bundle of balloons and through the front doors , cane in hand . He tipped his hat as he entered . `` Looks like a good crowd , '' he said . `` Everybody seems to be havin ' a good time . That 's the main thing . '' In a town this tragic and for a person as stubborn as Hoppy , that 's a big statement . As his abandoned town fades to dust , Hoppy has gone into the business of memories . He wants to remind townspeople , and the world , that a person 's home should always be loved -- no matter how toxic . See Hoppy share memories of Picher '' * * * * * . Hoppy did n't understand what all of the fuss was about . It was 2006 , and the federal government announced it would pay people to leave Picher and the Tar Creek Superfund Site , which is part of the government 's toxic-waste cleanup program . A report had found that much of the area was at risk of collapsing into the extensive lead and zinc mines . Timeline : How Picher became toxic '' The buyout plan was seen as a blessing by some scared families . But not Hoppy . Hoppy swore he would n't leave his hometown , that he would die before he 'd leave Picher , even if his electricity and water were turned off . He 'd grown up there , worked in the mines alongside his father -- and all three of his brothers . But Picher was more than a place to make money . It was a place of patriotism and purpose : The metals they dug out of caves deep in the ground were processed and turned into bullets that armed U.S. soldiers in both world wars . The wars ended , though , and so did the world 's interest in Picher . By 1970 , the last mine shut down . Hoppy 's family stayed . They could n't leave a place that had threaded itself into their lives so deeply . * * * * * . After making a quick stop in the crowded school cafeteria , Hoppy found a more suitable post on the sidelines of the reunion , in a narrow hallway . He sat in a chair with a smirk on his face , using his cane to ping friends in the shins , or sometimes in the groin , to get their attention . `` This here 's the last man standing , '' one man said , chuckling , as he stopped by Hoppy 's seat . Hoppy 's son and grandson arrived with several cardboard boxes of books , pulled from the bed of the old miner 's pickup . With the help of another local-history buff , Hoppy has self-published three books . The latest , `` Just Call Me Hoppy , '' chronicles his memories of a pre-toxic Picher , a time he believes everyone else has forgotten . The book begins in 1925 , when the mines were at their peak -- and the year Hoppy was born . At 17 , he left Picher to fight in World War II . After he was injured when his Navy ship was hit by a suicide bomber , Hoppy returned home to finish high school and go to work in the mines . In those years , Picher was a bustling town with neon signs `` like Las Vegas , '' Hoppy recalled . See photos of the town '' When the mines slowed down and money was tight , Hoppy hustled billiard tables at a pool hall downtown . When the mines shut entirely , he bought the pool hall and hung on its walls some of his dad 's mining gear : a kerosene lamp , a helmet . The items puzzled kids who came into the Pastime Pool Hall . What were the mines like ? they asked Hoppy . What did they mine for , anyway ? Shocked by the younger generation 's ignorance , Hoppy became a collector . He asked the kids to bring in mining memorabilia . In exchange , he 'd let them shoot a few rounds of pool for free . `` I thought it was important that people ought to know what Picher 's role was in two world wars , '' Hoppy said . `` Hell , to me , it was important . ... Without the mines here in Ottawa County -LSB- Oklahoma -RSB- , those wars would 've lasted a lot longer . '' Hoppy 's book details Picher 's patriotic spirit , its sense of purpose during the wars . But it mentions the Superfund buyout only in passing and never explains that the town is toxic . It does n't say that four of Hoppy 's great-grandchildren tested for high levels of lead in their blood . They are among the victims of Picher 's toxic legacy . Hoppy figures the world hears plenty about all that . He 'd rather focus on the Picher he loves . The walls of his pool hall -- the sign in the window says `` Hoppy 's Museum '' -- are now papered with photos and artifacts . Neighboring buildings are boarded up , their windows broken , the paint peeling . Tree-size weeds crack the sidewalks . Hoppy 's pool hall breathes life into this abandoned place , where only a few people still live . On Monday nights , he opens the doors to local musicians . When he goes home , he leaves a single bulb lit over the door . It 's the only light on the street . * * * * * . One morning , about two weeks before Picher 's June 13 reunion , Hoppy 's son moved his dad out of town while Hoppy was at his favorite restaurant eating breakfast . Hoppy was furious . `` I unlocked the door ... and I did n't have a stick of furniture , '' he said . He stood in the entryway in disbelief . David Ray showed up behind his dad , bearing the news that Picher had left him behind . It was time to go . He was moving to Miami , a town just 10 miles south . Hoppy remains bewildered by the situation . He lies awake at night in his new home . He tunes the television to a country-music station and blares familiar songs to try to lull himself to sleep . On the rare instances when that has worked , Hoppy has dreamed of a pre-toxic Picher . He sees packed movie theaters and bar fights . He sees the people from the photos on the walls of his pool hall , all of whom are gone . Some mornings , Hoppy leaves breakfast and drives to his old home instead of his new one in Miami , as if he 's on autopilot . His house in Picher , the one where he lived for nearly half a century , is tagged with yellow spray paint : TBCD . To be condemned . Why is moving just 10 miles away so devastating ? Outside Picher , the mining town 's former residents are branded `` lead heads '' and `` chat rats . '' People wonder whether living in the polluted area made them stupid . Like any downtrodden group , Picher residents once found strength in numbers , in their insulated community . Now they must find their way in a larger world -- a world they do n't fully understand , one that understands them only as the products of a toxic town . It 's no wonder they seek solace in memories . * * * * * . From his post in the hallway at Picher 's wake , Hoppy sold $ 300 worth of books -- not enough to cover costs but enough to leave him satisfied . His night was cut short when the muscles in his chest seized up . He had two heart attacks in recent weeks , and doctors said the stress was getting to him . Hoppy 's son told his dad he was `` out of gas . '' It was time to go . Hoppy 's family loaded his unsold books back into the bed of his pickup , and the old miner drove down empty streets to a still-unfamiliar home . He says he moved to Miami `` under protest . '' But he 's easing to the idea a bit . `` They told me they were gon na move me to Miami , '' he joked , `` and I said , ` Over my dead body , you will ! ' '' He continued , changing tone : '' ` Oh , well , ' I said , ` I 've been dead from the waist down now for 10 years anyway . ' '' He has found purpose by resurrecting Picher 's untold story -- at the pool hall , at the reunion and through his books . He 's not happy about having to leave his home . But he 's no longer the stubborn man who could n't dream of the world beyond Picher . `` There 's not any point in thinking about it , '' he said , `` because there ai n't a damn thing you can do about it -- just break out , go someplace else and start all over again . '' The walls in his new living room are still bare . But he has ordered two 6-foot-long murals of Picher , photographs of the town in its heyday . The mountains of gravel waste were smaller then -- and growing . For Hoppy , the photos capture a town on the upswing . He went to Picher 's wake expecting it to feel like a funeral . He left with a sense of relief . And afterward , for the first time in weeks , he slept through the night . | Former residents of toxic lead-mining town gather to say farewell . Picher , Oklahoma , is one of oldest , largest most polluted toxic-waste sites in U.S. A government program pays people to leave the dangerous area . Mines leave the surface prone to collapse and stain a local creek orange . | [[379, 385], [435, 445], [472, 538], [379, 395], [398, 511], [1664, 1765], [630, 633], [650, 688], [1833, 1940], [1857, 1940]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Ohio inmate , convicted of killing and dismembering a 22-year-old woman in 1991 , was executed Tuesday using a new , untested one-drug method of lethal injection , state officials said . Kenneth Biros , 51 , was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m. at a prison in Lucasville , Ohio , the state attorney general 's office said in a written statement . His last words , according to Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman Julie Walburn , were : `` Sorry from the bottom of my heart . I want to thank all of my family and friends for my prayers and who supported and believed in me . `` My father , now I 'm being paroled to heaven , '' Biros said , according to Walburn . `` I will now spend all of my holidays with my lord and savior , Jesus Christ . Peace be with you all . Amen . '' Biros ' execution is the first in Ohio since September , when the governor and federal courts halted capital punishment in the state after a botched attempt to execute another prisoner , Romell Broom . The prison staff could not find a suitable vein for the injections . The one-drug method had never been tried on a U.S. death row inmate . It relies on a single dose of sodium thiopental injected into a vein . A separate two-drug muscle injection was available as a backup , officials said . The one-drug method has been used to euthanize animals . The same drug , sodium thiopental , at a much lower dosage , is the first ingredient in the three-drug method previously used in Ohio , as well as in all but one of the other 34 states that allow the death penalty . Some capital punishment opponents claim the sodium thiopental , which renders the prisoner unconscious , can wear off too quickly , and that some prisoners would actually be awake and able to feel pain as the procedure continues . Biros ' execution was initially scheduled for 10 a.m. , but preparations were delayed as officials waited for a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on Biros ' request for a stay , Walburn said . The high court without comment denied the request about 10 a.m. , and `` we were about an hour behind '' in preparations , she said . The execution began around 11 a.m. Biros died about 10 minutes after the drugs began to flow , she said , but he was not officially pronounced dead until later . Biros , 51 , was convicted of killing Tami Engstrom near the town of Warren . He met the woman at a bar and offered to drive her home , and later admitted robbing and attempting to rape her . Prosecutors said Biros dismembered Engstrom and spread her body parts around northeast Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania . The crime was `` particularly heinous , with 91 pre-mortem wounds , '' according to the clemency report . Biros claimed he acted in a fit of drunken rage . He was involved in litigation challenging the three-drug method and received a stay of execution in 2007 because of his involvement in the suit , according to minutes of a November parole board meeting posted on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections ' Web site . His attorney , Timothy Sweeney , had also objected to the one-drug method , saying it was unconstitutional . Sweeney wrote in an appeal that use of the one-drug method would amount to `` human experimentation , pure and simple . '' But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month denied Biros ' request for a stay , concluding that since Ohio had announced it would change its protocol and rely on the one-drug method , Biros ' argument regarding the three-drug method was moot . Biros ' last meal was served about 7:45 p.m. Monday -- pizza with extra cheese , mushrooms , onions and green peppers , along with onion rings , deep-fried mushrooms , Doritos , french onion dip , blueberry ice cream , Dr Pepper and cherry pie , Walburn said . During its meeting last month , members of the state parole board heard a prerecorded statement from Engstrom 's mother , Mary Jane Heiss , according to the meeting minutes . Heiss said her health was not good but she was saving her strength to attend Biros ' execution . `` Since her daughter 's death , she has endured nearly 20 years of constant pain and nightmares , '' the minutes said . `` She believes that the nightmares will end with the execution . It makes her sick that Biros tortured and brutally murdered her daughter . '' The board voted 7-0 to deny Biros clemency . In attempting to execute Broom in September , authorities tried unsuccessfully for hours to find a vein to administer his lethal injection . Afterward , Gov. Ted Strickland announced he would delay the executions of two other men until March at the earliest . Broom 's execution has not been rescheduled . Ohio has put 32 people to death in the past decade . CNN 's Bill Mears and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report . | Kenneth Biros was convicted of killing and dismembering a 22-year-old woman in 1991 . He was executed Tuesday using a new , untested one-drug method of lethal injection . His attorney objected to the method , saying it was unconstitutional . The U.S. Supreme Court without comment denied a request to stay the execution . | [[0, 15], [36, 73], [0, 15], [61, 101], [2304, 2309], [2317, 2381], [2513, 2539], [4282, 4287], [4301, 4333], [0, 15], [104, 183], [1087, 1156], [3054, 3066], [3087, 3127], [3054, 3066], [3130, 3162], [2008, 2071]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Republicans were facing pressure Tuesday to vote for a rollback of across-the-board cuts in Medicare payments to health providers after a major doctors ' group said the cuts could lead to a `` meltdown '' of the government 's health care system for the elderly . Doctors say they would take on fewer Medicare patients if the cuts go into effect . On Monday , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nevada , called several Republicans trying to persuade them to support a bill that would reverse a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors . The cuts in Medicare payments -- part of a scheduled cost-saving formula -- went into effect July 1 , although the Bush administration said it will hold off on processing claims until mid-July to give Congress time to reach a compromise . The Medicare system pays for the health care of roughly 40 million elderly Americans . Rising health care costs have made Medicare a growing part of the federal budget , and the stress on the system is increasing as more baby boomers reach retirement age . Similar cuts have been scheduled to go into effect on July 1 in previous years , but Congress always has voted to stop the cuts before they went into effect . Gerald Harmon , a family physician who practices in Pawleys Island , South Carolina , said the cuts could lead to doctors taking fewer Medicare patients , making it difficult for the program 's elderly patients to get the care they need . `` This Medicare access problem is a real issue , not just a political football , '' said Harmon , who said 35 percent of his patients were eligible for Medicare . `` It affects your dad , when he 's sick . It affects my patients in my practice . This has to be addressed . '' A vote on the bill last week fell one shy of the 60 needed to clear a Republican filibuster and advance in the Senate . Senate Republicans joined the White House in objecting to the Democratic-back bill because it paid for the increased payments to doctors by trimming government support for private insurance programs that provide coverage to Medicare patients . The private Medicare programs are a top policy initiative for Republicans . The issue has become the subject of an intense election-year lobbying and advertising campaign aimed primarily at its GOP opponents . The American Medical Association , a powerful doctor 's group , said its members may be forced to reduce service to Medicare patients if the cuts go into effect . According to a recent association survey , 60 percent of physicians will be forced to limit the number of new Medicare patients they can take on if the July 1 cuts go into effect . `` We stand at the brink of a Medicare meltdown . ... For doctors , this is not a partisan issue -- it 's a patient access issue , '' AMA President Nancy Nielsen said in a statement after the Senate vote last week . The AMA ran radio and TV ads over the July Fourth congressional recess targeting 10 Republican senators , seven of whom are up for re-election . The AARP , the nation 's largest organization of retired persons , and other groups also are weighing in against the cuts . Reid has `` no idea '' if the pressure has changed any minds , but the `` proof will be in the pudding '' when senators vote again to break the filibuster , said Jim Manley , a spokesman for the speaker . That vote is likely to occur Wednesday . `` There is clearly a lot of pressure , '' Sen. Max Baucus , D-Montana , chairman of the Senate Finance Committee , said Monday . Baucus said he has talked to several Republicans and `` there are a few '' who could switch their votes . But GOP lawmakers and aides gave no indication the intense lobbying had changed any minds , and even if the bill does pass the Senate , it may still face a presidential veto . Republicans `` are holding out for a compromise that can pass and the president can sign , '' said a top GOP leadership aide . At the heart of the dispute is the decision by Democratic lawmakers to pay for the `` doctors ' fix '' by cutting funds for Medicare Advantage , a program administered by private insurance companies that is generally favored by Republicans and opposed by Democrats . The program , which has more benefits than traditional Medicare , is also more expensive . Republicans -- joined by the insurance industry -- fear Democrats are trying to weaken the Medicare alternative by draining funds away from it . President Bush has threatened to veto the legislation because of the cuts to Medicare Advantage -- so that even if Democrats get one additional vote to beat a filibuster , they will need several more to override a veto . The House of Representatives passed the bill 359-55 with broad Republican support in June , but the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto appears , at the moment , to be an insurmountable barrier in the Senate . `` Our goal is to get a result , '' said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Kentucky . `` A vetoed bill is not a result . '' McConnell on Monday pressed for a monthlong extension of the current fee schedule so senators could work on a compromise . CNN 's Ted Barrett and Miriam Falco contributed to this report . | Medicare cut payments by 10.6 percent to doctors on July 1 . Bush administration delays implementing cuts until mid-July . Cuts could lead doctors to stop taking Medicare patients , advocacy groups argue . Bill rolling back cuts stalled in the Senate due to Republican objections . | [[482, 576], [2633, 2665], [688, 769], [1232, 1245], [1318, 1384], [2322, 2354], [2386, 2455]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Texas inmate who escaped last week -- on foot even though he was thought to need a wheelchair -- has been recaptured , the U.S. Marshals Service said Monday . Arcade Comeaux Jr. , 49 , was carrying two loaded pistols when he was arrested without incident at 7:40 a.m. at a business in Houston , Texas , said U.S. Deputy Marshal Alfredo Perez . '' -LSB- Comeaux -RSB- was cold , wet , tired and hungry . He had had enough , '' Perez said . `` He was tired of running . '' The arrest was made by two Houston police officers responding to a suspicious-person call about a man who matched Comeaux 's description . Comeaux was sitting in the lobby a northeast Houston business , apparently in search of warmth and shelter , when officers approached , according to Houston officer Adrian Rodriguez . `` As soon as we saw him , we knew it was him , '' Rodriguez said at a news conference Monday afternoon . Comeaux was serving three life sentences when he escaped on November 30 while being transferred by two armed guards from Huntsville to Stiles . He produced a weapon and forced the two correctional officers to drive instead to Baytown , near Houston , where he handcuffed them together in the back of the van , took their weapons and one of their uniforms and ran away , officials said . Perez said authorities have n't confirmed whether the two pistols found on Comeaux Monday are the guards ' weapons , `` but they look to be the same . '' Perez said the marshals service had fielded hundreds of calls of sightings by citizens over the past week , and were responding to a Crimestoppers tip in the same area when they saw Comeaux taken into police custody . More than $ 30,000 in reward money had been posted by law enforcement agencies for information leading to his arrest . Comeaux was being transported Monday afternoon back into the custody of the Texas prison system , Perez said . Comeaux , who was on the marshals ' list of 15 most-wanted fugitives , was serving time for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when he escaped . The 6-foot , 200-pound man was shackled and in a wheelchair , which he had said was needed for mobility , according to Michelle Lyons , director of public information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville . Some 45 minutes into the transfer trip , as they were driving through Conroe , 40 minutes north of Houston , the prisoner pulled out a pistol and ordered the guards to drive south to Baytown . He fired once , but hit no one , officials said . Law enforcement officers found the unharmed officers an hour later . Comeaux was being transferred so he could be near a hospital in Galveston for treatment of the supposed paralysis he had suffered during a reported stroke , officials said . Comeaux 's criminal record dates back more than three decades . In 1979 , he received three 10-year sentences for rape of a child , aggravated rape of a child , and burglary of a building with the intent to commit theft , all in Harris County . He was released on mandatory supervision in 1983 , but he was returned to prison in 1984 after being convicted of indecency with a child and sentenced to 20 years . In June 1991 , he was released on mandatory supervision but returned as a violator four months later . Paroled in December 1993 , he was returned as a parole violator a year later . In February 1996 , he was again paroled , but was returned to prison in June 1998 with a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault . Though he had been in prison since , his criminal record did n't end . In July 1999 , he used his wheelchair to pin his wife against a wall during a contact visit and stabbed her 17 times with a homemade knife , said John Moriarty , inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice . He also stabbed another prison visitor who tried to intervene ; both victims survived . For that , Comeaux was convicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and received two additional life sentences . He now will face additional felony charges . His escape led the legislator whose committee oversees Texas ' criminal justice system to call for a shakeup of the prison system . `` We just ca n't have security breaches of this nature , '' said Sen. John Whitmire , a Democrat from Houston who is chairman of the state Senate 's Criminal Justice Committee . Moriarty said such lapses are highly unusual in the state 's penal system . `` We have no open gun investigations other than this one , '' he said . `` The last one was several years ago . '' | NEW : Arcade Comeaux Jr. was `` cold , wet , tired and hungry , '' official says . NEW : Police say Comeaux had two pistols , was captured without incident . Comeaux escaped last week while being transported between prisons . He escaped on foot although he was supposedly paralyzed , officials say . | [[365, 423], [180, 198], [206, 321], [19, 33], [38, 55], [921, 1064], [1178, 1180], [1280, 1288], [1291, 1307], [2091, 2103], [2558, 2574], [2801, 2817]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Southeast is among the areas of the United States with the highest concentration of cases of HIV and AIDS , according to a new online tool called the National HIV/AIDS Atlas . In this map of AIDS prevalence rates in the Southeast , red represents the highest -LRB- 0.593 percent or greater -RRB- . AIDS experts in the region say that access to health care , especially when it comes to screening , is a major problem in rural communities . In the Southeast , people with HIV tend to get tested late , after they have become sick , partly because of stigma , said Kathie Hiers , executive director of AIDS Alabama in Birmingham . `` If you look at access to health care and almost any kind of health care report card , the South is the worst , '' she said . With little or no public transportation , people in non-metropolitan areas are at a disadvantage when they need to see a particular kind of doctor , experts say . There is also a shortage of doctors who deal with HIV in the region , Hiers said . These problems also resonate with Georgia 's rural communities , which represent 39 percent of the HIV/AIDS burden in the state , said Raphael Holloway , director of the HIV Unit at the Georgia Division of Public Health . The remaining 61 percent of people living with HIV or AIDS are in the metro Atlanta area . `` In some districts , for example , there may be 10 counties within that health district but only one infectious disease doctor that people can access for care and services , '' he said . It is also difficult to get HIV education to people in rural areas , he said . Of the 29 states reporting county-level data for the National HIV/AIDS Atlas , Georgia had more counties than any other state with the highest levels of HIV and AIDS prevalence . Although this does not represent a comprehensive national assessment , Georgia ranked fifth in reporting of new AIDS cases in 2007 , behind Texas -LRB- fourth -RRB- , Florida -LRB- third -RRB- , New York -LRB- second -RRB- and California -LRB- first -RRB- , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The Northeast also has a heavy burden of HIV/AIDS cases nationally , atlas collaborators said . Other states with high numbers of counties with high HIV prevalence included Florida , New York and South Carolina . The atlas , the first of its kind to map out HIV and AIDS at the level of counties , launched in time for Saturday 's HIV/AIDS Testing Day . The National Institutes of Health is encouraging everyone age 13 to 64 to get tested for HIV as part of routine health care . `` Not knowing one 's HIV status endangers one 's health and the health of one 's sexual partners . By getting tested for the virus and learning one 's HIV status soon after infection , treatment can begin early , substantially delaying the development of HIV-related illness and prolonging life , '' said Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health . The National HIV/AIDS Atlas allows users to explore the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in any region of the United States . The map , a project of the National Minority Quality Forum , encompasses all 50 states , the District of Columbia , Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The more red a region appears , the greater the prevalence , which is the ratio of the number of people living with the disease at a given time to the total number of people living there at that time . Users can look at rates of disease by gender , race/ethnicity and age group in regions where this information is available . The map also has different settings for HIV and AIDS , the more severe illness caused by the HIV virus . They can also zoom into counties and , for New York City only , ZIP codes . About 33 million people have HIV/AIDS worldwide as of 2007 , according to the World Health Organization . The CDC estimates that 1.1 million Americans have HIV and that 56,300 new infections occurred in the United States in 2006 . Nearly 75 percent of HIV/AIDS diagnoses among adolescents and adults in that year were for males . People who worked on the atlas project were surprised at how concentrated HIV and AIDS are in certain U.S. counties . `` Being able to look at all the data in this way reminds us that the HIV epidemic is not uniformly distributed throughout the U.S. , '' said Patrick Sullivan , associate professor of epidemiology at Emory University , who collaborated on the atlas . The atlas also reflects the disproportionate number of African-Americans who have HIV and AIDS . `` You can see at the level of the national map that there 's so much variation in the U.S. about which groups have been impacted , '' Sullivan said . Demographics and county-level data are not available for some states , or parts of some states , because of the way these places report data by region , researchers said . These areas appear as gray when users zoom in . Some places also appear gray because the disease case count is so low . The atlas is based on data from public health departments from 2006 , the most recent available . Collaborators say they hope to update the maps when new data become available . The atlas , which launched Monday morning , had about 100,000 visitors by Tuesday afternoon , and more than 10,000 people completed the free registration in that time , said Gary Puckrein , executive director of the atlas project . To find an HIV testing facility near you , visit www.hivtest.org . | HIV epidemic is not uniformly distributed throughout the U.S. Disproportionate number of African-Americans have HIV/AIDS . Atlas is based on data from public health departments from 2006 . | [[4255, 4386], [4561, 4578], [4583, 4602], [5046, 5113]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A judge ordered an ex-aide to former Sen. John Edwards on Friday to turn over a sex tape said to depict Edwards and his former mistress , an official in a North Carolina court said . Judge Abraham Penn Jones found former Edwards aide Andrew Young and his wife , Cheri , in civil contempt of court , said Tammy Keshler , a judicial assistant in Chatham County Superior Court . He ordered them to give the court the tape and other materials they may have by 2 p.m. Wednesday , she said . The judge said he could jail the Youngs if they do not comply , she said . The Youngs appeared in court in Pittsboro , about 35 miles west of Raleigh , North Carolina , to contest a temporary restraining order forbidding them from disseminating the videotape . The couple has said they possess `` a video recording showing Senator Edwards engaged in sexual activities with a woman who , from all indications , is not his wife and who the Youngs believe to be Ms. Hunter , based upon her appearance , '' court documents say . The woman on the tape is visibly pregnant , the Youngs say . That means the video might not be the one specified in the restraining order , because Rielle Hunter , Edwards ' former mistress , said that tape was created in September 2006 , the Youngs say . `` This means that , as a matter of human biology , Ms. Hunter would have given birth no later than June 2007 , '' the Youngs say . Hunter was pregnant in 2007 and gave birth to Edwards ' daughter Frances Quinn on February 27 , 2008 . In the court documents , the Youngs suggest that Hunter might have mistaken when the video was made . Even if that is the case , they say , Hunter abandoned the videotape in the trash at their home and made no effort to recover it until almost two years after she had left their home . Friday 's court proceeding is the latest development in a saga involving