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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities who seized $ 8,500 and assorted jewelry from a Tennessee man after a traffic stop in east Texas have agreed to return the property after his case drew attention from CNN . Police in the small East Texas town of Tenaha are accused of unjustly taking valuables from motorists . Roderick Daniels said police in Tenaha , Texas , took the money in October 2007 after they stopped him for doing 37 mph in a 35-mph zone . He said police threatened him with money-laundering charges and promised not to prosecute if he signed over the cash , which Daniels said was to buy a new car . Daniels and other motorists who have been stopped by Tenaha police are part of a lawsuit seeking to end what plaintiff 's lawyer David Guillory calls a systematic fleecing of drivers passing through the town of about 1,000 . On Friday , after Shelby County District Attorney Lynda Russell refused repeated requests to discuss cases like Daniels ' with CNN , her office filed papers dropping its claim on his property . `` I just feel blessed , '' Daniels said . `` I am happy everything is going good right now . ... I just want to celebrate . '' Texas law allows police to confiscate drug money and other personal property they think is used in the commission of a crime . If no charges are filed or the person is acquitted , the property has to be returned . Russell issued a statement through her attorneys denying impropriety , and George Bowers , Tenaha 's longtime mayor , says his police follow the law . But Guillory , who brought the lawsuit challenging the seizures , called cases like Daniels ' `` a shakedown '' and `` a piracy operation . '' Guillory said authorities in Tenaha , about 180 miles east of Dallas , seized $ 3 million from 2006 to 2008 . In about 150 cases , virtually all involving African-American or Latino motorists , the seizures were improper , he said . All defendants in the lawsuit deny wrongdoing . In a written statement , Russell 's attorneys said the prosecutor `` has used and continues to use prosecutorial discretion ... and is in compliance with Texas law , the Texas constitution and the United States Constitution . '' But the attention paid to Tenaha has led to an effort by Texas lawmakers to tighten the state 's forfeiture laws . | Tenaha , Texas , police confiscated money in 2007 after traffic stop . Roderick Daniels was stopped for driving 37 mph in a 35-mph zone . He and others who had property taken have filed lawsuit . Town 's officials say they have done nothing wrong . | [[203, 306], [203, 248], [273, 306], [307, 323], [356, 445]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Veterans groups are warning President Barack Obama against going ahead with a possible administration move to charge veterans ' private health care for service-related injuries . Veterans groups say it 's `` wholly unacceptable '' to charge their private insurance for service injuries . In a letter sent by 11 of the most prominent veterans organizations , the groups warned that the idea `` is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government 's moral and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much . '' CNN obtained a copy of the letter sent to the White House last Friday by groups including The American Legion , Disabled American Veterans , Military Order of the Purple Heart , Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States , and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America . Read the letter -LRB- PDF -RRB- . A White House spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the option is being considered . `` The details of specific proposals will be transmitted with the full submission in April . The president has made it clear that meeting the needs of veterans is one of his priorities , and as a result has requested an 11 percent increase in discretionary funding for 2010 , and the administration is actively working with the veterans community to ensure we get the details of this budget right , '' said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro . In the letter , the groups said they have been told by sources on Capitol Hill and at the VA that the idea under consideration would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to bill health insurance for a treatment of a disability or injury that was a result of military service . The argument for the proposal is that it frees up money for the VA by charging the private insurers , allowing the VA to spend on more services , said Joe Violante , legislative director for Disabled American Veterans , who opposes the idea . While there could be savings , Violante warned it also could lead to an increase in premiums for veterans with private coverage . '' `` We can not and would not agree to any proposal that would expand this concept any further , '' the heads of the 11 groups wrote in the letter . `` While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now , placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable . '' Currently , veterans ' private insurance is only charged when they receive health care from the VA for medical issues that are not related to service injuries , like getting the flu . Charging for service-related injuries would violate `` a sacred trust , '' said Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis . Davis said the move would risk private health care for veterans and their families by potentially maxing out benefits paying for costly war injury treatments . It could also make it harder for veterans to get private insurance if the companies decide to reject them for pre-existing conditions , rather than be billed for service-connected injuries , Davis said . `` This seems like bad politics and bad policy , '' said IAVA Policy Director Vanessa Williamson , noting that every veterans group opposes it and warns it will adversely affect veterans . `` I do n't see this as a tenable option . '' | Possible change in billing angers veterans groups . White House would neither confirm nor deny the option is being considered . Argument for the proposal would be to free up more money for VA . Spokesman : Charging for service-related injuries would violate `` a sacred trust '' | [[30, 136], [1886, 1912], [1919, 1937], [3166, 3168], [3216, 3305], [882, 969], [928, 969], [1695, 1812], [238, 317], [318, 329], [388, 541], [2626, 2695]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama signed an executive order Monday repealing a Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research . President Obama signs the executive order on stem cell policy Monday at the White House . Obama 's move overturns an order signed by President Bush in 2001 that barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time . Obama also signed a presidential memorandum establishing greater independence for federal science policies and programs . `` In recent years , when it comes to stem cell research , rather than furthering discovery , our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values , '' Obama said at the White House . `` In this case , I believe the two are not inconsistent . As a person of faith , I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering . I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research -- and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly . '' Watch as Obama announces he 's lifting the funding ban '' The president pledged to develop `` strict guidelines '' to ensure that such research `` never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction . '' Such a possibility , he maintained , is `` dangerous , profoundly wrong and has no place in our society or any society . '' Obama 's order directs the NIH to develop revised guidelines on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research within 120 days , according to Dr. Harold Varmus , president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and co-chairman of Obama 's science advisory council . `` The president is , in effect , allowing federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research to the extent that it 's permitted by law -- that is , work with stem cells themselves , not the derivation of stem cells , '' Varmus said in a conference call with reporters Sunday . While conceding that `` the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown '' and `` should not be overstated , '' Obama nevertheless expressed hope that the order will help spur faster progress in the search for cures to afflictions such as Parkinson 's disease , cancer and spinal cord injuries . See a map of nations that have taken a lead in using human embryos in stem cell research '' Researchers highly value embryonic stem cells because of their potential to turn into any organ or tissue cell in the body . Stem cells have this ability for a short time . A few days before the embryo would implant in the uterus , it starts to develop into specific cells that will turn into skin or eyes or other parts of a developing fetus . Watch a doctor explain why embryotic stem cells are so important '' When the embryo is 4 or 5 days old , scientists extract the stem cells and put them in a petri dish . With the removal of these stem cells -- of which there may be about 30 -- the embryo is destroyed . Twenty-one of the 60 stem cell lines authorized for research under the Bush policy have proven useful to researchers . Bush twice vetoed legislation -- in July 2006 and June 2007 -- that would have expanded federally funded embryonic stem cell research . At the time , Bush maintained that scientific advances allowed researchers to conduct groundbreaking research without destroying human embryos . Conservative leaders echoed Bush 's rationale in their criticism of Obama 's decision . `` Advancements in science and research have moved faster than the debates among politicians in Washington , D.C. , and breakthroughs announced in recent years confirm the full potential of stem cell research can be realized without the destruction of living human embryos , '' House Minority Leader John Boehner , R-Ohio , said Sunday . Sen. Richard Shelby , R-Alabama , said the Bush policy imposed proper ethical limits on science . `` My basic tenet here is I do n't think we should create life to enhance life and to do research and so forth , '' Shelby said Sunday . `` I know that people argue there are other ways . I think we should continue our biomedical research everywhere we can , but we should have some ethics about it . '' The issue of whether to lift the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has , however , exposed a clear rift between the more moderate and conservative factions of the GOP . In February , a group of six moderate GOP congressmen sent a letter to Obama urging him to lift the funding ban . Former first lady Nancy Reagan also issued a statement Monday thanking Obama for lifting the ban . `` These new rules will now make it possible for scientists to move forward , '' Reagan said . `` Countless people , suffering from many different diseases , stand to benefit from the answers stem cell research can provide . We owe it to ourselves and to our children to do everything in our power to find cures for these diseases . '' President Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer 's disease after leaving office -- an affliction that many scientists say eventually may be cured with the help of embryonic stem cell research . Obama 's presidential memorandum , however , may turn out to have a broader impact than his executive order . The memorandum is expected to create a clear change of tone from the Bush administration on a broad range of scientific issues . Bush 's critics argued the former president allowed political factors improperly to influence funding decisions for science initiatives as well as to skew official government findings on issues such as global warming . Watch a GOP congressman say Obama is ` behind the times ' '' Obama 's memorandum directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy `` to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision-making . '' In a thinly veiled criticism of his predecessor , Obama reiterated a promise to base `` public policies on the soundest science '' as well as to `` appoint scientific advisers based on their credentials and experience , not their politics or ideology . '' | NEW : Former first lady Nancy Reagan thanks President Obama for lifting funding ban . Obama : `` We have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research '' Bush-era policy on embryonic stem cell research reversed . Advocates : Move could boost medical progress ; critics object to embryo destruction . | [[4566, 4583], [4602, 4664], [993, 1102], [53, 174], [265, 330]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- UK -RRB- -- Britain 's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has apologized on behalf of parliamentarians of all parties for a series of revelations about their expenses claims , revelations which have seriously damaged the authority of government and parliament . UK PM Gordon Brown , pictured here in north-east England Monday , apologized Monday on behalf of all lawmakers . Brown 's words have been echoed by David Cameron , the leader of the opposition Conservatives and currently the favorite to win the next general election by a large margin . Cameron acknowledges all MPs must say sorry and that the whole system must be changed . The scandal has come to light because The Daily Telegraph newspaper obtained copies of all the receipts for MPs expenses , which were due to be published in two months time under Freedom of Information legislation . The newspaper has been devoting several pages every day to the details of how the system has been milked , with MPs claiming that expenditure on bath plugs and lawn mowers , silk cushions and television sets , potted plants and dog food , was `` wholly and necessarily incurred for the purpose of performing their parliamentary duties . '' Do you think politicians in your country are paid enough ? In Britain , as in many other countries , parliamentarians are compensated for the expense of living both in the parts of the country they represent and in the capital where parliament meets . There is help too with travel costs and staffing their offices . But the so-called `` additional costs allowance , '' designed to help them with the additional costs of a second home has , by common consent , been particularly abused . This is not an `` expenses scandal '' about a couple of notepads and pens taken home from the office stationery cupboard for the kids ' school project ; or the annual phone call to an aged aunt in Australia , made on an office line rather than from home -- although doubtless politicians will have been doing that too . Watch more on the expenses row '' We are talking about the deliberate exploitation of a poorly-policed system by a large number of parliamentarians , who appear to many of their constituents to have come close to enriching themselves corruptly at public expense . There is particular horror at the practice which has emerged of so-called `` flipping . '' MPs have , in a number of cases , designated one residence as their second home for the purpose of the allowance . Having drawn heavily on public funds for redecorating , refurbishing and refurnishing it , they have then switched and named a different house or flat -- only to do the same with that . In some cases they have sold these properties on for a significant profit . I spent more than 30 years at Westminster as a political correspondent . Much of my time off duty was spent explaining to skeptical neighbors , barbers and taxi drivers that MPs did a much better job than outsiders thought . I knew and respected MPs whom I saw imperil their health or their marriages or their bank balances by working extremely hard on behalf of their constituents . I argued constantly that we underpaid our politicians . Now , when I hear them call each other `` honorable members '' I am constantly reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson 's dictum : `` The louder he talked of his honor , the faster we counted the spoons . '' The truth is that the good ones are still underpaid . They could earn far more outside the House of Commons . But the poor ones are overpaid -- and sadly there is no way of differentiating between the two categories . It was never the right time , certainly in the eyes of the media , for MPs to have a decent pay rise ; and they never had the guts to stand up and argue their case . So parliamentarians instead built themselves , while nobody was watching , a generous and poorly policed expenses system which allowed them to make up the difference between what they got and what they thought they should be paid . What they seem unable to grasp , even now , is that in picking taxpayers ' pockets by subterfuge they have all but destroyed parliament 's moral authority . Cynically , they have led us all into a `` help yourself to what you can get '' mockery of public service which may take a generation or more to repair , if indeed it can be repaired . And remember that they did their damnedest along the way to make sure that we , the public , should not find out what they were doing . Led by the Speaker of the House , the man who presides over debates and should be the beacon of Commons probity -LRB- and who along with his wife has claimed # 4,000 - about $ 6,000 - on taxis for shopping trips -RRB- , the Commons Commission spent # 150,000 -LRB- approx . $ 225,000 -RRB- of public funds going to the High Court to try to prevent public disclosure of how MPs have been spending taxpayers ' money . A horrified public , combing through the details of the Telegraph 's revelations , is asking how MPs could ever have justified their `` flipping . '' At a time of economic stringency for others , they are asking why MPs , who benefit any way from subsidized canteens , should be allowed to charge # 400 -LRB- approx . $ 600 -RRB- a month for their food on top of their salary . How can it be part of the necessary expenses in carrying out MPs ' duties , they ask , to charge for children 's buggies and the eradication of moles from their country lawns ? Just how many have been paying inflated `` rents '' to close relatives ; or claiming the `` additional costs allowance '' for second homes they do not actually inhabit on more than token occasions ? Why should it be legal for ministers who live in `` grace and favor '' apartments -LRB- where they are allowed to live for free -RRB- to claim additional costs allowances for properties they are meanwhile renting out ? The MPs are meeting all these complaints by saying that nothing they have done was outside the rules . But these were rules that they themselves set up as the nation 's legislators . And only now are they beginning to realize the wider damage that they have done . By creating the expenses system they did , which is only now becoming transparent , they insulated themselves from the problems faced by ordinary people . British MPs expenses , unlike those of the rest of the population , are not taxable . They have also , as the cannier ones now admit , destroyed any moral authority they might have had in criticizing and curbing the greed of bankers and others who have brought us to near ruin and wrecked the pensions of half the nation . -LRB- The pensions of MPs are provided at the taxpayers ' expense -- with inflation proofing , of course . -RRB- . With the expenses binge having infected all the mainstream parties , there is another potential ramification too , which is likely to show up in next month 's elections for the European Parliament . Traditionally British electors , without the election of their national government at issue , tend to treat these as an opportunity for a protest vote , to punish politicians who have incurred their wrath . As a result we may see significant advance for the parties of the far right , the United Kingdom Independence Party and the British National Party . The expenses excesses of many of the 646 Westminster parliamentary MPs could give those groups a new legitimacy -- and their biggest advance yet . | UK lawmakers have been accused of over-milking the system for claiming expenses . Newspaper revelations have sparked anger at a time of economic uncertainty . MPs say that nothing they have done was outside the rules , which they set up . UK PM Gordon Brown has apologized on behalf of parliamentarians of all parties . | [[2051, 2164], [5892, 5974], [5979, 6054], [0, 6], [9, 31], [61, 189], [278, 296], [344, 390]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nazi war crimes suspect John Demjanjuk was deported to Germany on Monday evening after he was removed from his Cleveland , Ohio-area home in the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers earlier in the day . German officials claim John Demjanjuk was an accessory to 29,000 murders in a Nazi death camp . An ambulance transported him to an airstrip at the Cleveland airport . The plane carrying Demjanjuk departed at 7:13 p.m. Demjanjuk , 89 , is wanted by German authorities for his alleged involvement during World War II in killings at Sobibor , a Nazi death camp in Poland . His deportation closed a chapter in one of the longest-running pursuits of an alleged Holocaust perpetrator in history . It also sets the stage for what likely will prove to be an extraordinary German war crimes trial . The Supreme Court last Thursday denied a stay of deportation for Demjanjuk . Justice John Paul Stevens without comment refused to intervene in the planned transfer from the United States . Federal courts have all rejected his appeals , and the order from Stevens cleared the way for the Justice Department to move ahead with the deportation . Demjanjuk 's lawyers had asked the high court to consider their claims that he is too ill and frail to be sent overseas . They also raised human rights and other legal issues in their last-minute appeal . A German court last Wednesday had also ruled against a request for a stay . Officials in Berlin have issued an arrest warrant charging Demjanjuk with being an accessory to the murder of about 29,000 civilians at Sobibor in 1943 . The native Ukrainian has long claimed he was a prisoner of war , not a death camp guard . Immigration officers previously entered Demjanjuk 's Cleveland-area home April 14 , and carried him out in his wheelchair to a waiting van . He was held for a few hours and then returned to his residence after a federal appeals court ruled temporarily in his favor . Demjanjuk had appealed unsuccessfully to the Supreme Court last year . He was once accused by the United States and Israel of being a notoriously brutal S.S. guard at the Treblinka camp known as `` Ivan the Terrible . '' After appeals , that allegation was eventually dropped by both countries , but later other allegations were made against him . CNN 's Terry Frieden and Bill Mears contributed to this report . | Ambulance takes war crimes suspect from his home to Cleveland , Ohio , airport . John Demjanjuk , 89 , wanted for alleged involvement in war crimes . U.S. Supreme Court denied stay of deportation . Lawyers argued he is too ill and frail to be sent overseas . | [[343, 413], [465, 474], [477, 479], [482, 561], [860, 913], [1180, 1301], [1211, 1301]] |
Editor 's note : CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose book `` When We Get to Surf City : A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll , Friendship , and Dreams '' will be published in a new paperback edition this week . Bob Greene says he and his family did n't expect to be able to enjoy this Mother 's Day . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This is the Mother 's Day we thought was going to be empty . Last summer , my brother , my sister and I got the news like a sucker-punch to the stomach : Our mother 's health , which had not been good for some time , had taken a sudden turn for the worse . A very compassionate hospice evaluator came to her home and said that , although one could never be absolutely certain , the end was quite near . `` It may be two days . It may be two weeks . '' Those were the words . We tried to process them . She would be gone from us by the fall . Except ... `` Debby just picked me up a book from the library , and I 'm a few chapters into it , '' my mother said to me on the phone the other day . She got better . `` Better '' does not mean great ; she walks with some difficulty now , she is fragile in ways she once was strong , but on this Mother 's Day that we all expected to be such a desolate one for us , she 's here . On that morning the woman from hospice first came to visit , our mother was in her bed in the same room where our father , 10 years ago , had slowly died . Toward the end , he had not been able to get out of his bed , and we foresaw the same awful drama unfolding in the same way in the same bedroom . It was going to be even more wrenching to witness this time around . But somehow , from somewhere inside herself , she decided : `` Not yet . '' I do n't say that glibly ; I know that most men and women , in the months of their dying , do not have a choice about whether they will regain a semblance of their health . There comes a point when there is little to do but give in as gracefully as possible . Our mother did n't . And while my brother and sister and I cherish the extra time we have been given with her , the most moving thing is to quietly behold how fiercely she is cherishing the extra time she has been given with the world -- the extra time she has been given with life itself . That book from the library my sister brought her , it is one of many she has read since last summer . It 's as if she realized that , if the prediction had been right -- if she had left us within two days or two weeks -- she never would have known the pleasure of reading another book . She has loved reading all her life ; now she is reading new books with a sense of gratitude that we can literally feel . She got to watch one more presidential campaign . She has always taken her responsibility as a citizen with utter seriousness . She thought , last summer , that she would never know who the next president would be . But as , little by little , she got better during the fall , I can guarantee you that not even Wolf Blitzer or John King followed the day-to-day fluctuations of the campaign with more devotion than she did . She used to joke with our father that their trips together to the polling place were ultimately a waste of time : He was on one end of the political spectrum , she was on the other , and , as she put it , `` Our votes always canceled each other 's out . '' She was born during the Woodrow Wilson administration -- and in November , against all odds , she got to cast a ballot for president one more time . Whenever my brother flies to central Ohio to visit her , he goes not straight from the airport to her house ; he makes a stop . He picks up some pizzas at Rubino 's on East Main Street in Bexley , and he has them in his hands as he walks through her front door . She has n't tasted her last Rubino 's pizza , not yet -- she thought she had , and each slice is a reminder of the good things that life still holds for her . She enjoys the television series `` Brothers and Sisters '' ; each Sunday evening , as she tells us that she is preparing to watch it , we know that it is seemingly small things like that , things that once felt mundane to her -- an hour with a favorite program -- that she relishes anew . Over the holidays , I bought her the complete DVD series of `` The Sopranos . '' She is an admirer of great acting , and she was enthralled by the talent of James Gandolfini during the original run of the show ; she has watched the entire arc of `` The Sopranos '' again , from the first episode to the last , and she did it in a hurry . You never know how much time you are given . It might not be the worst way for any of us to live , even those of us who are much younger than she is ; it might not be a bad idea for us to live as if someone has told us , `` It may be two days . It may be two weeks . '' Imagining those words is a pretty good reminder that we should savor every hour we are given . My brother , my sister and I do n't fool ourselves ; just as warm days in March are sometimes followed by snow and ice , we realize that our mother 's return to vibrancy may turn out to be a false spring . Yet even if it is a brief illusion , it is a springtime that brings tears of thanks to our eyes . In October , she will turn 90 , if she , and we , are lucky . But that 's the wrong way to put it . If we are lucky ? We are . This is the Mother 's Day we did n't think we 'd have . And I think she knows exactly what is in our hearts . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene . | Bob Greene : This Mother 's Day is one my family did n't expect to enjoy . He says his mother has survived and made good use of precious time . Greene : We should all live as if we have only a few weeks more of life . | [[250, 339], [266, 339], [2046, 2098]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Al Qaeda ended days of speculation Sunday by confirming that one of its chemical weapons experts was killed last week along with three other `` heroes , '' according to a statement posted on a radical Islamist Web site . Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar was among four `` heroes '' killed last week , an al Qaeda statement says . The statement , dated July 30 , provided no details on how or when the al Qaeda operatives were killed . It was signed by al Qaeda 's top leader in Afghanistan , Mustafa Abu al-Yazid . A senior Pakistani official said last week it was a `` near certainty '' that weapons expert Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar died in a U.S. airstrike Monday in Pakistan 's tribal region . Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that if reports of the strike were true , the U.S. violated Pakistani sovereignty . Umar , who is also known as Sheikh Abu Khabab al-Masri , was on the U.S. State Department 's list of 37 wanted terrorists , and the U.S. had offered $ 5 million for information leading to his death or arrest . `` Although Abu Khabab is gone , he left behind him a generation who will seek revenge and punishment with God 's help , '' the al Qaeda statement said . `` And while the ` expert ' is gone , he left behind experts who were taught and trained under his hands throughout the years . '' Umar was killed along with Abu Mohammed Ibrahim Bin Abi al-Faraj al-Masri , Abd al-Wahab al-Masri , and Abu Islam al-Masri , the statement said . Umar , a 55-year-old Egyptian , ran a chemical-and-explosives training camp for terrorists in Derunta , Afghanistan , before the fall of the Taliban , U.S. officials said . `` Since 1999 , he has distributed training manuals that contain instructions for making chemical and biological weapons , '' according to the U.S. Rewards for Justice program . `` Some of these training manuals were recovered by U.S. forces in Afghanistan . '' Rewards for Justice said Umar was believed to be in Pakistan , continuing to train al Qaeda terrorists and other extremists . He was reportedly near the site of a U.S. airstrike more than two years ago in the Pakistani mountain village of Damadola . The strike targeted a dinner gathering believed to include terrorists . Initial reports that Umar died in the January 2006 strike later proved erroneous . | Statement provides few details , is signed by al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan . Statement : Weapons expert `` left behind him a generation who will seek revenge '' Pakistani PM said if U.S. conducted airstrike , it violated Pakistani sovereignty . Reports that al Qaeda weapons expert was killed in 2006 proved erroneous . | [[448, 527], [172, 199], [1087, 1118], [1102, 1118], [1123, 1167], [711, 843], [802, 843], [2263, 2267], [2293, 2324]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The future of Manchester United 's on-loan Argentina striker Carlos Tevez is causing quite a stir at the champion English club . Should they sign him ? The future of Carlos Tevez at Manchester United is uncertain . Facing the question of whether to sign Tevez on a permanent basis , Manchester United fans appear to be saying `` yes , '' while the player has talked of leaving . The Argentina international , fondly nick-named `` El Apache '' by his supporters , is in his second season at Old Trafford , where he has scored 34 goals in 97 appearances . Do you think United should sign Tevez permanently ? Tell us what you think and why in the Sound Off box below . The 25-year-old scored another vital goal for United to help them beat Wigan and all but seal their successful defense of the English Premier League . And though Ferguson remains defiant that Tevez is still his player at present who is to say what will happen in the future . Manchester United fans have certainly let their manager know what they think . Following the Argentine 's goal chants of `` sign him up '' were heard from the travelling faithful . Discussion groups have also been set up on the Manchester United page of social networking site Facebook , with the United faithful declaring their support for the striker . Among the comments were : `` We need Tevez . He always influences the game while he is on the pitch . '' While another wrote : `` It would truly be a mistake if Fergie lets Tevez go '' . Would it be a mistake if Tevez went ? Tell us what you think below . | Carlos Tevez ' loan deal at Manchester United ends at the close of the season . Tevez says he has not been offered contract and does not feel ` wanted ' Tevez is a favorite of many United fans who hope to see him signed . | [[1271, 1332]] |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With space shuttle Atlantis on its way to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope , that leaves one shuttle , Endeavour , at the ready on the other launch pad here . Space shuttle Endeavour , in background , sits poised to launch in case Atlantis , in foreground , meets trouble . And that 's where everybody at NASA wants it to stay . `` We have high confidence that we 're just having that thing over on pad B to make it look nice , '' said mission flight director Tony Ceccaci . Endeavour is far more than a postcard picture -- it 's on standby in case something goes seriously wrong with the Atlantis mission . For example , NASA has estimated there 's a 1-in-221 chance the shuttle could be struck and crippled by orbiting space debris . If such an incident were to thrust the seven Atlantis astronauts into danger , Endeavour would blast off within days in a last-ditch attempt to save them . Endeavour Cmdr. Christopher Ferguson believes his crew is up to the task . `` I feel as confident about our ability to pull this off , if need be , as I would any other mission , '' he said . The idea of a standby rescue spacecraft grew out of the 2003 Columbia disaster , in which that shuttle disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth 's atmosphere . But until now , there 's been no need . All the previous missions since Columbia have gone to the International Space Station . The crew of a damaged shuttle could take refuge there for months if need be until another shuttle was readied to retrieve them . But Atlantis is going to Hubble , whose orbit is n't anywhere near the space station . If their spacecraft malfunctioned , the seven-member Atlantis crew would have to survive aboard -- probably for days -- until they could be rescued . `` In this case it 's a much shorter fuse , '' Ferguson said . `` Consumables like food and oxygen would run out quickly . So the reason we 've gotten this crew trained and spooled up and ready to go on literally a moment 's notice is because they -LSB- Atlantis 's crew -RSB- have no place comfortable to go stay for a long period of time . '' But the rescue would be no cakewalk . Endeavour would need to pull up underneath Atlantis and hook on to the other shuttle using its robotic arm . Over the course of two days , the seven Atlantis astronauts would spacewalk over to Endeavour by holding on to a tether line strung between the two spaceships . Atlantis mission specialist John Grunsfeld would go first -- and , actually , twice . Grunsfeld would spacewalk to Endeavour , grab an extra EMU -LRB- extravehicular mobility unit -RRB- spacesuit and take it back to Atlantis . He would then return to Endeavour with one of the Atlantis astronauts not trained in spacewalking . With the Atlantis crew safely aboard , Endeavour would pull away and begin preparing to head home . Atlantis Cmdr. Scott Altman said that knowing Ferguson and the other three members of the Endeavour crew are ready in case of an emergency gives him peace of mind . `` Even in the worst-possible imaginable case , we can stay up there and last until somebody comes up and gets us , '' Altman said . `` So it feels like we have all our bases covered . '' So what would happen to Atlantis ? Ferguson said mission leaders would prepare the crippled shuttle for what they call a `` disposal burn '' -- a safe , remotely controlled landing of Atlantis . `` If it comes to it , we certainly do n't want a space shuttle coming in over a populated area , '' he said . `` So we want to control the burn so it does end up in the ocean . '' In all , eleven astronauts would be stuffed into Endeavour . A space shuttle has never carried that many . The four Endeavour crew members would hang out in the flight deck , while the seven Atlantis astronauts would squeeze into the mid-deck area . The journey back to Earth would be uncomfortable . But Ceccaci , the flight director , says that would n't matter as long as everyone was safe . `` Wrap me in bubble wrap and get me home safely , I would n't care , '' he said . `` I would n't care how cramped it is . '' | The shuttle Endeavour and its crew are standing by in case of a emergency in space . Endeavour would blast off to rescue the crew of shuttle Atlantis . Atlantis blasted off Monday to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope . A rescue mission would involve two tricky days of spacewalks between shuttles . | [[211, 234], [253, 307], [2900, 3049], [89, 126], [2297, 2324], [2327, 2421]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A U.S. soldier fired on his fellow troops at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad , Iraq , on Monday , U.S. officials said , killing five people in the worst such attack of the six-year-old Iraq war . U.S. Army troops get a safety briefing before departing Camp Liberty , Iraq , in December 2008 . The shooting occurred at 2 p.m. at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty , near Baghdad International Airport , two senior defense officials said . Though initial reports indicated the attacker was killed in the incident , the U.S. command in Baghdad said late Monday a suspect in the killings was in custody . Neither the suspect nor any of the victims had been identified , but a defense official with access to the latest reports on the incident told CNN that the suspect had been a patient at the treatment center . `` Any time we lose one of our own , it affects us all , '' Col. John Robinson , a U.S. military spokesman , said in a written statement . President Obama said that he was `` shocked and deeply saddened '' by the `` horrible tragedy . '' `` My heart goes out to the families and friends of all the service members involved , '' he said in a written statement . `` I will press to ensure that we fully understand what led to this tragedy , and that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our men and women in uniform are protected . '' The president said he discussed the issue in a meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday afternoon . And Gates expressed his own `` horror and deep regret '' at a press briefing . Watch the defense secretary talk about the incident '' `` If the preliminary reports are confirmed , such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause for great and urgent concern , '' Gates said . `` And I can assure you that it will get this department 's highest priority attention . '' Adm. Michael Mullen , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , added the incident shows a need to `` redouble '' efforts regarding troop stress levels . Camp Liberty is tightly guarded , and U.S. troops are required to clear their weapons of ammunition while on the base . The only service members who have loaded weapons are those guarding high-ranking officers and military police . Monday 's attack marks the sixth incident in which a service member was killed by a fellow service member since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom , the March 2003 invasion of Iraq . Camp Liberty is part of the Camp Victory Complex , one of the largest U.S. military bases in Iraq . It lies just northeast of Baghdad International Airport and is also near the massive al-Faw palace of executed former dictator Saddam Hussein . Once known as Camp Victory North , the base was renamed Camp Liberty in September 2004 , or Camp Al-Tahreer in Arabic , according to GlobalSecurity.org , a Web site that provides background on military and security issues . Like other American facilities in Iraq , Camp Liberty provides a host of amenities for the thousands of U.S. troops who call it home during their combat tours . The base resembles a giant trailer park , dotted with air-conditioned two - or three-person units that house thousands of service members . It boasts several dining facilities catered by a private company , fully equipped gymnasiums , recreation centers and a post exchange that rivals Wal-Mart . In recent years , a number of fast food restaurants such as Burger King and Pizza Hut have opened , as well as private stores and a bazaar that sells local wares . The military set up several chapels , and each unit operates stress-relief clinics -- such as the one at which the shootings occurred Monday -- where troops can request counseling . CNN 's Cal Perry , Chris Lawrence and Mike Mount contributed to this report . | Defense official : Suspect had been a patient at the treatment center . President Obama to discuss incident with defense secretary . Attack is the deadliest on soldiers by a fellow soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom . Five killed and three others wounded in incident . | [[715, 854], [1397, 1509], [1416, 1509], [2282, 2467], [2305, 2323], [2327, 2431], [146, 165], [168, 243]] |
-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- May 11 , 2009 . Quick Guide . Russia Victory Day - Discover how an anniversary is connected to a show of Russia 's military might . Charging for Content ? - Debate whether there 's a future in charging readers to view news content online . Final Visit - Depart the Earth 's surface for a maintenance mission needed in outer space . Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT . THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED . CARL AZUZ , CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR : It 's Monday , I 'm Carl Azuz , and this is CNN Student News ! Thank you for joining us . We 're gon na start things off with a quick check of some headlines . First Up : Headlines . AZUZ : Fierce battles are still raging in northwestern Pakistan , where the country 's military is waging an assault against Taliban forces . Officials say as many as 200 members of the militant group were killed in a single day over the weekend . CNN ca n't confirm that information , because journalists are n't allowed in the region . The United Nations is concerned about this impact on civilians . Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis are leaving the area to try and get away from the violence . And in California , firefighters are getting some help from the weather as they battle that blaze in Santa Barbara . Authorities say low winds and increased humidity are helping to keep the flames under control . The fire , which had destroyed or damaged about 80 homes , was at least 55 percent contained by Sunday . Russia Victory Day . AZUZ : And Russia is celebrating the end of World War II with its 64th annual Victory Day . The occasion , which took place on Saturday , marks the date in 1945 when Nazi Germany officially surrendered to the former USSR , which Russia was part of at the time . As Matthew Chance shows us , the weekend ceremony gave Russia an opportunity to show off its military might . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . MATTHEW CHANCE , CNN CORRESPONDENT : Well , this is the biggest show of force in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union . Columns of tanks and missile launchers thundered over the cobblestones of Red Square in the center of Moscow for these Victory Day celebrations , marking the defeat of Nazi Germany but also reflecting the Kremlin 's efforts to revive Russia 's armed forces and global power . Well , opening the parade , Russia 's President Dmitry Medvedev told spectators that Russia 's military is ready to respond to any aggression , and he referred obliquely to the country 's brief war with the neighboring former Soviet republic of Georgia last year . DMITRY MEDVEDEV , PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA -LRB- TRANSLATED -RRB- : Now more than ever , it is clear a safe world is possible only where international law is strictly abided by . And that is why our country has initiated a new treaty on European security . Security based on safe arms control and reasonable sufficiency of military construction for the broadest cooperation of states and the exclusively peaceful settlement of conflicts . And we will firmly pursue the execution of these principles . CHANCE : About 9,000 troops took part in a display of military equipment which , for the first time , included state-of-the-art S400 air defense missiles , which the United States and others is concerned may be sold to Iran . Russia also rolled out its new Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles , a stock reminder that this fast country remains a formidable nuclear power . Matthew Chance , CNN , Moscow . -LRB- END VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . ID Me . ERIK NIVISON , CNN STUDENT NEWS : See if you can I.D. Me ! I first appeared in the United States in the late 1600s . I 'm a printed item that 's usually published daily or weekly . I 've been a major source of news for millions of people around the world . I 'm the newspaper , the answer to that old joke , `` What 's black and white and read all over ? '' Charging for Content ? AZUZ : Except newspapers are n't being read as much these days . In fact , at least 120 of them have closed in the U.S. since January of 2008 . One reason : Readers are getting their news for free online at sites like CNN.com . But a major media tycoon who just happens to own some newspapers , says the days of free , online content could be coming to an end . Jim Boulden covers the unfolding issue . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . JIM BOULDEN , CNN CORRESPONDENT : Rupert Murdoch has floated the idea that some of his general newspapers , like the New York Post , the London Times or The Sun , could follow the model of his Wall St. Journal and charge readers for online content . But with content free for so long , will people pay ? WOMAN ON THE STREET # 1 : No , probably not . You can find almost all the same information somewhere . WOMAN ON THE STREET # 2 : No . I would look somewhere else . BOULDEN : Though Mr. Murdoch will be happy to hear this man would pay for his London Times online . MAN ON THE STREET # 1 : Just because it 's quicker and easier to get it online when you are at home . BOULDEN : Still , some do n't even bother to view the free stuff . WOMAN ON THE STREET # 3 : Newspaper . MAN ON THE STREET # 2 : Actual physical newspapers . BOULDEN : Many news sites , like the New York Times , ask users to register for free . That information can tell potential advertisers who uses the site and for how long . The New York Times.com does charge those who do n't get the physical paper for a little bit of premium content . Others , like Reuters , hold back a lot . TOM GLOCER , CEO , THOMSON REUTERS : The high grade , the high octane stuff we really reserve for our professional customers . So , they 've always paid on a subscription basis and we never make that content free , because it 's vital for people to their jobs . BOULDEN : The Financial Times also charges for anyone wanting to go beyond the basics . It currently has 110,000 paid subscribers . Managing director Rob Grimshaw wants to enhance its charging model . ROB GRIMSHAW , FT.COM : I am very , very interested in exploring some of the possibilities around micro payments , either for individual articles or for access to the site for a shorter period of time . And I think we ought to have a pricing model which actually suits how each individual user wants to access the site . BOULDEN : The FT points out that it can count on subscriptions and focus on increasing those with advertising eroding , something sites that do n't charge ca n't fall back on . That is why Murdoch 's News Corp. empire is keen to see if people will pay to play . -LRB- END VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . Shoutout . TOMEKA JONES , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Time for the Shoutout ! When did the Hubble Space Telescope send its first pictures back to Earth ? Was it in : A -RRB- 1980 , B -RRB- 1985 , C -RRB- 1990 or D -RRB- 1995 ? You 've got three seconds -- GO ! Hubble has been taking pictures since 1990 , although initial problems caused its first images to be fuzzy . That 's your answer and that 's your Shoutout ! Final Visit . AZUZ : Despite some early setbacks , the Hubble Telescope has revolutionized the field of astronomy . Earth 's atmosphere , look up and you 'll see it , makes it difficult for astronomers on the ground to get a complete view of things in outer space . But from its orbit outside the atmosphere , Hubble has a perfect spot . NASA is getting ready to upgrade the telescope . John Zarrella explains how they plan to do it . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . JOHN ZARRELLA , CNN CORRESPONDENT : For nearly twenty years , the Hubble Space Telescope has been sending back breathtaking images of galaxies and stars and planets . It has transformed how astronomers and cosmologists view the universe and our place in it . JOHN GRUNSFELD , SHUTTLE ATLANTIS MISSION SPECIALIST : Where do planetary systems , where do stars come from ? Hubble has been a tool to answer these fundamental questions that get right at the heart of who we are . ZARRELLA : Now , a team of astronauts will make the fifth and final visit to repair and upgrade Hubble . The objective : extend the telescope 's life at least another five years . It wo n't be easy . The pressure on the shuttle Atlantis crew , immense . SCOTT ALTMAN , SHUTTLE ATLANTIS COMMANDER : We know there 's nobody coming after us to do anything we do n't get done . This is it . We either get it done or it does n't happen . ZARRELLA : 350 miles up , Atlantis will chase down and grab hold of the telescope . For five consecutive days during five seven-hour spacewalks , astronauts will perform the ultimate high-wire act . They 'll change out gyroscopes and batteries , repair and replace cameras . They 'll change circuit boards , remove dozens of screws and delicately cut through aluminum . GRUNSFELD : It 's almost as if I 'm not doing it . It 's kind of a Zen thing , and once we finish the task and I climb back out of the telescope , I 'll look around and go , `` Wow , we 're in space . '' ZARRELLA : Hubble has been such an incredible watershed of knowledge , the dark days right after its launch in 1990 have largely been forgotten . JEFFREY HOFFMAN , RETIRED SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT : There was a time when Hubble was a laughing stock . You know , the `` techno turkey . '' You know , pictures in editorial cartoons , denounced on the floors of Congress , ridiculed in late night television programs . ZARRELLA : The telescope 's primary mirror was flawed , not quite the right shape , off a measly 1/50 , the thickness of a sheet of paper , but just enough to blur the images from space . The first servicing mission fixed the problem , saving the Hubble program . Now , 19 years later , the last visit . HOFFMAN : That 's been the wonderful thing about the ability to service Hubble , is that we do n't just repair it . We leave it a new telescope every time we come back . GRUNSFELD : It 's impossible not to give it some human characteristics and feel sadness when we see it floating away . ZARRELLA : If all goes well , scientists expect the new and improved Hubble will soon wow them and us with discoveries perhaps beyond our dreams . John Zarrella , CNN , at the Johnson Space Center in Houston . -LRB- END VIDEO CLIP -RRB- . Before We Go . AZUZ : We 're gon na end this show with a bang ! Instant replay ! One more time ! After all that excitement , let 's cool off with some soda . That 's why you do n't shake it up first . Now it might be hard to swallow , but this is actually part of the world 's largest physics lesson , with more than 7,000 students taking part in the scientific spectacle . Goodbye . AZUZ : Makes sense , using exploding soda bottles to study fizz-ics . For CNN Student News , I 'm Carl Azuz . | Discover how an anniversary is connected to a show of Russia 's military might . Debate whether there 's a future in charging readers to view news content online . Depart the Earth 's surface for a maintenance mission needed in outer space . | [[92, 155], [1787, 1813], [1816, 1896], [164, 186], [187, 241], [204, 209], [213, 271], [3901, 3923], [318, 363]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 33 people were killed and 20 wounded in a suicide car bombing targeting a national reconciliation conference in Baghdad , an Interior Ministry official told CNN . Abu Ghraib attack victim in Yarmouk Hospital in Baghdad , Amjad Hameed . The attack -- which occurred outside the municipal building of Abu Ghraib in western Baghdad -- also wounded 46 others , the official said . The attacker was targeting the latest effort by the government to foster national reconciliation between religious and ethnic groups . Sunni Arab and Shiite tribal leaders were attending the meeting , backed by the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government . Another Interior Ministry official told CNN the attack occurred when people gathered outside as the conference in the building ended . Al-Baghdadiya TV said two of its journalists were killed in the explosion . An Iraqi journalists ' group confirmed those deaths and said a number of journalists were also wounded . Along with meeting attendees and journalists , Iraqi soldiers were among the casualties . No one has claimed responsibility for the strike , but in the past , such gatherings have been targeted by al Qaeda in Iraq , the anti-American Sunni Arab militant group . Staffan de Mistura , special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for Iraq , deplored the attack and passed along condolences to grieving families . He said the bombing targeted the tribal leaders after their meeting , and called the strike a `` horrible crime that is designed to sabotage reconciliatory efforts by the Iraqi people , who , I am confident , will continue on the road of dialogue . '' The blast follows another huge attack on Sunday , when a man wearing an explosives-laden vest drove a motorcycle rigged with bombs into a group of police recruits in eastern Baghdad . That attack killed 30 people and wounded 61 others . Most of the victims of Sunday 's strike were police officers and recruits who had gathered outside a police academy on Palestine Street . The same academy was targeted on December 1 in a double bombing that killed 16 and wounded 46 . The violence came after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Saturday rallied sheikhs of the nation 's tribes to participate in Iraq 's government . It was the latest official effort to further reconciliation among Sunnis , Shiites and tribes of different sects and bring some former members of Saddam Hussein 's Baath party into the political fold . After the invasion , the U.S.-led coalition decided to purge Iraqi institutions of Baathists , most of whom were Sunni Arabs . Al-Maliki , who is Shiite , has been criticized in the past by minority groups for not fairly representing Iraqi 's ethnic groups . CNN 's Yousif Bassil and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report . | 33 killed in suicide bombing at reconciliation conference in Baghdad . Tuesday 's attack came as tribal leaders were attending conference . Bombing came 3 days after Iraqi PM urged nation 's sheikhs to join government . | [[0, 7], [10, 30], [37, 64], [83, 162], [1842, 1894], [555, 670], [1406, 1473], [2129, 2200], [2153, 2279]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iran has condemned the kidnapping of one of its diplomats in northwest Pakistan on Thursday , calling it an `` act of terrorism , '' an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said . Pakistani policemen inspect a bullet-riddled car of a kidnapped Iranian diplomat on Thursday . `` Pakistan should do its best to protect foreign diplomats and their residential places , '' the spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said , according to Iran 's state-run IRNA news agency . At least four gunmen abducted Heshmatollah Attarzadeh near his home in Peshawar as he headed to work at the Iranian consulate , according to Pakistani police and Iranian diplomatic officials . His bodyguard , a Pakistani police officer , was shot and killed when the two men tried to resist , a Peshawar police official said . Pakistan 's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also `` strongly condemned '' the attack , and informed Iran that the government `` will take all necessary measures for his safe and early recovery . '' Attarzadeh is a commercial attache for the Iranian consulate in Peshawar . It is the second attack targeting a foreign worker in Peshawar in two days . An American aid worker was shot and killed outside the Iranian consulate in Peshawar on Wednesday . Stephen Vance worked for a non-profit foundation funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development that helped find jobs for people in Pakistan 's tribal regions , according to a statement from his employer , the Cooperative Housing Foundation International . `` Stephen had fully immersed himself in the community in which he worked , '' the statement said . `` He dressed traditionally and even sent his children to local schools . '' Vance , 52 , a native of California , is survived by his wife and five children -- all of whom lived with him in Peshawar -- CHF International official Bill Holbrook told CNN . The attacks come less than three months after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying the senior U.S. diplomat in Peshawar , Lynne Tracy . She escaped unharmed . Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan 's North West Frontier Province , an area rife with Islamic extremists and the site of recent clashes between security forces and militants . In late June , Pakistan 's military launched an offensive in the province -- the biggest push against extremists in the tribal region since the civilian government took power in March . Islamic militants vowed to retaliate . Since then , militants have launched several deadly attacks . Pakistan 's new government has tried to negotiate a deal with militants as part of its efforts to bypass military might and achieve peace through talks . | Diplomat was kidnapped and his bodyguard killed in Peshawar , northwest Pakistan . Authorities believe he was kidnapped while traveling from his home to consulate . On Wednesday , gunmen shot and killed an American aid worker in Peshawar . | [[40, 131], [687, 700], [732, 740], [497, 619], [1177, 1208], [1177, 1199], [1213, 1276]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For the first 45 of her 50 years of living , Bonnie Neighbour used to wake up feeling sorry to be alive . Bonnie Neighbour has struggled with mental health issues for almost all of her 50 years . `` Even when I was n't actually depressed , I would open my eyes in the morning and wonder if there was n't something else ; I would have preferred an alternative to being alive , '' she says . She recalls being depressed as a young child . In her late teens , she started having mood problems that eventually escalated into clinical depression . `` At some point , I was suicidal . I would suffer cycles of depression and mania , '' Neighbour said . `` I would n't sleep for days , and the less sleep I would get , the more revved up I 'd become , and then I would make irrational decisions and act out . Then I 'd alternate with serious depressive episodes . `` At one time , for nine months , I was n't even able to leave the house -LSB- because of depression -RSB- . '' At age 30 , she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder . Neighbour 's story is n't uncommon . `` Action Steps for Improving Women 's Mental Health , '' a new report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ' Office on Women 's Health -LRB- OWH -RRB- , explores the role gender plays in the diagnosis , course and treatment of mental illness . It calls for specific actions to counteract the inadequacies in this field . According to the report , women are nearly twice as likely as men to suffer from major depression . They are three times as likely to attempt suicide , and they experience anxiety disorders two to three times more often than men . Chart : Gender and mental health '' While these statistics are not new , their importance is generally underplayed , says Wanda Jones , Dr.P.H. , health scientist and director of the OWH . She notes that whereas past reports have focused on bringing mental health to the forefront of concern -- such as the 1999 publication `` Mental Health : A Report of the Surgeon General '' -- few have focused primarily on the specific mental illness issues specific to women , hence the need for such a publication . Among the actions recommended by the new report are the needs to underscore the essential importance of women 's mental health to overall well-being , improve how primary care doctors and mental health professionals interface with each other , develop a greater understanding in the role of gender in mental illness , recognize the role of trauma and violence against women and its subsequent impact on mental illness and address cultural biases that serve as barriers to treatment for many women . Reasons for the gender disparities in mental health are still unclear , according to Jones . Part of the difference is based on biology . Female hormones , thyroid disease and brain biochemistry have all been cited as possible reasons . Genetics also play a part , as family history has proven that mental illness repeats itself across multiple generations . Socio-cultural reasons also contribute to the difference . Jones stresses that the `` one-size-fits-all '' approach to diagnosing and treating mental illness is not an effective approach and that acknowledging the gender differential is key to adequately and appropriately treating women . The new report also underscores the relative young age at which mental illness often sets in for both males and females . Half of all mental illnesses occur before age 14 , and three-fourths occur by the age of 24 , according to the publication . Among the more common mental illnesses seen among young women : eating disorders , which can start in advance of puberty and yet last a lifetime . Jones emphasizes the dire need for early detection and treatment of mental illnesses in young women . `` When these young people grow into adults , they 're more likely to end up in the criminal justice system , homeless on the streets , poor performers in school and ultimately bounced into a system that 's incapable of helping them with their needs , '' she explains . Another point Jones stresses is about the negative stigma around women 's mental health issues . `` We have to accept that mental illness is not a sign of weakness ; it 's not a choice . But it is treatable , and our own innate resilience protects us and plays a critical role in combating mental illness , especially depression and anxiety , '' she says . Despite the relief Neighbour initially felt after finally being diagnosed with bipolar disorder , she recalls that instead of getting better , she started to get worse . The mood-stabilizing medications she was prescribed were so sedating that she slept 16 hours a day , which led her deeper into her depression . `` The doctor said , ` This is how things are , and it will only get worse , ' and that 's what I started to believe . It became a self-fulfilling prophecy , '' she says . There is a common thread to Neighbour 's experience and that of other women suffering from mental illness : societal beliefs often pressure women into accepting their mental illness as `` just how things are , '' citing hormones and traditional views of women as the emotional , weaker sex as reasons to simply accept their current situation . According to Jones , it 's a barrier that keeps women from seeking treatment for an otherwise largely treatable disease . Despite numerous barriers to access and adequate mental health treatment for women , recent developments in female-specific care provide a new area of hope . Over the last decade , researchers have begun to develop trauma-informed care services , which focus on the high prevalence of trauma -- such as childhood sexual abuse , relationship violence and coerced sex -- that women are more likely to have experienced compared to men . The HHS reports that 40 percent of women report a history of sexual violence , compared to only 10 percent of men . In some mental health treatment programs , recognizing these underlying factors and treating women accordingly has led to dramatically improved outcomes . In 2005 , Neighbour discovered the concept of mental health recovery , which is focused on identifying triggers and symptoms that would cause her behavior to get worse , and responding with actions that she recognized helped her calm herself . She learned that there were other tools beyond medications that could help treat her mania and depression . `` I went from focusing everything on ` being ' my illness , to focusing on finding fulfillment . '' After holding 30 jobs in 15 years , Neighbour now holds a steady full-time job and serves as a volunteer to help others in their own recovery from mental illness . She describes her healing as an ongoing process and critical to it is a network of peers who have had similar life experiences . `` Now I wake up , and I ask how can I go out and change things ? I just get excited when I wake up every morning , '' she says . | HHS 's Office on Women 's Health releases new report on women 's mental health . Women suffer from major depression , anxiety disorders at higher rate than men . Half of all mental illnesses occur before age 14 in both men and women . Need for early detection and destigmatization of mental illnesses , researcher says . | [[1573, 1647], [3555, 3610], [3302, 3316], [3322, 3423], [3696, 3797]] |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- So , what 's harder , steering a space shuttle or out-machoing Tom Cruise on the set of `` Top Gun '' ? Scott Altman is commander of the current space shuttle mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope . Scott Altman laughs when he answers the question . `` Flying a space shuttle is a little more challenging than what we did in the movie , although the flying was a lot of fun , '' said Altman , who knows more than a little about both . The retired Navy F-14 fighter pilot is the commander of the current space shuttle Atlantis mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope . He also doubled for the actors , including Cruise , during the Southern California shoot of the 1986 hit movie . Then a young pilot , Altman had just gotten back from a 7 1/2 - month tour onboard an aircraft carrier when he got the `` Top Gun '' call from his commanding officer . `` The skipper of our squadron picked four guys he thought he could trust to have this kind of carte blanche to break the rules a little bit , '' Altman said . That included a scene in which a brazen Navy pilot buzzes the base 's control tower . That would never happen in real life , Altman said . The movie features Cruise as a young naval aviator , Pete `` Maverick '' Mitchell , selected to attend fighter-pilot training school at the then-Miramar Naval Station north of San Diego . To prepare for the film , Cruise flew in the backseat of an F-14 several times , including once with Altman . `` The actors were all pretty easy to get along with . Tom Cruise , for example , was very motivated , '' recalled Altman , who is making his fourth trip into space this week . `` He enjoyed flying . He listened to what we told him and became a pilot himself after that . '' Altman is not one to brag about his flying in `` Top Gun . '' The U.S. space agency , NASA , does n't mention his film heroics , either . But Altman is in one of the movie 's most memorable scenes . While flying upside down , inverted , Altman gives an obscene gesture to the pilot of an enemy plane . `` They said go ahead and gesture at the other airplane , '' said Altman , 49 , with a smile . `` So when you 're looking at the scene where he 's communicating with the Russian , or the bad-guy pilots in the movie , that would be my finger . '' But the flying scenes with the actors did n't all work out as director Tony Scott had hoped . `` The director had to pay $ 7,600 an hour to rent an airplane , '' Altman recalled . `` But after a week of spending that much money on the airplanes , he decided he could n't use the footage . The actors all looked a little green , he said . '' Altman and the other pilots earned $ 23 a day for their trouble . But his biggest disappointment was not getting to see the film as soon as it was released . He and the other pilots were invited to a preview screening , but a commanding officer would not let them go . And by the time the movie hit theaters , Altman was busy . He was overseas , on another seven-month tour of duty . | Ex-fighter pilot Scott Altman is commander of space shuttle Atlantis mission . As a young pilot , Altman was a stunt double in the 1986 hit movie `` Top Gun '' Altman worked with several actors on the film , including star Tom Cruise . Altman on Cruise : `` He enjoyed flying . He listened to what we told him '' | [[154, 216], [493, 591], [735, 755], [1437, 1443], [1492, 1520], [1701, 1720]] |