one-time Democratic presidential hopeful Edwards . In January , he admitted that he had fathered a child with Hunter , a videographer who worked on his campaign . Edwards , 56 , had publicly denied paternity for more than a year . About a week after his admission , Edwards confirmed reports that he had legally separated from his wife , Elizabeth . Those announcements came just before Andrew Young released an embarrassing book about the Edwardses and his campaign . In the book , Young portrays John Edwards as a cold , calculating and reckless politician willing to deny fathering a girl , risk his marriage and put the Democratic Party in potential political jeopardy , all in the name of pursuing the presidency . After Hunter became pregnant , Young says in the book , he agreed to the North Carolina senator 's request to lie , allowed Hunter to live in his home and said he was the father , though Young was married with three children . | NEW : Senator 's former aide has until 2 p.m. to turn over video . Andrew Young claims he has tape of Edwards having sex with pregnant woman . Edwards admitted fathering a child with mistress , has separated from wife Elizabeth . | [[19, 83], [438, 457], [463, 491], [766, 885], [1931, 1941], [1944, 1996], [2111, 2143], [2146, 2215]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Buffalo , New York , man is due in court Thursday to face charges that he raped a 13-year-old runaway police say he held prisoner in his home for six months . Michael J. Abdallah , 26 , has pleaded not guilty to second-degree rape , unlawful imprisonment and custodial interference . Thursday 's hearing will determine if the case should be referred to a grand jury . Buffalo police said that Abdallah kept the girl in his home from July through December 2009 , behind dead-bolt locks and doors with no doorknobs . A criminal complaint alleges that Abdallah had sex with her more than 100 times . Police spokesman Michael DeGeorge said Abdallah also forced the girl to baby-sit his year-old son . Abdallah is unmarried , and the identity of the child 's mother is not known . Police would not say how the girl left Adbdallah 's home , why there was a delay from December to February for his arrest or where the teenager is now . Abdallah was arrested Friday when police raided his home on a child-abuse allegation , Buffalo media reported . The next day , Buffalo City Court Judge James A.W. McLeod set bond at $ 250,000 in an arraignment at which Abdallah represented himself . He has since been provided with a court-appointed attorney , according to media reports . But friends of the defendant told the Buffalo News that he was nothing more than a Good Samaritan trying to help a runaway girl he met in a Buffalo park . `` Everybody has had their moments , but Mike is not a monster . As long as I 've known Mike , he 's always been kindhearted to me . If he could help you , he will help you , '' Alicia Bellaus , 20 , who grew up next door to Abdallah 's relatives , told the paper . `` Mike always had her calling to someone , supposedly her aunt , to say she was doing OK . From what I knew , her aunt or her mom knew where she was staying , '' said Bellaus , who previously had a romantic relationship with Abdallah . `` To look at her , she is very developed physically , and you would think that she is older than 13 . '' Bellaus said the girl told her she was 17 or 18 and denied having sex with Abdallah , and that she also said she did not want to go home to her mother , the News said . Police told the News that the family filed several missing person reports after the girl disappeared in July . And an unnamed law enforcement official told the paper that Abdallah was a manipulative drug dealer who `` lured her in '' and kept her trapped physically and psychologically . CNN , however , could not confirm that official 's view . George Kimble , who lives four doors from Abdallah , said he was surprised when he learned about the accusations . `` This is a street where everyone knows everyone , '' said Kimble , who remembered Abdallah moving in about a year-and-a-half ago . `` I never recall him with a 13-year-old girl . '' Kimble said Abdallah was seldom home , and their brief conversations were limited to Abdallah 's two dogs . Other neighbors told Kimble the house had a steady stream of visitors on any given day . | Buffalo , New York , man has pleaded not guilty to second-degree rape . Michael J. Abdallah , 26 , was arrested Friday . Other charges : Unlawful imprisonment and custodial interference . Bond set at $ 250,000 ; Abdallah represented himself at arraignment . | [[180, 199], [202, 204], [207, 304], [950, 1034], [180, 199], [202, 204], [207, 304], [1062, 1074], [1077, 1159], [1145, 1159], [1169, 1199]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dr. Conrad Murray , personal physician to Michael Jackson , was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop star 's death last summer . A criminal complaint filed earlier in the day alleged that Murray `` did unlawfully , and without malice , kill Michael Joseph Jackson . '' Murray turned himself in shortly before 4 p.m. at a branch courthouse near Los Angeles International Airport . He pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing before Judge Keith L. Schwartz . The judge set bail at $ 75,000 , despite arguments from prosecutor David Walgren that Murray is a flight risk . The judge refused to suspend Murray 's medical license as a term of his bond , but he did order him not to use any anesthesia on patients . `` I do n't want you sedating people , '' Schwartz told Murray . Read the criminal complaint . The involuntary manslaughter charge means that Murray caused Jackson 's death by acting `` without due caution and circumspection . '' If convicted , Murray would face a maximum four-year prison sentence , according to prosecutors . More on involuntary manslaughter . Members of Michael Jackson 's family -- including his parents Joe and Katherine Jackson , sister La Toya Jackson , and brothers Jackie , Jermaine , Randy and Tito Jackson -- attended the hearing . `` Not enough , '' Jermaine Jackson said when asked what he thought of the charge . `` I do n't like what happened , '' Joe Jackson said as he left the courthouse . La Toya Jackson later issued a statement through a publicist . `` Michael was murdered and although he died at the hands of Dr. Conrad Murray , I believe Dr. Murray was a part of a much larger plan , '' her statement said . `` There are other individuals involved and I will not rest and I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served . '' Her statement did not elaborate on what she meant in her reference to `` a much larger plan . '' Murray traveled to Los Angeles at the end of January from his home in Houston , Texas , in expectation of possible charges , his lawyer said . He used part of his time last week to visit the pop star 's resting place in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale , California . Murray , a cardiologist , was hired as Jackson 's personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for comeback concerts in London , England . The doctor told Los Angeles police that he was with Jackson at his $ 100,000-a-month rented Holmby Hills mansion through the early morning hours of June 25 , 2009 , in an effort to help the pop star fall asleep , according to a police affidavit . He administered sleep aids , and after Jackson finally began sleeping in the late morning hours , Murray said , he left the bedroom for `` about two minutes maximum , '' the affidavit says . `` Upon his return , Murray noticed that Jackson was no longer breathing , '' it says . The doctor stayed with Jackson as an ambulance rushed him to UCLA Medical Center . Efforts at CPR proved fruitless , and Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. . The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson 's death a homicide , resulting from a combination of drugs , primarily propofol and lorazepam . The coroner 's statement said Jackson died from `` acute propofol intoxication , '' but there were `` other conditions contributing to death : benzodiazepine effect . '' Lorazepam and two other drugs Murray said he used are benzodiazepines . The doctor told investigators he had given Jackson three anti-anxiety drugs to help him sleep in the hours before he stopped breathing , a police affidavit said . Murray had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks at the time of the singer 's death . The doctor told investigators he gave Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol , the generic name for Diprivan , diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine every night via an intravenous drip . The doctor told police he was worried that Jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and tried to wean him off it . During the two nights before Jackson 's death , Murray said , he put together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep . The full autopsy report , which was released Monday afternoon , included an analysis by an anesthesiology consultant of the use of propofol . The consultant , Dr. Selma Calmes , concluded that the `` standard of care for administering propofol was not met . '' `` There was no evidence of an infusion pump for control of an IV infusion . No monitors were found at the scene ; a blood pressure cuff and portable pulse oximeter were recovered from a closet in the next room , '' Calmes wrote . An oxygen tank was found near where Jackson slept , but it was empty when the coroner investigator checked it two weeks after Jackson died , Calmes said . `` Multiple opened bottles of propofol were found with small amounts of remaining drugs , '' Calmes said . `` A used bottle should be discarded six hours after opening , to avoid possible bacterial growth . '' `` The level of propofol found on toxicology exam are similar to those found during general anesthesia for major surgery , '' Calmes said . During such surgery , any patient would be `` intubated and ventilated by an anesthesiologist , '' she said . The consultant 's report said that the level of lorazepam found in Jackson `` would have accentuated the respiratory and cardiovascular depression from propofol . '' CNN 's Ted Rowlands contributed to this report . | NEW : Charge `` not enough , '' says Michael Jackson 's brother Jermaine . DA 's office in L.A. files complaint alleging single count of involuntary manslaughter . Dr. Conrad Murray was Jackson 's physician when the singer died on June 25 . Jackson 's father , Joe Jackson , will discuss the case tonight at 9 ET on `` Larry King Live '' | [[1365, 1432], [1614, 1655]] |
Livermore , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The new START arms control agreement with Russia calls for the United States to significantly reduce its nuclear stockpile , but critics are rightly asking whether this will leave the U.S. safe . They say the U.S. must maintain a healthy nuclear deterrent , even as it works toward President Obama 's goal of a world free of nuclear weapons . That leaves questions about the quality of the nuclear weapons the U.S. will keep in its arsenal , which are aging . Are they safe ? Are they reliable ? And , given that the United States stopped testing nuclear weapons by blowing them up -- both above and below ground -- 18 years ago , how will we know ? Those are some of the questions that CNN 's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jill Dougherty and I sought to answer when we flew to Northern California for an exclusive tour of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory . At Livermore , it is all about virtual testing . Scientists actually generate the conditions of a nuclear weapon to analyze the nuclear stockpiles to make sure they are functioning correctly . The word `` cool '' does not begin to describe it . First , Brian Cracciola showed us around Livermore 's High Explosives Applications Facility , where he is the operations manager . At HEAF , scientists conduct up to 1,000 explosions a year and heat up explosives to react to thermal changes . He walked us into a tank that can blow up 22 pounds of explosives . `` When and if the president ever has to push that button , we need to know that the weapons will work , '' Cracciola said . `` And as we scale down the nuclear weapons , we are working to make them much safer and much more reliable . '' Bruce Goodwin , who runs the weapons program at Livermore , explained that high-explosive molecule testing is even more extensive than the traditional testing done before 1992 , when a nuclear test involved blowing up a nuclear weapon . `` There are hundreds of ways a nuclear device can fail , '' Goodwin told us `` We catalogue those and we test against them in a non-nuclear fashion . And , more importantly , we can do complete three-dimensional simulations of things that you could n't possibly test in the old days . '' At Livermore , you can cut the explosives in half by laser without melting or sparking . We learned that this means you do n't disturb the atoms inside the high explosive . Goodwin said the test vibrates the atoms at a rate of a millionth-billionth of a second , so fast that heat and shock waves ca n't be conducted . This removes the atoms one at a time from the high explosive and provides a more accurate reading of the condition of the explosive . `` We found failure modes in the stockpile that we could never have found with nuclear testing because we 're able to do these massive simulations , '' he said . `` These are the largest calculations that man has ever done . '' All of these simulations are cataloged on Livermore 's supercomputers , which are some of the fastest in the world . Michel McCoy , the lab 's associate director for computation , showed us around the supercomputer rooms , which he calls the lab 's `` crown jewel . '' There , thousands of computers pull together all of the physics necessary to model a nuclear weapon 's reliability and safety . Did I mention these computers are fast ? We are talking about a hundred trillion operations per second . It is about to get even faster , with a new computer system called the petaflop , which would be able to do about a quintillion operations per second . McCoy said even that is n't fast enough for what the U.S. needs to do to fix the nuclear weapons as they age . We ended our day at Livermore 's National Ignition Facility , where the world 's largest laser generates the temperatures and pressures found only in stars , the sun and in nuclear weapons . The equipment looks like a spaceship about to take off . This summer , NIF will begin experiments that will focus the energy of 192 giant laser beams on a tiny target filled with hydrogen fuel . The goal is to obtain fusion energy , which is what powers the sun and stars . Inside the target chamber , the target that each of the lasers needs to hit is smaller than the diameter of a human hair . The director of the NIF , Edward Moses , showed us a full-scale target , which can fit in his hand . Inside a little gold can is a red dot the size of a pencil eraser . There , Moses said , `` the isotopes of hydrogen sit ... and get ready to be blown to bits . '' `` We can model parts of physical processes that go on inside a weapon without testing , '' Moses said . `` This is the only place in the world where you can get to the nuclear phase of the weapon without blowing up a bomb . '' In fact , we found that at Livermore , scientists could learn more about what 's going on inside a nuclear weapon without actually testing it than they can with a nuclear test . Every night , the control room , modeled on NASA 's command center , runs a laser experiment using 2,000 computers and 60,000 control points . `` We 're finally at the point with this laser facility and our computers and with other facilities for the first time to do this kind of thing , '' Moses said . `` And I think this is why President Obama probably has more confidence -- one of the many reasons he has -- to go forward with this new policy . '' | Critics wonder : Would the new START arms pact with Russia leave the U.S. vulnerable ? At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , non-nuclear blasts help simulate nuclear ones . Virtual testing aims to ensure that U.S. arms are safe , reliable . At lab , some of world 's fastest supercomputers simulate what happens inside nuke blast . | [[171, 237], [1637, 1700], [2953, 2980], [2989, 3027]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fatmire Feka glanced at the skies over her Kosovo village . Storm clouds darkened the horizon , and rain started to fall . `` I felt as if God was crying tears of pain , '' Feka says . `` God was crying because he knew what was about to happen . '' It was a chilly Tuesday morning on April 20 , 1999 , and Feka was on the run . Village guards had warned her family that Serbian paramilitary units were rounding up Albanian Muslims for execution . She ran out of her home with her family and fled to a nearby forest to hide . As the 11-year-old Feka headed to the forest , she could hear bombs exploding and rifle shots crackle behind her . What happened next would leave Feka with nightmares that remain to this day . She would lose her older brother , Sami , and her older sister , Sadete . Both are still missing . Feka , now 22 , is an internationally known peace advocate who travels around the world talking about reconciliation . Yet she admits that talking about forgiveness is far easier than practicing it . `` I have been struggling with this forgiveness thing , '' she says . `` I can not forgive anyone because I do n't know what happened to my brother and sister . I do n't know who took them , for what reason , and who I am supposed to forgive ? '' Why the ` truth must be spoken ' It 's a long way from Kosovo to Afghanistan , but Feka 's story offers some insight into the difficulties that may await the Afghan people . NATO forces are escalating attacks against the Taliban . Yet many observers say only a negotiated settlement with the Taliban will ultimately bring peace to Afghanistan . Read more about other nations ' lessons for Afghanistan . But the challenges would not end with a settlement . Afghans who saw their loved ones brutalized or murdered by the Taliban will face the same challenge that Feka faces : How do I live again with the people who caused me so much pain ? The short answer is forgive them and move on . Feka 's experience , though , suggests that doing so can take years and be excruciatingly difficult . Feka says that before she could forgive , `` the truth must be spoken . '' She wanted to know what happened to her brother and sister . `` If I know the truth -- who did it and for what reason -- I will be able to make peace , '' she says . How Feka moved on . Feka says she thought she would die on the last day she saw her brother and sister . When she ran for her life , she says she saw dead bodies on the side of the road . While resting at night , she could hear screams and shots in the distance . During a recent speech , Feka told her audience about one image from her journey that set her and the other children on edge . `` I remember children were crying , but what scared us the most were that adults were crying , too . '' She says she lost contact with her brother and sister after her family decided to split up . Her 19-year-old sister , Sadete , and her 17-year-old brother , Sami , decided to accompany her uncle as he made a run for a safe region in Northern Kosovo . Her uncle returned four days later , alone and bleeding from a bullet wound to his shoulder . He said Serbians had attacked them , and he could not remember what had happened to Feka 's brother and sister . Feka says she hated Serbians after her siblings ' disappearance . Then she met Rudy Scholaert , then a manager for World Vision , an international Christian humanitarian organization . Feka 's family was staying in a homeless shelter with other Muslim families . Scholaert taught English to the kids in the shelter and talked to them about moving beyond revenge and violence . One day , Scholaert says he gave the kids crayons and paper . He asked them to draw what peace meant to them . The kids drew pictures of burned-out homes , tanks and guns -- except for Feka . `` She drew a beautiful home with red flowers , trees , birds and a bright sun , '' Scholaert says . `` She then said to me : ` This was my home before the fighting . This was a peaceful place . I wish we could go back to this time . ' '' With World Vision 's support , Feka founded `` Kids Clubs for Peace '' after she turned 12 . The club uses meetings , skits and songs to bring together youth from differing ethnicities in Kosovo . Feka 's message , though , was n't something some of her Muslims neighbors wanted to hear . She was criticized by other Muslims . She says her mother once slapped her for being a public advocate for peace . `` When I started to work for peace , everyone perceived me as deviant , '' she says . `` Fighting was normal . Hating each other was normal . '' The meeting that transformed Feka . What helped Feka change was n't a march but a meeting with another Serbian . When she was 16 , she attended a World Vision summer camp that brought together Serbian and Muslim youths . One day , a Serbian teenager asked Feka to share her story . After Feka did , she noticed something odd . The Serbian teenager was crying . And so were the other Serbian children in the room . `` That was such a powerful thing , '' she says . `` That not only changed my life , but all the children in the room . I realized that not all Serbians are bad . '' Scholaert , the World Vision worker who first encouraged her , says he visited Feka at the camp and saw her change . `` Fatmire was so proud to introduce me to her new Serbian friends and to show me the Serbian words that she had learned , '' Scholaert says . `` She really did want to make things right at an early age . '' Others started to notice . In 2005 , Feka was selected as one of the `` 1,000 Women of Peace across the Globe . '' The women were subsequently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize . Today , Feka speaks at rallies and peace conferences around the world . She also has a new home . Scholaert , the World Vision worker , has put Feka and her two younger sisters up in an apartment in Toronto , Canada . He made a bet with Feka when she was a girl : Do well in school , and I 'll pay for your education . Feka now attends a university in the multicultural city of Toronto . She says releasing her hatred of Serbians has been liberating . `` Working for peace was the best thing I ever did . '' Other burdens remain , though . Feka says she used to pray to God about her sisters and brother every day . But she recently stopped . `` It has been 11 years , me praying every single day without missing a day , '' she says in her heavily accented English . `` But -LSB- God -RSB- has n't helped . '' Her mother remains in Kosovo . Feka says her mother wants to be there in case some word comes about Feka 's sister and brother . But the waiting and the not knowing is brutal , Feka says . `` We wish their bodies could rest in peace , '' she says . `` It 's difficult to wait every day , every hour , every minute for some news to come . '' On some nights , Feka dreams of reuniting with her brother and sister . But not all the dreams are reassuring . She had one recent dream when her sister tried to cross a river and was swept away . She pleaded for Feka 's help , but Feka could n't save her . Her war may be over , but Feka says it still leaves its mark . When she walks through the streets of Toronto , Feka says she marvels at how easily Canadians of varying ethnicities get along . It still does n't seem real to her . In some of those moments , she says she feels like the 11-year-old girl in Kosovo who saw God cry tears of pain . `` This is a dream life , '' she says . `` I 'm not used to this . I will never get used to it . '' | Fatmire Feka lost her siblings in Kosovo in 1999 and hated Serbians for years . A meeting with Serbian and Muslim youths helped transform . She was selected as one of the `` 1,000 Women of Peace across the Globe , '' later were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize . Feka 's story may offer some insight into difficulties that may await the Afghan people . | [[737, 799], [3266, 3331], [3276, 3331], [4624, 4635], [4641, 4659], [4660, 4736], [4768, 4794], [4800, 4844], [5556, 5563], [5566, 5640], [5644, 5671], [5682, 5707], [5644, 5653], [5659, 5707], [1366, 1421], [1405, 1421], [1427, 1456]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Maicon and Samuel Eto'o were both on target in the second half to give champions Inter Milan a 2-0 win over 10-man Juventus , a result that sees Jose Mourinho 's side return to the top of the Serie A table . The win , only Inter 's fourth in 12 league matches , sends them back to the top of the table by two points from Roma -- who can reclaim top spot if they beat Lazio in the Rome derby on Sunday . A cagey first-half exploded into life eight minutes before the interval when Juve midfielder Mo Sissoko received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Javier Zanetti . The 10-men bravely held out until the 75th minute when Inter took a stunning lead through defender Miacon . The Brazilian juggled the ball over Amauri on the edge of the area before firing a superb strike past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon . Mario Balotelli then struck the crossbar with a free-kick before the points were sealed in the final minute when Samuel Eto'o was left unmarked in the area to slide home a Sulley Muntari cross . | Maicon and Samuel Eto'o on target to send Inter Milan back to the top of Serie A . The defending champions defeat 10-man Juventus 2-0 at the San Siro . Roma can reclaim top position if they beat city rivals Lazio on Sunday . | [[0, 81], [66, 69], [82, 142], [227, 234], [281, 344], [66, 69], [82, 142], [335, 347], [352, 372], [376, 421]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama 's senior economic adviser said Sunday the government was delaying a report to Congress in order to provide more time to address China 's alleged currency manipulation . Lawrence Summers , director of the National Economic Council , told the CNN program `` State of the Union '' that major international meetings coming up , including a G-20 economic gathering that will include China , provide the opportunity to resolve trade differences that could be exacerbated if the exchange-rate report were released on April 15 as scheduled . Summers said the upcoming meetings offer opportunities to engage China and other countries that have large trade surpluses with the United States . U.S Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced the delay of the report to Congress on Saturday . Many lawmakers had hoped the report would publicly admonish China for allegedly manipulating its currency to the detriment of the United States . Geithner , explaining the delay , said the upcoming meetings are `` the best avenue for advancing U.S. interests at this time . '' On Sunday , Summers denied that the delayed report had any connection to the U.S. desire for China to support tougher sanctions against Iran over the Tehran government 's refusal to comply with international regulations regarding its nuclear energy program . His comment was in response to a question on the ABC program `` This Week . '' China has opposed more sanctions , but last week signaled a willingness to negotiate the issue within the U.N. Security Council , according to Susan Rice , the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations . Lawmakers from both parties have called on the Obama administration to speak out against China 's refusal to let its currency appreciate . China has kept its yuan at about 6.83 to the dollar for almost two years . Many U.S. economists say the currency is undervalued by as much as 40 percent . Keeping its currency low makes China 's goods cheaper on the world market and more likely to be purchased by other countries . But , analysts say , it hurts American businesses , which can not compete . Some analysts have argued that this is costing the United States 1.5 million jobs and impeding the country 's economic recovery . `` Everyone knows China is manipulating the value of its currency to gain an unfair advantage in international trade , '' said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley , adding he was disappointed in the treasury secretary 's decision . `` If we want the Chinese to take us seriously , we need to be willing to say so in public , '' said Grassley , the ranking Republican member of the Senate Finance Committee . `` The past few years have proven that denying the problem does n't solve anything . '' Chinese officials have insisted the United States is using Beijing as a scapegoat for its own economic problems . `` The Chinese government will not succumb to foreign pressure to adjust our exchange rates , '' said Zhong Shan , vice minister of commerce , late last month . Premier Wen Jiabao has been equally stern in his response . `` We oppose the practice of finger-pointing among countries or strong-arm measures to force other countries to appreciate currencies , '' he told reporters last month . In his statement , Geithner acknowledged China has maintained an `` inflexible exchange rate . '' `` A move by China to a more market-oriented exchange rate will make an essential contribution to global rebalancing , '' he said . Rep. Sander Levin , chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee , said the delay was meant to see if the international community can address the issue in the coming months . `` If the multilateral effort does not result in China 's making significant changes , the administration and Congress will have no choice but to take appropriate action , '' said Levin , a Democratic lawmaker from Michigan . | Economic adviser Lawrence Summers wants to give China more time . Critics argue China keeps currency low , hurting American businesses . U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced delay of currency report . Geithner admits China has maintained an `` inflexible exchange rate '' | [[825, 970], [844, 970], [2081, 2093], [2096, 2124], [2096, 2150], [729, 824], [1793, 1867], [3271, 3287], [3290, 3365]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This section of CNN Business Traveller aims to keep you up to date with the latest developments in the high flying world of the road warrior . CNN 's Richard Quest puts the Xshot through its paces with the help of a tourist in Basel . Each show we check out new gadgets and give you our opinion on their usefulness . The XShot . This month CNN 's Richard Quest road tested the XShot , a telescopic stainless-steel rod that allows you to take pictures and videos while keeping yourself in the frame . A camera is screwed in position on the end of the lightweight rod which extends by three feet . The mount fits all compact machines . Once in position all you need to do is hit the camera 's self-timer or remote , hold the stick out and say `` cheese . '' This means you no longer have to be the martyr behind the lens on holiday snaps and you can save yourself the embarrassment of having to ask an unsuspecting member of the public to take a picture of you . Of course , you might well feel just as self-conscious dangling a camera on the end of a meter-long metal stick but at least you 'll be able to trust the photographer . Quest tested the gadget against the beautiful alpine views from Mount Stanzahorn , near to the Swiss town of Lucern . After roping in a succession of tourists to try out the XShot , he decided it was easy to operate and compact , and worthy of a thumbs up from Smart Traveller . For more details visit xshotpix.com . | This month Smart Traveller road tested the Xshot in Basel , Switzerland . The Xshot is a three-feet long telescopic stainless-steel rod . A camera can be mounted on the end to allow you to take pictures of yourself . CNN 's Richard Quest gave the gadget the thumbs up . | [[404, 436], [442, 518], [565, 584], [591, 614], [404, 436], [442, 518], [519, 584]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki hopes to be fit for this year 's second grand slam tournament , the French Open , despite suffering an ankle injury in an American event . The Dane had to retire hurt during her semifinal match against Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva in Charleston , South Carolina , on Saturday while trailing 5-2 in the first set . The top seed slipped on the green clay in the sixth game and rolled her ankle , meaning Zvonareva went through to Sunday 's final where she will face Australian Samantha Stosur . Wozniacki , who won the WTA Tour tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach last weekend , told reporters that she hoped to be able to play at Roland Garros when play begins on May 24 . `` I certainly hope so . As it looks right now , it 's not too bad , '' said the 19-year-old , who will have a scan on the injury . `` I was surprised that I could stand on my leg , which was very positive , actually . `` But as soon as I was moving to the sides , it was impossible , so I could n't play . '' Fourth seed Stosur reached the final of the Family Circle Cup with a 6-3 7-6 -LRB- 7-2 -RRB- victory against No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia . Meanwhile , top seed Francesca Schiavone won the Barcelona Ladies ' Open after thrashing fellow Italian Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-1 in just under an hour in Saturday 's final . | Caroline Wozniacki hopes to be fit for French Open despite suffering ankle injury . World No. 2 retires hurt at 5-2 down in first set of Family Circle Cup semifinal . Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva faces fourth seed Samantha Stosur in final . Italian top seed Francesca Schiavone wins Barcelona Ladies ' Open title . | [[29, 111], [114, 129], [132, 188], [550, 559], [630, 695], [189, 303], [189, 192], [339, 370], [485, 491], [501, 549], [1035, 1103], [1183, 1192], [1195, 1353]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's a trip that would make Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher blush . On Friday , the Carnival cruise ship Elation , sponsored by the world 's largest nonprofit singles travel group , will make history by hosting the world 's first International Cougar Cruise , and we do n't mean the animal . Defined by the Urban Dictionary , a cougar is `` an older woman who frequents clubs in order to score with a much younger man . '' It can be anyone from `` an overly surgically altered wind tunnel victim , to an absolute sad and bloated old horn-meister . '' `` A cougar is generally known as a woman over 40 who likes to date younger men , but theoretically any woman who dates younger men is a cougar , '' said Rich Gosse , who came up with the cougar cruise idea . The ship , which sets sail from San Diego , California , to Ensenada , Mexico , for three nights , is booked for 300 guests and even has a waiting list . The ship has three swimming pools , a seven-deck-high atrium , bar and grill , a Moroccan-inspired Casablanca Casino and a lounge that features stage shows , according to Ann Thomas , owner of the Singles Travel Company and organizer of the Cougar Cruise . After making port in Ensenada , the cruise offers extracurricular activities like horseback riding , ATVing and other outdoor excursions . `` There 's at least four or five options a day for people to get together on the cruise . We 're doing lots of activities ; dancing , dining , Jacuzzi parties , karaoke for two hours . And starting at $ 125 a ticket , it 's a great price , '' Thomas said . `` I 've had to hire two more people part-time just to pick up the phones , '' she said . `` I 've never seen a response quite like this . '' Thomas admits that she was hesitant to sign on to the idea but is glad she did . `` We have people flying in from Italy and Denmark . My associates have been booking from France , Canada . It 's fascinating , '' Thomas said . Gosse , who has been hosting singles events for more than 30 years , said he got the idea after hosting a cougar convention in Palo Alto , California . `` We had to turn away hundreds of people , '' Gosse said . `` Then we did one in Beverly Hills and had a massive crowd down there , so I thought , maybe we should do a cougar cruise . I did n't think anyone would want to go . Needless to say , the phone is ringing off the hook . '' These cougars may as well be an endangered species compared with those hunting them on this cruise . `` The basic problem is , we have is too many cubs , '' Gosse said . `` We usually have too many women and not enough guys , but there 's been a paradigm shift in recent years , so now the cubs are more excited about it than the cougars . '' A `` cub '' is someone in their 20s or early 30s who likes to date older women , according to Gosse . For years , he says , it 's been socially acceptable for older men to date younger women . But in recent years , a phenomenon sparked by celebrities like Kutcher , baseball player Alex Rodriguez -LRB- who is said to have dated pop star Madonna -RRB- and others has led a new generation of younger men on the prowl for more experienced partners . There is even an ABC sitcom called `` Cougar Town '' that glamorizes the sexual escapades of a 40-something divorcee on a search for self-discovery by dating younger men . `` Tim Robbins -LSB- and -RSB- Susan Sarandon was the first high-profile cougar-cub relationship , '' Gosse said of the actors , who have been together since the late 1980s . `` Now we 're seeing a paradigm shift where these younger guys are actively looking for older women . '' `` If you look at the demographics , the only logical way for people to get their needs met is for younger men to date older women , '' he said . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , for every 100 single women in their 20s in America , there are 118 single men in their 20s . The reason , Gosse said , is that young women are dating older guys . `` When you 're single , you always wish the person meets someone they want to be with . If this is something they want , then I wish them well , '' Thomas said . | Cruise for women who date younger men sets sail on Carnival cruise ship Elation . The event is fully booked at 300 travelers , organizers say . Cruise is one of many symbols of burgeoning `` cougar '' movement . | [[778, 855], [868, 874], [877, 901]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Charges of rebellion will be leveled against many of those arrested during martial law in the southern Philippines -- declared in the aftermath of last month 's massacre of 57 civilians , the nation 's justice secretary said . Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera made the statement Saturday as the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo defended the martial law declaration , CNN affiliate ABS-CBN reported . Some lawmakers have challenged the legality of the declaration , which allows authorities to make arrests without a warrant . Martial law went into effect Friday night in the province of Maguindanao to impose peace following the politically motivated massacre , said army spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. . He added that Congress would have to approve any extension beyond 60 days . Police and military reports of armed men massing in Maguindanao would lead to charges of rebellion , Devanadera said , according to ABS-CBN . Signs indicated that `` violence was imminent , '' said Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan , operations chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines , the affiliate reported . The armed men were supporters of the politically powerful Ampatuan family , which has been implicated in the massacre , Pangilinan said . At least six members of the Ampatuan family have been arrested , including Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. , according to ABS-CBN . Ampatuan , whose father is governor of Maguindanao , has been accused of directing the killings and has been charged with 25 counts of murder . One of the massacre victims implicated members of the Ampatuan family before she died , the affiliate reported . Over the weekend , authorities raided at least one warehouse and ranch belonging to the family . They confiscated firearms , ammunition and vehicles , Maj. Randolph Cabangbang , deputy of operations for the eastern Mindinao command , told CNN . The military was looking at arresting at least 100 people tied to the massacre , ABS-CBN reported . The Philippine military is investigating its own forces in connection with the case as well , Brawner said . Asked why martial law was imposed 12 days after the killings , Cabangbang said authorities `` were trying to build a case , a tight case '' against suspects . `` But it is taking long to build a case , so I think the government gave us a free hand in arresting those who are suspects , and allowed us to search , even without warrant . So we really need this declaration of state of martial law . '' The president was to submit a written report to Congress on Sunday evening , justifying her declaration of martial law , the Department of Justice said , according to the state-run Philippine News Agency . Political debate had flared over how soon Congress needed to convene after the declaration of martial law , as required by the Constitution . The House of Representatives and the Senate might jointly convene on Tuesday to discuss the president 's report , House Speaker Prospero Nograles said Sunday , according to the Philippine News Agency . Violence in the run-up to elections is not uncommon in the country . The Maguindanao massacre , however , is the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippine history , according to state media . The victims included the wife and sister of political candidate Ismael `` Toto '' Mangudadatu , who had sent the women to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao . He said he had received threats from allies of Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. , the father of the accused mayor , saying he would be kidnapped if he filed the papers himself . Ampatuan Sr. has been taken into custody in the massacre , but was hospitalized after taking ill . Witnesses and local officials say the killings were an attempt to block Mangudadatu from challenging the younger Ampatuan -- a longtime ally of the Philippine president and a known warlord -- in the May gubernatorial election . A dozen journalists who had accompanied the women were also killed in the massacre . Group : Philippines most dangerous country for journalists . Suspicion fell on Ampatuan after a government construction vehicle was found at the hastily dug mass grave that held the bodies of the massacre victims . Maguindanao is part of an autonomous region in predominantly Muslim Mindanao , which was set up in the 1990s to quell armed uprisings by people seeking an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Christian Asian nation . | NEW : Charges of rebellion will be leveled against many of those arrested during martial law . Legality of martial law declaration , allowing arrests without warrants , is challenged . Searchers make arrests , recover arms from a clan implicated in massacre . Martial law follows killings of 57 last week in Maguindanao province . | [[0, 15], [19, 77], [440, 502], [487, 502], [511, 565], [1172, 1259], [1280, 1342], [109, 133], [137, 204], [566, 699], [2137, 2187]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Colleen LaRose , the Pennsylvania woman indicted for allegedly conspiring to support terrorists and kill a person in a foreign country , attempted to commit suicide in 2005 , according to a police report filed at the time . LaRose , who authorities say called herself `` Jihad Jane , '' was depressed about the death of her father , the report from Pennsburg , Pennsylvania , Police Officer Michael Devlin said . LaRose told Devlin she swallowed as many as 10 pills of cyclobenzaprine , a muscle relaxant . The pills were mixed with alcohol . `` Colleen was highly intoxicated and having difficulty maintaining her balance , '' Devlin wrote . I `` questioned LaRose about harming herself , at which point she stated she does not want to die . '' Devlin was dispatched to check on LaRose in response to a 911 call made by LaRose 's sister in Texas , who was worried LaRose might try to kill herself . LaRose was arrested on the terrorism charges in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , on October 15 , a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney 's office said Tuesday . She is being held at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia , according to the U.S. attorney 's office . She will be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. March 18 in Philadelphia , the Justice Department said . Among other things , LaRose has also been charged with making false statements to a government official and attempted identity theft . If convicted , she faces a possible life prison sentence and a $ 1 million fine . Last year , LaRose agreed to kill a resident of Sweden , an indictment says , and a U.S. government official familiar with the case identified the target as Lars Vilks , a cartoonist who outraged some with a drawing of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed . LaRose worked with at least five co-conspirators , the indictment says . Authorities did not identify them , but police in Ireland took into custody seven people in arrests Tuesday that the U.S. official said were directly related to the plot involving LaRose . Read the indictment -LRB- PDF -RRB- . Authorities in Ireland said the seven people they arrested also were plotting to commit a murder abroad . Irish media reports , citing unnamed police sources , identified their target as Vilks . A person from Pennsburg who knew LaRose said she `` did n't have the smarts or brains '' to pull off the alleged plot . `` Not without someone telling her what to do , maybe even brainwashing her , '' said the person , who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons . It appears that LaRose was not well known in her neighborhood in Pennsburg , which is about an hour north of Philadelphia . One neighbor reacted to the news by saying , `` It scares the hell out of me . '' Meanwhile , LaRose 's former boyfriend , Kurt Gorman , told CNN on Wednesday that the circumstances surrounding her arrest are `` just crazy ... really crazy . '' Gorman said that when he lived with LaRose , she spent most of her time at home and frequently used a personal computer . `` I think she just used it to play games mostly , '' he said . `` I really did n't pay much attention . '' The alleged terrorist conspiracy began in June 2008 , when LaRose posted a comment on YouTube under the username JihadJane saying she was `` desperate to do something somehow to help '' Muslims , according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday . From December 2008 to October 2009 , LaRose engaged in electronic communication with five alleged co-conspirators about their shared desires to wage jihad and become martyrs , according to the indictment . LaRose and the alleged co-conspirators , according to a Justice Department statement , used the Internet to develop plans that `` included martyring themselves , soliciting funds for terrorists , soliciting passports and avoiding travel restrictions -LRB- through the collection of passports and through marriage -RRB- in order to wage violent jihad . '' According to the U.S. government official familiar with the case , LaRose raised money for the cause and recruited people to join it . The official also said she was in contact with committed jihadists in South Asia , Western Europe and Eastern Europe . The official declined to link her to any specific terrorist organizations . ` Jihad Jane , ' American who lived on Main Street . The indictment says that at one point , LaRose stole a U.S. passport to `` facilitate an act of international terrorism . '' Gorman told CNN that after LaRose left him suddenly last August , he realized his passport was missing . He said he reported the lost document to the State Department . Several months later , he said , the FBI came to see him , and he told them what he knew about her . In November , he said , he testified in Philadelphia before a grand jury . The FBI told him she was already in custody then , Gorman said . `` I really do n't know much , '' he said . LaRose had received `` a direct order to kill a citizen and resident of Sweden , and to do so in a way that would frighten ` the whole Kufar -LSB- nonbeliever -RSB- world , ' '' according to the indictment . LaRose agreed to carry out the murder , according to the Justice Department statement . `` I will make this my goal till I achieve it or die trying , '' LaRose said via electronic communication , according to the indictment . In 2007 , Vilks drew a cartoon of Mohammed with the body of a dog , prompting the al Qaeda terrorist network to offer $ 100,000 to anyone who killed him , plus an extra $ 50,000 if the killer slits his throat . Watch a profile of Vilks from 2007 . Irish police did not confirm that Vilks was the target , but responded to a CNN question about Vilks by saying the arrests were `` part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit a serious offense , namely , conspiracy to murder an individual in another jurisdiction . '' Irish police arrested four men and three women in Waterford and Cork , authorities said . They range in age from the mid-20s to late 40s . Ireland 's national broadcaster , RTE , said the suspects are originally from Morocco and Yemen but are all living legally as refugees in Ireland . Irish police worked with counterparts in the United States and `` a number of European countries , '' they said . LaRose , along with the co-conspirators , believed that `` her appearance and American citizenship would help her blend in while carrying out her plans , calling it a possible `` way to achieve what is in my heart , '' according to the indictment . The indictment alleges that LaRose even agreed to marry one of the co-conspirators to obtain residency status in a European country . LaRose traveled to Europe in August 2009 and `` tracked the intended target online in an effort to complete her task , '' the Justice Department statement said . According to the indictment , LaRose told the co-conspirator who allegedly ordered the murder that she considers it an `` honour & a great pleasure to die or kill for '' the co-conspirator , and she pledged that `` only death will stop me here that I am so close to the target . '' The killing did not occur , and LaRose was arrested about two weeks after the electronic message was sent . Mark Wilson , a federal public defender representing LaRose , declined to comment on the case Tuesday . The Justice Department said LaRose was born in 1963 and lives outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County . Police records show she was arrested twice in 1997 : once for driving while intoxicated and once for passing a bad check in the San Antonio , Texas , area . She moved from Texas to Pennsylvania in 2004 . CNN 's Susan Candiotti , Carol Cratty and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report . | Colleen LaRose , accused of conspiracy , was depressed about father 's death , police say . Last year , LaRose agreed to kill a resident of Sweden , indictment says . She went to Europe in 2009 `` in an effort to complete her task , '' Justice Department says . LaRose 's former boyfriend says circumstances surrounding her arrest are `` really crazy '' | [[303, 349], [36, 153], [0, 5], [119, 153], [1495, 1504], [1507, 1549], [1495, 1504], [1552, 1570], [4905, 4960], [5090, 5127], [5777, 5837], [1248, 1277], [5090, 5096], [5130, 5177], [6625, 6665], [6711, 6741], [6744, 6786], [2717, 2726], [2729, 2755], [2772, 2859]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dozens of tips have poured in after California authorities released more than 100 photos of women and children on Thursday that are believed to have been taken by a serial killer who appeared on the `` Dating Game . '' Police determined Friday that two female minors in the pictures , taken in the 1970s , are alive and well . They have received tips on a handful of other women who could be dead or missing , according to Patrick Ellis , a detective with the Huntington Beach Police Department . `` We 've received several calls saying that someone in a photo could be so-and-so who 's been missing or found dead , '' Ellis said Friday . `` The response has been overwhelming , and that 's what we were looking for . '' Investigators are trying to determine whether any of the people in the photos were victims of Rodney Alcala , 66 , who was convicted in February of kidnapping and murdering a 12-year-old girl and raping and murdering four Los Angeles County women in the 1970s . A jury this week recommended he be sentenced to death . Ellis said police received tips on as many as four dead or missing women who were identified by other people calling and e-mailing about the photos . `` People are saying that they recognize someone from their past , from school or college or the neighborhood beach , '' he said . The two women who identified themselves from the photos on Friday were minors at the time the pictures were taken and are now in their 40s , Ellis said . Police are not releasing their identities , though Ellis said they live in California . Nancy Grace blog : See the photos . Huntington Beach Police are contacting law enforcement authorities across the country with information about dead or missing women who were identified by people calling or e-mailing on Friday , Ellis said . He stressed that police have not confirmed that any of the women or children in the photos are dead or missing . The portrait-style photographs were discovered in a storage unit Alcala kept in Seattle , Washington , said Orange County district attorney spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder . The locker also contained earrings that belonged to Robin Samsoe , the 12-year-old girl whom Alcala abducted and killed in 1979 . The discovery of the earring in the locker has raised speculation that there may be other victims or that the photographs were trophies to Alcala , she said . `` We know that Mr. Alcala used his photography as a ruse to get close to his victims , '' she said . Authorities already believe that Alcala may be responsible for deaths in New York , Schroeder said . `` It 's very possible , '' Schroeder said . `` Mr. Alcala is a predatory monster and we believe that he destroyed many lives everywhere he went . '' Alcala was convicted in 1972 of kidnapping and molesting a child in Los Angeles County in 1968 , according to the Orange County District Attorney 's office . After serving a 34-month sentence , he was released . In 1978 , Alcala appeared as a `` Bachelor No. 1 '' on `` The Dating Game . '' Jed Mills , who played `` Bachelor No. 2 , '' said he had an almost immediate aversion to Alcala . `` Something about him , I could not be near him , '' Mills recalled . `` I am kind of bending toward the other guy to get away from him , and I do n't know if I did that consciously . But thinking back on that , I probably did . '' But Alcala succeeded in charming Bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw from the other side of the `` Dating Game '' wall . But she declined her date with Alcala . Anyone with information regarding the identities of the women and children in the photographs found in Alcala 's storage locker is asked to contact the Orange County District Attorney 's Office or the Huntington Beach Police Department . CNN 's Gabriel Falcon contributed to this report . | More than 100 photos of unidentified women , minors found in serial killer 's storage . Two women who were minors when the photos were taken identify themselves . Authorities receive handful of tips on other women who could be dead or missing . A jury recommended that Rodney Alcala , 66 , be sentenced to death for killing 4 . | [[0, 15], [19, 141], [238, 301], [3609, 3658], [238, 301], [268, 301], [325, 345], [1339, 1352], [1357, 1404], [0, 15], [19, 141], [346, 397], [383, 397], [402, 426], [516, 632], [1058, 1130], [1617, 1747], [1726, 1747], [1752, 1808], [831, 847], [850, 854], [859, 1001], [1002, 1057], [1031, 1057]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She lived the life of a little girl 's dream . From the time she visited SeaWorld as a 9-year-old , Dawn Brancheau was hooked . From then on , her family said , she was determined to be an animal trainer when she grew up . `` It was her dream job , '' Brancheau 's sister , Diane Gross , said Thursday . `` And our family got to ride along with her in her dream . '' But on Wednesday , Brancheau , 40 , died at the Orlando , Florida , park after a killer whale named Tilikum -- a whale she trained and cared for -- grabbed her ponytail and dragged her underwater in front of stunned onlookers . The Orange County medical examiner determined that she probably died from `` multiple traumatic injuries and drowning , '' the Orange County Sheriff 's Office said Thursday . `` She loved the animals like they were her own children , '' Gross said . `` She went to work every day . She loved what she did . '' Brancheau was the youngest of six children , born in Cedar Lake , Indiana . She attended Andrean High , a small Catholic school in Merrillville , Indiana , where she was a cheerleader , on the golf and track teams , and student council president . `` She was so involved with the different clubs . She was the homecoming queen , the prom queen ; she was pretty much everything , '' said Dave Pishkur , the school 's alumni director . Pishkur said Brancheau always talked about working with animals one day , and when she returned to Merrillville in 2007 for her 20th high school reunion , he remembers her being very attached to her whales . `` When we asked her if she had kids , she said , ' I do n't have time for a family now . My kids are my whales , ' '' Pishkur recalled . `` It 's devastating to think about what occurred , '' he added . Brancheau had worked at SeaWorld for 17 years , according to a SeaWorld spokeswoman Leigh Andrus . `` She was one of our most experienced killer whale trainers , '' Andrus said . Gross said her sister `` loved her whales . She loved her family , and she will be dearly missed . She was a wonderful sister and daughter and aunt to many nieces and nephews . '' She also leaves behind a husband , Scott . In a 2000 interview with CNN affiliate WESH-TV , Brancheau talked about the need to stay physically fit in order to deal with the physical exertion needed to work with the orca whales . She said she ran marathons , cycled and lifted weights to stay in the best condition possible . `` You want to prevent any injury and stay in great physical fitness so you can stay strong out there in the water with the animals , '' she said . `` Anything to keep you in shape for what we 're doing out there . '' She also said trainers have to get to know the animals ' behavior . `` We work with them day in and out , teaching them basic things as well as the more complicated moves that you see . '' SeaWorld has halted killer whale shows in all of its parks -- in Orlando ; San Antonio , Texas ; and San Diego , California -- until it can evaluate its safety protocols to provide the safest environment for its trainers . `` We will not move forward until that can happen with the trainers , '' Chuck Tompkins , SeaWorld 's curator for zoological operations , said on CNN 's `` American Morning . '' `` And out of respect for Dawn and her family , we want to take time to respect her , and that 's why currently we are not doing shows at SeaWorld , and we need to assure ourselves that we have the safest environment , '' he said . Dealing with a wild animal carries inherent risks . Tilikum has been linked to two other deaths . He and two other whales were involved in the drowning of a trainer at a Victoria , British Columbia , marine park in 1991 . The trainer fell into the whale tank at the Sea Land Marine Park Victoria and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched . In 1999 , Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld . Tompkins said that because of Tilikum 's size and his history , trainers did not get into the water with him . iReport : Photo shot moments before Sea World incident . No funeral arrangements for Dawn Brancheau have been announced . Her family must now deal with the shock and sadness of losing their wife , sister and friend , who had lived a little girl 's dream . `` To me , she had the most awesome job in the world , and she was the best , '' Gross said . | Killer whale dragged Dawn Brancheau underwater Wednesday . `` She loved the animals like they were her own children , '' sister says . SeaWorld halts all whale shows to evaluate safety . | [[559, 613], [268, 290], [307, 322], [792, 845], [1949, 1992], [2861, 2919]] |
Princeton , New Jersey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After the Republicans and Democrats met at the White House summit on health care , it was clear that the parties are very far away from a bipartisan agreement . Indeed , few participants walked away with the sense that they were any closer to a deal . The White House did make clear that it was willing to move forward on health care without Republican support . The choice now becomes whether Democrats should use the budget reconciliation process to pass some parts of health care legislation . According to recent reports , Democrats are considering having the House pass the bill that was already approved in the Senate and then dealing with a package of additional reforms through reconciliation . Programs that are considered under the reconciliation process are not subject to a Senate filibuster . Democrats would only need 51 votes , not 60 , to pass those parts of the bill that are included under reconciliation . Reconciliation was created through the Budget Reform Act of 1974 in an effort to streamline the budget process , strengthen the ability of Congress to make tough decisions regarding deficits , and to make legislative decision-making more efficient . Congress quickly expanded on the types of measures that could be considered under reconciliation until 1985 and 1986 , when the Senate passed rules proposed by Sen. Robert Byrd that limited what could or could not be included when using this process . Before moving forward , Democrats must consider two questions . The first is whether using reconciliation to pass health care is legitimate or an abuse of the process . Republicans have charged that this would be akin to forcing the program through the chamber rather than passing the bill through negotiation and compromise . On this question , the answer is easy . Reconciliation has been as much a part of the Senate in the past three decades as the filibuster . According to an article that was published in The New Republic , Congress passed 22 reconciliation bills between 1980 and 2008 . Many important policy changes were enacted through this process , including the Children 's Health Insurance Program , COBRA -LRB- which allows people who switch jobs to keep their health care -RRB- , student aid reform , expansions in Medicaid and several major tax cuts . NPR 's Julie Rovner reported that most of the health care reforms enacted in the past two decades have gone through reconciliation . President Ronald Reagan was one of the first presidents to make aggressive use of reconciliation when he pushed through his economic program in 1981 . Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker said then that speed had been essential because `` Every day that this is delayed makes it more difficult to pass . This is an extraordinary proposal , and these are extraordinary times . '' Presidents Jimmy Carter , George H.W. Bush , Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all used reconciliation as well . It is worth noting that these presidents , particularly George W. Bush , also made use of sweeping executive power to circumvent Congress altogether . The second question is more difficult and it involves perceptions . If the Democratic leadership wants to use this tactic , they have to convince enough members of their own party that this wo n't scare off independent voters . This argument was harder to make in 2009 than in 2010 . But after a year of dealing with paralysis in the Senate and highly effective Republican obstruction , more Democrats are coming on board . The leadership must be proactive in responding to the criticism about reconciliation . They will have to explain that reconciliation is a legitimate process by pointing to the history . They will also have to connect the dots for voters frustrated with the ineffective government by explaining that the constant use of the filibuster has turned the Senate into a supermajority institution where both parties have found it extraordinarily difficult -- virtually impossible -- to pass major legislation.On this point , Republicans and Democrats actually agree . Indeed , as Democrats make this decision , Kentucky Republican Senator Jim Bunning is objecting to a unanimous consent order and single-handedly preventing the Senate from passing an important bill to assist unemployed workers . Democrats must also convince hesitant colleagues that the payoff could be greater than the cost . While , in the short-term , Republicans will complain that their opponents have rammed through social policy in some sort of unnatural procedural move , Democrats are facing these kinds of intense attacks anyway . Right now , Democrats are receiving the brunt of Republican attacks without being able to pass much legislation . If they pass health care , they will be able to respond to the arguments of the GOP , not just by complaining that Republicans obstruct everything , but by pointing to specific benefits such as lowering premiums by expanding how many people purchase coverage and bringing tens of millions of Americans into the health care system . In certain respects , the White House made the use of reconciliation more difficult by initially accepting the notion that 60 votes were needed to pass legislation through the Senate . After the election of Sen. Scott Brown , R-Massachusetts , a decision to refocus on procedures that only depend on 51 votes makes it more vulnerable to the attacks of manipulating the process . But in other respects , the administration now has a better political opportunity to use reconciliation . After a year , the public has seen just how dysfunctional Senate procedures can be in an era when filibusters are common . With a public that is frustrated by Washington , as the polls show , the Democrats might be able to persuade a sufficient number of their colleagues to go along . If they do n't , one thing is for certain : Democrats will go into election day facing voters who are hearing all the complaints about their party but seeing very little in terms of what they can deliver on health care . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian E. Zelizer . | Democrats are considering using method to pass health bill with 50 , not 60 Senate votes . Julian Zelizer says the process has been used many times in recent decades . He says Democrats have difficult political choice of whether to move ahead . Zelizer : If they do n't , they will be on the defensive anyway and have no accomplishment . | [[428, 538], [405, 490]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An evacuation order was lifted Wednesday morning for more than 500 California homes on hillsides vulnerable to mudslides , authorities said . With the sun shining over much of Los Angeles , officials told people who live in the foothill areas of La Crescenta , La Canada Flintridge and Acton that they could return to their homes at 8 a.m. PT -LRB- 11 a.m. ET -RRB- . Officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for those residents Tuesday morning as a precaution when heavy rains were predicted . The dangerous mudslides did not develop , but this area was especially hit hard after a downpour Saturday unleashed a river of mud that damaged dozens of homes . Several of the homes were declared uninhabitable . A massive wildfire in the Angeles National Forest last summer burned hillsides where these homes are located . | NEW : People in 500 homes in Los Angeles foothill areas can return . Mandatory evacuation issued as a precaution when heavy rains were predicted . Mudslides have damaged dozens of Southern California houses . | [[14, 40], [44, 127], [412, 480], [510, 538], [585, 669], [666, 669], [675, 700]] |
Port-au-Prince , Haiti -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Her braids , dusty from the rubble around her , poked out from the small opening where she lay crying in pain , her right leg pinned under a heavy piece of metal . A group of men worked throughout the day to free this 11-year-old girl -- one of scores trapped beneath buildings that collapsed in Tuesday 's 7.0-magnitude quake . Lacking proper supplies to cut through the metal crushing the child 's leg , the men briefly considered amputating it . Finally , just after sunset Thursday , a miracle of sorts : an electric saw and a small generator . Within a couple of hours , the girl was freed and rushed to a first aid station . Her leg was so badly wounded , her family was taking her to a more sophisticated hospital some three hours outside of Port-au-Prince . Many rescuers have clawed their way to survivors pinned beneath buildings two days after the devastating earthquake . In the absence of heavy machinery to clear the debris , residents used their hands and brawn to lift large slabs of concrete . Some trapped victims punched out bricks themselves and tried to squeeze through cracks in the fallen structures . Atop the mound of debris that once was a five-story building of great prominence , U.S. rescue workers Thursday pulled out a man in a deep green uniform . Tarmo Joveer , an Estonian security officer for the United Nations , free from the enclosure , stood up and raised his fist . He had been trapped beneath the rubble of his workplace for two days following the quake that shook the city and toppled the U.N. headquarters around him . He said he had never lost hope . He was one of scores of U.N. workers feared trapped inside the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping and civilian assistance mission , U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Thursday . As many as 150 staff members were still missing after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Tuesday afternoon , devastating it 's capital . The `` small miracle , '' as Ban described it , is one of many throughout the disaster area as rescuers and residents scramble to free entrapped survivors . The Fairfax County , Virginia , Urban Search and Rescue Team saved Joveer , who was fed water through a rubber pipe when they discovered he was trapped beneath four meters of rubble , according to Ban . After Joveer emerged , he walked away , brushing the dust out of his hair with his hand and hugging those around him . `` It was not good , '' is all he could say to describe his experience under the rubble . He also said he did not think there was anyone else alive . Joveer was later taken to an Argentinean hospital , Ban said . Joveer said during the earthquake he lost his footing , fell and suffered some pain . He did not talk further about any injuries he may have sustained . It took about five hours to rescue Joveer , Fairfax rescue member Sam Gray said , adding that the disaster was the worst he 'd seen . `` Obviously , it was pretty nice to find somebody that we were able to help , '' Gray said . `` Unfortunately , we could n't get to everybody but we 're going to keep trying and keep working while we 're here . This is the first of many people that we 're going to help over the next couple of weeks . '' Earlier Thursday , residents conducted their own mission and spent three hours digging out Philip Jean Renol from his home . He suffered a broken leg and two broken arms . At a school house , a group of men had been working since Wednesday to dig out a man from beneath what was left of the five-story building . They worked in assembly-line fashion with some tapping away with chisels and one operating a blow torch to melt away parts of the concrete debris crushing the victim . With his right shoulder pinned and his hand trapped , his screams could be heard as the men desperately labored to free him . Finally , he emerged from beneath the destroyed school alive when two men lifted his concrete-dusted body Thursday . From inside the school other voices were heard . Children and teachers are believed to be trapped inside . Throughout the day , ongoing rescue attempts were taking place all over Port-au-Prince , many with outcomes as yet unknown . A search-and-rescue crew of American , Chilean and French members found a woman trapped at the Hotel Montana in Petionville , just outside Port-au-Prince . Officer David Barlow of the Fairfax team told CNN the crew was trying to reach the woman from two different points . The victim , who was a guest at the hotel , was stuck in the bar area of the five-story hotel that had collapsed into a 30-foot-tall pile . France has expressed concern for the approximately 200 French tourists who were staying at the Hotel Montana . Three French girls trapped in rubble had only one French firefighter digging for them , reflective of a severe need for rescue workers and equipment . In another location in Port-au-Prince , two people were pulled from the ruins of the Caribbean Market by the Icelandic International Search and Rescue Team , Iceland 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced . But another woman , Nadia , was still entombed inside the four-level market place . She has not had water for almost 48 hours and has told rescuers she feels tired . Rescuers said they had yet to devise a plan to extract her safely . Near the presidential palace , residents dug for hours Wednesday to rescue a 13-year-old girl named Bea . A wild cheer erupted as she was pulled out alive . But nearby lay the bodies of four of her family members . Haitians and rescuers are rushing in the hope that more survivors can be pulled out alive from beneath the multitude of wreckage sites , but some have accepted that some will perish waiting for help . `` Honestly , it 's an incredible amount of devastation and an incredible amount of people that will probably lose their lives here , '' Gray said . `` The hardest part is to know how many people that are n't going to be saved . '' CNN 's Rich Phillips , Susan Candiotti , Gary Tuchman and Ivan Watson contributed to this report . | NEW : 11-year-old girl 's leg spared from amputation . 15 rescuers worked five hours to free trapped security worker . Haitians use hands , brawn to lift large slabs of concrete . Trapped victims punch out bricks , try to squeeze through cracks in fallen buildings . | [[591, 615], [618, 636], [2812, 2853], [3817, 3858], [926, 959], [982, 1052], [1053, 1103], [1053, 1073], [1108, 1166]] |
Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The death toll has risen to 33 in Friday 's twin blasts in Karachi , authorities said Saturday . One blast targeted a bus filled with Shiite religious observers , killing scores . Another explosion in front of a hospital where attack victims were being treated , a government official said . Along with the the deaths from both blasts , more than 160 people were injured , the government official said . Motorcycles were used in both assaults , police said , and they came during the Shiite observance of Arbaeen , which takes place 40 days after the anniversary of Iman Hussein 's death , also known as Ashura . Along with the fatalities , 69 people were injured in the first blast , said Dr. Saghir Ahmed , Sindh provincial health minister . The second blast happened in front of the emergency room at Jinnah Hospital , where doctors treated people from the first attack and others on stretchers were waiting to be taken to the crowded facility . Along with the 13 killed , 92 were injured . The last deadly blast in Karachi was in late December during Ashura , when more than 40 people were killed . -- CNN 's Nasir Habib contributed to this report . | The first explosion targeted Shiite religious observers on a bus . The second attack occurred outside a hospital treating victims of the first blast . Motorcycles were used in both attacks , say officials . A blast in Karachi in late December , during Ashura , killed more than 40 people . | [[137, 200], [250, 260], [267, 300], [784, 859], [868, 988], [444, 482], [137, 146], [203, 219], [1034, 1101], [1109, 1142]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The family of a Korean-American missionary believed held in North Korea said Tuesday they are working with U.S. officials to get him returned home . Robert Park told relatives before Christmas that he was trying to sneak into the isolated communist state to bring a message of `` Christ 's love and forgiveness '' to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il . In a written statement issued Tuesday on the family 's behalf , his brother , Paul Park , said Park 's well-being `` has been a source of ongoing concern and anxiety '' since they received reports he had entered North Korea . `` He is a very special member of our family . We miss having his love and compassion in our home , '' the family statement said . `` I do n't know where he 's being held , but if he can receive this message , we want him to know we love him , we miss him and we are waiting anxiously for the opportunity to be reunited with him . '' Paul Park said his San Diego , California-area family is working with the U.S. State Department and members of Congress to bring about his `` eventual safe return . '' North Korea announced Tuesday that it was holding an American who entered the country illegally from China on Christmas Eve . The state-run Korea Central News Agency did not identify the man , who it said was `` now under investigation by a relevant organ . '' Monday , State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Washington was concerned by reports that Park had gone into North Korea but could not confirm them . Washington and Pyongyang have no diplomatic relations , but Kelly said the Swedish Embassy -- which looks after U.S. interests in North Korea -- has offered to try to find out more . A South Korean Web site last week posted a copy of the letter it said Park was trying to deliver to Kim , which urged the North Korean leader in the name of Jesus Christ to free political prisoners and `` open your borders so that we may bring food , provisions , medicine , necessities , and assistance to those who are struggling to survive . '' North Korean authorities take a dim view of people who enter the country without authorization . Two American journalists who were arrested along the North Korean-Chinese border in March faced a 12-year sentence at hard labor , but were released after a meeting between Kim and former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Pyongyang . But Park 's parents told CNN affiliate KFMB that their son was willing to risk his life to deliver his message to Kim . | Korean-American missionary Robert Park is believed to be held in North Korea . Park told relatives he was trying to sneak in to bring message of `` Christ 's love and forgiveness '' Korea Central News Agency : American taken into custody after entering from China . U.S. State Department concerned by reports about Park but could not confirm them . | [[33, 75], [33, 61], [71, 90], [168, 273], [212, 355], [1098, 1159], [1133, 1223], [1359, 1365], [1368, 1510]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The X-ray machine was Wednesday named the most important scientific invention , in a poll marking the centenary of the Science Museum in London . Almost 50,000 people voted in the museum or online on a shortlist of ten discoveries and inventions from past centuries in science , technology and engineering . The X-ray machine , which was discovered in 1895 and revolutionized how doctors detected disease and injury , struck a chord with most voters who singled it out for having made the greatest impact on the past , present and future . It gathered one fifth of the votes -LRB- 9581 votes -RRB- followed by the discoveries of penicillin and the DNA double helix structure . Katie Maggs , associate curator of medicine at the Science Museum , told CNN that she was `` pleasantly surprised '' with the results , saying she `` wondered whether the therapeutic benefit of penicillin might just edge in front -- or perhaps the Apollo 10 capsule as visitors find space travel so inspirational as the ultimate test of technology . '' Maggs attributed the X-ray machine 's popularity to the wide impact it has on people 's everyday life , from the very first steps of a medical diagnosis to security control at airports . `` People are just fascinated with seeing inside their bodies -- even today . It has fundamentally changed the way we see and understand our world -- but particularly our bodies . `` But I also think visitors are aware of the immense and various benefits x-rays have brought -- revolutionizing medical diagnosis and therapy but also astronomy and material and chemical science -- it was x-rays that enabled us to discover the structure of DNA after all ! '' X-rays were discovered in November 1895 by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen . The Science Museum also houses the Reynolds machine , which was built by a father and son John and Russell Reynolds , months after Röntgen announced his discovery . They were so inspired by the news that they started constructing the equipment in their own home . | The X-ray machine was voted the most significant scientific invention , in a poll by the Science Museum in London . Out of almost 50,000 votes cast , one in five people selected it as the object they believed it had the greatest impact on the past , present and future . X-rays were followed by the discoveries of penicillin and the DNA double helix structure . The public vote began on 10 June this year as part of the Science Museum 's events to mark its centenary . | [[0, 6], [9, 32], [36, 181], [474, 485], [490, 500], [505, 575], [576, 627], [601, 712], [1640, 1646], [1652, 1710], [0, 6], [9, 32], [36, 181]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The person responsible for a Virginia Tech student 's death was familiar with the area where her body was recovered , police said Thursday . The farmland site where Morgan Harrington 's remains were found is the `` most significant '' aspect of the investigation into her death , Virginia State Police Lt. Joe Rader said . He asked that members of the surrounding community call police with any details of the area and who has frequented it . `` People in North Garden , people in the Anchorage Farm area , you know what goes on there , '' Rader said , referring to areas of Virginia 's Albemarle County . `` You know the history . You know who comes in and out of that vicinity . You may not realize it , but you probably have some information for us that you do n't think is important . '' Morgan Harrington disappeared October 17 , after attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia 's John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville , Virginia . The 20-year-old education major was separated from her friends at the concert . A farmer discovered her skeletal remains on his 700-acre farm January 26 , police said . The farm is about 10 miles from the concert site . There have been no arrests in the case , police said . The cause of her death is still under investigation . Investigators think that the farm `` did not present an unnecessary risk for the person responsible '' and that the person passed through or visited the farm or the nearby area , Rader said . Traveling to the area where the remains were found `` would have created a significant risk for any person not familiar to that area and not comfortable with that type of setting , '' Rader said . `` Farmland like the place where Morgan 's body was located has obstacles , difficult obstacles . It has streams , it has fences , it has defects , it has terrain that changes . That 's important , that 's a high-risk opportunity to pick that location to take Morgan Harrington unless you 're familiar with the area , '' he said . `` We do n't believe those are challenges that someone unfamiliar with the area would confront . '' The farmer who found Harrington 's remains came across them in a remote section of a hayfield , police said last month . The farm 's owner , David Dass , told CNN affiliate WTVR that he was out looking for damage after wind and rain knocked down several trees in his yard when he found `` what looked like a human skull . '' He told WTVR that the area is at least a mile and a half from a main roadway . Read more about the case from WTVR . `` There is no public access to this particular area . The hayfield was last cut in August 2009 and would have been possibly waist-high by mid-October 2009 , '' a January police statement said . On the October night Harrington went missing , she had left her friends to use the restroom during the concert , police said . When she did not return , her friends called her cell phone at 8:48 p.m. . She told them she was outside the arena and could not get back in because of its policy , police said , but she told them not to worry about her and she would find a ride home . There are restrooms inside the arena , police said , and authorities do not know how or why Harrington got outside . Witnesses who saw her outside the arena said she did not appear to be with anyone , police said . About 9:30 p.m. , witnesses reported seeing a person matching Harrington 's description walking on a nearby bridge , police said . No further sightings were reported . Harrington 's purse , with her identification and cell phone inside , was found the following day in an overflow parking lot near the arena , police said . A friend had driven Harrington 's car to the concert , she said , and still had the car keys when they became separated . Police are asking anyone with information on the case to call 434-709-1685 . The family will hold a Mass for Harrington on Friday in Roanoke , Virginia . `` We are grief stricken by her death but also lifted by the knowledge that Morgan Dana Harrington was precious to so many and will not be forgotten , '' her family wrote Monday on their Web site dedicated to Harrington . `` She mattered , to us all . '' | Person responsible for death said to be familiar with area where remains were found . Morgan Harrington last seen at concert in October , when she was separated from friends . Harrington 's skeletal remains were found on 700-acre farm about 10 miles from concert site . Fences , streams , terrain would make land difficult for stranger to negotiate , authorities say . | [[811, 851], [854, 963], [977, 1056], [2762, 2793], [2807, 2872], [160, 296], [1057, 1129], [1146, 1196], [2126, 2219], [2047, 2111]] |
Seattle , Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While dramatizing the against-the-odds rescue of a noble , harmonious alien society called the Na ` vi , James Cameron 's `` Avatar '' may also effectuate the rescue of a nasty , contentious alien society known as Hollywood -- or at least save Tinseltown 's annual Oscar extravaganza from its long-term ratings slump . The annual Academy Awards telecast used to be one of the big , unifying cultural events that most Americans shared and talked about -- like the Super Bowl , or presidential election night , or Christmas Eve . As recently as the 1990 's , more than 40 million U.S. viewers -- according to The Nielsen Company -- watched the broadcast in whole or in part , and spoke the next day about the best and worst gowns , the dumbest acceptance speeches , and the biggest surprises in the major categories . Beginning with the awards for the film year 2003 , however , the ratings for Hollywood 's big show took a sharp turn for the worse , dipping consistently below the 40 million figure -LRB- despite sharply increased population -RRB- and reaching an all-time low in 2008 , according to Nielsen . The problem was n't the quality of the hosts or the clumsiness of the big musical numbers , but the year-after-year nature of the top nominated films , with deeply depressing , art-house fare -LRB- `` Million Dollar Baby , '' `` Crash '' -RRB- reliably crowding out more popular releases . The infamous 2008 Oscar telecast experienced a crash all its own , with just 31.76 million viewers -- or barely one out of ten Americans , according to Nielsen . As The Hollywood Reporter observed , the collapse in the size of the audience had everything to do with the gloomy nature of the leading nominees , all of which scored high on `` the depression meter . ... ` Atonement , ' ` Michael Clayton , ' ` Juno , ' ` No Country for Old Men , ' and ` There Will Be Blood ' were the bedsheet-noose best picture nominees . '' The ratings last year rebounded slightly , with the relatively upbeat `` Slum Dog Millionaire '' delivering some old-fashioned uplift with its reassuringly familiar poor-boy-makes-good and love-conquers-all messages , despite the exotic -LRB- and sometimes brutal -RRB- Mumbai , India , settings . For this year 's March 7 broadcast , however , industry insiders tell me they expect a spectacular increase in the size of the TV audience -- perhaps even surpassing the huge 1998 ratings that set a recent record : 55 million viewers , nearly twice the viewership for 2008 , according to Nielsen . Sure , Billy Crystal 's sprightly humor helped attract the hordes who viewed the '98 spectacle -- but the big attraction was a very big movie : `` Titanic , '' the ultimate winner of 11 Oscars and , at the time , the top grossing motion picture ever released . No wonder James Cameron proudly proclaimed himself `` king of the world '' while scooping up his gold baldie for Best Director . Well , 2010 will witness the `` Return of the King '' -LRB- you should pardon the expression -RRB- , with `` Avatar '' replacing `` Titanic '' as history 's top money-maker and listed as a heavy favorite for numerous Academy Awards -LRB- particularly in the technical arena -RRB- . The Oscar telecast will get a huge boost from all the avid `` Avatar '' fanatics , many of whom have seen the movie over and over again . Popular favorite Sandra Bullock , odds-on favorite to win Best Actress -LRB- she 's already won the Golden Globes , the Screen Actors Guild Awards and tied for the Critics Choice Awards -RRB- will draw additional viewers who made the heartwarming , faith-family-and-football saga `` The Blind Side '' one of last year 's most successful surprises . Ironically , the presence of such populist fare on any list of sure-thing nominees makes the much-ballyhooed reform of the Best Picture category largely unnecessary when it comes to insuring a successful telecast . Instead of five nominees as in the past , this year the Academy selected 10 films as candidates for the top prize , hoping to guarantee at least a few popular box office winners to go along with the usual dark , despairing and little-seen indie offerings on the ever-popular theme of `` Life Sucks . '' -LRB- Actually , Mel Brooks directed a 1991 film originally entitled `` Life Sucks , '' later released as `` Life Stinks , '' which won no Oscar nominations and garnered the worst box office returns of his long , distinguished career . -RRB- . The good side of doubling the number of nominees involves increasing the chances for worthy films to get additional recognition , like the superb animated Disney/Pixar release `` Up , '' which was nominated for Best Picture . There is , however , a downside to the expansion of the Best Picture category : By swelling the number of nominees , the Academy contributes to the ongoing fragmentation of our culture . In recent years , only a handful of ferociously committed film buffs -LRB- and professional critics -RRB- could claim to have seen all five of the top nominees , and with ten choices now for the top prize , the number of moviegoers to have seen them all -- or even able to talk about them all -- will shrink even further . In a similar vein , the expansion of television into innumerable cable networks -LRB- way beyond the traditional big three broadcast operations -RRB- may have vastly expanded the number of worthy offerings , but greatly reduces the cultural impact of any one of them . `` Mad Men '' or `` The Sopranos '' may be great , but ca n't compare to the ability of old shows like `` I Love Lucy '' or `` Mash '' or `` The Cosby Show '' to bring Americans together for a few moments of entertainment across all demographic divisions . Because of `` Avatar 's '' phenomenal popularity , it may look like this year 's Oscar show will have recaptured that unifying potential ; but once the Na ` vi send the corporate invaders back to Earth and recede into movie history , the centrifugal force of too many choices and ever-multiplying niche audiences will kick in once more and dictate the further atomization of our civilization . Not even James Cameron can fight the long-term trend . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Medved . | Film critic Michael Medved : Expanded Oscar nominations fragment culture . Insiders expect boost in TV viewers -- perhaps more than ' 98 's 55 million , says Medved . Oscar telecast will get a big boost from avid `` Avatar '' fanatics , says Medved . Ratings have slumped since 2003 because of depressing , artsy movies , he says . | [[4824, 4893], [2262, 2296], [2309, 2400], [2385, 2400], [2404, 2534], [3232, 3292], [856, 904], [917, 986], [917, 954], [989, 1015]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The stepdaughter of Jesse Browning , the star of a reality show about loggers , was attacked and killed by the family 's dog in Astoria , Oregon , an investigator said . Her mother found 4-year-old Ashlynn Anderson in the yard of their home after the attack Sunday afternoon , Clatsop County Sheriff Chief Deputy Paul Williams said Tuesday . The child was pronounced dead on arrival after she was flown by helicopter to a Portland hospital , Williams said . The family 's two Rottweilers were placed in quarantine , he said . The dog believed to have bitten the child was 2 1/2 years old , he added . Ashlynn 's stepfather , Jesse Browning , is a logger who appears on the reality show the History Channel describes as a series about `` the treacherous life of Pacific Northwest timber cutters . '' | `` Ax Men '' star Jesse Browning 's stepdaughter was attacked , killed by dog . Girl was 4 years old ; family 's Rottweilers placed in quarantine . `` Ax Men '' is about loggers in Pacific Northwest . | [[0, 15], [116, 154], [477, 532]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Football players are pushing for the sport 's world governing body FIFA to bring in technology to decide whether the ball has crossed the goalline . In a poll by international players ' union FIFpro , 90 percent of respondents said they wanted to see goalline technology introduced . FIFpro has submitted the findings to the International Football Association Board , FIFA 's lawmaking body , which is meeting on Saturday , March 6 , to discuss possible changes to the laws of the game . Tijs Tummers , secretary of FIFpro 's technical committee , said players have had enough of games being blighted by incorrect decisions over goals . `` The ultimate aim of football is scoring goals , and there 's no greater injustice than when you have scored and it 's not allowed because they say it did not cross the line , '' Tummers told CNN . `` Every weekend you see a situation like this in one of the top European leagues . `` There are no buts . It 's very simple . The only argument against is that you say we want to keep a human feel but in the opinion of FIFpro and the players that is nonsense . '' German sportswear giant Adidas has been working on a form of technology involving a microchip in the ball , while other options include a version of the Hawk-Eye system of computerized cameras currently used in tennis . FIFA President Sepp Blatter has called for a system which is accurate but does n't disrupt the flow of the game . FIFA has tested goalline technology in junior tournaments but has recently moved away from further trials in favor of a simpler system involving two extra assistant referees stationed at each end . The scheme , favored by UEFA President Michel Platini , has been tested in the Europa League this season but has proved unpopular with coaches and players . FIFpro polled the 48 captains who have played in the Europa League this season , with 70 percent of the 31 who responded saying they saw no improvement in decision-making . The row between extra referees and technology is on the agenda for the IFAB meeting , with any changes to be implemented next season , after the World Cup . Other issues under review include whether players who concede penalties through professional fouls should also be sent off , and whether players should continue to be allowed to feint their run-ups when taking penalties . | Football players lobby FIFA to introduce goalline technology . FIFA meet on March 6 to discuss football law changes . Players unimpressed by extra referees Europa League trial . | [[19, 113], [52, 167], [395, 409], [418, 450], [453, 506], [1653, 1706], [1751, 1809]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Despite calls from President Obama to beef up the program designed to provide security aboard U.S. flights , the Federal Air Marshal Service is in disarray , a CNN investigation has found . In more than a dozen interviews across the country , air marshals said the agency is rife with cronyism ; age , gender and racial discrimination ; and attempts by managers to make the agency appear more efficient than it is by padding numbers . Air marshals describe an agency in chaos , where bored and frustrated marshals focus more on internal squabbles than watching for bad guys . The marshals refused to let their identities be known , for fear of retaliation in an agency that is driven , they say , by intimidation and favoritism . After a Nigerian 's attempt to blow up an airliner preparing to land in Detroit , Michigan , on Christmas Day , a growing number of critics have called for either the elimination or a total overhaul of the agency . Last week , President Obama asked Congress for an additional $ 85 million to boost the air marshals program , known by its acronym FAMS , after the foiled attack aboard the jet coming from the Netherlands . U.S. officials have charged Nigerian Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab with attempting to blow up the airliner . He was subdued by passengers and crew . No air marshals were on the flight , generating additional criticism of the service . Despite efforts by Obama and assurances by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that FAMS will become more effective , one air marshal told CNN , `` Nothing 's particularly changed for me since Christmas Day , or -LRB- for -RRB- a big percentage of people that I work with . Everything is pretty much the same . '' In January , Napolitano testified before a Senate committee , where she vowed , `` We will strengthen the capacity of aviation law enforcement , including the Federal Air Marshal Service . '' International flights are considered to have the highest risk . However , air marshals from a half dozen FAMS field offices said the agency continues to assign marshals to short , regional routes on small jets . The marshals told CNN that lots of short-haul flights make the agency look more productive on paper . The marshals said if someone dares criticize a manager , he or she can be banished to what they call `` Team America , '' referring to the regional trips . Managers and favored employees receive the perk of traveling international routes , they said . Repeatedly , air marshals reported that the decision on who flies on what flights are driven by extra pay for managers , and office politics -- not security . Despite repeated requests , FAMS and its parent agency , the Transportation Security Administration , declined to give CNN an interview . However , TSA spokesman Nelson Minerly provided a statement , saying , `` The Transportation Security Administration 's Federal Air Marshals are strategically deployed aboard U.S. flagged air carriers to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public . `` The Federal Air Marshal Service is currently training and deploying fellow federal law enforcement officers to support the administration 's enhancement in aviation security . Federal Air Marshals and these additional highly trained officers are being deployed aboard an increasing number of flights worldwide to keep air travel safe , '' Minerly wrote . Rep. John Duncan , R-Tennessee , is one of FAMS ' harshest critics . `` It 's just a total waste of money , '' he told CNN in a recent interview . `` I know that any time you create a federal bureaucracy , it just grows and grows , and the appropriation just goes up and up , but ... look at the record . They have n't done anything . '' `` I had the statistic from last year , '' the Republican said . `` They made four arrests for an appropriation of $ 800 million . It came out to more than $ 200 million per arrest . It 's just ridiculous . '' Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee , D-Texas , does n't want FAMS eliminated , she wants it revamped . `` If we 've got those kinds of problems , we need to get a ready broom and sweep , '' she said . `` The only way we are going to ensure the security and safety of the American people is that we have staff par excellence , and I know they are out there . '' Although the actual number of air marshals is classified , it has been widely reported that the number of air marshals covering 28,000 flights per day is fewer than 4,000 . Even with a generous calculation , the marshals only cover 5 percent of flights , according to CNN assessments . CNN has been studying FAMS for three years , and during that time , air marshals have accused managers of using creative accounting to pad the numbers given to Congress . They describe an agency in chaos that , in some cases , promotes discrimination against minorities . `` We do n't have managers who provide training or provide leadership or do anything other than produce conflict , '' one said . John Mueller , a political science professor at Ohio State University , has completed a cost-benefit analysis of U.S. aviation security . He concluded many measures such as FAMS are little more than a waste of taxpayer dollars . `` We have seen with the underwear bomber -LRB- AbdulMutallab -RRB- , the passengers are n't going to sit around waiting for someone else to do something . Because their lives are at stake , they are going to jump in . So essentially from a hijackers ' standpoint , this idea of replicating 9/11 is close to impossible as far as I can see , '' Mueller said . The air marshal program was set up in 1970 , after a rash of airline hijackings , and it was expanded significantly after the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001 . Specially trained to safeguard passengers and crew aboard crowded aircraft , air marshals were seen as a critical component in the overall effort to secure America 's commercial aviation system . CNN 's Deb Krajnak contributed to this report . | Air marshals tell CNN of an agency beset by cronyism and discrimination . They say managers pad numbers to make program appear more efficient than it is . Marshals : Decisions about flight assignments driven by managerial pay , office politics . Congressional critics say agency is a waste of money or want it overhauled . | [[209, 259], [262, 312], [454, 494], [705, 713], [716, 748], [1529, 1553], [2483, 2493], [2496, 2641], [4754, 4786], [372, 429], [389, 453], [4632, 4714], [4677, 4733], [4695, 4753], [209, 259], [262, 312], [489, 494], [503, 594], [705, 713], [716, 748], [2483, 2493], [2496, 2641], [749, 776], [859, 963], [3469, 3504], [4015, 4038], [5122, 5212], [5157, 5212]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal authorities are investigating a New Jersey man suspected of being an al Qaeda member and going on a deadly rampage at a hospital in Yemen . The FBI is investigating Sharif Mobley , a 26-year-old from Buena , New Jersey , said Rich Wolf , a spokesman at the agency 's Baltimore , Maryland , office . He would n't comment further . Mobley had worked at nuclear plants operated by PSEG Nuclear for different contractors from 2002 to 2008 , doing routing labor such as carrying supplies and assisting with maintenance activities , company spokesman Joe Delmar said . Mobley , who also worked at other nuclear plants in the region , satisfied federal security background checks required to work in the U.S. nuclear industry as recently as 2008 , he said . Mobley is accused of shooting and killing a security agent and severely injuring another while trying to flee the Republican Hospital in Sanaa , Yemen , over the weekend , a law enforcement source said . Yemeni counterterrorism forces rushed to the hospital and captured Mobley , who had barricaded himself in a hospital room , said Mohammed Albasha , a spokesman for the Yemeni embassy in Washington . Yemeni authorities had detained Mobley and 10 other al Qaeda suspects earlier this month in a `` successful security sweep '' in the capital of Sanaa , Albasha said . He had been transported to the hospital over the weekend for medical treatment , Albasha said , though he would not elaborate . The law enforcement source said the FBI has interviewed Mobley 's parents . Another source , a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the case , said authorities have been aware of Mobley for some time . Both law enforcement sources were unaware of any criminal charges against Mobley in the United States . Delmar of PSEG said the company is cooperating with authorities investigating Mobley . CNN 's Susan Candiotti , Carol Cratty and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report . | Sharif Mobley , 26 , from Buena , New Jersey , accused of deadly hospital shooting . Mobley one of 11 al Qaeda suspects captured earlier this month . FBI investigating ; they and Yemen officials offer few details . | [[0, 5], [19, 166], [0, 15], [116, 166], [1181, 1269], [0, 5], [19, 166]] |
Lagos , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nigeria on Tuesday faced international calls to bring to justice killer mobs armed with guns and knives who massacred hundreds of villagers in the country 's rural heartland . As more details of the atrocities emerged , Nigeria 's acting president , Goodluck Jonathan , replaced his national security adviser , although it was not clear whether the move was related to the weekend violence . At least 200 Christian villagers died in the attacks early Sunday , when groups of men with guns , machetes , and knives attacked people in three villages south of Jos , in the Plateau State , Human Rights Watch said . Other agencies gave higher death tolls . Sani Shehu , president of the nongovernmental agency Civil Rights Congress , put the number of dead at about 485 . And a Christian leader who participated in a mass burial of 67 bodies Monday in one of the towns said about 375 people were dead or still missing . Explainer : What 's behind the violence . Human Rights Watch cited witnesses as saying the attackers were Islamic men and that they targeted Christians , mostly from the Berom ethnic group . The victims were in the villages of Dogo Nahawa , Zot , and Ratsat , about 10 kilometers -LRB- 6 miles -RRB- south of Jos , the state capital . The attackers had previously lived in the villages but left last month , Human Rights Watch said , citing multiple witness accounts . Witnesses , community leaders , and journalists who visited the villages told Human Rights Watch they saw bodies -- including those of children and babies -- inside houses , on the streets , and in the pathways leading out of the villages . They said many homes , cars , and other items were burned and destroyed . The U.S. diplomatic mission to Nigeria expressed its `` deep regret '' at the violence in the area . `` We extend our sympathies to those who have lost their loved ones and friends , and for the massive destruction of property , '' the mission said in a statement . `` We continue to urge all parties to exercise restraint and seek constructive means for addressing the continuing cycle of violence in Plateau State . Such loss of life and destruction can not continue to weaken the fabric of unity and peace that all Nigerians love . '' The mission called on the Nigerian government to make sure the attackers are brought to justice . Human Rights Watch called on Jonathan to make sure the attacks are `` thoroughly and promptly investigated '' and to prosecute those responsible . The attacks were reprisals for previous attacks against Islamic communities in the area and the theft of cattle from herdsmen , Human Rights Watch said . Police have arrested 98 people in connection with those attacks , the group said , citing official police figures . John Onaiyekan , the archbishop of Abuja , told Vatican Radio on Monday that the violence is the result of a dispute over access to natural resources , not religion . `` This kind of terrible violence has left thousands dead in Plateau state in the past decade , '' said Corinne Dufka , a senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch . `` The authorities need to protect these communities , bring the perpetrators to book , and address the root causes of violence . '' Jonathan , who was installed as acting head of state in February while President Umaru Yar ` Adua recovers from illness , has called for calm . He put security on high alert Sunday and began operations to seek the attackers . Human Rights Watch said the additional military presence and patrols have been largely limited , however , to major roads and towns and have not protected the smaller communities . The most populous country in Africa , with a population of more than 150 million , Nigeria is almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians . With more than 78 million Muslims , it has the sixth-largest Islamic population in the world , according to a study last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life . While some outbursts of violence are between Christians and Muslims , other disputes are based on ethnicity . The country is home to 250 to 400 ethnic groups , making it one of the most diverse African nations , according to the International Displacement Monitoring Centre . CNN 's Christian Purefoy in Jos , Nigeria contributed to this report . | Nigerian national security adviser replaced after massacre . At least 200 Christian villagers died in the attacks early Sunday . U.S. diplomatic mission to Nigeria calls for killers to be brought to justice . | [[255, 282], [305, 343], [430, 492], [427, 459], [597, 611], [620, 645], [2272, 2369], [2326, 2369]] |
Tokyo , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four American teenagers , all children of U.S. military personnel , have been arrested on charges of attempted murder after a woman was knocked off her motorbike with rope strung across two poles , Japanese police said . The four suspects -- two 15-year-old boys , a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man -- were taken into custody on Saturday , the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said . They are accused of causing a severe head injury to a 23-year-old restaurant employee by stringing a rope between poles across a road . U.S. Forces Japan was informed of the August incident in late October , a public information officer said . There was no clear explanation for the delay in the handover of the suspects to police , other than it involved rules between Washington and Tokyo covering U.S. forces and their dependents in Japan . The U.S. military presence and its impact on Japanese residents have been a thorny issue over the years . Most recently , residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa , where the U.S. maintains a large military presence , have blamed American troops for crime and noise . In 2008 , a 14-year-old Okinawa girl alleged that a Marine had raped her . The prosecutor released the Marine after the girl decided not to pursue charges . In 1995 , a 12-year-old girl was gang-raped by three servicemen . A Japanese court convicted all three men . Both incidents caused a furor in Japan . Then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called the 2008 incident `` unforgivable ... It has happened over and over again in the past and I take it as a grave case . '' It is unclear what , if any , role the military can take in the case . The 1960 Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Japan gives Japan jurisdiction over `` the members of the United States armed forces , the civilian component , and their dependents '' in cases of offenses committed in Japan and punishable under Japanese law . The agreement also says the United States must cooperate in investigating such offenses . CNN 's Kyung Lah and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report . | Suspects range in age from 15 to 18 years of age . They are accused of stringing a rope between poles across a road . A restaurant employee , 23 , received a severe head injury . Incident occurred in August , follows other crimes connected to U.S. military personnel . | [[254, 295], [321, 378], [200, 228], [429, 564], [429, 433], [518, 564], [429, 564], [429, 433], [446, 527]] |
United Nations -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The International Criminal Court 's chief prosecutor reported Friday to the U.N. Security Council that violence continues in Darfur and that the Sudanese president and his government are not cooperating with investigators . Luis Moreno-Ocampo noted positive developments in judicial proceedings and `` fruitful '' cooperation with international bodies , but said there still remain many setbacks . He explained that crimes continue in the region , including `` indiscriminate bombings of civilians ... rapes and sexual violence '' and the `` use of child soldiers . '' Moreno-Ocampo also highlighted Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir 's role in the situation . `` Any leader committing crimes will face justice . Power does not provide immunity . '' Al-Bashir has refused to appoint a lawyer to represent his position in court and , because of the ICC-issued warrant for his arrest , has not risked traveling to attend high-level events such as the U.N. General Assembly or a meeting held by the Organization of the Islamic Conference , or to other countries where it had been thought he might go , such as Uganda , Nigeria and Venezuela . Moreno-Ocampo said respect for the International Criminal Court 's decision to issue the warrant would send a clear message that al-Bashir `` will face justice . '' `` There was no immunity for President -LSB- Slobodan -RSB- Milosevic -LSB- of the former Yugoslavia -RSB- , there was no immunity for Prime Minister -LSB- Jean -RSB- Kambanda -LSB- of Rwanda -RSB- , there was no immunity for President -LSB- Charles -RSB- Taylor -LSB- of Liberia -RSB- , '' he said . Instead of complying with the Security Council , al-Bashir has used the Sudanese state apparatus `` to commit massive crimes '' and has attempted to `` exacerbate '' the conflict in the South as means of shifting the international community 's attention away from Darfur , Moreno-Ocampo said . He also accused al-Bashir of `` stopping information about the crimes '' rather than stopping the crimes themselves . Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Rosemary DiCarlo called on the Sudanese government to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court and its investigations as called for in Security Council Resolution 1593 . `` The United States believes that those responsible for the atrocities in Darfur must be held accountable '' as they `` affect the stability of Sudan as a whole , '' she said . DiCarlo said the ongoing violence in Darfur undermines `` an already fragile humanitarian situation '' and urged all states `` to refrain from providing political or financial support '' to those charged by the International Criminal Court . Moreno-Ocampo said his office was considering holding responsible Sudanese officials `` who actively deny and dissimulate crimes . '' `` Since Nuremberg , due obedience is no longer a legal excuse '' for the facilitation of such criminal acts , he said . Sudanese Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad responded by calling Moreno-Ocampo a `` mercenary of death and destruction , '' back once more to spread his `` illusions '' and `` catastrophic vision . '' `` This is a big lie . The war in Darfur is over , '' he said . Mohamad turned to those in the Security Council who asked for justice , and said they `` should feel ashamed '' and that their `` credibility is at stake , if they have any . '' The Sudanese ambassador said Moreno-Ocampo `` would like to prolong the suffering of our people , '' and said , `` We will charge him with political prostitution . '' Reiterating his role as prosecutor is `` to investigate and prosecute to contribute to the prevention of future crimes , '' Moreno-Ocampo said he is `` ready to answer any challenge in court . '' However , he acknowledged he would need the Security Council 's full support `` to end the current crimes against the people from Darfur . '' | The International Criminal Court 's chief prosecutor reported Friday to the U.N. Security Council . Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says violence continues in Darfur . Moreno-Ocampo also highlighted Sudanese president 's role in the situation . International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrant for Sudan 's president . | [[0, 30], [87, 131], [137, 165], [603, 616], [622, 701], [889, 892], [893, 907]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He 's been decorated with awards and called one of the world 's most influential people . He 's addressed packed auditoriums and waved to crowds who line streets just to catch a passing glimpse of him . He 's shaken the hands of countless global dignitaries and earned a fan base following on Facebook that might rival that of Hollywood stars . He is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama , the 74-year-old spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile , based in Dharamsala , India . And though he describes himself , according to his Web site , as `` a simple Buddhist monk , '' the love so many Americans and others have for him has , no doubt , bestowed on him iconic status -- whether he sees it that way or not . `` I 'd love to be in his presence . I 'd love to be in an audience where he speaks , '' said Jerilee Auclair , 55 , of Vancouver , Washington , who has yet to have that pleasure . `` I yearn for it . I watch his schedule to see if/when he 'll be in my area . ... I love what he stands for . His inner peace inspires me to find mine , daily . '' She 's far from alone in her admiration . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday , the same day the Dalai Lama visited the White House , showed that 56 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of him , putting him `` in the same neighborhood as other major religious figures , '' said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . `` Favorable ratings for the pope , at 59 percent , and Billy Graham , at 57 percent , are virtually identical . '' Not bad for a guy who lives on the opposite side of the globe , is entrenched in a decades-old political and cultural struggle many do n't understand , and lives according to a tradition few Americans follow . Less than 1 percent of Americans identify themselves as Buddhist , with less than 0.3 percent of those being Tibetan Buddhist , according to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life . But what he represents resonates with Americans who may need a figure like the Dalai Lama to look to , said Ganden Thurman , executive director of New York City 's Tibet House , an organization dedicated to preserving Tibetan culture and civilization . `` He stands for achieving peace by way of peace , and since Gandhi and Martin Luther King are n't around , he 's a placeholder for that kind of position , '' he said . `` He says he 's a ` simple monk , ' but that 's wishful thinking . He 's a monk that 's been saddled with the responsibility of shouldering the hopes and dreams of millions of Tibetan people . ... He 's doing the best he can with that , and frankly , these are the kind of people we admire . '' Not that Thurman , 42 , always treated the Dalai Lama with this kind of reverence . His father , Robert Thurman , co-founded the Tibet House , is an Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies professor at Columbia University and holds the first endowed chair in Buddhist studies in the West , according to the university 's online biography . The older Thurman , who also happens to be the father of actress Uma Thurman , was a personal student of the Dalai Lama , and it was through this relationship that his son first met the spiritual leader . `` My earliest memory of meeting him , I was around 4 . I was a pretty rambunctious 4-year-old , '' he said with a laugh , guessing that he probably jumped on His Holiness and grabbed at the man 's glasses . `` Diplomatic protocol was n't high on my list of priorities . '' Tenzin Tethong has known the Dalai Lama since he was a child . He worked in the exile government and served as the spiritual leader 's representative in New York and Washington during the 1970s and 1980s . Now the president of The Dalai Lama Foundation , a Redwood City , California , organization that promotes peace , Tethong said he organized the Tibetan leader 's first visit to the United States in 1979 , 20 years after he had gone into exile . He recalled not being sure they 'd be able to pull off the visit because by the early 1970s , the U.S. had normalized its relations with China , which has long viewed the Dalai Lama as a threat to its national unity on the issue of Tibetan autonomy . But they came at the invitation of various colleges and religious groups , and the American fascination with the Dalai Lama -- the curiosity about his exotic past , his beliefs and his teachings -- spoke volumes then , Tethong said . In the decades since , the Dalai Lama 's star power has only risen as Americans have learned more about his commitment to nonviolence , interfaith outreach and more . For starters , there was that Nobel Peace Prize he won in 1989 . High-profile supporters , like actor Richard Gere , helped give him and his people 's struggles pop culture prominence , as did several mainstream films including `` Seven Years in Tibet , '' starring Brad Pitt , and `` Kundun , '' directed by Martin Scorsese . With the increased exposure , there has also been a growing prevalence of `` Free Tibet '' bumper stickers , the appearance of Tibetan prayer flags in suburbia and Facebook fans who shower the Dalai Lama with praise . `` Have a nice and easy day with Obama ! Namaste , '' one woman wrote Thursday . `` thank you for all your love , guidance and wisdom ... u changed my life , '' a man added . And then this from a college-student fan : `` HH Dalai Lama !! You kick metaphorical ass !!! '' How has all this attention not gone to his head ? `` When fame happens , people get carried away , right ? The Dalai Lama , despite tremendous adoration as well as adulation ... is very conscious of that , '' Tethong said . `` One of the Buddhist practices is to always be very aware of one 's self and how one looks at one 's self and not to be carried away with one 's ego . '' Not standing on formalities -- he playfully threw snow at reporters outside the White House on Thursday -- staying grounded and his constant ability to exude warmth and joy have made him easy to love , people who admire him say . `` He really is the real deal -- a truly loveable guy . He lives his values , '' said Jamie Metzl , executive vice president of the Asia Society , a global organization that seeks to increase understanding and relationships between the U.S. and Asia . `` Recognizing someone who lives their life according to such positive principles helps us all grow . '' And Metzl , who said he 's met the Dalai Lama three times , suggested the Chinese government , through its denunciation of the spiritual leader , has bolstered his recognition . He said that by saying the Dalai Lama is `` a wolf in sheep 's clothing , '' a claim Metzl said does n't match what people read and see , `` the Chinese are doing a great deal to turn him into a rock star . '' But nothing does more to make people appreciate the Dalai Lama than being with him , said Charles Raison , a psychiatrist with Emory University Medical School . Raison , who 's been involved in a program where Western doctors work with and exchange teachings with Buddhist monks , recounted a time when he , his wife and several others met with the Dalai Lama about four years ago . `` Many people , myself included , have a powerful experience in his presence . I nearly erupted in tears , '' he said . And his wife , whom he said `` does not have a religious bone in her body '' was `` just beaming . '' He said studies have long shown that people have a physiological response to the behaviors , feelings and even smells put forth by others . `` Buddhists , '' he added , `` say that sweet smells come from a saint -- a mark of spiritual advancement . '' | The Dalai Lama , Tibet 's spiritual leader , has broad base of fans in America . His sense of peace inspires ; 56 percent of Americans view him favorably , poll shows . He fills symbolic placeholder left by Gandhi and MLK , Tibet House executive says . Buddhism helps him avoid trappings of fame , by not allowing ego to take over . | [[635, 673], [1149, 1184], [1259, 1398], [2265, 2277], [2318, 2363], [5739, 5779]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on his team to continue their rejuvenated bid to win the English Premier League title in the wake of the horrific broken leg suffered by young midfielder Aaron Ramsey . The 19-year-old Wales international has been ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg in Saturday 's 3-1 victory against Stoke City . The injury , caused by a challenge from Stoke 's new England squad member Ryan Shawcross , brought back memories of the horror break suffered by Arsenal teammate Eduardo against Birmingham two years ago . Ramsey is seen as a star of the future , having impressed after making 29 appearances in his second season with the club . The Londoners battled back from 1-0 down at Stoke to move to within three points of leaders Chelsea , who had two players sent off in a 4-2 defeat at home to Manchester City on Saturday . Wenger believes his team can still win the title despite recent defeats to Chelsea and second-placed Manchester United . `` It will be tight until the end , '' the Frenchman told the club 's official Web site . `` But this group is so strong mentally and have a unity , so this will give us one more reason to fight until the end and do it for him . `` We had some other problems two years ago . But on Saturday we had a midfield of Nasri , Fabregas , Ramsey , Song , Eboue . They have an average of 20 or 21 years old . Up front , Bendtner is 21 years old . `` At their age , to handle the game like they did is absolutely remarkable . '' Wenger 's dedication to `` the beautiful game '' has often seen his team criticized for being `` soft '' but he said that he often tells his players off for not committing to tackles . `` I encourage my players to play and be committed , '' he said . `` I have a go at them when they do n't put their foot in sometimes . `` But as well , sometimes I nearly feel guilty to do that because when Aaron goes for the ball like he did on Saturday and gets done like he did , it is not an easy situation . `` But the way I try to play the game , I believe , is the right way . When we do n't win I get a lot of stick because of that way , but I still prefer to continue to play like that . `` We will respect the game , the opponents and try to give pleasure to people who watch us . '' | Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey ruled out for rest of season with badly-broken leg . The 19-year-old Wales international suffered injury in 3-1 victory at Stoke on Saturday . Manager Arsene Wenger calls on team to win English Premier League title in his honor . Third-placed Arsenal now within three points of leaders Chelsea , who lost at weekend . | [[161, 228], [229, 426], [229, 426], [229, 264], [311, 361], [0, 15], [35, 180], [755, 854], [839, 854], [861, 942]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The magnitude-8 .8 earthquake that rocked the west coast of Chile last month was violent enough to move the city of Concepcion at least 10 feet to the west and the capital , Santiago , about 11 inches to the west-southwest , researchers said . The quake also shifted other parts of South America , as far apart as the Falkland Islands and Fortaleza , Brazil . The results were reached via global positioning satellite measurements taken before and after the February 27 quake by teams from The Ohio State University , the University of Hawaii , the University of Memphis and the California Institute of Technology , as well as agencies across South America . NASA scientists have also credited the quake with shifting the Earth 's axis enough to create shorter days . The change is negligible , but still worth noting : Each day should be 1.26 microseconds shorter , according to preliminary calculations . A microsecond is one-millionth of a second . A large quake -- like the one that hit Chile 's Maule region -- shifts massive amounts of rock and alters the distribution of mass on the planet . When that distribution changes , it changes the rate at which the planet rotates . And the rotation rate determines the length of a day . `` Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth 's rotation , '' Benjamin Fong Chao , of NASA 's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Maryland , said while explaining the phenomenon in 2005 . Despite the tragedy of the earthquake , which killed hundreds of Chileans , scientists see opportunities to gain valuable information in the aftermath . `` The Maule earthquake will arguably become one of the , if not the most important , great earthquakes yet studied , '' said Ben Brooks of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii . `` We now have modern , precise instruments to evaluate this event . '' | Earthquake also shifted other parts of South America . Scientists have credited the quake with shifting the Earth 's axis . Despite deaths , experts see opportunities to gain valuable information in the aftermath . | [[263, 272], [278, 314], [678, 786], [713, 786], [1556, 1632]] |