GARUT , Indonesia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The people of Indonesia 's Java Island still follow wedding traditions passed down centuries ago by their ancestors . Cucu and his bride , Yati Supriyatna , plant two saplings during their wedding ceremony . Family members gather for an all-day ceremony that begins with the groom bringing a gift to the bride 's house . On a hot and sticky morning in a village near Garut , 26-year-old Cucu carries a sapling to give to his bride . The young tree is not exactly a unique gift ; it 's part of a government initiative to bring back the Garut province 's devastated forests . Newly married couples must plant 10 trees under the program . If they divorce , they must plant 50 others . Cucu and his bride , Yati Supriyatna -- both dressed in all white -- headed to a mosque in the foothills of West Java 's mountains , where they carefully planted two saplings , a symbolic gesture . The young couple met in school three years ago and began dating last year . Watch as Indonesia tackles deforestation '' `` We 're just meant to be , '' said 18-year-old Yati , giggling in her white flower-adorned veil . They will plant the other saplings -- eucalyptus , avocado and mahogany -- at the sleepy village about an hour outside Garut where they plan to settle , for now . Indonesia 's landscape has been devastated by massive deforestation . Though not a heavily industrialized nation , Indonesia is behind China and the United States as the world 's third largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions . That is largely the result of the removal of its trees , which cut down the absorption of carbon dioxide . While Garut province is not the country 's worst offender , a Garut forestry official said he can no longer ignore the damage . `` Most people here work in agriculture which is of course highly dependent on the fertility of the soil , '' said Eddy Muharam of Garut 's forestry department . `` The fertility is decreasing now because of deforestation and intensive use of soil . '' Forestry officials have identified `` critical land '' in Garut , which has been overfarmed and needs to be reforested . The overfarming leads to erosion , which can cause major flooding . Environmental officials estimate that 50 million trees are needed in Garut alone to reverse the harm done by overfarming . Indonesia 's government does not have the funds to pay for such an initiative . So they hope the trend of planting saplings will catch on among other newlyweds in Indonesia . `` It 's sacred and a once in a lifetime moment , so we thought that it would be a good time to encourage people 's participation , '' Muharam said . CNN 's Andy Saputra contributed to this report . | Newlyweds in Indonesia plant trees under program to replenish forests . Couples plant 10 trees ; if they divorce , they must plant 50 others . Indonesia 's landscape has been devastated by massive deforestation . | [[611, 672], [691, 718], [1300, 1369]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The body of a University of Georgia professor accused of killing three people was found Saturday buried in woods near Athens , Georgia , authorities said . George Zinkhan , a professor at the University of Georgia , disappeared after the slayings of his wife and two others . George Zinkhan , 57 , is suspected of fatally shooting his wife and two other people last month outside a community theater in Athens , which is home to the University of Georgia . Cadaver dogs discovered the body with two guns in a wooded area of northwest Clarke County , about a mile from where Zinkhan 's red Jeep Liberty was found last week , Athens-Clarke Police Chief Joseph Lumpkin said . Athens-Clarke County police confirmed the identity of the body , citing results from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation . The guns are like those authorities believe were used in the shootings , Lumpkin said . The body was found `` beneath the earth , '' Lumpkin said , without any clothes . `` A person who 's not accustomed to the woods would never have found the body , '' he said . Significant `` efforts '' were undertaken to conceal the body 's location , Jim Fullington of the GBI said . Authorities say Zinkhan fatally shot Marie Bruce , 47 , Zinkhan 's wife and a prominent Athens attorney , Tom Tanner , 40 , and Ben Teague , 63 , on April 25 . The victims all were associated with the Town and Gown Players , a theater group that was holding a reunion picnic at the time of the shootings . Zinkhan arrived while the Town and Gown event was under way and got into a disagreement with his wife , police said . Police believe he went to his car -- where the couple 's children apparently were waiting -- and returned with two handguns . In addition to the three deaths , two other people were wounded , police said . After the shooting , Zinkhan left with his children -- ages 8 and 10 -- in the car , police said . He drove to a neighbor 's home in nearby Bogart , Georgia , where he lived , and left the children with the neighbor . Authorities put out bulletins across the nation for Zinkhan after the shootings and revealed that he had purchased a May 2 ticket in March to the Netherlands , where he owns a house . The day of the flight passed without any sign of Zinkhan . He had been an endowed marketing professor at the University of Georgia 's Terry College of Business . The university fired Zinkhan the day after the shootings . CNN 's Marylynn Ryan contributed to this report . | NEW : Efforts made to conceal body found unclothed with guns , police say . Cadaver dogs searching for George Zinkhan found body buried in woods , police say . Body was a little more than a mile from professor 's Jeep . University of Georgia professor was suspected of killing his wife , 2 other people . | [[476, 522], [1079, 1152], [0, 5], [47, 96], [175, 189], [235, 294], [333, 379], [1188, 1347], [1204, 1328]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four minor boys are facing felony assault charges after a 13-year-old boy accused them of sexually assaulting him in the locker room of a Tampa , Florida , middle school , authorities said Friday . The alleged victim told school officials he was assaulted with a broomstick and hockey stick at Walker Middle School , in southern Tampa , on April 30 , the Hillsborough County Sheriff 's Office said . Linda Cobbe with Hillsborough County Schools said police were contacted Wednesday afternoon after the boy reported the incident . The four teenagers , 14 and 15 years old , were arrested at school Wednesday and charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment , the sheriff 's office said . The victim said two boys held him down on the ground while the other two sexually assaulted him , the sheriff 's office said . The alleged victim had been `` continually picked on and harassed by the suspects '' before the incident , the sheriff 's office said in a news release . All four suspects have been suspended from school , Cobbe said . On Thursday , the school 's principal , Kathleen Hoffman , contacted students ' parents through a recorded message , telling them the four would not be allowed to return to school `` unless their legal issues are resolved . '' Cobbe said the 13-year-old is back in classes at the school . CNN 's John Couwels contributed to this report . | Boy , 13 , says he was sexually assaulted at middle school . 4 teens , age 14 and 15 , face felony charges in Tampa , Florida . All four suspects have been suspended from school . | [[19, 92], [75, 188], [19, 92], [549, 625], [993, 1042]] |
-LRB- Entertainment Weekly -RRB- -- J.J. Abrams ' franchise reboot boldly went where no Star Trek movie has gone before , grossing a stellar $ 72.5 million from Friday through Sunday , according to early estimates by Hollywood.com Box Office . In the film , Spock -LRB- Zachary Quinto , left -RRB- and Kirk get off on the wrong foot . That 's the second-best opening of 2009 -LRB- after X-Men Origins : Wolverine 's $ 85.1 million last weekend -RRB- , and it includes a whopping $ 8.2 million earned in IMAX showings , a new one-weekend record for the large format -LRB- beating The Dark Knight 's $ 6.3 million -RRB- . What 's more , if you add in the $ 4 million that the movie starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto earned in late-Thursday showings , Star Trek has banked an impressive $ 76.5 million so far -- well ahead of most expectations . This result is highly logical . Considering all the hype and buzz and strong reviews that Star Trek has garnered , it 's no surprise that this film 's opening sum is by far the biggest of any Star Trek movie : Of the 10 previous flicks in the franchise , 1996 's Star Trek : First Contact bowed best , with -LRB- only -RRB- $ 30.7 million over three days . Moreover , a look at the movie 's CinemaScore report card reveals some potentially good news . While it drew an expected crowd mostly comprised of older males , Star Trek 's solid-A grade shows that word of mouth could be strong enough to bring in fans outside of the franchise 's usual demographic -LRB- i.e. people who were n't alive in the 1980s ... and women -RRB- as the weeks go on . Unless said folks are too distracted by Angels & Demons , Night at the Museum 2 , and all the other big flicks on tap , of course . X-Men Origins : Wolverine -LRB- No. 2 -RRB- was next with $ 27 million on a 68 percent decline . Fanboy-driven films always fall hard , but this drop is particularly hefty . Nevertheless , Hugh Jackman 's franchise flick has already banked $ 129.6 million in 10 days . Fellow holdovers Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -LRB- No. 3 with $ 10.5 million -RRB- , Obsessed -LRB- No. 4 with $ 6.6 million -RRB- , and 17 Again -LRB- No. 5 with $ 4.4 million -RRB- rounded out the top five . And the comedy Next Day Air failed to take off , grossing just $ 4 million at No. 6 . And in limited release , neither Rudo y Cursi nor Little Ashes made much of a mark , as each averaged well under $ 7,000 per theater . Overall , the box office was up nearly 22 percent from the same frame a year ago -LRB- when the infamous Speed Racer hit a bump in the road -RRB- . And , really , what could be a better Mother 's Day gift than that ? Love ya , Mom ! Have a great day ! CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | J.J. Abrams ' `` Star Trek '' grosses $ 72.5 million from Friday through Sunday . `` Wolverine '' fell hard with only $ 27 million , showing a 68 percent decline . The box office was up nearly 22 percent from the same frame a year ago . Check out which movies made this week 's top 10 list . | [[0, 32], [67, 182], [1727, 1740], [1763, 1823], [2436, 2502]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The International Tennis Federation -LRB- ITF -RRB- has confirmed that Richard Gasquet has been provisionally suspended after the French star admitted testing positive for cocaine at the Miami Masters tournament in March . Gasquet is left to contemplate a possible two-year ban from tennis . A spokesman for the ITF Anti-Doping Programme told CNN Gasquet 's ban from competition has been put in place in accordance with rules revised by the 2009 WADA Code . `` Players may now be served with a provisional suspension if their A sample tests positive for a non-specified substance -LRB- eg a hormone or steroid -RRB- . Richard Gasquet has consequently received a provisional suspension according to the rules of the programme . '' The spokesman added : `` In accordance with the programme 's confidentiality provisions , the ITF will not release any further details until an independent anti-doping tribunal has issued its decision , which will be in due course . '' The former world number seven issued a statement to news agencies on Sunday after the French sports paper L'Equipe had revealed in a report on its Web site the failed doping tests . Gasquet , who has slipped to 23rd in the rankings , faces a two-year ban from tennis , but is hoping for leniency . `` The test of the B sample submitted at the end of March 2009 , confirmed the positive result of the A sample taken on the same day , '' he said . `` I want to prove my innocence and will explain myself at an appropriate time , '' he added . If Gasquet exercises his right to a hearing , an independent anti-doping tribunal will be held , ordinarily within 60 days of the player 's request . The tribunal will determine whether an offense has been committed , and if so , what penalty will be issued . Earlier Sunday , the French Tennis Federation -LRB- FFT -RRB- admitted they would be `` very surprised '' if the reports proved to be true . The FFT added in a statement released to Press Association that it `` would be very sad for Richard Gasquet himself , for tennis in general , for French tennis in particular , whose image would be dented '' if the positive test was officially confirmed . Gasquet , a teenage prodigy , has failed to match his early promise but did reach the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2007 . Only this week the 22-year-old was confirmed as one of the star attractions at the pre-Wimbledon tournament at Eastbourne , but now faces a battle to clear his name . In ATP tennis action on Sunday , Novak Djokovic continued his fine form on clay with victory in his home tournament in Belgrade . The Serbian top seed beat Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-3 7-6 in the Serbia Open final . It was Djokovic 's fourth successive appearance in an tour final . The BMW Open title in Munich went to Czech Tomas Berdych who edged out Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4 4-6 7-6 . | Richard Gasquet tests positive for cocaine at ATP Miami Masters in March . French star Gasquet says he will battle to clear his name but faces two-year ban . Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych clinch Tour wins in pre-French Open events . | [[0, 15], [19, 241], [242, 310], [242, 249], [258, 310], [1167, 1174], [1219, 1251], [2317, 2332], [2430, 2468], [2469, 2499], [2502, 2564], [2750, 2806]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Freed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi thanked friends and family Tuesday for their support during her ordeal in an Iranian prison , and said she plans to spend the next few days relaxing . Roxana Saberi smiles ouside her home in Tehran , Iran , on Tuesday . `` I am , of course , very happy to be free and to be with my parents again , '' a smiling Saberi , 32 , told reporters . Saberi , who was dressed in a black tunic and a blue headscarf , said she was only now learning of a global support campaign on her behalf . `` I want to thank all the people all over the world , who , whether they knew me or not , helped me and my family during this period , '' she said . `` I do n't have any specific plans for the moment . I just want to be with my parents and my friends and to relax . '' Reza Saberi , her father , said they plan to leave Iran soon . Saberi was convicted last month on espionage charges in a one-day trial that was closed to the public . She was sentenced to eight years in prison after being accused of spying for the United States . A judge changed Saberi 's sentence during an appeal hearing Monday . The court agreed with her lawyers that , because Iran is not at war with the United States , Saberi can not be punished for cooperating with agents of a hostile nation , according to Saberi 's spokesman , Abdolsamad Khorramshahi . Her sentence was changed to a two-year jail term , suspended for five years , Iran 's state-run news agency IRNA reported . Saberi was detained in January after initially being accused of buying a bottle of wine and working as a journalist without proper accreditation , according to the Committee to Protect Journalists , an advocacy group . She was soon charged with espionage . Saberi went on a hunger strike while imprisoned , but her father said she has since put on some weight . | Father of Roxana Saberi says they plan to leave Iran soon . Saberi , 33 , was convicted last month on espionage charges . Her sentence was changed to a two-year jail term , suspended for five years . She has lived in Iran since 2003 , reporting for international news organizations . | [[820, 831], [847, 882], [987, 990], [1030, 1083], [1084, 1152], [1384, 1432], [1384, 1387], [1412, 1432], [1435, 1459]] |
ATHENS , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A wanted University of Georgia professor killed himself with a single gunshot to the head after he dug his own grave and covered it with brush , police said Tuesday . George Zinkhan , a professor at the University of Georgia , disappeared after the slayings of his wife and two others . The manhunt for George Zinkhan ended Saturday when cadaver dogs discovered his body in Georgia 's Clarke County , about a mile from where his red Jeep Liberty was found more than a week earlier , police said . `` Zinkhan 's body was found in a small dugout area in the ground , covered with leaves and debris , and it was apparent that he took significant steps to try to conceal his body from being located , '' a statement from Athens police said . Law enforcement officials determined that Zinkhan , 57 , committed suicide after killing his wife , Marie Bruce , 47 , Thomas Tanner , 40 , and Ben Teague , 63 , outside a theater in Athens on April 25 . Another University of Georgia professor , Barbara Carroll , believes that she was also targeted by Zinkhan but escaped because she was at a movie theater the day of the slayings . In an e-mail obtained by CNN , Carroll had warned her colleagues at the university 's Terry College of Business that Zinkhan , a marketing professor , was `` dangerous . '' The e-mail was sent after the shootings but before Zinkhan 's body was found . Carroll could not be reached Tuesday , but in her e-mail she said that law enforcement officials surrounded her house early on the morning of May 1 after authorities found MapQuest directions to her house , printed on April 24 , in Zinkhan 's Jeep . She said she was advised to go into hiding . `` I do not believe Zinkhan had a map to my house for any reason other than he planned to kill me as well on April 25 , '' Carroll wrote . `` This also suggests premeditation for the three murders he did commit . By the grace of God , I was at the movies all Saturday afternoon after being at school in my office -LRB- like a sitting duck -RRB- all that morning . '' All three of Zinkhan 's victims were associated with the Town and Gown Players theater group , which was holding a reunion picnic at the time of the shootings . Police did not give any motive for the slayings but said in a statement that Zinkhan and his wife were having marital problems . Zinkhan targeted Tanner and shot him first , the statement added . Authorities said Zinkhan arrived while the Town and Gown event was under way and got into a disagreement with Bruce . Police believe that he left , went to his car -- where the couple 's children apparently were waiting -- and returned with two handguns . In addition to the three deaths , two people were wounded , police said . After the shootings , Zinkhan , a marketing professor at the Terry College of Business , drove to his hometown of Bogart , Georgia , and left his children -- ages 8 and 10 -- with a neighbor . Authorities put out bulletins across the nation for Zinkhan after the shootings and revealed that he had purchased an airline ticket in March for a May 2 flight to the Netherlands , where he owned a house . But Zinkhan never showed up at the airport . | NEW : Co-worker says she was also targeted . Authorities say University of Georgia professor dug his own grave . Cadaver dogs searching for George Zinkhan found body in woods , police say . Zinkhan suspected of killing his wife , two other people . | [[978, 1017], [1038, 1131], [132, 152], [323, 434], [203, 217], [263, 322], [816, 823], [849, 928]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Werder Bremen continued their continued their domination of SV Hamburg with a 2-0 win which dents their northern neighbors ' hopes of Champions League football next season . A dejected Paolo Guerrero and Ivica Olic walk off after Hamburg 's defeat . The defeat leaves Martin Jol 's men sixth in the Bundesliga , five points behind leaders Wolfsburg with only three games remaining and four adrift of third-placed Hertha Berlin . It was the second meeting of the two teams in four days , with Werder winning a thrilling second leg 3-2 to go through to the UEFA Cup final on Thursday on away goals . Werder also put Hamburg out of the German Cup and their win came after a pair of goals by Hugo Almeira . In Sunday 's other match , Borussia Moenchengladbach boosted their Bundesliga survival hopes with a 1-0 win at home to Schalke 04 . Substitute Roberto Colautti scored in the last minute to spare the blushes of teammate Marko Marin , who had seen a penalty saved by Manuel Neuer in the first half . The win lifted Borussia out of the relegation zone into 15th place , but it is still tight with Arminia Bielefeld and Energie Cottbus only below them on goal difference . Schalke , who will have current Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath in charge next season , were suffering a second straight defeat to stay seventh . Wolfsburg were beaten 4-1 by Stuttgart on Saturday to throw open the title race with champions Bayern Munich joining them on 60 points with Hertha one point back and Stuttgart on 58 . | Werder Bremen beat SV Hamburg 2-0 with Hugo Almeira scoring twice . Hamburg stay in sixth as defeat wrecks Bundesliga title chances . Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Schalke 1-0 to boost survival hopes . | [[95, 104], [111, 192], [667, 721], [269, 328], [722, 746], [749, 853]] |
Fareed Zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who hosts `` Fareed Zakaria GPS '' on CNN at 1 and 5 p.m. ET Sundays . Zakaria says granting autonomy to groups generally produces peace and stability . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Dalai Lama says the key to stopping violence around the world is to stop `` destructive emotion . '' In an interview to air Sunday on CNN 's `` GPS , '' he tells Fareed Zakaria that he does n't think even Osama bin Laden wished for violence when he was a child but that it grew of out hatred and frustration . The Dalai Lama also addressed relations between Tibet and China in the interview , which Zakaria discussed with CNN . CNN : Why is Tibet such a hot-button issue for China ? Fareed Zakaria : China sees the issue as a separatist movement , as President Lincoln did when the South wanted to secede from the Union . They feel their territorial integrity is being threatened . And Tibetans see their culture , language and religion as being slowly but surely extinguished by the Chinese . CNN : So who 's right ? Zakaria : Well , that depends on who you ask . You need to look at the history to get a complete picture . It all goes back to Genghis Khan , who captured Tibet in 1207 . He united Tibet '' with China under the Mongol empire . The Chinese have claimed an unbroken line of sovereignty over Tibet ever since . The Tibetans , however , reject that claim , saying they have been an independent kingdom for many periods during that time , some centuries long . That was the situation until 1912 , when Tibet declared itself an independent republic . China never recognized it , nor did the U.N. or any major Western power . CNN : Well , that seems to indicate that China has a point . Does it ? Zakaria : It 's not so simple , because although China never recognized an independent Tibet , neither did it exercise any control of Tibet . That is , until 1950 , when Chairman Mao sent the Red Army in to liberate -- as the Chinese saw it -- the Tibetan people from the feudal serfdom they were living under . However , the Tibetans saw the act as an invasion , and in 1959 , the political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people , the Dalai Lama , fled to India , where he set up a government in exile . CNN : So we 've been with the current situation since 1959 . Why has n't there been any resolution ? Zakaria : Well , the Chinese are hoping to wait it out . By letting the issue drag on , they are hoping more and more ethnic Han Chinese move into the region and slowly let the Tibetan freedom movement die out . CNN : Will it work ? Zakaria : That could happen -- and has worked with other regions . But , it could also work the other way . The Chinese sometimes use force , as they did last year against the Tibetan monks , which causes a huge backlash in Tibet and outside . This has resulted in some Tibetans becoming more strident in their calls for independence and aggressive in their demands . However , the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that he does not seek independence , only cultural autonomy , and urged his followers to engage in no violent protests whatsoever . If there were ever a leader of a separatist group whom one could negotiate with , he 's it . And once the 72-year-old Dalai Lama passes from the scene , Beijing might have to deal with a far more unpredictable and radical Tibetan movement . CNN : Do you think granting what the Dalai Lama is asking for makes sense ? Zakaria : If you look at other cases , such as in Turkey and India , granting autonomy to groups that press for it has in the end produced a more stable and peaceful national climate . But that is a lesson the Chinese government will have to learn for itself ; it is unlikely to take instruction from outsiders . CNN : What ultimately causes this age-old mistrust between the Chinese and the Dalai Lama ? What 's the stumbling block that keeps them from finding resolution ? Zakaria : The Chinese government has always believed that when the Dalai Lama speaks of `` autonomy , '' what he really means is independence , a sovereign nation for Tibet . I asked the Dalai Lama about this , and he denied it vehemently . He insists that Tibetans would truly be content to live within the Chinese system , as citizens of its government , as long as they are allowed to preserve their culture and practice their religion . It is difficult to see how this gap -- the difference in perception between the two sides -- can be bridged . E-mail me [email protected] to let me know your thoughts . | Zakaria : Tibetans see culture , language , religion as being extinguished by China . `` You need to look at the history to get a complete picture , '' he says . In 1912 , Tibet declared itself independent , but China never recognized it as such . Dalai Lama does not seek Tibetan independence , just cultural autonomy . | [[906, 956], [935, 972], [906, 914], [977, 1013], [1085, 1144], [1105, 1144], [1535, 1582], [1583, 1608], [1738, 1757], [1760, 1820], [2950, 3116]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Kellogg 's dumped its endorsement of Michael Phelps after a photograph surfaced of the Olympic gold medalist using a bong , the company was stuck with thousands of boxes of cereal featuring the swimmer 's image . Kellogg 's ended its Michael Phelps endorsement , so it sent two tons of cereal with his face on it to a food bank . No problem . The company , based in Battle Creek , Michigan , made short order of the already-printed and filled boxes , donating two tons of cereal to the San Francisco Food Bank late last month . With food banks across the country reporting shortages of food , the donation was a welcome one , said the food bank 's director of development , Christopher Wiley . It took only two weeks for about 3,000 boxes to move through warehouse . `` Thousands of families benefited from the donation '' Wiley said . `` It was a surprise to us . We were lacking a lot of cereal . It is a great product many low-income families really need . '' `` The real story for us was not the box but what 's inside the box . The food is so valuable for the community . It 's making good from bad , '' Wiley said . The food bank has seen a 6 percent increase in its customer base since the beginning of the year , he said . Phelps , 23 , won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing , China . He admitted `` regrettable behavior '' after a British newspaper published the controversial photograph in early February . The tabloid News of the World showed Phelps using the bong during what it said was a November party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia . A bong is a device commonly used to smoke marijuana . The Phelps box attracted considerable attention to the food bank . Administrators received several calls from people wanting to get the box as a novelty item . But , said Wiley , all the cereal went to food bank customers . Kellogg 's was the only one of Phelps sponsors to drop the athlete , although U.S.A. Swimming , the nation 's governing body for competitive swimming , suspended him for three months , withdrew financial support and barred him from competition during the period of his `` reprimand . '' CNN 's Jackie Castillo and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report . | Kellogg 's donated two tons of cereal to the San Francisco Food Bank . Company dumped the cereal boxes with Michael Phelps ' face after bong incident . Food bank director : Helpful donation is `` making good from bad '' More than 3,000 boxes of cereal went to help those who were hungry . | [[290, 353], [367, 402], [475, 551], [24, 31], [35, 132], [197, 236], [290, 353]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon talk tough about cracking down on the deadly drug war , the United States is changing tactics in the battle against illegal narcotics at home . Legalizing marijuana is off the table , the White House says . The man Obama picked to be the new `` drug czar , '' Gil Kerlikowske , has made it clear that the United States is going to do a better job of treating addicts to try to reduce the demand for narcotics . Kerlikowske , 59 , is a military