Bangkok , Thailand -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thailand braced for anti-government demonstrations that began Friday and were expected to peak over the weekend with as many as 150,000 protesters on the streets . In anticipation , the government has mobilized 50,000 security forces , said acting spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn . The mass rallies are expected to be peaceful but Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said that crowd-control measures will be used if necessary . `` We will exercise the most effort to explain to demonstrators not to resort to violence , but if worse comes to worst , we may have to apply tear gas , '' he said . The `` red shirt '' opposition protesters include supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra , who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006 . Thaksin was the only Thai prime minister to serve a full-term in office and remains hugely popular . Are you there ? Send pics , video to iReport . The protesters say that current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was not democratically elected and have demanded that he call new elections . Since Thaksin 's ouster , Thailand has endured widespread political unrest that has pitted Thaksin loyalists against Abhisit 's supporters . In September , tens of thousands of red shirt demonstrators converged on the Thai capital , Bangkok , to mark the third anniversary of the coup that ousted Thaksin . CNN 's Kocha Olarn contributed to this story . | Anti-government demonstrations begin Friday , expected to peak over weekend . Mass rallies expected to be peaceful ; government mobilizes 50,000 troops . Protesters say Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva not democratically elected . | [[58, 88], [94, 106], [0, 7], [10, 34], [58, 88], [100, 201], [202, 217], [220, 271], [320, 364], [320, 336], [350, 388], [946, 1088], [970, 1041]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 170 people around the globe , including at least 61 in the United States , have been arrested in a major operation targeting international child pornographers , officials said Friday . Attorney General Michael Mukasey and European Union representatives announced the sting 's results Friday . Operation Joint Hammer has rescued 11 girls in the United States , ages 3 to 13 , who were sexually abused by child pornography producers , U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and representatives of the European Union said at the Justice Department . Dozens more were located in Europe , including several young female victims in Ukraine . Authorities found connections between producers , distributors and customers in nearly 30 countries as a single investigation grew to a global inquiry into the dark corners of brutality and child abuse . The investigation , code-named Operation Koala in Europe , was developed when investigators determined that a pornographic video found in Australia had been produced in Belgium . `` This joint EU-U.S. coordinated effort began with the discovery in Europe of a father who was sexually abusing his young daughters and producing images of that abuse , '' Mukasey said . Further investigation showed a number of online child porn rings . Some included dangerous offenders who not only traded child pornography but also sexually abused children , the officials said . Agents are still attempting to locate child victims whose images have appeared in photos and videos , and more arrests are expected as the FBI , Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Postal Inspection Service continue the investigation . A Postal Service official said ringleaders primarily targeted prepubescent female victims to satisfy their customers but noted that other groups produce photos and videos of boys and girls of all ages -- or even infants . `` For this subset , that 's what turns them on , '' the official said . | U.S. , European officials join for child pornographer sting . 11 girls ages 3 to 13 rescued in the United States , dozens more found in Europe . Arrests turn up people who traded child porn , sexually abused children , officials say . Inquiry began with pornographic video found in Australia that came from Belgium . | [[1058, 1145], [333, 397], [586, 620], [586, 592], [623, 674], [410, 414], [419, 470], [1313, 1418], [879, 1057], [957, 1057]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Gertrude Baines , a 114-year-old California resident , will likely be crowned the world 's oldest woman , according to the organization that keeps track of such honors . Gertrude Baines told CNN two years ago that she has taken good care of herself , `` the way -LRB- God -RRB- wanted me to . '' The previous oldest woman was Maria de Jesus , who died this week in Portugal at age 115 , Guinness World Records said . Baines -- born to former slaves in a small town south of Atlanta , Georgia , in 1894 -- now lives in a Los Angeles nursing home . Baines appeared cheerful and talkative when the Los Angeles Times interviewed her in November as she cast her vote for Barack Obama for president , whom she said she supported because `` he 's for the colored people . '' `` I 'm glad we 're getting a colored man in there , '' she said . Baines apparently prefers using the older term for her race . She was well into her 70s when `` African-American '' became the common reference in the United States . Watch Baines speak to CNN . She told the Times she spends most of her time `` doing nothing but eating and sleeping . '' When CNN interviewed Baines two years ago , she was asked to explain why she thought she has lived so long . `` God . Ask him . I took good care of myself , the way he wanted me to , '' Baines said . Her only child , a daughter , died of typhoid fever at age 18 . Much of her long life was lived in Ohio , where she worked as a `` house mom '' at a state university . She eventually divorced and traveled to Los Angeles , where she retired . Baines will not officially be given the title until after Guinness World Records completes an investigation , the organization said . `` Maria was crowned the world 's Oldest Living Woman by Guinness World Records on 28 December upon the death of Edna Parker , '' the group said . Parker -- an American -- was 115 years , 220 days old when she died November 26 , 2008 , in an Indiana nursing home , it said . | Gertrude Baines , 114 , likely to be named world 's oldest woman . Follows death of 115-year-old Maria de Jesus in Portugal this week . Baines was born to former slaves near Atlanta , Georgia , in 1894 . | [[0, 40], [99, 147], [370, 384], [391, 428], [1890, 1896], [1915, 1928], [461, 467], [471, 525]] |
-LRB- Entertainment Weekly -RRB- -- Once upon a time -- oh , let 's just call it North America in the mid - '90s , shall we ? -- Weezer and Alanis Morissette were an inescapable part of the cultural landscape , churning out buoyant rock-radio hits -LRB- Weezer -RRB- , wordy , eccentric anthems -LRB- Alanis -RRB- , and MTV-friendly videos -LRB- both -RRB- with impressive consistency . Alanis Morissette struggled to find a way to stay current after her last album failed to do well . Each act 's follow-ups , however , have failed to yield quite the success of their initial impact . So how , in the face of a never-ending rush of fresh industry blood , does an already established act stay relevant ? For Morissette , the answer on new CD `` Flavors of Entanglement '' seems to lie , for better or worse , in going through a really , really bad breakup . The same kind of passion that fueled the 15-million-selling '95 smash `` Jagged Little Pill '' -LRB- was there ever a woman more excellently scorned than the Alanis who excoriated her lover on `` You Oughta Know '' ? -RRB- is all over `` Entanglement '' -- thanks to a well-publicized split with actor fiance Ryan Reynolds . Granted , at 34 , she still writes too often in the histrionic , no-one-has-ever-felt-what-I-feel style of a feverishly journaling liberal-arts major . Even so , the rawness of her hurt adds heft to eff-you screeds like the thunderous `` Versions of Violence , '' and she 's found an able partner in producer and co-writer Guy Sigsworth , a onetime Björk collaborator . His dense , swirling compositions seem to push Morissette 's boundaries , conjuring her inner Princess of Darkness on the glitchy , gothy `` Straitjacket '' and exploring Far Eastern exotica on the tabla-tinged opener `` Citizen of the Planet . '' But her most affecting moment may be the most stripped down . A barely-there piano is all the accompaniment needed on the broken , fragile ballad `` Not as We , '' on which her voice cracks heartbreakingly over the lines `` From scratch begin again , but this time , I as I/And not as we . '' Somehow , a devastating personal experience has galvanized her songwriting in a way that domestic bliss , as showcased on 2004 's disappointing `` So-Called Chaos , '' could not . EW Grade : B + . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | Breakup with actor fiance Ryan Reynolds part of `` Flavors of Entanglement '' Alanis Morissette 's most affecting moment on the album is sparest . Morissette partners with producer , co-writer Guy Sigsworth . | [[1451, 1519]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Gillette said Saturday it was `` limiting '' golfer Tiger Woods ' role in its marketing programs to give him the privacy he needs to work on family relationships after disclosures of his `` infidelity . '' In a statement , the Boston , Massachusetts-based body grooming company said it supports Woods ' decision to take `` an indefinite break '' from professional golf . On his Web site Friday , Woods admitted to infidelity and said he was taking a break from the sport to focus on his family . `` In the midst of a difficult and unfortunate situation , we respect the action Tiger is taking to restore the trust of his family , friends and fans , '' Gillette spokesman Mike Norton said in the statement . `` We fully support him stepping back from his professional career and taking the time he needs to do what matters most . We wish him and his family the best . `` As Tiger takes a break from the public eye , we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs , '' Norton said . Woods ' Friday posting said : `` After much soul searching , I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf . I need to focus my attention on being a better husband , father and person . '' `` I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people , most of all my wife and children , '' Woods ' statement said . `` I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness . It may not be possible to repair the damage I 've done , but I want to do my best to try . '' Woods , 33 , who tops the sport 's world rankings , crashed his car outside his Florida mansion late last month . Authorities issued a citation for careless driving , and he was given a $ 164 fine . Woods was not required to talk to police about the wreck and declined to talk with investigators on several occasions . In the week following the crash , Woods apologized for `` transgressions '' that let his family down . The same day , US Weekly published a report alleging that Woods had an affair with Jaimee Grubbs , a 24-year-old cocktail waitress . US Weekly 's report followed a National Enquirer article before the crash that the athlete was having an affair with New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel , an assertion she vigorously denied , according to The New York Post . It was not immediately clear how Woods ' hiatus would affect his other sponsorships , which include Nike , Gatorade and Electronic Arts . `` He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era , '' Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast said in a statement . `` We look forward to his return to golf . He and his family have Nike 's full support . '' The statement did not elaborate on whether Woods ' announcement would impact his business relationship with the sports company , which has worked with him for more than a decade . Woods has won three U.S. Open titles and the Masters tournament and the PGA tournament each four times . The PGA Tour said it supports Woods and looks forward to his return to the game . `` We fully support Tiger 's decision to step away from competitive golf to focus on his family . His priorities are where they need to be , and we will continue to respect and honor his family 's request for privacy , '' the PGA Tour said in a statement Friday . `` We look forward to Tiger 's return to the PGA Tour when he determines the time is right for him . '' EA Sports , the company that makes Woods ' video game , also said it is standing behind the golfer . `` We respect that this is a very difficult and private situation for Tiger and his family . At this time , the strategy for our Tiger Woods PGA TOUR business remains unchanged , '' said David Tinson , a company spokesman . | Grooming company cuts back on Tiger Woods ' time after admission of `` infidelity '' Woods admits to cheating on wife , plans `` indefinite break '' from golf . Woods : `` I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness '' Nike , EA Sports , PGA Tour pledge support to Woods . | [[19, 115], [93, 221], [302, 389], [390, 412], [415, 443], [390, 412], [415, 420], [448, 514], [1039, 1066], [1069, 1167], [3137, 3145], [3155, 3214], [1416, 1503], [2413, 2521], [2701, 2746], [3035, 3116], [3485, 3494], [3546, 3585]] |
Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thirty-six people were killed and dozens were injured in explosions at a market in Lahore , Pakistan , on Monday , an official said . Rizwan Naseer , chief of Lahore 's rescue service , also said 109 people were wounded . The explosions did not appear to be a suicide attack but could instead have been bombs detonated by remote control , Punjab Police Chief Tariq Salim said . The nation 's state-run news agency , Associated Press of Pakistan , said the blasts were the result of `` bomb explosions . '' The explosions occurred at Moon Market in the Iqbal Town neighborhood , the news agency said . It cited Iqbal Town Division 's Ali Nasir Rizvi as saying most of the victims were women . Khusro Pervaiz , a senior government official in Lahore , said in a television interview that 60 people had been taken to five Lahore hospitals . The blasts happened around 8:45 p.m. at the popular market , said Rai Nazar Hayat , a spokesman for Lahore police . Earlier , ten people were killed -- including two police officers -- when a suicide bomber detonated outside a district courthouse in Peshawar on Monday , officials said . At least 36 were injured , six of them seriously , said Dr. Hameed Afridi , CEO of the Lady Reading Hospital . The bomber got out of a rickshaw and detonated himself , according to witnesses . The attacker was wearing a suicide jacket with about 6 kilograms of explosives , said Shafqat Malik , head of the North West Frontier Province bomb disposal unit . Peshawar is the capital of the Northwest Frontier Province , where the Pakistani government waged a recent military offense against Taliban militants . Meanwhile , five people were hurt in a bomb attack in Quetta on Monday morning , said Jamil Kakar , a Quetta police official . The explosives were placed in a car and destroyed two other cars and three motorbikes . The courthouse attack comes three days after four militants armed with guns and grenades stormed a mosque in Rawalpindi frequented by military personnel . At least 36 were killed and 75 wounded . Among the dead were 17 children , according to military officials . Also killed were an army general and eight other military officials , six of senior rank . The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the mosque bombing . The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan reiterated its claim in an e-mail to CNN the next day , after media outlets quoted officials who doubted the group 's participation . `` We reconfirmed it , that the TTP has done it and will do more which are already planned , '' the group said in the e-mail . `` We once again mention that we are not against the innocent people and the state of Pakistan but against those officers and ministers who are American by hearts and minds and Pakistani just by faces . '' Rawalpindi is the headquarters of the Pakistani army . CNN 's Reza Sayah contributed to this report . | 36 dead , dozens hurt following two explosions at market in Lahore . Explosions could have been bombs detonated by remote control , police say . Ten killed , including two police officers , in suicide attack in Peshawar . | [[0, 9], [12, 36], [40, 69], [74, 129], [1166, 1190], [2045, 2085], [262, 276], [319, 376], [994, 1001], [1004, 1026], [1004, 1014], [1030, 1059]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A November 1 trial date has been set for Brian David Mitchell , who is suspected in the 2002 kidnapping of Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart , said a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors . U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball set the trial date at a scheduling conference Friday , said Melodie Rydalch , spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney 's office in Utah . Mitchell was not in court that day , she said . The trial is expected to take two weeks , according to the case file . Mitchell 's defense attorneys have apparently indicated they will file a motion asking for a change of venue , as the case file said Kimball set a May 26 deadline for the motion and agreed to hear arguments before July 11 . Mitchell is accused of abducting Smart , then 14 , at knifepoint from her bedroom in her family 's Salt Lake City , Utah , home in June 2002 . Smart was found nine months later , walking down a street in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy with Mitchell and his wife , Wanda Eileen Barzee . Mitchell , a drifter and self-described prophet who called himself `` Emmanuel , '' had done some handyman work at the Smarts ' home . Barzee , now 64 , pleaded guilty in November to kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor . As part of a plea deal with prosecutors , she agreed to cooperate in the state and federal cases against her husband . Earlier this month , Kimball ruled Mitchell , now 56 , is competent to stand trial . State court proceedings against him have been on hold pending the outcome of the federal case . Smart , now 21 , testified in October as part of Mitchell 's competency hearing that after kidnapping her , Mitchell took her to a wooded area behind her home and performed a mock marriage ceremony with her before sexually assaulting her . She testified that in the nine months of her captivity , no 24-hour period passed without Mitchell raping her . Kimball 's ruling on Mitchell 's competency can not be appealed until after the case concludes . Barzee had been housed at the Utah State Hospital while courts determined her competency as well as that of her husband . A state court had ruled she could be forcibly medicated , and that ruling led federal prosecutors to file charges against her . Last month , Barzee pleaded guilty but mentally ill in state court in the attempted kidnapping of Smart 's cousin a month after her kidnapping . In exchange for the plea to one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping , state prosecutors dropped charges against Barzee in Smart 's abduction . Federal prosecutors have recommended that Barzee serve a sentence of 15 years , but asked that her sentencing date be continued to allow for her participation in the case against Mitchell . She faces between one and 15 years in prison on the state charge , but prosecutors agreed to allow that sentence to run concurrently with the federal sentence . | Brian David Mitchell is charged with kidnapping Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom in 2002 . Smart , then 14 , was found nine months later walking with Mitchell and his wife . Mitchell 's attorneys apparently plan to ask for change of venue . Under a plea deal , Mitchell 's wife agreed to cooperate in case against her husband . | [[56, 82], [87, 155], [711, 759], [854, 887], [854, 859], [890, 976], [487, 595], [1278, 1354]] |
-LRB- Travel + Leisure -RRB- -- When I first started traveling , I was delighted by refrigerator magnets , T-shirts , embroidered patches and snow globes -- all the usual gift-shop kitsch . At some point , however , it struck me as a shortcut , celebrating a destination 's clichés rather than the place itself . So I moved up to items that were unavailable on every other corner and , ideally , handmade . I felt good about supporting craftspeople , and the objects had more personal resonance . Though when I got them home , many of them turned into dust-catching clutter -- one-of-a-kind clutter , but still . Moreover , I questioned their authenticity . I make every effort to eat at restaurants frequented by locals . Why would I shop for souvenirs in stores where residents never tread ? Now , I hunt for what I call `` unsouvenirs . '' The word souvenir is Middle French for `` remembering , '' and unsouvenirs , despite the prefix , must also be able to trigger a memory . But they 're different from souvenirs in that they capture the essence of a place not simply because they were purchased there , but because -- this is the important part -- locals actually use them . Travel + Leisure : World 's strangest Olympic souvenirs . That 's the best definition for cultural authenticity that I can come up with . While I prefer that my unsouvenirs originate in the destination -LRB- `` made in China '' is only appealing if you 're in China -RRB- , I do n't mind if they come from a factory . Few of us can claim that we incorporate many handmade items into our day-to-day lives . I just visited Rome for the first time -- ridiculous , I know -- and I was surprised by how rife with kitsch the historic center is . Rare is the block that does n't have a store selling I © ROME T-SHIRTS . My customs form , in contrast , looked as if I had run errands on a Saturday afternoon . I bought a plastic container designed to hold the unsliced part of an onion , premixed Campari and soda in Art Deco bottles , a package of assorted paper from an art-supply shop , Elmex toothpaste , and a lip balm called HerpeSun . They 'll remind me of Rome every time I use them -LRB- though I have n't yet been brave enough to whip out the lip balm in public -RRB- . Travel + Leisure : World 's most beautiful airports . Certain kinds of stores are more reliable for unsouvenirs . Supermarkets and pharmacies are always interesting . Cookware purveyors are also a consistently rich source : you might score Bialetti espresso pots from coffee-crazy Italy or elegant woven place mats from understated Sweden . At a Japanese hardware store you could come upon a miniature scythe-style weeder ; or you might spot a cowbell and collar in northern Italy . -LRB- Part of the fun is repurposing : that bell could be a doorbell . -RRB- . Stationery shops , whether you 're in Greece or Indonesia , tend to have schoolkids ' notebooks , which make for quirky journals back home . Also worth a look are stores that sell hobby or restaurant supplies , sporting goods , garden equipment , bike gear ... `` You have to get off the map , '' agrees the queen of unsouvenirs , Alisa Grifo , co-owner of Kiosk , a store in New York 's SoHo that stocks workaday objects from around the world -LRB- usually one country at a time , displayed in four-to-six-month `` exhibitions '' -RRB- , all acquired during Grifo 's peripatetic travels . Highlights from Germany included egg cups , a pencil sharpener and a doorstop ; from Hong Kong , a mailbox , green twine and a calculator . Individually , the items are idiosyncratic and well designed ; gathered together , they convey the spirit of a country , in both their utility and their aesthetics . -LRB- To see what I mean , visit kioskkiosk.com . -RRB- . I assumed that Grifo had the same wander-and-hope strategy that I do , but she and her husband and co-owner Marco Romeny actually do a ton of prep work . They research each destination , reading up on the history , culture , museums , food , crafts , anything . And they network like mad : `` We ask ourselves , ` Who do we know from there ? Who has relatives there ? ' '' Most important , they 're usually in a country for two to six weeks , which means they stay -- and shop -- in residential neighborhoods . Just as the ideal unsouvenir reflects locals ' daily existence , the best way to shop for unsouvenirs is by practicing a bit of cultural immersion -- in other words , when in Rome , shop as the Romans do . As Grifo and I chatted , I bragged about my onion container , which I consider a symbol of my victory in tourist-clogged Rome . If any other American traveler brought home a plastic onion this year , I 'll eat mine -- washed down with more than one bottle of Campari Soda . Grifo 's eyes lit up . `` That 's brilliant , '' she said . `` How does it open ? Can you send me a photo ? '' Maybe someday Kiosk will tackle Italy , and my little onion holder will be part of the exhibition . That would be fantastic -- as long as we all remember who found it first . Erik Torkells is an editor at tripadvisor.com and the founder of tribecacitizen.com . Planning a beach getaway ? Do n't miss Travel + Leisure 's guide to Affordable Beach Resorts . Copyright 2010 American Express Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved . | `` Made in China '' is only appealing if you 're in China , author says . But handmade objects are n't always the best reminders of your trip . Supermarkets and pharmacies are interesting places to hunt for useful souvenirs . | [[2368, 2420]] |
Port-au-Prince , Haiti -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ten Americans held in Haiti on charges of illegally trying to take 33 children out of the country were scheduled to have their first court hearing Monday afternoon , according to the U.S. State Department . P.J. Crowley , a department spokesman , said Monday that U.S. and Haitian authorities are `` working to try to ascertain what happened -LSB- and -RSB- the motive behind these people . Clearly there are questions about procedure as to whether they had the appropriate paperwork to move the children . '' The Americans were turned back Friday night as they tried to take the children across the border into the Dominican Republic . At least some of the group are members of the Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian , Idaho . The missionaries say they were just trying to help the children start a new life . Central Valley 's senior pastor , Clint Henry , reiterated that point Monday , saying the group 's intentions were `` upright and pure . '' `` The intention was simply to go down and try to be an aid in ministering to children that had been orphaned in the quake , '' the pastor said . `` It was our intention to be part of a new orphanage . The decision was made that we could house those children in the temporary sites . '' But Haiti 's prime minister said Sunday the group was kidnapping the children . `` From what I know until now , this is a kidnapping case , '' Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN . `` Who is doing it , I do n't know . What are the real objectives or activities , I do n't know . But that is kidnapping , and it is more serious because it 's involving children . '' He added , `` The children certainly were not fully willing to go , because in some cases , from what I heard , they were asking for their parents , they wanted to return to their parents . '' U.S. Embassy officials visited the Americans over the weekend at a jail near the airport in Port-au-Prince . They are being treated well and are holding on to their faith , the Americans said . `` We came into Haiti to help those that really had no other source of help , '' Laura Silsby , a member of an Idaho-based charity , New Life Children 's Refuge , said on Saturday . `` We are trusting the truth will be revealed , and we are praying for that . '' The group of five men and five women said they were trying to move the children to the Dominican Republic after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake January 12 that devastated parts of Haiti , flattening the capital and killing tens of thousands . But a Haitian judge has charged the 10 with child trafficking , they said . The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said Sunday that the Americans had been detained for `` alleged violations of Haitian laws related to immigration . '' Government approval is needed for any Haitian children to leave the country , and the group acknowledged that the children have no passports . Jeanne Bernard-Pierre , general director for Haiti 's Institute of Social Welfare , said the children will be interviewed in the coming days to determine whether they have living relatives . The Americans said they believed the children were orphaned , and they were going to house them in a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic . Georg Willeit of SOS Children 's Villages , who said that Haitian police and the social ministry brought the children to his group after they were taken from the American group , said some of the children have living relatives . `` Some of them for sure are not orphans , '' he said . `` Immediately after she arrived here , a girl -- she might be 9 years old -- was crying loudly , ' I am not an orphan , I do have my parents , please call my parents , ' '' he said . `` And some of the other kids as well , they have their phone numbers , even , with them from their parents , '' he said . He said he believes that at least 10 are not orphans . Mel Coulter , the father of Charisa Coulter , 23 , who is among those arrested , told CNN affiliate KTVB on Saturday that the group members `` want to bring kids out who have no home , who have no parents , who have no hope -- and this was an attempt to give them the hope that they 've lost in Haiti . '' The Americans thought they had all of the necessary documents to transport the children out of the country , Coulter said , but they were stopped at the border Friday and told there was a paper missing . `` So they returned to Port-au-Prince , where they went in early -LSB- Saturday -RSB- morning to try and get the last documentation , and apparently were arrested on the spot and jailed . '' He said the group wants `` to do everything according to the processes that are required . '' CNN 's Karl Penhaul , Jill Dougherty and journalist Jessica Desvarieux contributed to this report . | Ten Americans held in Haiti , accused of illegally trying to take 33 children out of the country . They were detained Friday as they tried to take children across border into Dominican Republic . The missionaries say they were just trying to help the children start a new life . But Haiti 's prime minister said Sunday the group was kidnapping the children . | [[42, 139], [42, 139], [552, 678], [599, 678], [4320, 4362], [777, 859], [798, 859], [1291, 1366]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two British soldiers and a Spanish soldier were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan , the British and Spanish Defense Ministries said . The British soldiers died in roadside bomb explosions Monday , a part of southern Afghanistan that has been the site of fierce fighting between the Taliban and coalition troops , the ministry said in a written statement . The soldiers were on foot patrol at the time , said Lt. Col. David Wakefield , a spokesman for Task Force Helmand , a predominantly British military command that conducts operations in Helmand province . They were identified as belonging to the 3rd Battalion , The Yorkshire Regiment but were not identified by name . In the other Monday incident , a Spanish military vehicle struck a mine while on a mission to distribute aid , and the explosion killed one soldier and wounded six others , a Spanish Defense Ministry spokesman told CNN . Killed was a Colombian national , Jon Felipe Romero Meneses , in his early twenties , serving with Spain 's armed forces . The identities and conditions of the wounded soldiers were not immediately available , said the spokeswoman , who by custom is not identified . The blast happened in Qala-i-Naw province in Afghanistan , where the Spanish troops were escorting a U.N. World Food Programme convoy to distribute aid . Spain has more than 800 troops in Afghanistan serving in the NATO-led mission , and the government has recently committed to send several hundred more , partly in response to the Obama administration 's request for more troops from allied nations . Spain has had troops in Afghanistan since 2002 , and more than 22 Spanish soldiers have died there , including two in November 2008 when a suicide bomber rammed their convoy , and 17 in a helicopter crash in August 2005 . CNN 's Al Goodman contributed to this report . | Britain : Soldiers die in roadside bomb explosions while on foot patrol in Helmand province . Soldiers belong to 3rd Battalion , The Yorkshire Regiment . One Spanish soldier killed , six others wounded in separate attack . Spain has more than 800 troops in Afghanistan as part of NATO-led mission . | [[163, 223], [385, 429], [589, 643], [0, 110], [818, 831], [855, 873], [958, 975], [1010, 1046]] |
Editor 's Note : The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE , an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn , New York . VBS.TV is Vice 's broadband television network . The reports , which are produced solely by VICE , reflect a very transparent approach to journalism , where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process . We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers . Brooklyn , New York -LRB- VBS.TV -RRB- -- Getting into North Korea was one of the weirdest processes VBS has ever dealt with . After we went back and forth with their representatives for months , they finally said they were going to allow 16 journalists to come and cover the Arirang Mass Games in Pyongyang . Just before our departure , they suddenly said , `` No , nobody can come . '' Then they said , `` OK , OK , you can come . But only as tourists . '' But they already knew we were journalists , and over there if you get caught being a journalist when you 're supposed to be a tourist you go to jail . We do n't like jail . And we 're willing to bet we 'd hate jail in North Korea . But we went for it . The first leg of the trip was a flight into northern China . At the airport , the North Korean consulate took our passports and all our money , then brought us to a restaurant along with our tour group . All the other diners left , and these women came out and started singing North Korean nationalist songs . We were thinking , `` Look , we were just on a plane for 20 hours . Ca n't we just go to bed ? '' But this guy with our group who was from the L.A. Times told us , `` Everyone in here besides us is secret police . If you do n't act excited then you 're not going to get your visa . '' So we got drunk and sang songs with the girls . The next day we got our visas . A lot of people we had gone with did n't get theirs . We flew into North Korea that night . We were supposed to have three days before the games started , but as soon as we got on the ground they told us , `` The games are happening now . '' We went straight to the stadium , and there were 40,000 people in the stands , portraying the history of the North Korean revolution with flip cards . On the playing field before them , about 60,000 people did wild synchronized-gymnastics routines . The 15 of us who made up the audience watched from a marble dais . We were the only spectators . Fifteen audience members for a 100,000-man extravaganza . See the rest of the Vice Guide to North Korea . The next day , our grand tour began . We went to the International Friendship Museum , which comprises 2,000 rooms carved into the bottom of a mountain . The displays are all gifts from different world leaders . Joseph Stalin gave Kim Il-sung a train . Mao Zedong also gave Kim Il-sung a train . He got hunting rifles from communist East Germany 's Erich Honecker and Romania 's Nicolae Ceausescu and all the other Eastern-bloc guys . Madeleine Albright famously gave Kim Jong-il a basketball signed by Michael Jordan . Perhaps the weirdest thing about North Koreans is that they genuinely do n't seem to know that the rest of the planet hates and fears them . They believe -LRB- or maybe they really convincingly lie about believing -RRB- that the whole world admires and envies them and that they 're the true light of socialism and Juche , which is their leader 's philosophy of Communist self-reliance . As the days went on , North Korea presented us with progressively stranger sights and encounters . Being there was like being nowhere else on the planet . Are we glad that we got into Pyongyang and were able to document it ? Yes . But are we even gladder that we made it out ? Watch our documentary on the trip and try to guess the answer . | A VBS.TV crew gets into North Korea after months of negotiation . Their `` strange '' tour included a 100,000-man show at which they were among 15 spectators . VBS founder Shane Smith says it was `` like being nowhere else on the planet '' | [[2358, 2370], [2383, 2424], [3568, 3623], [3568, 3573], [3584, 3623]] |
Jerusalem -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An international human rights organization on Sunday faulted Israel 's investigation into alleged war crimes last year in Gaza . Israel has not demonstrated that it will conduct thorough and objective investigations , Human Rights Watch said in a statement . `` An independent investigation is crucial to understand why so many civilians died and to bring justice for the victims of unlawful attacks , '' said Joe Stork , deputy Middle East director for the New York-based organization . In September , the United Nations Human Rights Council released a report by noted South African jurist Richard Goldstone . The report concluded that both sides committed war crimes during the conflict , which killed about 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis . But U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said last week that the world body has not made a determination on whether both sides have done enough to investigate allegations they committed war crimes during the three-week conflict , which began at the end of December 2008 . In a report , Ban outlines steps Israelis and Palestinians have taken to fulfill a U.N. demand for credible and transparent inquiries into civilian casualties . However , he concludes , `` As such , no determination can be made on the implementation of the resolution by the parties concerned . '' Israel handed Ban a response outlining the steps the nation has taken to investigate charges of wrongdoing by its military during the course of the offensive in Gaza , which was aimed at stopping militant rocket fire into Israel . The Israeli military has `` launched investigations into 150 separate incidents , including 36 criminal investigations opened thus far , '' according to the report . For its part , the Palestinian Authority said it had created a commission to look into various charges of abuses , but made clear that it did not view the potential wrongdoing on the Palestinian side as seriously as that allegedly committed by the Israeli military . `` There is absolutely no symmetry or proportionality between the occupying power and the occupied people '' wrote Riyad Mansour , Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations . In Gaza , the ruling Hamas movement released a summary of the steps taken to investigate wrongdoing , saying it had prevented militants from targeting civilians . But the rights organization dismissed the conclusion as `` factually wrong . '' Human Rights Watch said it is still reviewing a full Hamas report . `` Hamas can spin the story and deny the evidence , but hundreds of rockets rained down on civilian areas in Israel where no military installations were located , '' Stork said . `` Hamas leaders at the time indicated they were intending to harm civilians . '' CNN 's Kevin Flower contributed to this report . | Human Rights Watch says Israel has not shown it will conduct objective probe . Group also faults Hamas report on Gaza conflict , which it is still reviewing . Both sides are reporting on alleged war crimes during Gaza conflict a year ago . About 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the Israeli incursion . | [[158, 244], [2417, 2484], [2441, 2443], [2447, 2484], [1381, 1497], [1729, 1741], [1744, 1841], [705, 717], [726, 775]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr claims he will knock out WBO welterweight world champion Manny Pacquiao when the two boxing giants lock horns next year . Speaking on HBO TV 's Joe Buck chat show , the 32-year-old Mayweather -- who has an unblemished record from 40 fights -- said : `` Pacquiao 's a good fighter but I 've been around the sport a long time and I 've dominated boxing for around 15 years now . `` Nobody has defeated me yet so we 'll have to see . The thing is , I do n't want the fans to be really shocked by what will happen when we do happen to meet up -- because it 's not going to be anything new for them . '' `` The things is , Manny has been knocked out before and he 's taken losses . I 'll be victorious . '' Filipino Pacquiao will come into the fight following a remarkable 12 months which has seen him defeat de la Hoya , Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto . Meanwhile , Mayweather has fought only once in two years , a unanimous points victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in las Vegas . Although definitive plans for the mega-money contest are yet to be confirmed , a date of March 13 is widely rumored to be agreed , with three possible venues in the running to stage the contest . The two fighters are regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world right now and the fight is expected to generate record levels of interest , easily surpassing the previous record of $ 18.4 m for gate receipts , which was generated for Mayweather 's bout with Oscar De La Hoya in 2007 . Two NFL stadiums are reported to be bidding to host the fight . Cowboy Stadium in Arlington , Texas , home of the Dallas Cowboys , is competing with the Superdome in New Orleans , as well as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas . The two stadiums could accommodate up to 100,000 spectators , while the MGM Grand seats about 16,000 . | Floyd Mayweather Jr claims he will knock out WBO welterweight world champion Manny Pacquiao . The pair are scheduled to meet next March with the venue still to be decided . 32-year-old American Mayweather remains unbeaten after 40 professional fights . | [[0, 15], [19, 178], [222, 248], [256, 296]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A number of Latin American countries have rushed to offer their support to Argentina in its long-running territorial dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands . This week Britain began drilling for oil in the waters off the archipelago , despite opposition from Buenos Aires which claims sovereignty over the islands it calls Las Malvinas . The project has reignited tensions between the two countries , who fought a brief war over the islands in 1982 , with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner accusing London of ignoring international law . Argentina says the natural resources around the islands , which lie in the South Atlantic Ocean off the Argentinean coast , should be protected , and Britain must accept international resolutions labeling the Falklands a disputed area . Mexico 's President Felipe Calderon weighed into the dispute late Monday when he said a number of countries in the region had drafted a document in support of their South American neighbor . Speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in the Mexican resort of Playa Del Carmen , Calderon claimed Ecuador , Chile , Guatemala , Bolivia and Venezuela had all backed Argentina 's opposition to the drilling . `` We have approved a declaration in which leaders of countries and governments present here reaffirm their support for the Republic of Argentina 's legitimate rights in its sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom , '' he said in a statement issued by Argentine officials . Ecuador 's President Rafael Correa offered his country 's `` unconditional support '' to Argentina , while his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet said , `` We not only support our sister republic 's claims to the Malvinas islands but every year we present its case to the United Nations ' Special Committee on Decolonization . '' Venezuela 's outspoken leader Hugo Chavez also reiterated his support for Argentina . `` We support unconditionally the Argentine government and the Argentine people in their complaints , '' Chavez told reporters Tuesday , according to Reuters.com . `` That sea and that land belongs to Argentina and to Latin America . '' A day earlier , Chavez had used his weekly televised address to make a direct appeal to Britain 's Queen Elizabeth II . `` Look , England , how long are you going to be in Las Malvinas ? Queen of England , I 'm talking to you , '' he said . `` The time for empires are over , have n't you noticed ? Return the Malvinas to the Argentine people . '' On Monday , British oil and gas exploration company Desire Petroleum announced that its Ocean Guardian rig had started drilling an exploration well in the North Falkland Basin , some 100 kilometers -LRB- 60 miles -RRB- north of the islands . Desire estimates that the North Falkland Basin could contain 3.5 billion barrels of oil as well as having `` significant gas potential . '' The exploratory drilling is expected to last around 30 days , a spokesman for the company told CNN . But the prospect of Britain making a highly lucrative discovery in region has infuriated Buenos Aires . This has to do with the defense of the interests of Argentineans , not just about sovereignty , '' Argentine Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said last week , adding that Argentina lays claim not just to the islands , but to any resources that could be found there . In a statement last week , the Falkland Islands government , which represents its 2,500 residents , said it had `` every right to develop a hydrocarbons industry within our waters . '' `` The British government has clearly stated that they support our right to develop legitimate business , '' it said . `` The British government have also reiterated their stance on our British sovereignty . '' | Argentina and UK at odds over ownership of South Atlantic islands . Falklands government says it has `` every right '' to develop hydrocarbons industry . Mexican president says a number of countries in the region support Argentina 's position . Venezuela 's outspoken leader Hugo Chavez urges Britain to return the islands . | [[3378, 3402], [3405, 3436], [3478, 3559], [0, 6], [9, 32], [54, 201], [836, 1026], [1244, 1461]] |
JAKARTA , Indonesia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Another strong earthquake rocked Indonesia early Thursday as the Southeast Asian nation was reeling from an earlier jolt that killed more than 200 people . A resident stands next to building that collapsed onto a car in Padang , Indonesia , on Wednesday . The 6.8 magnitude quake Thursday hit southern Sumatra at 8:52 a.m. local time -LRB- 0152 GMT -RRB- , the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said . Wednesday 's earlier quake was 7.6 magnitude . At least 236 people are dead and more than 500 injured , the Indonesian Social Ministry 's Crisis Center said Thursday . It said it had little information on the missing and feared the death toll would climb into the thousands . The second quake was on a smaller scale than the first , said meteorology official Fauzi , who uses only one name . There were no damage reports yet . Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari expected `` the casualties and the damage of this earthquake to be bigger than the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake , given the intensity and the spread of the damage . '' The magnitude-6 .3 Yogyakarta quake in central Java in May 2006 killed more than 5,000 people , triggered fears of an eruption of a nearby volcano and caused significant damage to a 9th century Prambanan temple . Thousands may be trapped by collapsed buildings and houses , Rustam Pakaya , the head of the Health Ministry 's crisis center , told CNN on Wednesday . State-run Antara news agency cited Pakaya as saying he had received reports that part of a hospital had collapsed and that people were buried under the debris . The temblor struck around 5 p.m. , about 33 miles -LRB- 53 kilometers -RRB- from Padang , the capital city of West Sumatra and home to more than 800,000 people . The quake caused widespread power and phone outages , making it difficult to assess damage . Aid agencies kicked into gear to help those in need . `` We had aid ready because this area of Indonesia is susceptible to this type of tragedy , '' said Jane Cocking , humanitarian director for Oxfam . `` Communications with the quake-zone are difficult and we are hoping for the best but having to plan for the worst . '' `` The situation is quite devastating , '' said Amelia Merrick , the operations director for World Vision Indonesia . `` Bridges have gone down , phone lines are in total disrepair . It 's difficult for us to assess the situation , '' she said . The organization had said it would send assessment teams to the area Thursday morning . `` We know there 's no electricity tonight ... many of the families will be spending the night outdoors , in pitch black . I 'm very afraid of what might happen next , '' she said , referring to the possibility of aftershocks . Hundreds of houses have been damaged , Wayne Ulrich , the Red Cross disaster management coordinator in Indonesia , told CNN . `` We do not know the -LSB- exact -RSB- numbers . '' `` We have concerns that a hospital has been partially damaged , a market has caught on fire , the airport was closed down for inspection because of the fear if they landed any planes , '' it might cause problems , Ulrich said . Watch Ulrich discuss the rescue efforts '' Access to the affected areas was obstructed in parts , he added . It 's `` blocked by all kinds of problems : frightened people out in the streets , cars , and people trying to get out of the city . '' The earthquake was felt in nearby cities , such as Medan and Bengkulu , where people panicked and ran outside in search of higher ground , fearing a tsunami . But it was also felt as far away as Singapore and Malaysia . `` I did feel the tremor in office today somewhere between 5 - 6 p.m. , '' said Ratna Osman , who works in a single-story office building in Petaling Jaya , just outside Malaysia 's capital Kuala Lumpur . `` I asked -LSB- a co-worker -RSB- if there 's an earthquake somewhere -- either that or I was hallucinating . '' `` At first , I thought the chair I was sitting on had a screw loose or something , '' Osman said . The region is accustomed to earthquakes , and locals have been taught to identify safe places in case of a tsunami , according to Sean Granville-Ross , the Mercy Corps country director for Indonesia . `` We hope that preparation is now paying off , '' he said . But if many homes have been destroyed , people may be spending the night with no shelter , he said . Earlier this month , an earthquake in West Java killed 57 people . Several buildings were damaged , Metro TV reported , and people were seen running out of their homes and toward the hills . One employee of a private company in Jalan Ahmad Yani , told Antara news agency that `` everybody panicked with some shouting ` earthquake . ' '' TVOne pictures from the scene showed people milling around outside in the city . Phone lines were apparently down in many parts of Padang . Indonesia 's Tempo Interactive , a media outlet based in Jakarta , had trouble reaching its correspondent in the West Sumatra city , according to journalist Purwani Diyah Prabandari . `` I hope it 's just the cell phone connection , '' Prabandari told CNN . Indonesians trying to find out more about the quake flooded the Internet , including Twitter . Some expressed concern for relatives and friends in Padang . `` Dear God , please send down your angels to hug and protect my grandpa in Padang , '' said one Twitter post . The Web site for one of Indonesia 's main newspapers , The Jakarta Globe , crashed for a while , partly as a result of the heavy traffic from people trying to find out about the quake , the paper said in a Twitter post . The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -LRB- NOAA -RRB- issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia , India , Thailand and Malaysia , but canceled it soon after . The temblor did generate a tsunami just under one foot high , the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said . On Tuesday , a magnitude 8.0 quake-triggered tsunami killed at least 111 people in the Samoan islands and Tonga . Read latest news on the Samoa quake and tsunami . The tsunami waves swept across a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean , killing dozens and flattening or submerging villages . The dead included 22 in American Samoa , 82 in Samoa and seven in Tonga . Officials warned that the death toll could rise as rescue workers start to reach outlying villages and discover new casualties . The U.S. Geological Survey declined to say whether the two quakes were linked . `` The simple answer is we ca n't speculate on a connection , '' Carrieann Bedwell of the USGS told CNN . `` Both are in highly seismic areas . '' The epicenters of the two temblors are about 4,700 miles -LRB- 7,600 km -RRB- apart . CNN 's Tricia Escobedo and Andy Saputra contributed to this report . | NEW : Aid agencies kick into gear to help those in need . Second quake hits ; thousands feared trapped by collapsed buildings . Death toll could climb into thousands . Bridges down , phone lines in disrepair , says World Vision Indonesia . | [[1859, 1912], [1859, 1871], [1889, 1912], [1291, 1349], [606, 608], [659, 713], [6295, 6423], [6317, 6360], [2301, 2326], [2329, 2365]] |
San Francisco , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They 've been committed to each other for eight years and have four sons together , but there 's a component missing in one Berkeley , California , couple 's life that 's out of reach for them : getting married . Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier 's partnership is one that has taken center stage because of the ongoing debate on same-sex marriage in California . On Monday , the spotlight will be even brighter , when a trial challenging California 's Proposition 8 , which bans same-sex marriage , begins in U. S. District Court in San Francisco . Demonstrators are expected to be out in force . Plans had been made to have a camera in the courtroom , and the proceedings distrubuted on YouTube , but the ballot initiative 's sponsors prevailed in their 11th-hour bid to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to restrict distribution of video of the trial -- at least temporarily . The justices wrote in their terse order that they need until at least Wednesday afternoon to consider the camera issue . Perry and Stier , along with Jeffrey Zarrillo and Paul Katami , of Los Angeles , are the two couples at the heart of the case , arguing that California 's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional . They are asking Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker to issue an injunction against Proposition 8 's enforcement . The case will likely head to the U.S. Supreme Court no matter what the outcome . It is expected to set legal precedents that will shape society for years to come and result in a landmark court decision that settles whether Americans can marry people of the same sex . Do you think Prop 8 is constitutional ? In legal circles and across the Internet , it has been dubbed this generation 's Brown v. Board of Education , the case that led to the Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation in schools . Some say it could be the biggest ruling since Roe v. Wade , which tackled abortion . It also closely echoes the Supreme Court case that overturned bans on interracial marriage . The debate over Proposition 8 has been fueled by emotions on both sides . For Perry and Stier , Zarrillo and Katami and their supporters , the issue is simple . They say the case boils down to nothing more than equal protection under the law and that their sexual orientation should not prevent them from getting married . `` It does not weaken the fabric of our communities to grant them these basic familial rights -- it strengthens them , '' said Chad Griffin , President of the American Foundation for Equal Rights , when the lawsuit was announced in May . `` It does not undermine marriage to extend to these loving couples -- it affirms it . '' `` This is one of the threshold civil rights issues of our generation , '' he said . `` Justice is on our side and we 're about to reclaim it . '' Representing them are two high-powered attorneys , Ted Olson and David Boies . They 're an unlikely pair -- former courtroom adversaries best known for being on opposing sides of the `` hanging chad '' dispute of the 2000 presidential election in Florida . Olson , a staunch political conservative who defended the government 's positions as solicitor general , was a choice that surprised many supporters of the case for same-sex marriage . He said there 's nothing inconsistent about him fighting for the rights of same-sex couples . `` They call it a teaching moment these days , '' he said . `` This gives us an opportunity to explain how wrong it has been to deny rights to individuals on that basis . '' Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state 's Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown are defendants in the lawsuit because of their positions in California government . However , both have said they would not defend the suit . Brown filed a legal motion saying he agreed with the position advanced by Olson and Boies . Schwarzenegger has taken no position . Andrew Pugno , a lawyer for an organization called Protect Marriage , the group that came up with Proposition 8 , said he believes the issue was solved when the people of California made their voices heard in the voting booth . `` Seven million Californians voted to preserve or restore what marriage has meant since the beginning of time , '' he said . `` If they 're not permitted to do something as basic as that , then there 's something , really something , wrong with our system . '' For Pugno and supporters on his side of the issue , keeping the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman is what makes sense . `` Marriage legally and socially has always been a social public institution that affects far more than the adults involved , '' he said . `` We are taking a position that society has a very good reason for limiting marriage the way it does . ... The relationship of a man and woman bears a relationship to child-rearing that no other relationship can duplicate . '' The Proposition 8 vote is part of a long line of seesaw rulings , court cases , debates and protests in California over the issue . After California 's Legislature approved same-sex marriages , voters took to the polls in November 2008 ; a slim majority -- 52 percent -- approved of banning the marriages . In May 2009 , California 's highest court upheld the ban , but allowed about 18,000 unions performed before the ban to remain valid . For same-sex couples , especially those who did not get married before the ban , the ruling was hardly comforting . Several liberal celebrity activists , led by former director and actor Rob Reiner , have bankrolled the first federal challenge to the voter-approved ban on gay marriage . The nation 's eyes will be on the court 's eventual ruling . Olson and Boies said they believe the case is simple based on their reading of the U.S. Constitution . `` The first thing to think about is the right to marry is a fundamental right in the United States , '' Olsen said . `` It 's a right protected by the Constitution . The Supreme Court has held over and over again that it may be one of the most fundamental rights to unite with the person you love to form a partnership . '' For Boies , the case follows a sad tradition in American history : the denial of rights to people because certain groups blindly see them as undeserving . `` This lawsuit is about the courts saying no matter how blind people may be , the Constitution guarantees that everyone deserves the equal rights that every human being is entitled to , '' Boies