veteran with 36 years of law enforcement experience . The drug czar oversees an agency that sets the country 's drug-control strategy . The White House and Congress want to see more drug courts , and increased funding for the program 250 percent in the spending bill signed in March . It 's a campaign pledge that the Obama administration thinks will give nonviolent offenders `` a chance to serve their sentence , where appropriate , in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior , '' according to the White House Web site . Judge Paul Gluchowski , who works with the Prince William County Juvenile Drug Court in Virginia , dismissed the notion that a drug treatment program is the easy way out . Watch what it 's like inside the drug court '' If anyone thinks that , he said he 'd tell them they should `` come and talk to some of the participants . A lot of them probably wish they never agreed to undergo drug court . And a lot of them have given up because it 's too hard . '' Those who slip up in drug court can be forced to wear ankle-monitoring bracelets or put into juvenile detention . `` If they do n't give up , then when it comes time for graduation and you see the shine on their face , when you know that they have accomplished something , and they know that . That 's what it 's all about , '' Gluchowski said . Vice President Joe Biden stressed the importance of drug courts and prisoner re-entry programs when he announced Kerlikowske 's position in March , saying they `` can serve as the light at the end of the tunnel , of a very long , long dark tunnel , for those who are stuck in the cycle of drug addiction and incarceration . '' Kerlikowske said he was committed to tackling the nation 's drug problem , but noted that it would take a `` coordinated and multifaceted effort . '' `` The success of our efforts to reduce the flow of drugs is largely dependent on our ability to reduce demand for them , '' Kerlikowske said , calling the nation 's drug problem one of `` human suffering . '' `` It requires prosecutors and law enforcement , courts , treatment providers and prevention programs to exchange information and to work together . And our priority should be a seamless , comprehensive approach , '' he said . In meeting with Calderon on Thursday , Obama tried to show Mexico 's president that he is committed to ending a crisis that hits so close to home . Obama vowed to beef up security along the border and to work to slow the flow of guns and drugs . He said the United States shares responsibility for the drug problem , saying `` a demand for these drugs in the United States is what is helping to keep these cartels in business . '' But he also tried to limit expectations that there could be any sort of quick fix . `` Now , are we going to eliminate all drug flows ? Are we going to eliminate all guns coming over the border ? That 's not a realistic objective , '' he said . `` What is a realistic objective is to reduce it so significantly , so drastically that it becomes once again a localized criminal problem , as opposed to a major structural problem that threatens stability in communities along those borders . '' The White House has listened to those who say legalizing marijuana will pull the rug from under the violent cartels in Mexico and boost the U.S. economy , but that option is not on the table . Asked Thursday if that is something realistic , Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano quickly responded , `` No , it is not . '' Sixty percent of drug criminals sent to prison re-offend , compared to 17 percent of graduates of drug court , according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals . Drug policy experts like those numbers , but say the nation needs more treatment options . `` For individuals who do n't have the resources , do n't have public health insurance , ca n't afford it themselves , the single best way that they can access treatment is to get arrested , '' said Ryan King , a policy analyst with the Sentencing Project . `` And that 's wrong . What we need to do is make sure for every American that is abusing drugs and wants to stop , that they have the resources made available to them , regardless of whether they can afford them . '' CNN 's Jim Acosta and Kristi Keck contributed to this report . | Drug court supporters say program is more effective than jail time . Biden stresses the importance of drug courts in announcing new drug czar . Obama vows crackdown on drug war but says stopping all drug flow is unrealistic . Legalizing marijuana is not an option , White House says . | [[967, 998], [1004, 1074], [1922, 2067], [220, 257], [260, 282], [3918, 3951]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The son of actor Michael Landon was found dead in his West Hollywood , California , home Monday afternoon , according to investigators . There was `` no indication of foul play '' in the death of Mark Landon , 60 , according to the report from the Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department . Mark Landon was the son of Dodie Frasier , who married Michael Landon in 1956 . The actor adopted the child and his younger brother . Mark Landon had a few acting credits , playing small roles in three movies , according to the Internet Movie Database . He played a cab driver in `` Us , '' a film his father directed and starred in just before his death from cancer in 1991 . Michael Landon was once one of Hollywood 's biggest TV stars . He is best known for his 14 years as `` Little Joe '' Cartwright in TV 's long-running `` Bonanza , '' and later as Charles Ingalls in nine seasons of `` Little House on the Prairie . '' CNN 's Jack Hannah contributed to this report . | `` Bonanza '' star 's son Mark Landon found dead in West Hollywood home . Officials say no indication of foul play in 60-year-old 's death . Mark Landon had a few acting credits , playing small roles in three movies . | [[0, 11], [14, 40], [61, 149], [181, 251], [469, 505], [469, 480], [508, 543]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Treasure hunter Christian Hanisch told CNN Thursday that the hunt for Nazi Gold and possibly the legendary Amber Room will end Friday after the two men leading the expedition had a disagreement . Treasure hunters began drilling again Tuesday to try to locate the lost Nazi gold . Heinz-Peter Haustein , the other treasure hunter , told Germany 's Bild newspaper that geophysicists will now re-evaluate the situation and that digging may resume in two weeks . CNN has so far not been able to reach Haustein for confirmation . `` Haustein told me to get out of here immediately , '' an angry Hanisch told CNN in a telephone interview . He said Haustein , who is also the mayor of the village Deutschneudorf , where the digging is taking place , told him he wanted to make the expedition more credible by calling in the scientists . See photos from hunt for lost Nazi gold '' `` It ca n't get any more credible than now , '' said Hanisch , whose measurements had allegedly pinpointed the treasure . He said the drilling taking place at the site never focused on the exact coordinates he had provided . `` They just always dug around there , but never at the exact location where I wanted them to dig , '' he said . The two treasure hunters had said geological surveying had revealed an underground cave holding large amounts of precious metal . They said it could be a holding area dug by the Nazis who used it to stash valuables in World War II . Haustein said he also believes the legendary Amber Room , an interior made of gold and amber that the Nazis had looted from a palace in St. Petersburg , after Adolf Hitler 's forces invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 , was also hidden somewhere in the mountains around Deutschneudorf -- and that finding a stash of gold could give clues as to the whereabouts of the Amber Room . Now Hanisch says he never believed in the Amber Room theory . `` I never talked about finding the Amber Room anywhere here , that was all Haustein 's idea , '' he said . Hanisch said that his father was one of the soldiers who helped transport gold and other valuables to the area around Deutschneudorf near the end of the Second World War and that when he died he left behind coordinates allegedly leading to a cave holding gold and other valuables . Haustein has been paying for the excavation . Watch hunt for Nazi gold at German mountain '' Earlier this week , Haustein said digging at the site was stopped more than a week ago amid safety concerns , as German authorities and the treasure hunters feared that the shaft dug so far might collapse , and that the alleged cave may be rigged with explosives or poisonous booby traps . Deutschneudorf is in Germany 's Ore Mountains , and the mountain where the treasure hunters were looking was a copper mine until the 19th century . Though the mine was shut down in 1882 , geologists have found evidence that soldiers from Hitler 's Wehrmacht -- the German armed forces -- had been there : machine guns , parts of uniforms and explosives that are on display at the town 's museum . E-mail to a friend . | Digging in search of lost Nazi gold to be called off , one treasure hunter says . Second hunter tells Bild it may resume in two weeks . The dig is in the mountains around Deutschneudorf , Germany . Treasure hunters hope to find valuables looted from Russia during World War II . | [[0, 15], [19, 214], [2386, 2403], [2406, 2493], [299, 319], [350, 380], [439, 477], [1681, 1745], [2676, 2721]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai discussed his sometimes-turbulent relationship with the United States on Friday as more details emerged about U.S. airstrikes in his country that killed dozens of people this week . Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government does not tolerate corruption . Karzai reflected on the past seven years of his leadership of Afghanistan and characterized his relationship with the United States as having `` serious bumps along the way , especially in the conduct of the war on terror . '' The theme he emphasized Friday was the problem of Afghan civilian casualties caused by American airstrikes . Karzai said he has raised the issue repeatedly since 2007 . `` We have complained bitterly about civilian casualties , '' he said . `` We needed to get Washington 's attention . '' The issue of civilian deaths has been at the foreground of Karzai 's trip to Washington , where he 's meeting with President Obama and other top officials . Afghan officials say that more than 100 civilians were killed in a U.S. airstrike Wednesday in Farah province , on the western border with Iran . If that death toll is confirmed , it will be the single deadliest incident involving Afghan civilians since the American-led invasion of the country in 2001 to oust the Taliban from power . A senior U.S. military official said Friday that 30 to 50 people were killed in the strikes , most of them insurgents . But the rest were civilians , including women and children . The U.S. military thinks some civilians were killed when they were caught up in the ground fighting and others in the airstrikes . The Taliban held some civilians against their will in the buildings that were attacked , according to the official . Karzai said senior Obama administration officials immediately and personally apologized to him about the incident when he met with them this week . Watch Karzai discuss U.S. airstrikes that allegedly killed civilians '' At the White House on Wednesday , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari that she `` deeply regretted '' the death of Afghan civilians and pledged that the United States `` will work very hard with your governments and with your leaders to avoid the loss of innocent civilian lives . '' In response to recent suggestions by U.S. military officials that the civilian deaths in Farah province might have been staged by the Taliban , Karzai said that an Afghan government team was investigating the incident and that `` there was no doubt that the casualties were caused by bombings ... and the use of air power . '' As the president grapples with the latest incident , he 's also dealing with criticism of his administration by American officials for its perceived tolerance of corruption . An independent assessment by the non-governmental organization Transparency International rated Afghanistan as one of the most corrupt countries in the world . Karzai said his government does not tolerate corruption . `` That is not right ! That is not right ! '' he said firmly . The president pointed out that Afghan courts had recently convicted 600 people on corruption charges or on counts of major drug dealing . Karzai used the issue of corruption to segue into a critique of the way in which aid has been disbursed to Afghanistan . He asserted that of the $ 32 billion the international community had given his country since 2001 , only $ 6 billion -- or 20 percent -- has been funneled through the Afghan government . The other $ 26 billion has been spent by the donor countries themselves , and Karzai implied that the Afghan government should not be held accountable for how those funds have been spent . Support for Karzai 's critique came last year in a study by the leading British charity Oxfam that concluded that a large portion of the money the international community has given to Afghanistan does not end up in the country itself . The report estimated that 40 percent of the money spent is returned to donor countries , such as the United States , in the form of consultants ' salaries and corporate profits . Turning to the election , to be held August 20 , the Afghan president said that if he wins another five-year term , he will put a special emphasis on building dams and bringing electricity to the Afghan people . The U.S. government assesses that less than 10 percent of Afghans have access to electric power . Karzai is likely to win the vote in a landslide , given his advantages of incumbency , relative popularity and the few plausible opposition candidates . Karzai emphasized also the importance in the coming years of what he described as the `` peace process '' with the Taliban . He characterized it as being at `` the heart '' of what his government hopes to achieve and said he is `` glad that the Obama administration is backing this . '' The Afghan president said Saudi Arabia , one of the few governments to recognize the Taliban when they were in power , is `` very important '' in this process because of its leadership of the Islamic world . CNN 's Nic Robertson reported that in September , representatives of the Afghan government and former Taliban officials met in Mecca for preliminary discussions about peace in a meeting hosted by Saudi King Abdullah . But peace with the Taliban may be a long time coming . Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has in the past several months announced at every opportunity that he has no interest in a deal with the Afghan government . And one of Mullah Omar 's deputies announced last month on a Taliban Web site that the militants would launch `` strong and robust '' operations in Afghanistan to counter the additional 21,000 American soldiers who are deploying to the country this year . | Afghan president says airstrikes have strained dealings with Washington . Latest incident is said to have killed 100 civilians Wednesday . Karzai critical of how aid money is distributed to his nation . He emphasizes importance of `` peace process '' with Taliban . | [[0, 20], [30, 139], [323, 329], [401, 495], [997, 1142], [1018, 1106], [1457, 1513], [1931, 1946], [1952, 1981], [3303, 3310], [3314, 3359], [4614, 4738], [4655, 4738]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In the Land of the Rising Sun , the fiscal year is setting in a sea of red . Mount Fuji glows red in the sunset , much like the year-end results of Japanese manufacturers . Electronics makers Hitachi and NEC Corp. , and carmaker Nissan all ended the year with a loss . Japan 's largest electronics maker , Hitachi lost $ 8 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31 , with consolidated revenues down 11 percent from last year . It was the largest loss ever recorded by a Japanese manufacturer , according to Shinko Research Institute . NEC Corporation lost $ 3 billion in the past fiscal year , down nearly 11.5 percent from last year . Meanwhile , Nissan lost $ 2.3 billion for the year . Declines in the automobile , semiconductor and industrial equipment industries especially hurt Hitachi , as well as write-downs of securities due to the sharp declines in global stock exchanges . Watch more about Japanese stock values '' Hitachi said it will cut unprofitable business lines , reduce staff and eliminate factories in Japan and overseas , but gave no specifics . Japanese firms have been hit hard by the credit crisis , which has driven up the value of the yen -- driving up the export cost of products to markets like the US , where consumers are spending less on durable goods such as automobiles and electronic products . | Hitachi 's annual loss of $ 8 billion biggest ever for Japanese manufacturer . NEC Corp. loses $ 3 billion ; Nissan $ 2.3 billion . Japanese manufacturers hurt by strong yen , soft overseas sales . | [[325, 384], [447, 511], [555, 611], [639, 655], [656, 665], [668, 708]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 10 people were killed , and an unknown number remained missing Wednesday , after a boat authorities believe was used for human smuggling capsized off the coast of Florida . The Coast Guard said it rescued 26 people from a capsized boat off the coast of Florida . Almost all of the victims are believed to be from Haiti and the Bahamas , according to the U.S. Coast Guard -- which said a dangerous number of people was packed onto a small pleasure cruiser . The Coast Guard said it rescued 26 people from the boat , and searchers did n't know how many more people had been on the boat . `` You do n't put 26 people on a small boat . It was way overloaded , completely unsafe , '' said Capt. Jim Fitton , the Coast Guard 's sector commander in Miami , Florida . `` With smugglers , you have the potential for this because smugglers are n't interested in people 's welfare . They 're interested in making money . '' The boat capsized about 15 miles east of Boynton Beach , Florida , some time around 2 a.m. Wednesday , the Coast Guard said . The agency was notified more than nine hours later by someone who saw the boat . There were women and children on the boat , Fitton said . A pregnant woman was taken to a hospital , while most of the victims remained onboard a Coast Guard cutter that was being used in the continuing rescue efforts , he said . Only eight of the people rescued by Wednesday afternoon were wearing life jackets . The Rev. Luke Harrigan , a Ft. Lauderdale , Florida , pastor to members of the Haitian community who is working with the Coast Guard , said he is contacting family members of the victims who were killed . `` Most of them now did n't even know they were coming to the United States , '' he said . `` Sometimes the person organizing the trip does n't even tell them where they are going . '' He said it 's not uncommon for smugglers to charge people from the impoverished island nation as much as $ 4,000 for passage into the United States . Coast Guard rescuers were continuing to search the area of the crash Wednesday evening . | Coast Guard rescues 26 ; searchers unsure how many others missing . Almost all of the victims are believed to be from Haiti and the Bahamas . Boat capsized about 15 miles east of Boynton Beach , Florida . | [[56, 100], [201, 290], [222, 263], [485, 540], [547, 613], [2002, 2090], [291, 332], [336, 362], [291, 316], [330, 362], [145, 200], [201, 290], [941, 995]] |
MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Spanish court convicted four men Tuesday but acquitted 10 others of charges that they helped four suspects from the Madrid train bombings to flee . The rush-hour train bombings killed 191 people and wounded 1,800 others . The National Court convicted Kamal Ahbar , 31 , of Algeria , and Samir Tahtah , 32 , of Morocco , of belonging to an Islamic terrorist group , and sentenced them to nine years in prison , according to a 136-page court ruling . The court also convicted Mohamed El Idrissi , 32 , of Morocco , of collaborating with a terrorist group and sentenced him to five years . Tarek Hamed Hamu , 30 , a Spaniard from Spain 's enclave of Ceuta on Morocco 's north coast , was convicted of document forgery and sentenced to two years . But 10 other men , from Morocco , Algeria or Spain 's Ceuta , were acquitted . Most were arrested in June 2005 , a year after the Madrid commuter train bombings in March 2004 that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 . In June 2005 , police closed in on a rundown locale , the court said , in a Barcelona suburb , on suspicion it was a hive for Islamic terrorist recruitment , indoctrination and logistical support to move men to Iraq to fight against western forces there , including as suicide bombers . Prosecutors said the group helped four train bombing suspects flee . But one was later caught and convicted in Morocco ; another was thought to have died in Iraq , while a third was among seven key train bomb suspects who blew themselves up in Madrid suburb as police closed in on their hideout a month after the train bombings . | Four men convicted of helping Madrid bombing suspects flee . Ten others acquitted by Spain 's National Court . March 11 , 2004 , attacks killed 191 people and wounded 1,800 . | [[34, 76], [1295, 1363], [1312, 1363], [9, 30], [81, 164], [784, 839], [842, 858], [184, 230], [184, 212], [235, 257], [944, 954], [960, 977], [982, 1007]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hundreds of Indian army troops were using helicopters and boats Wednesday to deliver supplies and rescue villagers stranded by the worst flooding in decades , after the Kosi River breached an embankment in Nepal to the north . The death toll in the hard-to-reach Bihar state in northeastern India has been difficult to determine . Bihar emergency management official K.K. Agarwal confirmed 10 deaths to CNN on Wednesday , but the news agency Press Trust of India -LRB- PTI -RRB- reported 55 . Phone lines and electricity are out in the flooded areas . In the Supaul district city of Birpur , Mohd Rauffudin 's hopes were fading . He told IBN -- a CNN partner station in India -- that while he was trying to stay afloat , he lost contact with his wife and children , as well as his nine brothers and his parents . `` I wish the help had reached -LRB- us -RRB- on time . That way at least my children could have been safe , '' he said . A woman who called herself Ruby told IBN her baby has been sick for four days , she ca n't reach medical help and she has lost track of her family . `` My child is so ill . I can not do a thing about it . I wonder what I did wrong that my child must suffer , '' the mother said . The flooding began when the river burst through an embankment in Nepal more than a week ago , swallowing villages and destroying about 225,000 homes , officials and UNICEF India said . Water flowed so forcefully from the breach that the river changed course , making a new channel about 75 miles -LRB- 120km -RRB- east of its river bed , flooding areas unaccustomed to water that high . Watch survivors find safety on roofs '' Agarwal said the disaster affected about 2 million people and 725 villages in Bihar , India 's poorest state . Ninety-five relief shelters had been set up , 44 health-care camps and 22 shelters for animals , he said . Army spokesman Lt. Col. A. K. Mathur said 400 troops were involved in rescue operations , and the military had dispatched at least 20 rescue boats . Three army helicopters were dropping thousands of food packets , he said . PTI reported earlier in the day that bad weather had prevented Indian air force choppers from conducting relief drops in the worst-hit districts of Bihar : Supaul , Saharsa , Araria and Madhepura . Officials told CNN it was the worst flooding in Bihar in 80 years . Watch more on people stranded '' The Kosi is known to Indians as the `` River of Sorrow '' because of its flooding during the monsoon season , which lasts from June to September . The river flows into the Hindu-revered Ganges River . Video has shown residents huddled atop low-rise buildings , standing in waist-high water in the streets and trying to escape in boats . The flooding has submerged roads and railway tracks , and cut off electricity . | Indian army troops use helicopters , boats to deliver supplies , rescue villagers . NEW : Survivor says he lost wife , children , parents , nine brothers . India says more than 2 million affected , 225,000 homes destroyed by flooding . Ninety-five relief shelters and 44 health-care camps set up . | [[0, 33], [56, 151], [1987, 2045], [721, 755], [758, 849], [1252, 1400], [1370, 1423], [1679, 1789], [1692, 1762], [1790, 1833]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police in San Bernardino , California , released pictures of two suspects in the abduction of a 3-year-old boy who was taken at gunpoint from his home last weekend . Authorities say these men purchased tape from a store and used it 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez 's abduction . Briant Rodriguez has been missing since May 3 , when two Hispanic males armed with handguns burst into the home , tied him up , along with his mother and four siblings . They ransacked the home before leaving with Briant , a small amount of cash and some personal property , San Bernardino County Sheriff 's Public Information Officer Cindy Beavers said . A motive for the abduction is still unclear , and the authorities have not received a demand for ransom , Beavers said . Investigators traced samples of the tape used to tie up the family to a home improvement store where they believe the suspects purchased the tape the Friday before the abduction . The unidentified store 's surveillance camera captured two men who matched the description of the kidnappers given by Briant 's mother , purchasing tape believed to have been used in the abduction , Beavers said . The home improvement store 's exterior surveillance cameras also caught a green Ford Bronco believed to have been used in the abduction , Beavers said . The same car was later seen driving past a convenience store near Briant 's home about three minutes after his mother called police on Sunday to report the abduction , Beavers said . Authorities distributed screen grabs of the footage on Friday showing the suspects and the vehicle in an effort to draw more tips , which have been coming in steadily since an Amber Alert was issued earlier this week . `` You 've got two men that resemble the description given by Briant 's mother , they 're buying tape that matches the tape used to tie them up , then they leave the store in this green Bronco and then on Sunday , just a few minutes before the emergency call for help , the same vehicle is seen leaving the victims ' neighborhood , '' she said . `` Detectives put these two incidents together , and they 're confident that these are the suspects and that was the vehicle used , '' she said . Both suspected kidnappers are Hispanic males -- one 5-feet , 5 inches tall , between the ages of 18 and 20 with a thin build , unknown hair and eye color , last seen wearing a black baseball hat , blue jeans and green T-shirt . The other is 5-foot-10 , around age 24 with a thin build , black boots , a black shirt and a bandanna . Neighboring law enforcement agencies are on alert , and the FBI , Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol are assisting in the investigation . The FBI and the San Bernardino County Sheriff 's Department have both put up $ 25,000 rewards for Briant 's return . The FBI has also established a Facebook page with the latest information in the case . `` We became involved in the beginning and that 's customary in kidnapping cases because of the potential for cases to go out of state or out of the country , '' FBI Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said . Despite early speculation that the abduction was related to Mexican cartel violence , both spokeswomen said they were unaware of specific evidence suggesting the family had ties to the drug trade . `` We 've seen an escalation nationwide in south-of-the-border-related kidnappings , whether it be drug cartels exacting revenge or carrying out violence in exchange for drug debts , or in another type of scenario , Americans who do business in Mexico being targeted for ransom , '' Eimiller said . `` Of course that 's being looked at as a scenario here , but we have no conclusive evidence suggesting that 's the case just yet . '' Briant is described in the Amber Alert as a Hispanic male who was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with blue sleeves and blue-striped shorts with two different colors of blue . The boy 's hair is longer than shoulder length . | Tape used in abduction leads police to store where suspects seen purchasing item . Police : Surveillance footage also captures green Ford Bronco used in kidnapping . Briant Rodriguez , 3 , was abducted at gunpoint in armed robbery last weekend . For tips in case call the FBI : 1-866-346-7632 . | [[185, 293], [201, 238], [1088, 1147], [1165, 1224], [1230, 1256], [1237, 1268], [1237, 1256], [1266, 1300], [110, 129], [134, 184], [185, 196], [243, 293]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The days of being cut off from the Internet while you 're on a plane are quickly disappearing . An American Airlines passenger uses Wi-Fi to access the Internet during a flight . A number of domestic airlines have recently begun offering Wi-Fi Internet access aboard planes , and other airlines say they are working toward making it happen . `` This is the year '' for Wi-Fi on planes , said Jack Blumenstein , president and CEO of Aircell , whose Gogo ® Inflight Internet service provides access on Delta Air Lines , American Airlines , AirTran and Virgin America flights , and will begin testing on United flights later this year . Gogo is installed on more than 200 commercial planes , and Blumenstein said he expected 1,200 aircraft to have Gogo capability by the end of 2009 . For now , Wi-Fi on domestic carriers ' planes is limited to flights within North America . Gogo , which operates by transmitting signals from ground-level towers , functions across the United States and up to about 300 miles offshore . The company 's access will cover the entire continent within a year or two , Blumenstein said . Row 44 , which uses satellite technology to provide connectivity to Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines , already covers much of North America and will roll out trans-Atlantic and European service in the third quarter of this year , said the company 's CEO , John Guidon . Neither company would release the exact cost of turning airplanes into Wi-Fi hot spots . But Blumenstein said Aircell managed to equip a plane for `` substantially '' less than $ 100,000 . Row 44 , which bills itself as the `` industrial-strength solution '' to airplane connectivity , costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per plane , Guidon said . Another company , LiveTV , is a subsidiary of JetBlue that provides free e-mail and messaging aboard flights but does n't offer open Web surfing . LiveTV , which uses air-to-ground technology , provides the service on select JetBlue flights and also is working with Frontier Airlines on offering Internet access aboard its planes . The Wi-Fi venture has the potential to be `` very profitable , '' said Harlan Platt , an airline industry expert and professor of finance at Northeastern University in Boston , Massachusetts . `` Normally , air carriers rush to purchase capital equipment that raises their cost but does n't raise their revenue . ... This is actually a revenue-producing tactic . And it 's a good one because it 's providing value to the passenger and it 's creating incremental revenues for the airline , '' Platt said . Aircell , which shares its revenue from Gogo with the airlines , charges $ 9.95 for flights under three hours , $ 12.95 for flights longer than three hours and $ 7.95 to use a Wi-Fi capable handheld device for any flight length . Passengers can begin using the service once the plane reaches 10,000 feet . If the plane remains in flight for longer than three hours as part of a delay , passengers do not pay the higher fee , Blumenstein said . Platt believes that business model will evolve to entice more passengers to use it . The size of those fees could result in `` a whole segment of the market that they 're not going to capture , '' said Platt . The airlines will maximize their profits by convincing more passengers to use the system with a lower price , he said . Platt predicted Aircell and the airlines would create a second tier of service , which would be less expensive but with fewer capabilities . He compared the strategy to airlines ' price-reducing tactics to avoid empty seats on planes . As Aircell and Row 44 's services expand , LiveTV is monitoring passengers ' usage to gauge how to move ahead with its own business model , said Mike Moeller , vice president of sales and marketing for the company . `` Yes , broadband is coming . We 're sitting there asking , ` Who pays ? Is it the airlines or the customers ? And what will they pay ? What is the right technology ? ... When does all of this happen ? ' We 're in weird economic times , '' Moeller said . As for the possibility of passengers offending their seat-mates by surfing for inappropriate content , Blumenstein said nine months of Wi-Fi availability on American yielded no such incidents . Still , airlines including American , Delta and United have requested screening for potentially offensive content , he said . On the other hand , Alaska Airlines , which uses Row 44 , does not plan on using the company 's content-blocking capabilities . Instead , flight attendants will follow standard protocol for objectionable material -- they 'll ask passengers to stow it away , said Bobbie Egan , an airline spokeswoman . Here is what major U.S. airlines offer , and what is coming up : . | Many domestic airlines have begun offering Wi-Fi Internet access aboard planes . Provider Aircell expects to have 1,200 planes equipped by the end of this year . Another company , Row 44 , says it will have trans-Atlantic Wi-Fi in the third quarter . | [[151, 197], [198, 241], [248, 292], [198, 227], [233, 292], [712, 800], [1133, 1139], [1283, 1366]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly , a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence , Saudi media reported Sunday . It is OK to slap Saudi women who spend too much , a judge has told an audience . Arab News , a Saudi English-language daily newspaper based in Riyadh , reported that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that `` if a person gives SR 1,200 -LSB- $ 320 -RSB- to his wife and she spends 900 riyals -LSB- $ 240 -RSB- to purchase an abaya -LSB- the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear -RSB- from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action , she deserves that punishment . '' Women in the audience immediately and loudly protested Al-Razine 's statement , and were shocked to learn the remarks came from a judge , the newspaper reported . Arab News reported that Al-Razine made his remark as he was attempting to explain why incidents of domestic violence had increased in Saudi Arabia . He said that women and men shared responsibility , but added that `` nobody puts even a fraction of blame '' on women , the newspaper said . Al-Razine `` also pointed out that women 's indecent behavior and use of offensive words against their husbands were some of the reasons for domestic violence in the country , '' it added . Domestic violence , which used to be a taboo subject in the conservative kingdom , has become a hot topic in recent years . Groups like the National Family Safety Program have campaigned to educate the public about the problem and help prevent domestic abuse . Saudi women 's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider told CNN that Saudi women routinely face such attitudes . `` This is how men in Saudi Arabia see women , '' she said in a telephone interview from the Saudi city of Dahran . `` It 's not something they read in a book or learned from a friend . They 've been raised to see women this way , that they 're less than a person . '' Al-Huwaider added that `` I 'm not surprised to see a judge or a religious man saying that - they 've been raised in the same culture - a culture that tells them it 's ok to raise your hand to a woman that this works . '' Another Saudi judge , in the city of Onaiza , was the source of a separate recent controversy : he twice denied a request from the mother of an 8-year-old girl that the girl be granted a divorce from her 47-year-old husband . Last month , after human-groups condemned the union , the girl was granted the divorce . | Husbands allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly , Saudi judge says . Women in the audience immediately and loudly protested his speech . Newspaper reports judge was trying to explain increase in domestic violence . | [[19, 59], [195, 211], [216, 230], [694, 715], [732, 771], [857, 1005], [881, 1005]] |