said . `` And we go to court because that is the place those equal rights have been established time and again over the last 100 years . '' CNN Supreme Court producer Bill Mears contributed to this story . | Trial focuses on constitutionality of ban on same-sex marriage . It could become landmark case , like Brown v. Board of Education . Lawyer for group behind Prop 8 says issue should have ended when voters made choice . Lawyer for couples : `` The right to marry is a fundamental right in the United States '' | [[5813, 5846], [5850, 5912]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Peter Madoff , brother of Bernard Madoff and chief compliance officer of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities , is the subject of a criminal investigation , the U.S. attorney 's office in New York confirmed Thursday . In a letter filed this week in federal court in Newark , New Jersey , Peter Madoff 's attorney , Charles Spada , says that the investigation was the reason that his client invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at a deposition in a related case in November . Spada said he had been informed of the investigation into Peter Madoff 's involvement in his brother 's Ponzi scheme a week before the deposition , at which Peter Madoff declined to answer more than 290 questions . `` Given the circumstances and intensity of the criminal investigation , one can hardly question defendant 's constitutional right not to answer questions about his brother , Bernard Madoff , his work at BLMIS ... and virtually any related topic for fear that such answers might ` furnish a link in the chain of evidence ' for a criminal prosecution , '' Spada said in the letter to Judge Madeline Cox Arleo . The deposition was for a lawsuit brought against Peter Madoff by the Lautenberg Foundation , which says it lost all of its investment with Madoff Investment Securities : $ 7 million that the firm told the foundation had grown to an estimated $ 15 million . Spada 's letter was filed in response to the foundation 's move to have Madoff sanctioned for failing to be `` cooperative '' in the deposition . The attorney says the Lautenberg Foundation -- a charitable private group headed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg -- is an effort to `` unfairly jump ahead of thousands of other investors '' who also are seeking damages from Madoff Investment Securities . A separate lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all the business 's investors , who have lost an estimated $ 200 million in the scheme . In March , Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 counts related to running the most massive Ponzi scheme in history and was sentenced to 150 years in prison . CNN 's Jean Shin contributed to this report . | Peter Madoff is chief compliance officer of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities . Attorney calls investigation the reason his client invoked Fifth at deposition in November . Bernard Madoff serving 150-year term after conviction for running massive Ponzi scheme . | [[249, 260], [306, 316], [319, 343], [362, 529], [1942, 1950], [1953, 1967], [2048, 2098]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The medical examiner has ruled that the death of Daniel Kerrigan , the father of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan , was a homicide , the Middlesex County district attorney 's office said Tuesday . The skater 's brother , Mark , was arraigned in January on assault and battery charges in an incident involving his father , but the district attorney 's office would not say if other charges might be filed against the younger Kerrigan in light of the medical examiner 's finding . Daniel Kerrigan , 70 , died January 24 after an alleged altercation with his son at the Kerrigan home in Stoneham , Massachusetts . The Kerrigan family released a statement through their attorney expressing disappointment `` that the medical examiner would release a cause of death without having all of the relevant facts . We believe this finding to be premature and inaccurate . '' `` The Kerrigan family does not blame anyone for the unfortunate death of Dan Kerrigan , who had a pre-existing heart condition , '' said the family statement , released by attorney Tracy Miner . Mark Kerrigan , 45 , pleaded not guilty to the charges against him January 26 . Through his attorney , he denied any responsibility in his father 's death . According to Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Keeley , police responded to a 911 call at approximately 1:30 a.m. January 24 from Brenda Kerrigan , wife of Daniel and mother to Mark and Nancy Kerrigan . Keeley told District Court Judge Mark Sullivan during the arraignment for Mark Kerrigan that there was a violent argument and struggle between the father and his son , resulting in the elder Kerrigan falling or collapsing on the kitchen floor . Keeley said Mark Kerrigan told authorities `` that he did in fact have an argument with his father , the argument became physical , he grabbed his father around the neck , and at some point the father collapsed to the floor . '' According to Keeley , police found Mark Kerrigan in the basement of the house , `` clearly intoxicated '' and `` extremely combative . '' He refused to comply with police officers , said Keeley , and they had to subdue him with pepper spray before forcibly removing him from the home . Mark Kerrigan 's attorney , Denise Moore , said in court that Kerrigan was unemployed , was recently released from a correctional facility and was living at home with his parents . He is taking medications and seeking psychological help for post-traumatic stress , apparently from his time in the Army , she added . Despite appeals from his attorney , the judge ordered Kerrigan held on $ 10,000 cash bail . His next court appearance is expected to be February 24 . Nancy Kerrigan first gained prominence by winning a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville , France . In 1994 she earned a silver medal in Lillehammer , Norway . But she is perhaps best remembered for being injured in an attack before the 1994 Winter Games by skating rival Tonya Harding 's ex-husband and an accomplice . | NEW : Death of figure skater 's father on January 24 ruled a homicide . Daniel Kerrigan , 70 , died after a `` violent argument and struggle '' with his son . Mark Kerrigan in jail on assault and battery charges , may face additional charges . He is being held on $ 10,000 cash bail ; next court appearance is February 24 . | [[0, 15], [19, 145], [494, 509], [517, 607], [1456, 1621], [212, 233], [236, 240], [243, 313], [2568, 2623], [2624, 2681], [2624, 2649], [2662, 2681]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man federal authorities say is part of a Brooklyn husband-and-wife identity theft team has been charged with killing two of their victims . Dmitriy Yakovlev , 42 , is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn . The more serious charges were included in a supserseding indictment unsealed Thursday . Yakovlev was charged with the murder of Irina Malezhik , a Russian language translator who lived in Brooklyn and worked in the federal courts . She vanished in October 2007 . He also is accused in the slaying of Viktor Alekseyev , who disappeared in December 2005 and whose remains were found in New Jersey in 2006 , according to federal authorities . A third identity theft victim , Brooklyn resident Michael Klein , disappeared in November 2003 and has not been seen since . In addition to Yakovlev 's murder charges , the new indictment charges him and wife Julia Yakovlev , 36 , with 17 counts of identity theft , bank fraud , credit card fraud and `` effecting fraudulent transactions . '' Julie Yakovlev was not charged in connection with the slayings but she has been accused of cashing $ 40,000 drawn from one victim 's account , according to Robert Nardoza , spokesman for the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the Eastern District of New York . The couple was originally charged in August 2009 with illegally using the identities of three people between 2003 and 2007 . Julie Takovlev is free on bail while her husband remains in custody , their attorneys said . `` Identity theft victims usually lose their money , '' NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement , `` In this case , they allegedly lost their lives , too . '' Malezhik was last seen on October 15 , 2007 , leaving her apartment on a security video camera . Immediately after her disappearance , the couple began withdrawing money and purchasing various items in Malezhik 's name , according to court documents . `` I 'm skeptical as to the foundation and nature of charges , '' said Ken Russo , attorney for Dmitriy Yakovlev . Julia Yakovlev 's attorney , Alexei Grosshtern , would only tell CNN that there are `` no new charges '' against his client . He said any charges in the superseding indictment already existed in August 2009 's original indictment . | Dmitriy Yakovlev , 42 , and his wife , Julia , had been charged with bank fraud and ID theft . Prosecutors : Dmitriy now faces murder charges in deaths of two ID-theft victims . Lawyer : Dmitriy Yakovlev remains in jail , but his wife is out on bail . | [[0, 24], [69, 169], [1429, 1459], [1466, 1496]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A lesbian couple together for more than a decade smiled through tears Tuesday as they became the first same-sex couple to marry in the District of Columbia , on the first day such unions are legal in the nation 's capital . Sinjoyla Townsend and Angelisa Young said they had waited years to marry . They were first in line last week to apply for a marriage license at Washington 's marriage bureau . `` You are my friend , my partner , my love , '' Young , 47 , told Townsend , 41 . `` I will love you today , tomorrow and forever . '' After the wedding , those present cheered as the two women embraced and cried . They have been together for 12 years and have children , according to biographical information released by the Human Rights Campaign and D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality . The new law survived a Supreme Court challenge . The measure went into effect last week , but couples had to hold off until Tuesday because of the district 's three-day waiting period . `` We 're very excited , '' Townsend said last week . She and Young were among 100 couples applying for licenses . Share your thoughts on same-sex marriage . The district joins Connecticut , Iowa , Massachusetts , New Hampshire and Vermont in allowing same-sex couples to marry . Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the Washington measure into law in December after the city council overwhelming passed it . It then went through a review period , during which Congress had an opportunity to intervene . The Supreme Court last week rejected a request from a group of Washington residents to keep the law from going into effect . Local courts had previously turned down lawsuits to block it . Opponents of the law say city residents should have had a chance to vote on the issue before the city council passed it . They hope to force a ballot initiative to overturn the law . Also among the first couples to marry Tuesday were Reggie Stanley and Rocky Galloway , both 50 . The couple have two daughters , Malena and Zoe Stanley-Galloway , each 15 months old , according to the biographical information released by the equality groups . Also married on Tuesday were the Rev. Elder Darlene Garner , 61 , and the Rev. Lorilyn Candy Holmes , 53 , of Laurel , Maryland . Both of them serve in leadership roles in the Metropolitan Community Church . The women are mothers , grandmothers and great-grandmothers , according to the groups . During Garner and Holmes ' ceremony , a representative from their families read a statement blessing the marriage . | Tuesday is first day same-sex couples in Washington , D.C. , can legally marry . Supreme Court last week rejected bid by residents that would have blocked law . Mayor Adrian Fenty signed measure into law in December , after council passed it . | [[111, 185], [205, 253], [826, 874], [1505, 1588], [1292, 1409], [1368, 1409], [1786, 1814]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anne Hathaway will be Tim Burton-ized next month when the eclectic director 's `` Alice in Wonderland '' is released in theaters . In the new issue of InStyle magazine hitting newsstands Friday , the 27-year-old actress said it was Burton who piqued her interest in playing the deliciously cruel White Queen . `` When I found out Tim Burton was on , I basically went into the studio and said , ` I 'm here , I want to play the White Queen . ' I 'm just letting you know I will do anything to be in this movie . '' But that 's about as far as the behind-the-scenes planning goes for Hathaway . `` I do n't time anything , '' Hathaway said in the interview . `` I never plan an image I want to project . It 's always very much where I am right now . '' And where she is right now is in a place of total self-acceptance . `` I think I 've got really weird features , '' she told InStyle . `` I have very large features on a very small head . But , you know , I 'm not going to beat myself up . ... I look like myself , and I think at the end of the day , as nice as pretty is , authenticity is more important . '' The actress did n't reveal much about her love life , however , other than she 's quite content . `` I 'm enjoying myself very , very , very much , '' she said . `` Happiness is a nice feeling . '' | Anne Hathaway talks with InStyle magazine about her new movie and self-acceptance . Hathaway wanted to do `` Alice in Wonderland '' when she heard Tim Burton was directing . She says she 's come to accept what she looks like , says authenticity is more important . Hathaway does n't dish on her love life but says she 's enjoying herself . | [[1094, 1126], [1130, 1181], [1194, 1227], [1231, 1275]] |
Port-au-Prince , Haiti -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Long lines formed under the watchful eye of American and multinational troops as a wide-scale food distribution effort reached capacity Thursday in Port-au-Prince , Haiti . Nearly 160,000 Haitian women each collected a 25-kilogram -LRB- 55 pounds -RRB- bag of rice under a distribution plan coordinated by the United Nations , several private humanitarian agencies and the Haitian government . The effort was launched Sunday but not all 16 fixed distribution points around the capital were operational until Thursday . So far , 600,000 people affected by the devastating January 12 earthquake have been able to collect food under this plan , said Marcus Prior , spokesman for the United Nations World Food Programme . `` We 're encouraged by the way the system is working to get food out into the city to those in need , but still have a long way to go , '' Prior said . Only women were given food coupons beforehand and allowed to stand in line to collect for their families . `` Our long experience in food distribution tells us that by delivering food into the hands of women , it is more likely to be redistributed equitably among the household -- including the men , '' Prior said . U.S. and U.N. troops have been keeping strict control over the crowds . Prior said the distribution plan has been orderly so far . The death toll from the earthquake has reached 212,000 , Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said Thursday . More than 300,000 people were injured and more than 1 million were made homeless , he told CNN 's `` Larry King Live . '' | United Nations , humanitarian agencies , Haitian government sponsor program . Nearly 160,000 Haitian women each collect 25-kilogram bag of rice Thursday . Only women given food coupons and allowed to stand in line . Death toll at 212,000 , Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive says . | [[313, 435], [215, 332], [913, 958], [913, 923], [963, 987], [913, 923], [971, 1019], [1361, 1415], [1418, 1467]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- What do software mogul Bill Gates and banking investor Warren Buffett have in common with wanted Mexican drug lord Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman Loera ? Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman Loera , pictured in 1993 , ranks 701st on Forbes ' yearly report on billionaires . They are all featured in Forbes magazine 's world 's billionaires report as `` self-made '' billionaires . Guzman Loera , whose nickname means Shorty , escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 . He heads the powerful Sinaloa cartel , investigators say . Authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border blame the Sinaloa and other cartels for a surge in violence in the region . He ranked 701st on Forbes ' yearly report , with an estimated fortune of $ 1 billion . Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora expressed outrage at the publication and described Forbes ' calculations on Guzman Loera 's fortune as mere `` speculation . '' `` I will never accept that a criminal could be recognized as someone distinguished , even if it is by a magazine like Forbes , '' Medina Mora said to local media during a drug traffic summit Thursday in Vienna , Austria . Forbes is `` comparing the deplorable activity of a criminal wanted in Mexico and abroad with that of honest businessmen , '' he said . Mexican President Felipe Calderon -- speaking at a business summit Thursday in Mexico City -- alluded to the report , saying , `` It is very sad the intensification of a campaign , which seems to me , has been launched against Mexico . '' Calderon added , `` Public opinion and now even magazines not only attack and lie about the situation in Mexico , but now also praise criminals . In Mexico , it is considered a crime to praise criminals . '' Guzman Loera has a three-decade history of drug trade spanning North , Central and South America . The Forbes profile of Guzman Loera reported that `` the U.S. government is offering a $ 5 million reward '' for the billionaire 's capture . Steve Forbes , the magazine 's editor-in-chief , issued a statement on Saturday saying `` it is deplorable that someone like this has a billion dollars . '' But the magazine , he said , was simply doing its job and reporting a fact . `` Forbes has listed other criminals from Meyer Lansky -LRB- 1982 -RRB- to Pablo Escobar -LRB- 1987-1993 -RRB- on our Rich Lists , '' Forbes said . `` Do n't shoot the messenger . '' Its article offers a rationale as to why Guzman Loera made the list . `` So is there anywhere one can still make a fortune these days ? The 38 newcomers offer a few clues . Among the more notable new billionaires are Mexican Joaquin Guzman Loera , one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. '' CNN 's Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report . | Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman Loera reportedly heads Sinaloa cartel in Mexico . Magazine says Guzman Loera `` one of the biggest suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. '' He ranks 701st on Forbes ' yearly report -- worth an estimated $ 1 billion . Mexico 's attorney general expresses outrage at Forbes publication . | [[498, 534], [193, 212], [250, 305], [685, 726], [734, 771], [772, 853]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Within the last month , our country has witnessed two senseless , high-profile acts of criminal violence that would have been labeled terrorism if brown-skinned Arab Muslim men with foreign-sounding names had committed them . Because two white men committed these acts of violence , however , our political and media chattering class never used the word `` terrorism '' in its discussions . Most recently , John Patrick Bedell , a 36-year-old man from California , walked up to two security guards outside the Pentagon Metro station in suburban Washington and started shooting . He was then shot and killed . According to The Christian Science Monitor , Bedell appeared `` to have been a right-wing extremist with virulent anti-government feelings '' and also battled mental illness before his shooting rampage . A few weeks ago , on February 18 , another white anti-government extremist named Joseph Stack flew his small airplane into an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin , Texas , killing two people and injuring 13 others . According to media reports , Stack had left behind a disjointed suicide letter in which he expressed his hatred of our American government and outlined grievances with the IRS , chillingly stating that `` violence not only is the answer ; it is the only answer . '' Both the Pentagon Metro and IRS attacks come at a time of `` explosive growth in -LSB- domestic -RSB- extremist-group activism across the United States , '' according to the Southern Poverty Law Center . A recently released law center report showed so-called patriot groups -- steeped in anti-government conspiracy theories -- grew from 149 in 2008 to 512 in 2009 -- a 244 percent increase that the Southern Poverty Law Center report judged to be an `` astonishing '' rise in the one-year period since President Obama took the oath of office . The number of these groups that are domestic extremist paramilitary militias grew from 42 in 2008 to 127 in 2009 , the report said . Even so , for any reasonable observer who is still skeptical about labeling the recent Pentagon area shooting and IRS attack terrorism , keep one thing in mind : . Let us imagine that these Pentagon and IRS attacks had been committed by an olive-skinned Arab Muslim man named Ali Muhammad . Our national media and political commentators would have wasted little time in calling both of these acts terrorism , and some might have also called for the closings of other IRS and federal government office buildings around the country as a necessary counter-terrorism safety precaution . Instead , shortly after the IRS plane attack , some prominent media commentators immediately asked why people -- especially conservatives on the right -- were not calling the IRS attacker a terrorist . `` If this had been done by a brownish-looking Muslim guy whose suicide note paralleled Islamist political themes , '' wrote media commentator Matthew Yglesias , then right-wingers would `` demand that anyone who refused to label the attack ` terrorism ' be put up on treason charges . '' In a recent piece , Robert Wright , of the New America Foundation , wrote : `` In common usage , a ` terrorist ' is someone who attacks in the name of a political cause and aims to spread terror -- to foster fear that such attacks will be repeated until grievances are addressed . '' Following suit , the IRS attacker 's suicide manifesto before his aerial kamikaze attack reads in part : `` I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after ... I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be whitewashed and ignored '' -- at which point , God willing , -- `` the American zombies wake up and revolt . '' If this same above-mentioned suicide letter had been instead written by an Arab Muslim man named Ali Muhammad right before crashing his airplane into an IRS building , most of the right-wing blogosphere would instantaneously erupt with screaming headlines of another act of Muslim terrorism . Because Theodore Kaczynski , the Unabomber ; Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh ; Atlanta , Georgia , Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph ; the Pentagon shooter and IRS attacker were all white men motivated by their respective ideologies , surprisingly , the term `` terrorism '' has never seemed to stick to any of them . To prove my point even further , the recently indicted American woman Colleen LaRose , who called herself `` Jihad Jane , '' can rightfully be termed a wanna-be terrorist . But why does this not apply to other white extremists ? If our nation is truly conducting a '' war on terror '' and not a `` war on Islam , '' it is our duty as Americans of all colors , political persuasions and nationalities to condemn and distance ourselves from all acts of terrorism , regardless of the race or religion of those who commit violent acts in the name of extreme ideology . Simply put , terrorism is terrorism , whether it is committed by a white , black or brown person anywhere in the world . If we as a nation fail to adequately condemn all acts of terrorism equally , the only clear message that we will be sending to the rest of the world is that the word `` terrorist '' applies only to those with olive skin and foreign-sounding last names . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Arsalan Iftikhar . | Arsalan Iftikhar : Imagine if recent violent acts had been committed by Arab Muslim men . White man Joseph Stack flew plane into IRS building ; another shot Pentagon guards , he writes . Iftikhar : Outcry would ensue if Muslim left note calling violence `` the only answer , '' as Stack did . Terrorism is terrorism , whether it is committed by a white , black or brown person , he says . | [[2163, 2268], [2787, 2841], [253, 299], [867, 925], [832, 847], [850, 864], [867, 906], [926, 1001], [3357, 3371], [3374, 3459], [4149, 4246], [4935, 5017]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama 's foreign policy agenda may have `` run out of steam '' and he must now take risks and provide effective leadership , former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski said Friday . In an interview with CNN 's Christiane Amanpour , Brzezinski said Obama 's foreign policy agenda is suffering from gridlock in Washington . `` I have the feeling that because of domestic problems , he has run out of steam , and I do n't know really how determined he is to resume what he started doing so well , which is to engage the world constructively , '' Brzezinski said . Brzezinski , who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington , said the only way to break the stalemate is for Obama to take the lead . The president can show leadership , he said , by `` persuasively going to the country directly , mobilizing the support , taking on some difficult foreign challenge , and prevailing . '' Brzezinski cited Iran as an example of key challenges Obama ought to tackle . Obama should not `` abandon it prematurely , '' he said , noting the complexities of the internal Iranian situation could give the United States `` room for maneuver , and perhaps some basis for expecting an eventual partial accommodation . '' Brzezinski also cited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a key challenge because it `` revolutionizes , radicalizes the Middle East , and maximizes the number of enemies the United States has . '' Asked how he would grade the Obama administration 's performance on Iran and the Middle East , he said , `` Well , rhetorically , A ; in terms of performance , B , B-minus . '' Despite the United States ' foreign policy problems , Brzezinski said , the nation has the resources to deal with new global security threats in cyberspace , outer space and on the high seas . Brzezinski also commented on the newly published 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review , a legislatively mandated review of the U.S. Department of Defense strategy and priorities . The review is meant `` to assess the threats and challenges that the nation faces , '' and to `` rebalance the department 's strategies , capabilities and forces to address today 's conflicts and tomorrow 's threats , '' according to the Department of Defense . Brzezinski warned even though the United States has highly sophisticated technology , it also has to be effective in global diplomacy , adding , `` We have neglected that in the course of the last decade . '' `` I think we have to redefine the nature of the enemy , '' Brzezinski said , `` the global security context in which we find ourselves is now fundamentally different . '' Brzezinski , national security adviser during the Carter administration between 1977 and 1981 , noted how the new threats differ from those of the Cold War . `` When I was in the White House , the threat was concentrated and very lethal , '' he said . `` You know , the Soviet Union , in case of a central war with the United States , could kill roughly 80 million Americans in six hours . '' Today , Brzezinski said , the United States has `` a lot of threats , ranging from terrorists to rogue states to unpredictable events . And that makes the defense issue more complex , even though it is somewhat rather less lethal . '' He cited the example of cyberattacks . `` Are these hackers , for example , from China working for the Chinese government or are they working for some private business ? What are their motives ? '' He said it is vital for the United States to have the capability not only to stop hacking , but to retaliate as well . | President can stop stalemate by taking risks , showing leadership , Zbigniew Brzezinski says . Brzezinski cites Iran , Israeli-Palestinian conflict as key challenges Obama should tackle . On Iran , Middle East , Brzezinski gives administration `` rhetorically , A. . . performance , B , B-minus '' Compared to Cold War era , U.S. faces broader range of threats , he says . | [[605, 615], [699, 752], [959, 1012], [998, 1036], [1281, 1291], [1297, 1354], [1574, 1581], [1584, 1610], [2667, 2677], [2680, 2760], [2763, 2824], [3060, 3065], [3068, 3083], [3086, 3195]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World No. 2 Dinara Safina has been forced to pull out of next week 's Dubai Tennis Championships due to her ongoing back problems . The Russian announced on her Web site that she had been suffering from the injury since last year . `` Unfortunately , I will not be able to play the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this year because of the back injury that 's been bothering me since the end of last season , '' the 23-year-old said . `` I wish the tournament the best of success on its 10th anniversary and hope to be back next year , as it 's one of my favorite events . '' Safina lost her No. 1 ranking for the second time after retiring hurt during her first match at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar in October , and revealed then that she had been struggling with the problem for three months . Forced to withdraw from her scheduled opening event of 2010 , the Brisbane International , Safina was then beaten by compatriot Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals in Sydney . She had to retire in the fourth round of the Australian Open in the first set of her clash with another Russian , Maria Kirilenko . Dubai organizers expect the rest of the world 's top-10 players to play , including Australian Open winner Serena Williams and her sister Venus , the defending champion . World No. 1 Serena pulled out of this week 's Paris Indoor Open due to a leg injury , leaving Dementieva as the highest-ranked player . The world No. 7 , last year 's runner-up to Amelie Mauresmo , has a first-round bye and will begin her title bid against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic or fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova , who meet on Tuesday . In Monday 's action , eighth seed Elena Vesnina crushed Romania 's Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1 6-4 . Hungary 's Agnes Szavay walked into the second round when Olga Govortsova of Belarus retired hurt while trailing 6-3 1-0 , and will face third seed Yanina Wickmayer in the second round if the Belgian beats Croatian wildcard Petra Martic . Defending champion Vera Zvonareva of Russia is top seed for this week 's other WTA Tour event , the Pattaya Open in Thailand . | Dinara Safina has been forced to pull out of next week 's Dubai Tennis Championships . World No. 2 still suffering from the back injury that has plagued her since last year . The 23-year-old withdrew from her fourth-round match at Australian Open due to the problem . | [[0, 15], [29, 150], [270, 346], [845, 904], [0, 15], [29, 150], [151, 250], [189, 250], [367, 428], [1023, 1134]] |
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