MOSCOW , Russia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Russia expressed interest in using Cuban airfields during patrol missions of its strategic bombers , Russia 's Interfax news agency reported . `` There are four or five airfields in Cuba with 4,000-meter-long runways , which absolutely suit us , '' Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev told Interfax . Zhikharev , who is the chief of staff of the Russian Air Force 's long-range aviation , said , `` If the two chiefs of state display such a political will , we are ready to fly there . '' Zhikharev also told Interfax that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered a military airfield on La Orchila island as a temporary base for Russian strategic bombers . `` If a relevant political decision is made , this is possible , '' he said , according to Interfax . Zhikharev said he visited La Orchila in 2008 and can confirm that with minor reconstruction , the airfield owned by a local naval base can accept fully-loaded Russian strategic bombers . | `` We are ready to fly there , '' Russian Air Force official says . Cuba has four or five fields that suit Russia , military official says . Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also has offered a military airfield . | [[35, 133], [35, 133], [178, 251], [516, 525], [531, 687]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The last survivor of the Titanic , 97-year-old Millvina Dean , is auctioning off her remaining mementos of the doomed ship to pay nursing home bills . Millvina Dean , 97 , is trying to raise money so she can stay in the nursing home she prefers . The auction , which is expected to raise up to $ 50,000 for her , is set to take place Saturday near her home in England . It is the second auction in less than a year for Dean , who was a 9-week-old when the ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 . Among the items going under the hammer at Henry Aldridge & Son is a canvas bag that might have been used to lift the infant Dean from a lifeboat to a rescue ship , said Alan Aldridge of the auction house . `` Historical documents say she was lifted from the lifeboat onto Carpathia , the rescue ship , in a mail sack , '' Aldridge said . After her rescue , Dean , her mother and her brother returned to England with a canvas sack , among other possessions . `` There is speculation that this would have been the bag . It 's a leather and canvas bag . You would easily get a child or infant in it , '' Aldridge said , though he added that research by the Smithsonian , the British Postal Museum and the Liverpool Maritime Museum showed no proof that Dean had been taken off the lifeboat in that particular bag . Given that the auctioneer can not prove Dean was rescued in the bag , `` we expect it to fetch # 3,000 -LRB- $ 4,480 -RRB- . If it was the bag she was rescued in , it would be # 30,000 to # 40,000 , -LRB- $ 44,800 to $ 60,000 -RRB- , but we ca n't prove it . It depends on what people are prepared to believe . '' Aldridge said he was eager to raise as much for Dean as possible . `` She 's in a residential nursing home . She 's 97 years of age . She 's paying # 3,000 a month in nursing home fees , '' he said -- the amount he hopes her canvas bag will sell for . `` As she said , # 3,000 a month is # 36,000 a year , which is a lot of money , '' he said . `` When she runs out of money , the state will pay fees for her , but while she can pay her fees , she decides where she gets her care . When the state pays , they decide . '' Dean 's previous sale , in October , raised just over # 30,000 , Aldridge said . `` It 's made a lot of people aware of her plight ; a lot of people have sent her funds , '' he said . Dean never married and had no children . `` There are cousins , but there is no one directly to support her , '' Aldridge said . `` The property she lived in -LSB- before she moved to the nursing home -RSB- was not hers . She 's just an ordinary little old lady . `` If she 's lucky , she 'll get another four or five years ; she 's quite a fit lady , '' he said . Dean was not available to speak to CNN herself because of a throat infection , Aldridge said . The auction will include 17 items from her collection , most of them memorabilia related to the Titanic and signed by her but not from the ship itself . The auction , in Devizes , southwest England , will also include a collection of letters from the estate of Titanic survivor Barbara Dainton-West , estimated to fetch # 40,000 to # 60,000 -LRB- $ 60,000 to $ 90,000 -RRB- . The letters include descriptions of her family 's trip to board the Titanic and the immediate aftermath of the sinking . Dainton-West , who was 10 months old when the ship went down , died in October 2007 , the auctioneer said . | 97-year-old was 9 weeks old when Titanic sank in 1912 . Saturday 's auction is expected to raise up to $ 50,000 for her . Letters from estate of another survivor will also be on the block . | [[455, 459], [466, 482], [1767, 1791], [283, 346], [349, 405], [2976, 2987], [3124, 3198], [2976, 3000], [3023, 3121]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tino Schaedler is an architect-turned-digital design artist whose groundbreaking work has been seen in `` Charlie and the Chocolate Factory '' and `` Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix . '' Tino Schaedler , Jean-Lucien Gay and Michael J. Brown talk about design , virtuality and the future . Schaedler 's next film project is `` Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time , '' a fantasy epic starring Jake Gyllenhaal and due in 2010 . In 2007 he joined with Michael J. Brown and Jean-Lucien Gay to found NAU , a cross-disciplinary design collective positioned between architecture and film . CNN talked to Schaedler and his NAU colleagues , as well as collaborator Ken Leung , a graphic designer . CNN : You have said that graphic design is very powerful . Can you explain why ? TS : I think graphic design , for us , is very important as it helps to break down very complex information into digestible , easy-to-understand buttons or whatever . In the world we 're living in , we 're flooded with information and need someone to almost kind of channel it and create signs that we can read . That 's why I think graphic design becomes more important , the more complex our world becomes . CNN : Can you explain the work that NAU does ? TS : NAU is a company that I founded with Michael and Jean-Lucien , friends from the architect firm I worked at . I guess we all wanted to collaborate , and me being interested in drifting back from the world of architecture to the world of film , I guess Michael and Jean-Lucien had something to offer . They usually take over the architectural side of things and I can be more free and visionary . I push them further with the kind of ideas I come up with and at the same time they make my ideas real . JLG : The idea was really to create a label , a structure that could cope with all the different locations that we 're working from . It 's also about the idea of remote collaboration . CNN : How important is it for you to collaborate with people ? TS : For me , working with Ken has been like adding a whole new layer to the 3D worlds that I 'm designing . I always liked the combination of high-end 3D graphics and subtle 2D graphics . I think for me , collaboration is also about creating situations that we 'll both profit from . Also there are new tools we use that are a combination of Skype , video conferencing and Photoshop which allow you to do a video conference , which allow me to use a sketchpad that the other person can see . We can sketch correspondingly with each other and create something although we are not sitting in the same office . KL : Working with Tino , I 've seen my work transformed into 3D . My background is print and magazines , so in this sense , things come alive , they move , it makes it real . CNN : How does architecture tie in with digital or 3D design ? TS : You need two images and through the images you can interpolate the architectural spatial design which creates a 3D model ... that technique also comes into film because it is photogrammetry , -LRB- a way of measuring 2D or 3D objects from photo-grammes or photographs as well as electronic imagery . -RRB- . CNN : Did n't the makers of `` The Matrix '' use similar technology ? TS : They basically just have the actress -LSB- Carrie-Ann Moss -RSB- up in the air and they take a photograph each at the same time so that 's why she 's in that movement ... the camera moves around her but she does n't move because its all different shots so you stretch the whole experience in two or three seconds . We 're doing something similar on -LSB- the film -RSB- `` Prince of Persia '' that I 've just finished . We record some action with five cameras ... from these five images they recreate the actors as 3D objects and then project according to which angle . It 's fascinating what kind of technology is out there . CNN : Can you define the relationship between working as architects and still working on a project like the Cocoon ? MB : For us , it 's less about the physical infrastructure that you are creating and more about the spaces and the experiences that you have there . In that sense I see a development of designers who are working across many media . CNN : Let 's talk more about the Cocoon . What is it ? TS : I actually had the idea for the Cocoon when I was walking down Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon . We know how manic it can be when everyone is shopping . I thought it would be brilliant to have something like a telephone booth that could help me disappear from the madness and allow me to relax or walk through the Amazon or let me sleep under a starry sky or whatever . You also have to see it like a retreat , it 's to chill out . MB : I think the important elements for us were to be able to ask , `` Can I communicate with this piece through physical actions that are not so much tied to moving my fingers across the keyboard , but are much more about how I walk down the street , how I wave to people . '' How can I break down the barrier which is typically this sort of 2D screen between me and this digital world ? CNN : Will we end up wired to computers and never see each other ? KL : It 's very different from gaming in the 80s . Then , you 'd go to a computer game parlor and sit in a car for example . This is kind of taking it one step further , you 're a bit more enclosed and the graphics are a lot better . I would n't be so daunted going into it . TS : For me , the true potential evolves more once the virtual information is completely freed from any medium that displays it . That 's actually not far from the Cocoon because the next big step is the interface - if I can interact with something that 's in front of me , I 'm also using my body and that 's also what the Cocoon is establishing . I see virtuality , once it 's fully unfolded , as contributing to the slowing process that puts us back in tune with ourselves . CNN : What appeals to you most about the Cocoon project ? KL : It 's almost like being in your own virtual world . You see people with their iPods . They want to be in their own worlds , this is taking it one step further . But the good thing is you 're using your whole body and almost becoming part of it . TS : I think -LSB- the Cocoon -RSB- frees virtuality from the computer . I 've been dealing with this concept for probably ten years , because it was a big theme in architecture in the 90s . Everyone was afraid that architecture would disappear and be completely replaced by virtuality . I think it 's got such amazing potential to make the world so much more exciting . When we think about our childhoods or watching `` Star Trek '' - seeing people being beamed - there 's so much cool stuff and ideas ... the future is now . CNN : Is the world ready for it ? TS : I think it always takes some time to invent something , then for people to adapt it . I think with technology accelerating we also accelerate in the way that we adapt it so I think it 's always no problem to get used to that and to enjoy it as well . CNN : What role do you see the Cocoon playing in the real world ? TS : While working on the project , I read an article which talked about how in the future we would be much more limited in the way that we can physically travel . It will be a luxury to have a car or travel across countries and continents . It also mentioned that virtuality and Internet communication will be much more enhanced and will be even more importance . I think with the Cocoon and the technology that we propose in there , to travel to places , to work remotely , to have enhanced communication for remote shopping , will be even more important . Michael : For us the Cocoon is , I hope , the first step in trying to bring people a little bit more freedom from how they work and how they communicate . CNN : Do you think we 're getting better at it ? KL : I do . Personally , I loved the modernism of the 60s and 70s ; everything was boiled down and focused on central points . Now we 've got so many tricks with computers that we tend to go overboard , but I think the ideas are lacking and that people need to focus on the ideas first . I think we kind of share the same visual sensibility as well . Tino will send back a brief and I will send three options and we 'll narrow it down from there . We work together quite well . CNN : Is it weird being together ? TS : You know something like this always evolves . You start a project with certain expectations and I 've had other collaborations that do n't work that well and some where there 's kind of a chemistry where things kind of create a synergy and something evolves that you would not be able to do yourself . CNN : Ken , where do you see the future of entertainment from your perspective , from print and magazines as entertainment , what 's the future ? KL : Well I think there is a future in magazines , I think people still want to have time and space from all the rush of the world . To me , when I 'm on a plane , I 'm happy because I 'm not going to be interrupted by anyone and that 's kind of the same with the Cocoon . I think its kind of getting away from reality ; it 's just the need to get your thoughts together . | Tino Schaedler , colleagues talk about NAU , a remote collaboration project . They discuss the concept of virtual reality , 3D design and the Internet . Cocoon project is about being entertained in our own virtual world . | [[629, 711], [6009, 6060]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Margie Brandquist wears a framed photo of her sister , who died in a plane crash three months ago . Flowers are left at a makeshift memorial near the site of a plane crash in Clarence Center , New York , in February . Her sister , Mary Pettys , 51 , was engaged to be married when her Continental Connection Flight 3407 went down in icy conditions near Buffalo , New York . The flight , operated by regional carrier Colgan Air , plunged into a house in Clarence Center , killing all 49 people on board and one man in the house . Brandquist is one of several of the victims ' family members attending this week 's National Transportation Safety Board hearing on Capitol Hill . Brandquist wants to know why the pilot , who failed several flight tests before joining the airline , never received hands-on training with the emergency equipment that was activated before the crash . `` We put our lives in the hands of people that we assume that the -LSB- Federal Aviation Administration -RSB- and the airlines are properly training , '' she told CNN 's Randi Kaye . The safety board resumed its three-day hearing Wednesday . Watch hearing consider whether crash could have been avoided '' At Tuesday 's hearing , Colgan Air acknowledged that Capt. Marvin Renslow never trained on the `` stick pusher '' emergency system in a flight simulator . But in a written statement , the carrier said that both Renslow and First Officer Rebecca Shaw had received other specific training about how to handle situations like those that preceded the crash . It said that the company provides FAA-approved ground training and that `` Captain Renslow and First Officer Shaw had thorough initial and recurrent training '' on how to handle a stall . `` Captain Renslow and First Officer Shaw did know what to do , had repeatedly demonstrated they knew what to do , but did not do it , '' the statement said . `` We can not speculate on why they did not use their training in dealing with the situation they faced . '' Anne Marie Russo , whose daughter Madeline died in the crash , watched Tuesday 's televised hearing at a hotel in Newark , New Jersey , with other families who lost loved ones on the flight . `` This should not have happened , '' she said . `` These 50 people should be enjoying their life right now . '' She said she believes that cost-cutting measures by airlines may have been a factor in the crash . `` Maybe the training has to be more safer , more satisfactory for the public , '' she said . `` This is tragedy that happened to these 49 , 50 people , it could happen to any one of us . '' Dan Marzolf , who also lost a loved one in the crash , said the hearing was very technical , but he hopes `` to get to some conclusions . '' `` I really do hope good will come from these meetings , '' he told CNN 's affiliate in Buffalo , WGRZ . On Tuesday , the safety board investigators released a transcript of the cockpit voice recording from moments before the crash . The last sounds heard were Shaw saying , `` We 're '' and then screaming at 10:16 p.m. Seconds earlier , Renslow said , `` Jesus Christ '' as a sound `` similar to stick shaker , '' an emergency warning system , was heard , the transcript said . Renslow said , `` We 're down , '' and a thump was heard . About five minutes before the crash , Shaw had shared with Renslow her fear of flying in icy conditions . `` I do n't want to have to experience that and make those kinds of calls . You know , I 'd 've freaked out . I 'd 've had like seen this much ice and thought , ` oh , my gosh , we were going to crash , ' '' Shaw told Renslow . The safety board 's preliminary investigation determined that there was some ice accumulation on the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 aircraft but that `` icing had a minimal impact on the stall speed of the airplane . '' At Tuesday 's hearing , Colgan Air said Renslow , though not training physically on the `` stick pusher , '' received more training on it than the law requires . `` In the ground school portion , it is covered , '' said Paul Pryor , head of Colgan Air 's pilot training program . Such training is not required by the Federal Aviation Administration . `` That 's a significant problem , '' veteran pilot Douglas Moss said . Moss , an expert in stall recovery , believes that flight simulator practice with a stick pusher should be mandatory for aspiring pilots . `` It 's similar to picking up and throwing a ground ball in baseball . You can study it academically all you want to , but you really need to develop the proficiency , the skill , the muscle memory required to do that , '' Moss said . Since the accident , Colgan has added demonstrations of the technique on its flight simulator . `` This is one of a number of additions that Colgan has made to its training and safety programs in the wake of the accident , '' the statement said . Renslow had failed five pilot tests , known as check rides , three of which occurred before he joined the airline , Colgan Air said . Renslow had revealed only one of those failures to the airline , according to Colgan . Wally Warner , a Bombardier test pilot who testified Tuesday , said he believes that the pilot could have overcome the stall that caused the crash . `` Obviously , the initial reaction to the stall warning was incorrect , and that set the course of action for what followed , '' Warner said . CNN 's Allan Chernoff contributed to this report . | NEW : Airline says officers `` did know what to do ... but did not do it '' Families of victims of February crash near Buffalo , New York , watch hearing . Safety board hears that pilot got no simulator training on one safety device . FAA does n't require such training ; airline says pilot had classroom training . | [[1761, 1799], [1877, 1890], [591, 705], [1215, 1236], [1239, 1369], [4127, 4197]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Taliban spokesman issued a series of threats and ultimatums against Pakistani officials Wednesday as the country 's military continued its offensive against the militant group in the Swat Valley . Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan has courted local and international media in jovial telephone conversations . Speaking on the telephone with CNN , Muslim Khan announced that all national and provincial parliament members from the Malakand Division , the northwestern region where the Swat Valley is located , must resign within three days . `` Otherwise , we will arrest all their families , '' Khan threatened , `` and we will destroy all their buildings . '' The Taliban spokesman issued a separate directive aimed at prompting a public show of support for the militants from Pakistan 's Islamist political parties . `` All these parties must help the Taliban , '' Khan said . `` They must give a press conference to show the people that we need sharia -LSB- Islamic law -RSB- in the Malakand Division . '' Members of the Islamist party Jamaat-i-Islami have spoken out against the military 's offensive in the Swat Valley , but they have stopped short of announcing support for the Taliban . Watch more about the victims of the war '' Throughout the fighting over the past three weeks , the gray-bearded Khan has been the public face of the Taliban , enthusiastically courting local and international media in jovial telephone conversations . In an earlier phone interview with CNN , he described how he had spent four years living in the United States , working as a painter in the Boston , Massachusetts , area . On Wednesday , Khan denied reports from many refugees emerging from the Swat Valley that Taliban militants had carried out a campaign of violence and intimidation in the region for the past two years . Several terrified Swat residents , speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from the Taliban , described how insurgents kidnapped and killed their critics , beheaded government informers and blew up girls ' schools . Khan denied the accusations . `` We are killing the people which are only no good for society , like thieves and people who are making problem for the poor people , like people who are working for army , '' he said . `` We are only killing these people . '' On Tuesday , the Pakistani army announced that it had dropped special forces soldiers by helicopter into the Peochar area of Swat , which is thought to be the headquarters for the region 's Taliban 's leader , Maulana Fazliullah . Local media report that the Taliban have training camps in Peochar . Khan confirmed that Pakistani troops had attacked Peochar , which he described as a `` place for mujaheddin , '' or holy warriors . The Taliban spokesman said militants and soldiers have been fighting in the mountains around Peochar since Tuesday , and that the clashes continue . He said two Taliban fighters had been killed so far in the battle , along with five Pakistani troops . Meanwhile Wednesday , Taliban militants attacked NATO supply terminals , torching at least 10 supply trucks in northern Pakistan , local officials said . About 70 Taliban fighters attacked the facility in Peshawar , police said . A gunfight ensued between the insurgents and police . No casualties were reported . Peshawar is the capital of the North West Frontier Province , which intelligence officials say is rife with Islamic extremists and has been the site of recent clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants . Because Afghanistan is landlocked , many supplies for NATO-led troops fighting Islamic militants there must be trucked in from Pakistan . Convoys carrying food and military supplies have regularly come under attack in the area . Journalist Janullah Hashimzada contributed to this report . | Taliban spokesman threaten Pakistan 's ruling political class . Muslim Khan says leaders from Swat Valley must resign within three days . Meanwhile artillery and helicopters pound Taliban targets in Swat Valley . Taliban attack NATO supply terminals , torch at least 10 supply trucks . | [[546, 577], [143, 238], [3052, 3100], [3052, 3069], [3103, 3158], [3699, 3789]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- His was one of the first photos of a missing child to appear on a milk carton . Almost 30 years later , Etan Patz is still missing . Etan Patz , 6 , disappeared while walking to a school bus stop . It was the first time he 'd gone alone . Etan was 6 when he disappeared on May 25 , 1979 , the Friday before Memorial Day . He was on his way to school in what is now the upscale Soho neighborhood of New York . It was the first time he 'd walked to the bus stop by himself . It was just a few blocks away . Etan , like any 6-year-old , argued that all of his friends walked to the bus stop alone , and his parents relented . His mother , Julie Patz , learned that Etan had n't been in classes when he failed to return home . She called the school at 3:30 p.m. , then called the homes of all his friends . When no one had seen Etan , she called police and filed a missing person 's report . By evening more than 100 police officers and searchers had gathered with bloodhounds . The search continued for weeks , but no clues to Etan 's whereabouts were found . Watch an update on the case '' The boy 's disappearance was one of the key events that inspired the missing children 's movement , which raised awareness of child abductions and led to new ways to search for missing children . Etan 's case was the first of the milk carton campaigns of the mid-1980s . `` In our minds there were only two possibilities , '' said Stan Patz , the boy 's father . `` Either Etan was taken by a stranger and killed or he was taken by a very sad woman desperate for a child of her own , and we hoped that such a woman would at least take care of him and keep him safe . '' Patz lived with this hope until 1982 , when he learned of Jose Antonio Ramos ' arrest and the surprising connection between him and a former babysitter of Etan 's . Ramos was a drifter who in 1979 lived in Alphabet City , a neighborhood not far from Soho . In 1982 he was arrested after boys in a neighborhood in the Bronx complained that he had stolen their book bags while trying to coax them into a drainpipe under a bridge , where he lived , said the Patzes and federal prosecutor Stuart GraBois , who spent years investigating the case . When police found Ramos in his drainpipe home , they found he had many photographs of small blond boys . They noticed that they looked a lot like Etan Patz , according to author Lisa R Cohen 's book about the case , `` After Etan : The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive . '' Bronx police questioned Ramos , and he denied having anything to do with Etan 's disappearance . But he did tell police that his girlfriend used to baby-sit for the boy , GraBois said . Prosecutors in the Bronx and Manhattan pursued this lead , but concluded they did not have enough evidence to connect Ramos to Etan 's disappearance , GraBois and a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney 's Office said . Ramos was released when the parents of the Bronx boys chose not to press charges against him , according to published reports . He left town and disappeared for six years -- until GraBois reviewed Etan 's case . GraBois said he focused on Ramos as the prime suspect . GraBois said he learned in 1988 that Ramos had been arrested and convicted of child molestation and was serving time in a Pennsylvania prison . GraBois said he brought Ramos to New York for questioning and surprised him with the question : `` How many times did you have sex with Etan Patz ? '' Ramos told GraBois that he 'd taken a little boy to an apartment he had on the lower East Side on the same day that Etan went missing . `` He was 90 percent sure it was the same he 'd seen in the news that was missing , '' GraBois said . According to GraBois , Ramos claimed he released the boy and brought him to a subway station so the boy could go visit his aunt in Washington Heights . `` Etan did not have an aunt in Washington Heights , '' GraBois said . When questioned further , Ramos refused to say anything more and asked for a lawyer , according to GraBois . Ramos is serving a 10 - to 20-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania . He is scheduled to be released in November 2012 , GraBois said . GraBois said he had Ramos transferred to a federal prison , and planted informants as his cell mates . He would n't go into detail about what Ramos might have told them , but said he 's convinced he 's eyeing the right suspect . GraBois turned over his evidence to the Manhattan District Attorney 's Office , but prosecutors have not brought charges . They say that without a body , they do n't have enough evidence . Etan 's case is still considered by the NYPD to be a cold case . Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Etan Patz or that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for his disappearance is asked to call the FBI/NYPD Etan Patz hotline : 212-384-2200 . | Boy , 6 , begged his parents to let him walk to school bus stop for first time . He never showed up at school in Manhattan 's Soho neighborhood . Etan Patz disappeared on May 25 , 1979 . Know something ? Call the FBI/NYPD Etan Patz hotline : 212-384-2200 . | [[437, 500], [444, 500], [350, 352], [381, 436], [267, 314], [3593, 3605], [3611, 3630], [4682, 4880]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three years ago , the film based on Dan Brown 's novel `` The Da Vinci Code '' was the focus of protest and controversy , with a Vatican archbishop calling for a boycott and Catholics at many levels refuting plot points . From left , actors Tom Hanks , Ayelet Zurer and Ewan McGregor join director Ron Howard at the film 's premier . But when it comes to the new film based on a Brown novel , `` Angels & Demons , '' star Tom Hanks says talk of controversy is much ado about nothing . `` Everybody is looking for some scandal whether a scandal exists or not , '' Hanks said of the film . `` I think a kind of natural reaction is now that somehow because it 's the second Robert Langdon mystery that there is some degree of controversy over it . And there is really not . '' The movie ventures into similar waters as its predecessor , `` The Da Vinci Code , '' with Hanks reprising the role of Robert Langdon , a Harvard symbology expert , and conspiracy theories galore . It also reunites the Academy Award-winning actor with director Ron Howard , who helmed `` Da Vinci , '' and teams Hanks with actor Ewan McGregor and Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer . While `` The Da Vinci Code '' centered on the complex investigation of a murder in the Louvre and the theory that a marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene produced descendants , the new film features a murder at the Vatican and a secret and powerful society known as the `` Illuminati . '' McGregor , known for his role as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the `` Star Wars '' films , said that while `` The Da Vinci Code '' and `` Angels & Demons '' are inextricably linked , the latter can stand on its own . `` If I thought -LSB- Angels & Demons -RSB- was pinned to ` The Da Vinci Code ' in some way then it would 've been a lesser script to read and it was n't , '' McGregor said . `` It 's a standalone movie ... it 's not relevant whether you 've seen ` Da Vinci Code ' or not . '' Both films , like the Brown novels they 're based on , have been met with criticism for their melding of history and storytelling . `` I have a strong objection to the genre of mixing fact with fiction , '' said Bill Donohue , president of the Catholic League . `` You 've got -LSB- Dan -RSB- Brown , -LSB- Ron -RSB- Howard and -LSB- Tom -RSB- Hanks in the movie all alleging that the Illuminati was this secret society which was brutalized by the Catholic Church in the 1600s . '' `` It 's all a lie , '' Donohue said . '' -LSB- The Illuminati -RSB- never even existed until May 1 , 1776 , but they have to pitch it back into the 1600s so they can trot out their favorite victim , Galileo . What happens is you get the audience thinking ` Well , maybe it 's not all true , but probably some of it is true . ' '' Ted Baehr , founder of Movieguide and the Christian Film & Television Commission , first issued an advisory alert about the film in April and reiterated it days before the movie 's May 15 release . `` Now that we 've previewed ` Angels & Demons , ' Movieguide has decided to keep in effect our caution alert , '' Baehr said . `` Faith is often denied throughout the movie . '' Director Howard wrote in the The Huffington Post that he believes Donohue is on a mission `` to paint me and the movie I directed , ` Angels & Demons , ' as anti-Catholic , '' a claim Howard emphatically denies . The director told CNN that he attempted to reach out to the Catholic Church regarding the film , but had no success . He also downplayed reports that Rome and the Vatican tried to hinder filming . Hanks said shooting the movie in the ancient city was complicated given the vibrancy of Rome . At one point , Hanks said , make-believe collided with one woman 's fairy tale . `` We had a lady showing up who was getting married at the Pantheon and she had to get married and we had to get our shot , '' Hanks said . `` She showed up right between shots , when we were moving cameras . '' Fortunately , both the wedding and the day 's filming were able to be completed , Hanks said . McGregor said Howard was to be credited for how well the production came together . Howard 's background as an actor undoubtedly helped enhance the actors ' performances , McGregor said . `` A lot of directors are able to tell you what they 're after , but Ron 's able to tell you what he 's after and help you for how you might play that ... which is kind of total directing , '' McGregor said . Zurer said she had a blast being the only female lead in the film . Viewers should see the film for what it is , she said , and not focus on the controversy . `` It 's fun fiction , '' she said . `` It 's a fun movie to watch , it 's thrilling and that 's what I saw in it . '' CNN 's Lisa Respers France contributed to this story . | Tom Hanks stars in `` Angels & Demons , '' a sequel to `` The Da Vinci Code '' Fellow cast mate Ewan McGregor says latest film is a standalone . Like earlier film , `` Angels & Demons '' has been attacked for mix of fact and fiction . Catholic League president : `` It 's all a lie '' | [[1464, 1472], [1551, 1676], [1954, 1988], [2009, 2085], [2437, 2454]] |
MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An internationally known Catholic priest who was shown in photographs last week embracing a bathing-suit-clad woman on a Florida beach has admitted they had a two-year affair . The Rev. Alberto Cutie was removed from his duties after pictures showed him bare-chested with a woman . The Rev. Alberto Cutie -- sometimes called `` Father Oprah '' because of the advice he gave on Spanish-language media -- said Monday on CBS ' `` Early Show '' that he is in love with the woman and is considering his options : Whether to break up with her or leave the priesthood and marry her . The woman , who has not been publicly identified , wants to get married , Cutie said . The priest was removed from his duties last week at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach , Florida , and on the Radio Paz and Radio Peace networks . `` I take full responsibility for what I did , and I know it 's wrong , '' he said Monday . The photos of the Cuban-American priest , also known as `` Padre Alberto , '' appeared on the cover of last week 's TV Notas magazine and on eight inside pages . The cover says in Spanish : `` Good God ! Padre Alberto . First photos of a priest ` in flagrante ' with his lover . '' Other media outlets throughout Latin America , including the official Notimex news agency in Mexico , picked up the story , and it became an Internet sensation . Cutie has millions of followers in the Spanish-speaking world . In a message posted on the Miami , Florida , archdiocese Web page last week , Archbishop John C. Favalora apologized to parishioners and radio listeners for what he called a `` scandal . '' `` Father Cutie made a promise of celibacy and all priests are expected to fulfill that promise with the help of God , '' Favalora said . `` Father Cutie 's actions can not be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest . '' Cutie expressed his regret in an online statement last week and again Monday on the CBS program . `` I deeply apologize to the Catholic community and especially to my bishop and to my brother priests who are faithful and who are committed to celibacy , '' Cutie said . The priest said he believes in celibacy but thinks it should be optional . He said he had never had a sexual relationship with anyone other than the woman since leaving the seminary 15 years ago . Watch Father Cutie question the celibacy requirement '' `` I do n't support the breaking of the celibacy promise , '' Cutie said . `` I understand fully that this is wrong . `` I do n't want to be the anti-celibacy priest . I think that 's unfortunate , '' he said . `` I think it 's a debate that 's going on in our society , and now I 've become kind of a poster boy for it . But I do n't want to be that . I believe that celibacy is good , and that it 's a good commitment to God . This is something I 've struggled with . And something that I never expected to become a public debate . '' He also talked about the woman , saying they have been friends for a long time and the attraction was there from early on , but it was not acted on until a couple of years ago . They have `` both struggled '' with the relationship , he said . `` She 's also a woman of faith , '' Cutie said . `` She 's also somebody who cares about the priesthood , who cares about these things . So it has n't been easy . And those who have helped me through this process know it has n't been easy . Obviously , you know , through the photos , it looked like a frivolous thing on the beach , you know , and that 's not what it is . It 's something deeper than that . '' Cutie was the first Catholic priest to host a daily talk show on a major secular television network , his information on the LinkedIn online professional network says . In addition to his TV and radio appearances , he has written newspaper advice columns and a self-help book , `` Real Life , Real Love . '' Before being removed , he was president and general director of Pax Catholic Communications , home of Radio Paz and Radio Peace in Miami . | Catholic priest was removed from duties in Miami archdiocese . The Rev. Alberto Cutie says he is in love with the woman , considering his options . He and the woman `` both struggled '' with the relationship , he said . | [[699, 787], [317, 339], [514, 540], [2841, 2881], [3127, 3179], [3182, 3191]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The fifth and final phase of India 's marathon general election to choose a federal government ended Wednesday . Indians voters hold up their voter ID cards at a polling station in northern India . Home to about 714 million voters , India is now due to hold a single-day vote count Saturday for 543 seats in the lower house of its parliament . India 's election commission spokesman Rajesh Malhotra told CNN that a 62 percent voter turnout was recorded in the last phase of polling Wednesday . Voting in the month-long exercise was spread across 28 states and seven federal territories . Stock markets closed 138.4 points down -- as voting drew to a close Wednesday -- apparently over fears of political uncertainty ahead . Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 's Congress party , which came to power in 2004 as head of a communist-backed coalition , is seeking re-election . The party mainly faces opposition from an alliance led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party . Watch more about one village refusing to vote '' Over the years , regional parties have emerged as key players in government formation in India , creating a situation in which federal power is now shared by a coalition of groups . Last year , Singh 's Congress party lost the support of the communists , who opposed India 's civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States . The party was able to survive primarily with the backing of a powerful regional party . | Voting in the month-long exercise was spread across 28 states . India is scheduled to hold the vote count on Saturday . Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 's Congress party seeking re-election . | [[531, 564], [531, 624], [270, 380], [761, 808], [881, 905]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chester French is giving its music away . Chester French , Max Drummey , left , and D.A. Wallach are earning buzz as a band to watch . Go to the duo 's Web site and you can scoop up an entirely free `` athletic-themed '' album . The idea is that you 'll be so impressed by the free stuff , you 'll feel inspired to buy the band 's official debut album , `` Love The Future '' -LRB- Star Trak/Interscope -RRB- , which came out last month . `` We 're doing something that 's never been done by a band before , '' says lead singer D.A. Wallach . `` It 's great because when you put out free music , people can spread it around as much as they want . And right now as we 're just trying to expose ourselves to more people . Every new supporter helps . '' The band has even come up with a fancy name for its fans : `` VIP Concierge Service . '' So who are these two clever , skinny dudes who jokingly claim to `` put in a lot of burn at the gym '' ? Wallach and Max Drummey met at Harvard , but found music to be more interesting than their studies . Fortunately for them , sought-after producer Pharrell Williams liked what he heard and signed the group to his label . So far things seems to be working out for Chester French -LRB- named for sculptor Daniel Chester French , though the group is sick of explaining -RRB- . They won a place on Rolling Stone 's `` Artists to Watch '' list in 2008 . HBO 's `` Entourage '' showed some love for their catchy single `` She Loves Everybody . '' Watch Chester French get punched by a pretty girl '' And then there 's the transportation situation . `` Right now we 're on the first tour bus we 've ever had , '' says Wallach . `` We were driving around in a van for the past year and a half and it 's a real luxury now to be able to sleep while we 're driving . '' The band spoke to CNN about the challenges of navigating a rapidly changing industry , getting punched by a pretty girl in a music video and why the Beach Boys have nothing on them . CNN : How does it feel to be called the next big thing ? D.A. Wallach : You know what , we actually have n't been called that in those words too often . But if we did , that would be very flattering . CNN : Things get a bit violent in the music video for your song `` She Loves Everybody . '' Who 's idea was it to have you both get beaten up by an angry girl ? Wallach : It was the director 's . We worked with Paul Hunter on the video and it was our first music video . ... He had the concept that love hurts . So this girl was going to take it out on us and we were going to be all about it and still smiling and enjoying it . CNN : So it was a lot of fun ? Wallach : Yeah it was great . It was painless . Actually we both got hit accidentally by her . I mean most of the hits were kind of staged punches . But we both got hit once each , and it was fun . CNN : You 're both Harvard graduates . Does that make you the smartest dudes in pop music ? Wallach : Probably not . We were kind of nerds in high school . And the hardest part about Harvard is getting in , people say . After that you take it at your own pace . And at different times we were more or less engaged there , but we met some other really intelligent , thoughtful people . Max Drummey : And there 's definitely a lot of stupid people at Harvard . CNN : Tell me how you both met . Wallach : We met in the dining hall our freshman year and we started the band with three of our classmates . It was just a funny hobby at first and it was n't until sophomore year that we really got serious about it and said , `` OK , let 's actually try and make this a possibility as a career . '' CNN : And did n't you record most of your new album on campus ? Wallach : Yeah , there was a recording studio in the basement of one of the dorms at Harvard and we were both recording engineers there . So we recorded lots for other people as well . And in our free time we were working on the record we just released , `` Love the Future . '' CNN : Is it true that there was a bit of a bidding war between Jermaine Dupri and Pharrell Williams -LRB- over the record deal -RRB- ? Wallach : No . ... There were several people all at once who were interested in working with us and it was a little awkward because they 're all friends with each other . And since we 've been working with Pharrell we 've stayed cool with everyone . ... We could n't have gone wrong . CNN : Why do you think there 's been all this interest from hip-hop producers ? Drummey : We 're the hottest rappers out . Wallach : I 'm from Milwaukee , he 's from Boston . They 're both very diverse cities and we grew up with friends and all different kinds of music around us . So the records we make are inspired by a lot of different places . And certainly having grown up in the '90s , hip-hop is a part of the soundtrack for us and so it 's very natural for us to have learned things from Dr. Dre or Pharrell and people like that . CNN : A lot of people compare your sound to the Beach Boys . How do you feel about that comparison ? Drummey : I mean we 're definitely better . And we came first too . So it 's sort of a ridiculous comparison . CNN : Do n't you play the theremin ? Drummey : Yeah . Not well . Wallach : There are only a couple of people who play it at a virtuoso level . You 'd have to really have something off to put the time in as a theremin artist . CNN : What has been the most surprising aspect of the music business so far ? Wallach : I think the biggest surprise has been that people do n't really know a hundred percent what they 're doing . Everyone is trying to figure out how the music business is going to look in 10 years . And as a new artist there 's not a blueprint . I figured you 'd get signed and you 're instantly on billboards . And the reality of it is that we find ourselves in a situation where all we can focus on is building our audience one person at a time . And it 's just a brick-and-mortar , nose-to-the-grindstone process . CNN : What musicians do you admire as being fellow brainiacs ? Wallach : Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails I think is really brilliant , not just on a musical level . Pharrell 's been incredibly helpful and his advice is always really apt . Jay-Z . Really , when you 're in the thick of it , anybody who 's built a real career has something figured out . Or they got really lucky . | Chester French a duo of two Harvard grads . Band praised for Beach Boys-like sound , highlighted on `` Entourage '' Despite pedigree , `` probably not '' smartest folks in pop music , says one member . | [[2879, 2911], [4983, 5028]] |
WASECA , Minnesota -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When you think of protection from the H1N1 flu virus , you may not think the hog population is what needs protecting . But that 's precisely the concern among pork producers and those who use swine in research studies . Professor Samuel Baidoo wears specially issued gear as he checks on the hogs at the research facility . Forget any worries you may have had about catching the often-called `` swine flu '' from a pig . University of Minnesota Professor Samuel Baidoo , a swine nutrition and management expert at one of the school 's swine research facilities , says it 's actually the other way around . `` If we are sick and we come in here , we can easily transfer -LSB- diseases -RSB- , especially flu , to these pigs , '' Baidoo says . Baidoo took CNN on a tour of the university 's research facility to demonstrate the precautions in place year-round to make sure its pig population remains safe . For starters , anyone who wants to visit the facility has to shower and put on specially issued overalls and boots and that rule applies to reporters and even the hog farmers themselves . `` They will shower to go and see their own pigs , '' Baidoo says . This university 's swine research barn is typical of most large-production hog facilities , Baidoo says , stressing that it 's so secure `` flies can not even come in here . '' `` Flu can be transferred by flies , by birds . There 's no way a bird can get into this building . So these pigs are very , very safe , '' he explains . `` We are more a risk to them than they to us . '' So let 's say a pig does happen to come down with a disease , specifically with H1N1 . Then what happens ? Baidoo says the first sign that something is wrong is usually lack of appetite . `` They go off feed , so we know there 's something not right . '' If it does turn out to be a flu virus , Baidoo says , the treatment is very similar to what humans undergo . `` We put them on medication and within three days it 's over . Just like when we get -LSB- the -RSB- flu -- we go to the doctor and then they prescribe medication and we get well . '' Baidoo points out that since H1N1 is a respiratory illness , the actual carcass of the pig -- the pork we eat -- is still harmless . Still , Baidoo says he understands the initial knee-jerk reaction . After all , `` swine flu '' was what everyone called it at first -- before health organizations began referring to it as H1N1 . `` I also see the concern of consumers . When there is this situation everybody tends to connect the two . But there is no connection at all between the flu and pork , '' he says . `` There 's no fear in eating pork based on the scare of the flu pandemic . '' The disease most people in the United States and worldwide have been calling swine flu is actually a combination of human and animal strains . It has not been shown to be transmissible through eating pork . In an already suffering market , the negative news is something the U.S. pork industry says could have been prevented . `` This flu is being called something that it is n't , and it 's hurting our entire industry , '' Dave Warner , communications director for the National Pork Producers Council , said last week . `` It is not a ` swine ' flu , and people need to stop calling it that ... they 're ruining people 's lives . '' | Researchers say hog population needs protection from human diseases . Fear over so-called `` swine flu '' has hit pork industry hard -- and unfairly , many say . Minnesota facility says humans must wear special suits to keep hogs disease-free . `` No connection at all between the flu and pork , '' researcher says . | [[2570, 2624]] |
BOSTON , Massachusetts -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 22-year-old medical student suspected of killing a woman he may have met through a Craigslist online ad was arraigned Tuesday and will be held without bail . Medical student Philip Markoff , 22 , appears in court Tuesday in Boston , Massachusetts . Philip Markoff , a second-year student at Boston University 's School of Medicine , listened intently but did not speak during the hearing in Boston Municipal Court . Dressed in a blue-striped shirt and slacks , Markoff was handcuffed and wearing leg irons . His attorney , John Salsberg , told reporters after the hearing that Markoff is `` not guilty of the charges . He has his family 's support . I have not received any document or report or piece of evidence other than what I heard in the courtroom . All I have at the moment are words -- no proof of anything . '' A woman identifying herself as Markoff 's fiancee also maintained his innocence in an e-mail sent to ABC News . Megan McAllister said Markoff `` is the wrong man '' and `` was set up . '' `` Unfortunately , you were given wrong information as was the public , '' McAllister wrote . `` All I have to say to you is Philip is a beautiful person inside and out and could not hurt a fly ! '' She accused Boston police of `` trying to make big bucks by selling this false story to the TV stations . What else is new ?? '' Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley told reporters , `` This was a brutal , vicious crime -- savage . And it shows that Philip Markoff is a man who 's willing to take advantage of women -- to hurt them , to beat them , to rob them . '' A procedural not-guilty plea was entered on Markoff 's behalf , Conley said . A Boston University spokeswoman said the school suspended Markoff , who has no criminal record , when it learned of the charges on Monday . Markoff is charged with killing 26-year-old Julissa Brisman of New York on April 14 at Boston 's Copley Marriott Hotel . Evidence from the scene suggests that Brisman `` put up a fight , '' prosecutor Jennifer Hickman said during the hearing Tuesday . Police said Brisman , a model , advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist , a popular online classifieds service . She sustained blunt head trauma , Hickman said , and was shot three times at close range . One of those bullets passed through her heart , killing her , she said . Markoff is also charged in connection with the robbery four days earlier of a woman at a Westin Hotel . In that case , the woman made arrangements to meet a man through Craigslist for a massage at the hotel , but was held at gunpoint and bound , Hickman said . She was robbed of $ 800 and personal items , and left tied to a door handle with duct tape over her mouth , Hickman said in court Tuesday . Police said earlier the Westin victim was 29 . She was not identified . Authorities believe the motive in Brisman 's death was robbery , Conley told reporters , and she was killed during a struggle . In executing a search warrant at Markoff 's home , police found a firearm , along with restraints and duct tape , he said . Watch police say assailant has perused Craigslist ads '' Surveillance videos from the hotel where Brisman was murdered showed a tall , clean-cut young blond man in a black windbreaker leaving the property , according to Boston police , who sought public assistance identifying the man . Police traced the Internet communications with Brisman to an e-mail account opened the day before her death , Conley said . Using Internet provider information , they found the computer was at Markoff 's residence in Quincy , Massachusetts , he said . Authorities put the home under surveillance , Conley said , and `` the case just begins to build from there . '' `` This poor woman , Julissa Brisman , no matter what choices she made or decisions she made in life , she is a human being who 's entitled to dignity and respect , '' Conley said . There may be more victims that authorities are unaware of , he said , adding that the prosecutor 's goal is to hold Markoff accountable , not to pursue women who may be advertising on Craigslist . `` If you have been a victim like these victims have , please come forward , '' he said . Markoff is `` bearing up , '' according to attorney Salsberg . `` It 's obviously a difficult time for anybody in these circumstances with the charges that have been brought against him . ... He 's pleaded not guilty . He is not guilty , '' said Salsberg . McAllister , in her e-mail to ABC , wrote , `` Philip is an intelligent man who is just trying to live his life , so if you could leave us alone we would greatly appreciate it . We expect to marry in August and share a wonderful , meaningful life together . '' The couple 's wedding Web site had been taken down or was unavailable as of Tuesday afternoon . Authorities in Boston are working with police in Warwick , Rhode Island , on what could be a related case . On April 16 at a Holiday Inn Express in Warwick , a man tied up and demanded money from a 26-year-old dancer who had posted a Craigslist advertisement , Warwick Police Chief Col. Stephen McCartney said . The robbery was interrupted when the woman 's husband entered the room . After pointing his gun at the husband , the suspect fled , McCartney said . He said no conclusions could be made yet , but allowed that the incident `` may be related to similar crimes occurring in the Boston area . '' Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster told CNN the company is `` horrified and deeply saddened that our community services have been associated in any way whatsoever with a crime of violence . '' He promised that Craigslist will evaluate the incident to see if additional measures could be introduced to protect users . CNN 's Mary Snow and Jason Kessler contributed to this report . | Not-guilty plea entered in Philip Markoff 's behalf in woman 's slaying in Boston . Prosecutors say semiautomatic firearm found in search of student 's home . CEO says Craigslist looking for ways to make site safer in wake of killing . E-mail from suspect 's fiancee says police have `` wrong man '' | [[1628, 1689], [4412, 4438], [2975, 3023], [3026, 3048], [5626, 5749], [5638, 5719], [5668, 5749], [865, 914], [920, 957], [977, 1044]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A source close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now confirms that Pelosi was told in February 2003 by her intelligence aide , Michael Sheehy , that waterboarding was actually used on CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah . Source says Nancy Pelosi did n't object about waterboard usage because she was n't personally briefed about it . This appears to contradict Pelosi 's account that she was never told waterboarding actually happened , only that the administration was considering using it . Sheehy attended a briefing in which waterboarding was discussed in February 2003 , with Rep. Jane Harman , D-California , who took over Pelosi 's spot as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee . This source says Pelosi did n't object when she learned that waterboarding was being used because she had not been personally briefed about it -- only her aide had been told . The source said Pelosi supported a letter that Harman sent to the administration at the time raising concerns . The source asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of matters discussed in classified intelligence briefings . Pelosi admits attending one briefing in September 2002 , but at a news conference last month , she was adamant that she did not know waterboarding was used . `` At that or any other briefing , and that was the only briefing that I was briefed on in that regard , we were not -- I repeat , we were not -- told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used , '' Pelosi said on April 23 . Some Republicans have called for Pelosi to testify at congressional hearings . The number two House Democrat -- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer , D-Maryland -- said Tuesday , `` I think the facts need to get out '' regarding what members of Congress had been told about harsh interrogations . But when asked whether Pelosi testifying would be appropriate , Hoyer did not directly answer the question , saying , `` The issue is what was done . If you do n't have the facts pounded on the table , they -LRB- Republicans -RRB- are pounding on the table , or they are pounding on Speaker Pelosi . Take your pick . But they are doing so as a distraction , as a distraction from what was done in this case . '' | Source says Nancy Pelosi was told by intelligence officer of waterboarding . The source also said because she was n't personally briefed , Pelosi did n't object . She did support letter voicing concern about waterboarding , source says . Pelosi has been previously adamant she did n't know waterboarding was used . | [[238, 300], [250, 350], [723, 770], [740, 820], [767, 865], [899, 940], [915, 1010], [1202, 1233], [1236, 1298]] |
NEW ORLEANS , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fans of porn star Stormy Daniels are drafting her to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana now held by Republican Sen. David Vitter . And it 's no racy gimmick , they say . Porn star Stormy Daniels , who has no party affiliation , says she 's `` always up for a good fight . '' The Draft Stormy Web site says that `` 2010 presents the Pelican State with the opportunity to start with a clean slate -- to elect a representative that we can be proud of , who will work tirelessly , and who will challenge the status quo . We at the Draft Stormy campaign feel that Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels is best suited to fulfill these duties . '' Vitter is famous -- or infamous -- for his link to the `` D.C. Madam , '' the woman who ran a prostitution ring . Elected to the Senate in 2004 , he admitted to `` a very serious sin in my past '' in July 2007 after his phone number turned up in records of an escort service run by the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey , known as the D.C. Madam . Running for re-election , Vitter said his wife has forgiven him and is banking on the same sentiment from his constituents . Will the Draft Stormy move mean stormy weather for Vitter ? The senator 's office did n't return calls by CNN . But a spokesman for the state GOP said voters `` are concerned with real issues that affect their everyday lives and not with political or publicity stunts . '' The Draft Stormy campaign was started by New Orleans resident and Daniels fan Zack Hudson , who insists it 's for real . Daniels , 29 , is n't affiliated with a party but is embracing the idea of a possible candidacy . Watch the adult entertainment star talk about a possible run '' She said she 's planning a `` listening tour '' around Louisiana to talk about a range of matters , including the economy -- which along with women in business and protection of children are the three issues listed on her Web site . When told Vitter can be a tough opponent , she said she 's `` always up for a good fight . '' `` I think anyone that knows me ... is more than aware of that , '' Daniels said . `` Politics ca n't be any dirtier of a job than the one I am already in . '' According to a capsule bio on the Draft Stormy Web site , Daniels has been `` breaking barriers and shattering glass ceilings her entire life , '' serving as editor of her high school newspaper and president of her school 's 4-H Club and eventually transferring `` her determination and talents to the professional level , becoming a featured performer in the adult entertainment industry . '' Another stride was `` signing an exclusive contract with the video production company Wicked Pictures , a company committed to a health and safety first policy , as pertaining to its video performances . Stormy 's decision to sign with Wicked highlighted her commitment to sending a positive message to young people of the importance of practicing safe sex , '' the bio said . Daniels has directed films for the company , won awards for writing , directing and acting , and has appeared in mainstream films such as `` The 40-Year-Old Virgin . '' `` Originally , the focus was n't even about making me as a candidate , '' Daniels said . `` I think it was about bringing attention to the Senate race in general . Then the response was overwhelmingly positive . And I think everyone is just running with it . '' While her political aspirations may be a light diversion for Louisiana voters , reality will set in if Daniels tangles with Vitter . Clancy DuBos , political director of the New Orleans alternative newspaper Gambit , said Vitter is a brilliant politician with a campaign war chest worth $ 2 million . If the Daniels campaign is meant to remind voters of Vitter 's D.C. Madam link , the move could backfire , DuBos said . `` You are going to need someone better than a porn star , or a lap dancer , or a sex worker to nail David Vitter on this , '' he said . `` You need a serious opponent who is himself , or herself , not guilty of something like that to say , ` Let 's talk about family values , shall we ? ' '' The Draft Stormy movement said Daniels ' `` real world experience and special understanding of the economic hardships facing Louisianans and Americans make her uniquely qualified to take on the tough challenges we face . `` Our grass-roots movement spans the political spectrum and champions Stormy 's philosophy of personal responsibility and the promotion of individual enterprise . We eschew partisanship and labels , instead judging our leaders on their integrity , character and effectiveness . '' CNN 's Sean Callebs contributed to this report . | Stormy Daniels fan insists movement to draft porn star for Senate campaign for real . Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana now holds U.S. Senate seat at issue . Vitter , up for re-election in 2010 , is known for his link to the `` D.C. Madam '' Daniels says she 's embracing possible candidacy , planning `` listening tour '' of state . | [[1492, 1515], [1522, 1546], [128, 180], [687, 743], [969, 999], [1002, 1027], [1547, 1554], [1597, 1644], [1709, 1830]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Donald Trump will let Miss California USA Carrie Prejean keep her title despite controversy over seminude photos and charges by state pageant officials that she had abandoned her duties to devote time to opposition to same-sex marriage . Miss California USA Carrie Prejean caused controversy with remarks she made at the Miss USA pageant . Trump , no apprentice at turning a negative into positive publicity , brought several weeks of controversy to a conclusion at his New York headquarters Tuesday with winners all around . Trump said his Miss USA pageant stays `` so relevant , '' unlike the rival Miss America pageant seen only on a small cable channel . Prejean gained a national following that could help her post-pageant career . Watch Prejean defend herself '' The Miss California USA organization has a beauty queen better known than the woman who won the Miss USA title -- Kristen Dalton of North Carolina . Celebrity bloggers , such as Perez Hilton , whose question to Prejean ignited the firestorm , gained a higher profile and more readers for their Web sites . And groups both for and against same-sex marriage gained energy for their fundraising and publicity campaigns . Prejean stepped into the limelight unexpectedly just over three weeks ago when she declared her opposition to same-sex marriage in response to a question asked during the national pageant by Hilton , a pageant judge . Watch Hilton get dismissive '' Prejean finished as first runner-up , but it was not clear if her answer cost her the crown . `` He -LSB- Hilton -RSB- gave her very low marks , '' Trump said . `` It certainly did n't help . '' Hilton , who is openly gay and a strong supporter of same-sex marriage , later posted a video rant online in which he called Prejean `` a dumb bitch . '' This caught the national mainstream media 's attention , and Hilton was invited to appear on TV shows to talk about it . Prejean -- with pageant approval -- also talked publicly about her same-sex marriage opposition . But when she appeared at a news conference for the National Organization for Marriage , a same-sex marriage opposition group , the controversy intensified . Lawyers for the Miss USA group demanded that NOM stop using video clips of the pageant in its TV ads . The controversy boiled to a new level last week when a photo of Prejean , wearing only pink panties but showing mainly a bare back , was published by gossip Web sites . Miss California USA officials -- some of them outspoken advocates of same-sex marriage -- suggested that the seminude photo breached the contract Prejean signed with the pageant . Her title might be taken away , they said . Watch Miss California USA offficials scold Prejean '' These officials also complained they could n't reach Prejean and she had missed important pageant events . They charged that their beauty queen had been hijacked by anti-same-sex marriage forces . But it was up to Trump , who bought the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants a decade ago , to decide what to do about Carrie Prejean . Trump united her with California pageant co-executive directors Shanna Moakler -- a former Playboy centerfold -- and Keith Lewis in his New York office Tuesday morning for a peacemaking session . It ended with hugs and smiles at Trump 's news conference . Watch Trump 's announcement '' Those photos of a topless Prejean do not violate the contract she signed when entering the pageant competition , Trump said . `` Some were very beautiful , '' he said . `` Some were risque , but again , we 're in the 21st century . '' Trump praised Prejean for giving a `` very , very honest answer '' to a tough question during the pageant . `` It 's the same answer that the president of the United States gave , '' he said . And he said he would not hesitate to invite Hilton back as a pageant judge , despite the firestorm he set off . `` He 's doing his thing , '' Trump said . `` What 's the big deal ? '' `` We want tough questions , '' he said . `` We do n't want to be in a position that Miss America is in that they 're now on a small cable channel . '' He noted that NBC recently extended the Miss USA and Miss Universe TV contracts for three years . Prejean said she has forgiven Hilton and the other critical bloggers . `` I willingly forgive them before all of you today , '' she told reporters . She said she was the victim of `` hateful attacks , despicable rumors and false allegations '' for exercising her freedom of speech , but the situation has given her a new message to carry as a role model to young people . `` Think about how much better our society would be if we could just agree to disagree and show respect , '' she said . As she resumes public appearances as Miss California USA , Prejean said she will not be an activist against same-sex marriage . `` I 'm going to resume my duties as Miss California , but also stay true to who I am and have my own personal opinions , '' she said . `` We will see how we will balance the two . '' | Carrie Prejean to keep title despite disputes over photos , duties . Donald Trump , who owns the pageant , made final decision . Seminude photos do n't violate contract Prejean signed , Trump says . Prejean initially in news for her response to question about same-sex marriage . | [[57, 170], [3349, 3459], [1285, 1359]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- French parachutist Michel Fournier vowed Tuesday to try again to launch a record-breaking skydive in August , hours after a `` freak '' accident over Canada aborted his second attempt to do so . Michel Fournier tests his equipment a few days before his attempt to break four world records . `` I 'm not about to give up , '' the 64-year-old adventurer said of his shot at setting a world record for the highest jump and fastest , longest free fall by a man riding a balloon . Tuesday 's attempt was thwarted when an electrical charge broke the cable connecting the balloon to the gondola , causing it to slip away from his ground crew and rise into the Saskatchewan skies over North Battleford . `` The question is , why was it electrically activated ? '' said Michel Chevalet , a balloon expert working on Fournier 's technical team . He suggested that static electricity may have been to blame but that it had been an unforeseen possibility . `` Unexpected freak accidents do happen , '' he said . Watch report on Michel Fournier 's failed free-fall quest '' Fournier said the failure came as a blow . `` It was like having a hammer over the head , '' he said . Watch Fournier talk about trying again '' The former paratrooper had hoped his `` Big Jump '' would start 40 kilometers -LRB- 25 miles -RRB- above the Earth 's surface . But his hopes dissipated over the Canadian prairie shortly after 5 a.m. -LRB- 7 a.m. ET -RRB- , when the balloon took off before his capsule could be attached . Still clad in his bright yellow pressure suit , a visibly frustrated Fournier waved away cameras after his balloon 's abrupt departure . It drifted back to the ground about 40 km away . Fournier says he spent nearly 12.7 million euros -LRB- $ 20 million -RRB- on his quest , a risky endeavor that French authorities refused to allow him to attempt over France . Canadian authorities approved the mission over the town of North Battleford , in sparsely populated Saskatchewan . The town 's mayor , Julian Sadlowski , said Monday 's failure was `` a disappointment . '' `` I thought this was going to be the day that we saw history made in the Battlefords , '' he said . Balloon trouble also doomed Fournier 's effort to break the record in 2003 . Fournier holds the French record for the highest parachute jump at 12,000 meters -LRB- 40,000 feet -RRB- . He says his next chance is in August because that is when the jet stream will next be favorable . The `` Big Jump '' will collect data that will help astronauts and others survive at high altitudes , he says . Fournier estimated that Tuesday 's failed effort cost him and his sponsors about 600,000 euros -LRB- $ 946,000 -RRB- . | NEW : Parachutist Michel Fournier promises to try record jump again . Balloon escapes as French skydiver attempts free fall record . Tuesday 's attempt thwarted when an electrical charge broke important cable . | [[0, 15], [19, 126], [1183, 1224], [495, 606]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When pitcher Josh Faiola walks out of the dugout on opening day with the Lake Erie Crushers , he 'll already have a large group of fans in the stands -- his new roommates at the Belvedere of Westlake assisted living facility . Pitcher Josh Failoa stands as residents and friends of The Belvedere of Westlake welcome him Tuesday . The 25-year-old , who was drafted in 2006 by the Baltimore Orioles and is trying to work his way to the majors , admits he was caught a little off guard when he was told about his new housing situation . `` At first I was like , ` OK , that 's a little different , ' '' he said . `` I was taken aback at first . '' And he was also the butt of a couple jokes from his teammates . `` They were saying things like ` So what 's the deal ? Do you have to go to bed early ? ' '' Faiola said . But then he told them about his room -- a large suite , with his own kitchenette , washer and dryer , furniture and a TV . `` Then they changed their tune , '' he said . `` They were like ` That 's awesome . Are they any other vacancies ? ' '' Like many of the players in the independent Frontier League who do n't rake in the big bucks , Faiola is living with a host family . But his host family is a little different . Most of the players live with families with younger children . But in his case , Faiola is the young one -- about 55 years younger than the rest of his `` roommates . '' Eighty-four-year-old Meda Dennis , who has been living in the center for four years , said Faiola 's arrival is the most exciting thing to happen since a good Elvis impersonator showed up . `` It 's been quite exciting because he 's young and new and interesting and we 're old , '' she joked . Faiola made his way to the assisted living center in Westlake , Ohio , near Cleveland , with the help of Cindy Griffiths-Novak . She heard the new local baseball team was looking for host families for the players . But because she has a 3 - and 4-year-old at home , she turned to her family 's assisted living center as an option for Faiola . Griffiths-Novak went to the residents with the idea and they unanimously voted for Faiola to live there . But his new housing situation is about more than just a place to crash after the game . `` It certainly is great for the residents because now we get a lot of energy and youth and excitement , '' Griffiths-Novak said . It has turned into an exciting time for the residents , who jumped at the chance to decorate the entire facility before the pitcher 's arrival . `` You should see the decorations , '' Griffiths-Novak said . `` The residents all signed motivational good luck pennants for him , there 's a 40-foot banner , we have a whole thing dedicated to Josh . I 'm sure he is so embarrassed with all of the baseball cards with their face on it . '' They 've made signs telling him he 's in a league of his own , but they 've also set their expectations high for him . `` Some of the pendants say things like ` Do n't get cut , move your butt , ' '' Griffiths-Novak said . `` He 's certainly going to be under the microscope ! We 'll be watching and keeping track of all of his stats . '' Faiola was awestruck when he walked in and saw all of the decorations . The activity director has been doing craft activities with the residents -- making visors with baseball logos and Crushers necklaces in anticipation of the game . Dennis is looking forward to watching their new ace pitcher hit the mound even though she has n't seen a baseball game live in a while . `` Anything 's better than the Indians right now , '' Dennis joked . `` We 'll definitely be cheering for him , though , and if he happens to have a bad game , he 'll have a lot of shoulders to cry on . But I do n't think he 'll need them . '' Norma J. Lane , 85 , said even though she 's more of a football fan , she 's looking forward to following Faiola and baseball more closely . `` We are just wishing him well because it 's such a great experience for all of us , '' Lane said . `` We 're looking forward to having him around . '' Faiola said he is excited to help bring some fun to the residents , some of whom are already considering him to be like a grandson . `` I always loved spending time with my grandparents and one of my great-grandparents was in an assisted living home and I remember how excited she was to see us when we went to visit her , '' he said . `` And they are being so nice to open up this place to me , so hopefully I can bring a little bit of joy . '' Faiola , who had surgery two years ago and was dropped from the Orioles during spring training , is hoping his stint with the Crushers can help get him picked up by a Major League team . Regardless of what happens , he knows he has the support of his new roommates . `` They 've all really come out and supported me , they even bring me food and give me snacks , '' he said . `` I could n't ask for anything better . And with all of them watching so closely , I 'll have to keep my game up . They 've definitely set a high bar for me . '' | Because of little pay in independent league , players stay with host families . Pitcher Josh Faiola staying at Belvedere of Westlake facility near Cleveland , Ohio . Faiola says teammates joked first , but he 's thrilled to bring energy to residents . Residents decorated facility , will be watching pitcher 's every throw . | [[1108, 1139], [1144, 1172], [1175, 1212], [1722, 1850], [4075, 4140], [2430, 2443], [2471, 2534], [3400, 3473]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jay Leno plans `` something really unusual and different '' when he hands over `` The Tonight Show '' to Conan O'Brien on May 29 , 17 years after Johnny Carson left the hosting duties to him . Jay Leno begins `` The Jay Leno Show '' in September . His last `` Tonight Show '' is May 29 . But do n't expect an emotional final show , since Leno and most of his staff are just moving across the NBC lot to produce a nightly prime time show debuting in September . The traditional desk , chair and guest sofa probably wo n't follow Leno to his 10 p.m. show , but many of his favorite comedy elements will , Leno said . Making people laugh before they go to bed is still the mission . `` To me , 10 o'clock is like the new 11:30 , '' Leno said . `` I hear more and more people , even young people , say ' I ca n't stay up past 11 . I car pool , I got ta get up at 6 . ' '' `` The Jay Leno Show '' will be competing against scripted dramas , not other comedians telling jokes , which Leno said should give him the edge over the long haul . `` When I was a kid , there was comedy all over TV , and it was fun to watch , whether it was Carol Burnett or any of the sitcoms , '' he said . `` You 'd have a whole night of comedy , and now everything is very serious and it 's all murder . '' The new show will have famous guests , but they will not drive the ratings , Leno said . `` It 's all about the joke material , '' he said . He will `` try to keep it moving '' with a longer monologue with dozens of jokes , he said . The last half-hour will be filled with comedy , he said . `` You look right in the camera , you directly talk to people as low-tech as possible , a little humor before people go to bed , '' he said . NBC 's decision to put a talk-variety show on at 10 o'clock raised some complaints from affiliate station owners , worried the ratings would n't be strong enough to build an audience for their 11 o'clock local newscasts . The network 's Boston affiliate briefly threatened to move its news to 10 , pre-empting Leno . Leno , who grew up in Boston , said he understood the economics behind the concern . `` Although my job previous to this was to give a good lead-in to Conan , the job giving a good lead-in to the 11 o'clock news is really , really important , '' he said . `` That 's really where our local affiliates make their money , is on the 11 o'clock news . '' He does n't expect to beat the dramas the first week out , but he noted those shows produce only about 22 new episodes a year . `` During those repeat weeks and whatever , we 'll be live , fresh , original shows , '' Leno said . The last week of `` The Tonight Show with Jay Leno '' will include a lot of looking back and `` best of '' segments , `` because that 's easier than writing new stuff , '' Leno said . His guests Monday through Thursday include Mel Gibson , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Wanda Sykes , Billy Crystal and Prince . Conan O'Brien will be on the final show , along with singer James Taylor . Taylor 's songs were the last thing Leno heard on the radio when he left Boston in the late 1970s to start his career , so he wanted to have him as his last musical guest , he said . Leno hinted the last show would have some surprises . `` I have something really unusual and different planned , '' he said , `` Something really out of left field that we 're going to end on . '' Pressed for more hints , Leno said it was `` something really personal , something that has to do with show and staff . '' `` I think it will make people smile , '' he said . Leno can smile as he moves on , having left the legendary show -- which has had only four hosts in 54 years -- as the top show for the past 16 years . '' ` The Tonight Show ' is sort of the America 's Cup of television , and you do n't want to be the guy to screw it up , '' he said . If he fails in the new show , he will be all right , he said . `` If it did n't work out , then oh well , at least I have this . '' | Jay Leno begins the prime-time `` Jay Leno Show '' in September . Comedian 's last `` Tonight Show '' is May 29 ; expect surprises , he says . He believes audiences will welcome a 10 p.m. comedy-variety show . | [[237, 291], [382, 504], [292, 331], [3219, 3272], [3224, 3272], [3332, 3342], [3345, 3407]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nearly a year after being beaten into a coma , Bryan Steinhauer said Wednesday he does not hate the Serbian basketball player witnesses said brutally assaulted him . Bryan Steinhauer , who was beaten into a coma , is making significant progress in his rehabilitation . `` I am not full of hate ; hatred kills progress , '' he said . Appearing alongside his parents and doctors at New York 's Mount Sinai Hospital , Steinhauer struggled to speak but his message was clear . `` Please do n't feel sorry for me , '' he said . `` Tragedy leads to wisdom , and this experience has taught me so much about life . '' Watch Steinhauer talk about his recovery '' The 22-year-old from Brooklyn was about to graduate and had a job lined up at accounting giant KPMG when he got into an argument last May that nearly cost him his life . According to police , witnesses said Steinhauer and college basketball player Miladin Kovacevic had exchanged harsh words at an upstate New York bar near Binghamton University after Steinhauer danced with the girlfriend of one of Kovacevic 's friends . The witnesses said the fight went outside the bar , where several men attacked Steinhauer , with Kovacevic beating him about the head , according to police . Kovacevic is 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds while Steinhauer was 130 pounds . Kovacevic was arrested but jumped bail and fled to Serbia with the help of Serbian consular officials in New York . The case strained relations between the United States and Serbia.Hillary Clinton intervened , first as U.S. senator from New York and later as secretary of state , as did Sen. Charles Schumer , D-New York , to make sure Kovacevic was prosecuted . Serbia has no extradition treaty with the United States , but Serbian officials arrested Kovacevic last October and are working on prosecuting him with the assistance of the district attorney of Broome County , where the beating took place . In addition , the Serbian government recently paid the Steinhauer family $ 900,000 in recognition of the misconduct of Serbian government officials and the financial burdens placed upon the Steinhauer family as a result of the beating . Steinhauer awoke from his coma last August , three months after the beating that left him with skull fractures , a severe brain injury and no memory of the attack . He weighed less than 100 pounds , could not speak or walk , and was fed through a tube , doctors said Wednesday . `` He had hemorrhages and contusions affecting almost every lobe of his brain , '' said Dr. Brian Greenwald . Working with specialists and boosted by the support of his family , Steinhauer surprised even his doctors in his quick recovery , they said . He now has outpatient rehabilitation four times a week , goes to a gym , and receives acupuncture treatments . While he can eat on his own now and is making significant progress , Steinhauer continues to undergo intensive therapy . Steinhauer says he does n't think about Kovacevic because he 's not concerned about other people . `` I 've had a second birth and raising at Mount Sinai , '' he said . `` Live long and prosper . '' | Witnesses : Bryan Steinhauer was beaten into a coma by college basketball player . A year after attack , victim says he does not hate the man who beat him . Steinhauer says experience has taught him life lessons . Suspect jumped bail , fled to Serbia where he is now being prosecuted . | [[0, 14], [42, 72], [124, 193], [194, 212], [217, 239], [107, 163], [300, 321], [580, 634], [1334, 1343], [1361, 1372], [1334, 1343], [1377, 1391]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Kyrgyzstan 's decision to close a key U.S. military base is `` regrettable , '' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said , but it wo n't affect the U.S. military effort in nearby Afghanistan . Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan serves as a U.S. supply route for troops and supplies into Afghanistan . On Friday , Russia announced it would assist the U.S. in transporting nonmilitary cargo to Afghanistan , Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said . The United States uses Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan as a route for troops and supplies into Afghanistan . Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced Tuesday that `` all due procedures '' were being initiated to close the base . `` It 's regrettable that this is under consideration by the government of Kyrgyzstan , and we hope to have further discussions with them , '' Clinton told reporters Thursday after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner . `` But we will proceed in a very effective manner no matter what the outcome of the Kyrgyzstan government 's deliberations might be . '' Bakiyev made his announcement at a news conference in Moscow , Russia , following news reports of a multimillion-dollar aid package from Russia to Kyrgyzstan . Lavrov said on Russian television that his country intends to help get vital cargo -- but no weapons or troops -- to NATO troops in Afghanistan . The United States asked to transport the cargo through Russian territory to Afghanistan , Lavrov said . The U.S. military is planning to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to halt a resurgence of the Taliban . Gen. David Petraeus , who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East and Central Asia , described Manas as having `` an important role in the deployment of these forces '' and in refueling aircraft . Senior State Department officials said the State and Defense departments are working with Kyrgyzstan to keep the lease to the base . The officials said the Kyrgyzstan government has not yet responded to an offer to renew the lease . Discussions are being conducted through the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan and relevant State Department and Pentagon bureaus , the officials said . One official said the United States has almost 18 months to renegotiate the lease before it expires and hopes Kyrgyzstan will reconsider their position . Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell called Manas `` a hugely important air base . '' `` It provides us with launching point to provide supplies in Afghanistan . We very much appreciate -LSB- Kyrgyz -RSB- support in using that base , and we hope to continue , '' he said at a daily news briefing earlier this week . Clinton said the Defense Department `` is conducting an examination as to how else we would proceed that will not affect whatever decisions we make . '' Petraeus was in Kyrgyzstan last month , partly to lobby the government to allow the United States to keep using the base . He said he and Kyrgyz leaders did not discuss at all the possible closure of the base and said local officials told him there was `` no foundation '' for news reports about the issue . The mountainous former Soviet republic is Central Asia 's second poorest country . The United States pays about $ 63 million a year for use of the base and employs more than 320 Kyrgyz citizens there , Petraeus said . The base has been in operation since December 2001 under U.N. mandate . The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported Tuesday that Russia would offer Kyrgyzstan a $ 300 million , 40-year loan at an annual interest rate of 0.75 percent , and write off $ 180 million in Kyrgyz debt . Kyrgyzstan also is home to a Russian military base , at Kant , that officially opened in 2003 . Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov told Russian news agency Interfax it was coincidence that talk of the base closure comes at the same time as the loan . `` The Russian decision to grant a major loan has nothing to do with the pullout of the U.S. air base from the Kyrgyz territory , '' Chudinov said . The relationship between the United States and Kyrgyzstan was damaged when a U.S. airman killed a Kyrgyz citizen in December 2006 . The airman was transferred out of Kyrgyzstan , and the dead man 's family was offered compensation . Petraeus said in January an investigation into the death was being reopened . In announcing the base closure , Bakiyev said he was not satisfied with the inquiry and that his government 's `` inability to provide security to its citizens '' was proving a serious concern . CNN 's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this report . | NEW : Russia says it will help transport U.S. nonmilitary cargo to Afghanistan . United States uses Kyrgyz base as a route for troops and supplies in Afghanistan . Kyrgyz president says procedures had been initiated to close base . Move follows news of a multimillion-dollar aid package from Russia . | [[324, 333], [336, 426], [1233, 1343], [222, 323], [467, 572], [2432, 2492], [30, 40], [53, 86], [573, 696], [631, 696], [1073, 1080], [1145, 1232], [3398, 3556]] |
Editor 's note : CNN affiliates report on where job seekers are finding work across the country and how those looking for employment are coping with the situation . Workers at the Jayco plant in Elkhart County in Indiana put together a travel trailer in February . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Elkhart , Indiana , has suffered through a litany of economic bad news and layoffs . The United States Department of Labor said that in March , the Elkhart metropolitan area had the fifth highest unemployment in the country . Just last year the Monaco Coach Corp. closed down its motor home assembly plants in Elkhart , Nappanee and Wakarusa . But Electric Motors Corp. , which builds engines , cars and trucks , is moving into Elkhart County and bringing hundreds of jobs . `` Their production working skills will be a little bit different than RV workers , but not that much different . We 'll easily be able to train the workers , '' County Commissioner Mike Yoder told WSJV . Neither the company nor government officials would comment on how many jobs could potentially be created . `` It 's good to get a small number just to build up and hopefully it 'll keep coming , '' said college student Erika Miller , who is looking for summer work . Read the full report on WSJV . South : Famed New Orleans hotel closed after Katrina hiring hundreds . The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans , Louisiana , is almost ready to reopen after being shuttered after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 . After undergoing a $ 145 million renovation , the hotel will be staffed by 400 employees . This past week , more than 5,000 job seekers came to a job fair at the downtown landmark . Some of the people hired will begin in a few weeks , while others will start later . `` We are looking to make some additional hires in September and in October when business picks up , '' Roosevelt employee Melissa Kariker told WDSU . One applicant at the fair had worked previously at the hotel . `` I started my career with the Fairmont-Roosevelt , '' Gregory Smith said . `` I worked in the Blue Room for several years . '' Read the report on WDSU . Midwest : Newspaper giving away space for ` Hire me ' ads . The New Herald newspaper of Cleveland , Ohio , will publish `` Hire me '' ads in its Sunday editions and on its Web site . There is no cost for job seekers , but the offer applies only to this Sunday 's paper . `` It 's actually something our publisher suggested that they did back in the '70s at the height of unemployment that he had worked at that time , '' executive editor Tricia Ambrose told WEWS . The Web site will also post video resumes . Read the report on WEWS . West : Solar panel plant to hire 300 . Schott Solar , which makes photovoltaic solar panels , opened a plant in Albuquerque , New Mexico , this week , bringing 350 jobs . Officials with the company told KRQE the number of employees could grow to more than 1,500 . A plant manager said the company provides its own funding and has not been hurt much during the recession , KRQE reported . Officials from the California-based company said they chose New Mexico in part because of the amount of sunshine it receives . Watch the full report on KRQE . Around the nation . General Mills will hire 112 people when it builds a distribution center in Social Circle , Georgia , WGCL in Atlanta reports . ... In Richland , Washington , federal stimulus money is being used to pay for environmental cleanup , KREM reports . ... Target and Lowe 's stores are scheduled to open in Greenland , New Hampshire , this summer , bringing 400 jobs to the town , WMUR reports . | Eco-friendly vehicle company moving into RV plant in Indiana . Roosevelt Hotel opening in New Orleans after four years in the dark . Newspaper providing free classified ads for job hunters for one Sunday . Plant that makes solar panels opens this week in New Mexico . | [[1333, 1367], [1382, 1453], [1333, 1367], [1408, 1470], [2117, 2166], [2167, 2204], [2207, 2289], [2329, 2377], [2681, 2693], [2702, 2733], [2681, 2693], [2736, 2765]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A cancer treatment that comes in a pill is as effective as the standard chemotherapy for lung patients who had previously been treated for their cancer , according to a study released Thursday . The intravenous chemotherapy treatment had more severe side effects than the pill in this study . Results of a large clinical trial were published in the British medical journal The Lancet . The trial was designed to compare Iressa , a daily pill , to Taxotere , an IV-chemotherapy drug that 's administered every three weeks . This international study included more than 1,400 patients for whom standard chemotherapy had been ineffective . `` Iressa and Taxotere have same survival outcomes , '' according to Dr. Edward Kim , lead author of the study and assistant professor in M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 's Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology in Houston , Texas . The study was paid for by the maker of Iressa , AstraZeneca . Kim says the Food and Drug Administration mandated that the pharmaceutical company conduct this clinical trial . In the study , patients taking Iressa had an average survival of 7.6 months , and 32 percent survived one year , compared with patients getting the chemotherapy drug Taxotere . Their survival was an average of eight months ; 34 percent of patients survived one year . Kim says this is the largest study in lung cancer comparing an oral therapy with chemotherapy . Dr. Bruce Johnson , a lung cancer specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston , Massachusetts , who was not involved in this research , says , `` this study did what it intended to do in showing equivalency . I ca n't imagine any clearer evidence . '' One significant difference between the two drugs is in side effects . Patients taking Iressa mainly experienced skin rashes and/or mild diarrhea . Patients on Taxotere had many more severe side effects , including hair loss , numbness in hands and feet , severe diarrhea , a drop in blood cells and nausea . Given the difference , `` the single pill trumps chemotherapy , '' said Dr. Paul Bunn , who heads the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Research and also was not involved in the clinical trial . Johnson says that 5 to 10 percent of patients taking Taxotere will drop out every three weeks because of side effects . Kim points out that if the two treatments have the same survival benefit but one has fewer side effects and is easier to take , doctors want their patients to have the option for this treatment . Currently , no new lung cancer patients can get Iressa , because doctors are no longer allowed to prescribe it . In 2003 , Iressa got fast-track FDA approval as a treatment for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer , specifically for patients in whom standard chemotherapy had failed . The approval was based on two small phase II clinical trials that showed Iressa was able to shrink tumors by about 10 percent , which led the FDA to believe that the drug would lead to a `` positive effect on survival or benefits . '' More on Iressa from the FDA . When the FDA gives a drug accelerated approval , it requires that the manufacturer continue testing it to determine whether there 's a clinical benefit to the patient . If further studies ca n't show this type of benefit , the FDA has the power to withdraw that drug from the market . But a year later , results were revealed from a larger , phase III clinical trial that compared Iressa with placebo in patients for whom chemotherapy was ineffective . `` Iressa was better but not statistically significant , '' said Bunn , who also directs the University of Colorado Cancer Center . Given this information and because another lung cancer pill -- Tarceva -- had shown a survival benefit , the FDA decided that '' it is not reasonable to start new patients on Iressa . '' Since 2005 , the FDA allows only those already getting Iressa prescribed or those enrolled in clinical trials that were under way at the time to continue taking Iressa . All three lung cancer experts CNN spoke with regularly see patients and have treated them with Iressa or the other available lung cancer drugs . All said they could n't predict whether the FDA would allow new patients to be treated with Iressa based on this and other recent studies . Kim believes that based on this data , Iressa `` is a valid treatment option for patients with pretreated non-small lung cancer . '' Both Bunn and Johnson say that more choices in treatment will always benefit the patients . | Study compared pill Iressa and IV-chemotherapy drug Taxotere . Patients taking Iressa mainly experienced skin rashes and/or mild diarrhea . Patients on Taxotere had many more severe side effects , including hair loss . Experts : Unknown whether FDA will allow new patients to be treated with Iressa . | [[405, 474], [1773, 1849], [214, 311], [1850, 2010], [1875, 1904], [1907, 1926], [4184, 4282]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The mother of the co-pilot who died in a plane crash near Buffalo , New York , in February , said Thursday that her daughter and the pilot were `` being used as a scapegoat . '' Lynn Morris says she was shocked at how her daughter , the plane 's co-pilot , was portrayed in the NTSB hearings . Lynn Morris ' daughter , First Officer Rebecca Shaw , was among the 50 people killed in the crash of the plane , operated by Colgan Air . Morris made the comments on the final day of investigative hearings held by the National Transportation Safety Board . `` I think I walked out of the hearings in shock , because I truly felt that both she and the captain were being used as a scapegoat , '' Morris said . Testimony from the hearings , which began Tuesday , revealed that fatigue may have contributed to the failure of Shaw and Colgan Air Capt. Marvin Renslow to save the plane as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport . Testimony on Wednesday indicated that crews on a number of airlines could be suffering from lack of sleep . Many crews live far from their base of operations , causing them to come to work already tired from travel , NTSB investigators said . Renslow had nearly a full day off before assuming command of Continental Connection Flight 3407 . Yet the NTSB investigation found he slept in the Newark Airport crew lounge -- against Colgan Air regulations . The airline , though , appears not to have been enforcing that rule . `` Nobody argues that the human body needs to have its rest , and sometimes it does n't gel with the schedules of an airline , '' testified Capt. Rory Kay , executive air safety chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association . Watch hearing address issues of crew fatigue '' NTSB board member Kitty Higgins said the Colgan policy `` is that they 're not to sleep in the crew room , but it turns out they are sleeping in the crew room . '' Daniel Morgan , Colgan 's vice president for flight safety , said , `` People can come in between their flights to take a nap . '' Asked if napping was considered sleeping , he replied , `` That 's a definition I 'm probably not prepared to answer . '' A nap of about 10 to 20 minutes can be restorative for most people , Dr. Michael Silber , a co-director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota , told the clinic 's monthly `` Women 's HealthSource '' publication last year . However , a longer nap can make people feel groggy , Silber said for the publication 's October issue . Shaw had three days off before the flight . She commuted through the night from Seattle , Washington , catching rides on connecting Fed Ex flights to get to Newark , New Jersey , where the Colgan flight originated . `` It is shocking . It 's hard to believe that it is allowed to go on , '' said Kathy Johnson , whose husband , Kevin , died in the crash . She said Wednesday she was furious that the crew may have been functioning on little sleep . Watch family members question pilot training standards '' The NTSB , which has not issued its report on the February 12 crash , said it scheduled the hearings to gather information . The plane plunged into a house in Clarence Center , New York , killing everyone on board and a man on the ground . The NTSB 's preliminary investigation determined there was some ice accumulation on the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 aircraft , but the `` icing had a minimal impact on the stall speed of the airplane . '' On Thursday , safety board member Deborah Hersman questioned why Renslow and Shaw apparently did n't notice , as they approached the Buffalo airport , that the plane 's speed had abruptly dropped from 207 mph to 150 mph -LRB- from 180 to 130 knots -RRB- . She asked R. Key Dismukes , chief scientist for the NASA division that focuses on human-centered design and operations , whether this was a period in every flight that is a time of high workload for the crew , meaning their attention may have been diverted . Dismukes noted that there was a lot going on , including conversations between Renslow and Shaw and communication with a control tower . `` That certainly did n't help the workload situation , '' Dismukes said . `` There were a number of concurrent tasks , and this is a vulnerable period . No questions about it . '' Hersman said she had seen the same failure to note a drastic , quick change in speed in other crashes . She suggested that the crew receive an alert in those cases . `` I think an alert that your air speed is deteriorating is kind of like a fire alarm , '' Hersman said . On Wednesday , it was revealed that Renslow , in his Colgan Air job application , failed to reveal two pilot exam failures . The crew also violated a rule that requires cockpit conversation to be focused on the flight . At Tuesday 's hearing , Colgan Air acknowledged that Renslow had never trained on the `` stick pusher '' emergency system in a flight simulator . The system warns pilots when the plane 's speed is too slow . But in a written statement , the carrier said both Renslow and Shaw had received other specific training on how to handle situations like those that preceded the crash . CNN 's Allan Chernoff contributed to this report . | NEW : `` I think I walked out of the hearings in shock , '' co-pilot 's mother says . Panel is investigating February crash near Buffalo , New York , that killed 50 . Pilot slept in lounge before flight , co-pilot commuted all night , safety board hears . Relative of passenger says she 's furious crew may have had little sleep . | [[208, 323], [584, 629], [592, 629], [632, 713], [388, 434], [1303, 1378], [2573, 2616], [962, 1069], [1000, 1069], [2885, 2977], [2894, 2977]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Belgian city has decided to go `` veggie '' for a day in an effort to highlight the environmental and health costs of eating meat . Stock breeding is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions . The city authorities in Ghent , some 50 kilometers -LRB- 30 miles -RRB- west of Brussels , have declared Thursdays `` Veggie Day , '' -LRB- Veggiedag -RRB- and are asking residents to get involved and opt for vegetarian meals at least one day a week . It says Ghent is the first city in Europe to try such a scheme . According to the city 's campaign publicity , eating less meat can help to minimize the ecological footprint of your food because stock breeding has a detrimental impact on the environment . It points to data from the United Nations which says livestock is responsible for generating around 18 percent of the world 's greenhouse gas emissions . It is also hoped that Veggie Day will have a positive health impact in the fight against diet-related illnesses such as obesity , cancer and diabetes . On Wednesday organizers provided residents with meat-free recipes and a list of vegetarian restaurants at a `` launch party '' in the center of the city . Ghent claims to have more vegetarian eateries per inhabitant than Paris , London and Berlin . Demonstrations were also on offer to people looking for green cooking tips . | Thursdays will be declared `` Veggie Days '' in Ghent . Residents asked to opt for vegetarian meals at least once a week . City says eating less meat is healthy and can minimize ecological footprint . | [[0, 15], [19, 87], [234, 263], [314, 362], [234, 237], [394, 485], [597, 741]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three years ago , the film based on Dan Brown 's novel `` The Da Vinci Code '' was the focus of protest and controversy , with a Vatican archbishop calling for a boycott and Catholics at many levels refuting plot points . From left , actors Tom Hanks , Ayelet Zurer and Ewan McGregor join director Ron Howard at the film 's premier . But when it comes to the new film based on a Brown novel , `` Angels & Demons , '' star Tom Hanks says talk of controversy is much ado about nothing . `` Everybody is looking for some scandal whether a scandal exists or not , '' Hanks said of the film . `` I think a kind of natural reaction is now that somehow because it 's the second Robert Langdon mystery that there is some degree of controversy over it . And there is really not . '' The movie ventures into similar waters as its predecessor , `` The Da Vinci Code , '' with Hanks reprising the role of Robert Langdon , a Harvard symbology expert , and conspiracy theories galore . Watch Hanks talk aboout the controversy '' It also reunites the Academy Award-winning actor with director Ron Howard , who helmed `` Da Vinci , '' and teams Hanks with actor Ewan McGregor and Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer . While `` The Da Vinci Code '' centered on the complex investigation of a murder in the Louvre and the theory that a marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene produced descendants , the new film features a murder at the Vatican and a secret and powerful society known as the `` Illuminati . '' McGregor , known for his role as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the `` Star Wars '' films , said that while `` The Da Vinci Code '' and `` Angels & Demons '' are inextricably linked , the latter can stand on its own . `` If I thought -LSB- Angels & Demons -RSB- was pinned to ` The Da Vinci Code ' in some way then it would 've been a lesser script to read and it was n't , '' McGregor said . `` It 's a standalone movie ... it 's not relevant whether you 've seen ` Da Vinci Code ' or not . '' Both films , like the Brown novels they 're based on , have been met with criticism for their melding of history and storytelling . `` I have a strong objection to the genre of mixing fact with fiction , '' said Bill Donohue , president of the Catholic League . `` You 've got -LSB- Dan -RSB- Brown , -LSB- Ron -RSB- Howard and -LSB- Tom -RSB- Hanks in the movie all alleging that the Illuminati was this secret society which was brutalized by the Catholic Church in the 1600s . '' `` It 's all a lie , '' Donohue said . '' -LSB- The Illuminati -RSB- never even existed until May 1 , 1776 , but they have to pitch it back into the 1600s so they can trot out their favorite victim , Galileo . What happens is you get the audience thinking ` Well , maybe it 's not all true , but probably some of it is true . ' '' Ted Baehr , founder of Movieguide and the Christian Film & Television Commission , first issued an advisory alert about the film in April and reiterated it days before the movie 's May 15 release . `` Now that we 've previewed ` Angels & Demons , ' Movieguide has decided to keep in effect our caution alert , '' Baehr said . `` Faith is often denied throughout the movie . '' Director Howard wrote in the The Huffington Post that he believes Donohue is on a mission `` to paint me and the movie I directed , ` Angels & Demons , ' as anti-Catholic , '' a claim Howard emphatically denies . The director told CNN that he attempted to reach out to the Catholic Church regarding the film , but had no success . He also downplayed reports that Rome and the Vatican tried to hinder filming . Hanks said shooting the movie in the ancient city was complicated given the vibrancy of Rome . At one point , Hanks said , make-believe collided with one woman 's fairy tale . `` We had a lady showing up who was getting married at the Pantheon and she had to get married and we had to get our shot , '' Hanks said . `` She showed up right between shots , when we were moving cameras . '' Fortunately , both the wedding and the day 's filming were able to be completed , Hanks said . McGregor said Howard was to be credited for how well the production came together . Howard 's background as an actor undoubtedly helped enhance the actors ' performances , McGregor said . `` A lot of directors are able to tell you what they 're after , but Ron 's able to tell you what he 's after and help you for how you might play that ... which is kind of total directing , '' McGregor said . Zurer said she had a blast being the only female lead in the film . Viewers should see the film for what it is , she said , and not focus on the controversy . `` It 's fun fiction , '' she said . `` It 's a fun movie to watch , it 's thrilling and that 's what I saw in it . '' CNN 's Lisa Respers France contributed to this story . | Tom Hanks stars in `` Angels & Demons , '' a sequel to `` The Da Vinci Code '' Fellow cast mate Ewan McGregor says latest film is a standalone . Like earlier film , `` Angels & Demons '' has been attacked for mix of fact and fiction . Catholic League president : `` It 's all a lie '' | [[1507, 1515], [1594, 1719], [1997, 2031], [2052, 2128], [2480, 2497]] |
MARDAN , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Inside a hospital ward in northwest Pakistan , I found myself surrounded by sobs and screams . One scream was so high-pitched that I did n't think it was human . These were the sounds of agony , and they belonged to innocent civilians who were injured in the cross fire of Pakistani troops and the Taliban in the Swat Valley . CNN 's Reza Sayah with Shaista , who lost most of her family in an explosion as they fled fighting . Behind each cry at this ward was a story of loss . Doctors told me no one here had lost more than Shaista , an 11-year-old girl who watched as an explosion instantly killed most of her family . Shaista and her family were among hundreds of thousands of people who fled Pakistan 's Swat Valley on the day the Pakistani Army launched an all-out offensive against the Taliban . She says she was walking along a road with her family when a mortar shell suddenly fell from the sky . `` We were coming , '' Shaista told me , `` then my mother died , my brother died , and my two sisters also died . '' Watch Reza Sayah 's interview with Shaista '' Doctors said the explosion shattered Shaista 's foot . Moments later she passed out . The next time she woke up she was in the female orthopedic ward of the GHQ Hospital in Mardan . Doctors said Shaista will recover from her shattered foot , but the trauma of losing a family will last a lifetime . `` She kept saying it all happened in front of me , '' said Salma Shaheen , a nurse . `` She said something fell on top of my mother and she got cut in half . '' It was clear that Shaista had won over the hearts of the doctors and nurses who said that they , in three days , had treated more than 800 civilians injured in the battle zone . Like many hospitals in northwest Pakistan , this one was under equipped . To hold an elderly woman 's broken leg together , doctors had made a make shift traction using a brick , a plastic shopping bag and rope . Watch Reza Sayah 's report from inside the hospital '' Shaista said her father is missing . Her only guardian is her uncle , Muhammad Sher , who found Shaista after searching area hospitals . `` I 'm just going to tell her , ` you 're my daughter , ' '' said Muhammad . `` I 'm going to educate her , teach her the Koran and do what I can for her . '' Sixty miles away from the hospital , the battle between Pakistani troops and the Taliban raged on . On Wednesday General Athar Abbas , the army 's top spokesman , told CNN the troops were making significant progress but the most intense stage of the fighting in the battle zones ' most populated areas was still to come -- a near guarantee of more sobs and screams at area hospitals . | CNN 's Reza Sayah meets Shaista in a crowded hospital in northwest Pakistan . Shaista 's family among hundreds of thousands of people fleeing fighting . Shaista says they were walking on a road when a mortar fell from the sky . The girl 's uncle finds her in the hospital ; doctors say her shattered foot will recover . | [[387, 394], [401, 464], [659, 724], [718, 724], [729, 768], [840, 893], [849, 942], [1289, 1346]] |
BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Liu Yan , regarded as China 's top classical dancer , was to give the performance of a lifetime : She was to dance a solo at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics . Liu , in red , performs on the 2008 Beijing Television Chinese New Year Festival Show . She was to perform a dance entitled `` Silk Road , '' a piece intended to convey the rich cultural history of China . But it never happened . Twelve days before she was to take the stage at the Olympics , in an event that China hoped would catapult the nation to international glory , she fell while rehearsing the dance -- leaving her paralyzed from the waist down . `` When the music stopped , I made my exit as usual . I was dancing on a thin layer of electrical mat , I was standing on that , and there was a platform powered by a vehicle moving underneath , '' Liu said from the Beijing 306 Military Hospital . `` Right when I stepped on the platform , it moved away quickly ... then , like that , I fell . '' Watch more on Liu '' `` It was extremely painful . '' Liu , who was knocked unconscious , was later told she would never walk again . Doctors operated on her for six hours , and the hospital where she was being treated was near the Bird 's Nest -- the landmark national stadium built for the Games . The stadium can be seen from Liu 's hospital room window . `` I could not see it , because I was unable to sit up . But then , I could see the fireworks from the rehearsal , '' Liu said through tears . She did not watch the opening ceremony . `` I was afraid to watch it , '' she said . `` I was listening to Lisa Ono -LRB- a bossa nova singer -RRB- with the volume up to the highest on the stereo that used to be here in the corner . But , I watched it later . '' Liu began attending the Beijing Dance Academy in 1993 . She spent 10 years studying professional dancing , and classical Chinese dance was her major . She repeatedly received the annual Best Student award and went on to win gold awards in the national dancing competition in 2004 , the Lotus Dancing competition and the first Asian Youth Art Festival . She also won many top cultural awards in China for dance plays . `` When I was young , I was the kind of child who studied dancing very hard . I never gave up . I love dancing very much . When practicing some dancing movements , which other students considered boring , I saw the practice as very interesting , '' she said . `` People thought that I took dancing very seriously because of my love for it , but I think it 's very interesting . '' Apart from the physical pain , Liu said : `` The damage on my dancing career is the most painful part for me . '' `` I think this is very sad . But I am injured and it is a fact that can not be changed . But I believe I will keep dancing or at least doing work related to that , because that is what I love . '' Liu said she spends most of her time recovering in the hospital , exercising her legs to help develop her muscles . She said she feels much better now but it is still tough . `` I often cry . After I got injured , I feel fragile every time I reflect on the past . But I think of it as a process , '' she said . `` I will learn to face the reality rationally . Human hearts are made of flesh ; it is not one flat surface . The important thing is how you adjust yourself . '' She has since started to return to her normal life . `` For example , going back home and staying overnight , going out with friends for dinner , even going to see a show , a movie , drink coffee , drink Champagne , going back to classes . '' Liu does not blame anyone for the accident , saying that in big events , `` accidents happen . '' `` I think you should not blame one person , or one particular moment , '' she said . `` I think I will use the word ` unfortunate . ' I was very unfortunate to have that accident . '' She also said she did not know about reports her family and witnesses to the accident were told not to talk about what happened afterward . `` That probably happened . I did n't know about it back then and I did n't really care . I was in the middle of an operation that lasted six hours . '' As for the future , Liu said she might go back to school , to learn more about dance , and get a master 's or a doctorate degree . `` Healthy dancers practice every day , I will do the same . This is how I am different from other patients -- I believe that I will recover when I do my exercise . I will live with hope . '' | Liu Yan is paralyzed while rehearsing her solo dance for the Olympics ' opening . Doctors say she will not walk again . Liu wins many dance awards ; she is considered China 's top classical dancer . She believes she will recover and exercises every day . | [[133, 211], [600, 620], [624, 660], [1069, 1072], [1105, 1114], [1120, 1148], [1069, 1072], [1115, 1148], [0, 7], [10, 31], [45, 86], [2133, 2136], [2142, 2189], [4426, 4479]] |
Editor 's note : The Rev. Robert Barron is Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary and author of several books , including `` Eucharist , '' `` Word on Fire : Proclaiming the Power of Christ '' and `` The Priority of Christ : Toward a Post-Liberal Catholicism . '' Barron is the director of WordOnFire.org , a global media ministry based in Chicago , Illinois . For another view on this topic , read here . The Rev. Robert Barron says celibacy sets the priest apart as a symbol of the world to come . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The scandal surrounding the Rev. Alberto Cutie has raised questions in the minds of many concerning the Catholic Church 's discipline of priestly celibacy . Why does the church continue to defend a practice that seems so unnatural and so unnecessary ? There is a very bad argument for celibacy , which has appeared throughout the tradition and which is , even today , defended by some . It goes something like this : Married life is spiritually suspect ; priests , as religious leaders , should be spiritual athletes above reproach ; therefore , priests should n't be married . This approach to the question is , in my judgment , not just stupid but dangerous , for it rests on presumptions that are repugnant to solid Christian doctrine . The biblical teaching on creation implies the essential integrity of the world and everything in it . Genesis tells us that God found each thing he had made good and that he found the ensemble of creatures very good . Catholic theology , at its best , has always been resolutely , anti-dualist -- and this means that matter , the body , marriage and sexual activity are never , in themselves , to be despised . But there is more to the doctrine of creation than an affirmation of the goodness of the world . To say that the finite realm in its entirety is created is to imply that nothing in the universe is God . All aspects of created reality reflect God and bear traces of the divine goodness -- just as every detail of a building gives evidence of the mind of the architect -- but no creature and no collectivity of creatures is divine , just as no part of a structure is the architect . This distinction between God and the world is the ground for the anti-idolatry principle that is reiterated from the beginning to the end of the Bible : Do not turn something less than God into God . Isaiah the prophet put it thus : `` As high as the heavens are above the earth , so high are my thoughts above your thoughts and my ways above your ways , says the Lord . '' And it is at the heart of the First Commandment : `` I am the Lord your God ; you shall have no other gods besides me . '' The Bible thus holds off all the attempts of human beings to divinize or render ultimate some worldly reality . The doctrine of creation , in a word , involves both a great `` yes '' and a great `` no '' to the universe . Now there is a behavioral concomitant to the anti-idolatry principle , and it is called detachment . Detachment is the refusal to make anything less than God the organizing principle or center of one 's life . Anthony de Mello looked at it from the other side and said `` an attachment is anything in this world -- including your own life -- that you are convinced you can not live without . '' Even as we reverence everything that God has made , we must let go of everything that God has made , precisely for the sake of God . This is why , as G.K. Chesterton noted , there is a tension to Christian life . In accord with its affirmation of the world , the Church loves color , pageantry , music and rich decoration -LRB- as in the liturgy and papal ceremonials -RRB- , even as , in accord with its detachment from the world , it loves the poverty of St. Francis and the simplicity of Mother Teresa . The same tension governs its attitude toward sex and family . Again , in Chesterton 's language , the Church is `` fiercely for having children '' -LRB- through marriage -RRB- even as it remains `` fiercely against having them '' -LRB- in religious celibacy -RRB- . Everything in this world -- including sex and intimate friendship -- is good , but impermanently so ; all finite reality is beautiful , but its beauty , if I can put it in explicitly Catholic terms , is sacramental , not ultimate . In the biblical narratives , when God wanted to make a certain truth vividly known to his people , he would , from time to time , choose a prophet and command him to act out that truth , to embody it concretely . For example , he told Hosea to marry the unfaithful Gomer in order to sacramentalize God 's fidelity to wavering Israel . Thus , the truth of the non-ultimacy of sex , family and worldly relationship can and should be proclaimed through words , but it will be believed only when people can see it . This is why , the Church is convinced , God chooses certain people to be celibate . Their mission is to witness to a transcendent form of love , the way that we will love in heaven . In God 's realm , we will experience a communion -LRB- bodily as well as spiritual -RRB- compared to which even the most intense forms of communion here below pale into insignificance , and celibates make this truth viscerally real for us now . Though one can present practical reasons for it , I believe that celibacy only finally makes sense in this eschatological context . For years , the Rev. Andrew Greeley argued -- quite rightly in my view -- that the priest is fascinating and that a large part of the fascination comes from celibacy . The compelling quality of the priest is not a matter of superficial celebrity or charm . It is something much stranger , deeper , more mystical . It is the fascination for another world . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the Rev. Robert Barron . | The Rev. Robert Barron : Why does Church back practice that seems unnecessary ? He says he rejects the `` marriage is spiritually suspect '' defense of celibacy . But celibacy sets the priest apart as a symbol of another world , he says . | [[714, 763], [723, 808], [444, 527]] |
KABUL , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Taliban suicide bomb squad disguised as regular Afghan army troops stormed a strategic city close to the border with Pakistan Tuesday , prompting a fierce six-hour battle with U.S. troops , local officials and the U.S. military said . A U.S. soldier on patrol in Khost province in February 2009 . The insurgents attacked a municipal building in the center of the city of Khost , a U.S. military spokesman said . At least 10 suicide bombers were killed in the attacks , which also left five troops and four civilians dead , Afghan police said . Local police chief Abdul Qayum Baqee Zoi told CNN the attacks , which ended at 4:30 p.m. involved 10 Taliban suicide bombers in Afghan National Army uniforms and explosive vests . Seven detonated and three were shot dead . A U.S. military spokesman said the city -- a hotbed of Taliban activity -- remained volatile as reports of running battles , kidnappings and fatalities surfaced . The developments came shortly after the United States announced it was changing its military leadership in Afghanistan , replacing Gen. David McKiernan with Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal , a former special operations chief . Tuesday 's fighting began when U.S. forces responded to a suicide bomber at a government compound in the city and came under heavy attack , the U.S. military spokesman said . Officials in Khost told CNN that insurgents attacked the municipal building , and the police chief there said attackers killed two police officers , two security guards and two civilians in that incident . A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan earlier told CNN 30 Taliban fighters were involved in the attack , and confirmed they were suicide bombers wearing explosive vests . The U.S. military spokesman said U.S. troops killed several militants but had to fall back . A U.S. quick reaction force from a nearby base was called in , entering the city with U.S. ground forces , he said . The spokesman said additional Taliban suicide bombers then entered government buildings , killing additional Afghans . CNN 's Barbara Starr and Tomas Etzler contributed to this report . | Taliban militants attacked a municipal building in the city of Khost . Insurgents said to be fighting battles with U.S. forces and taking hostages . Khost is notorious hotbed of Taliban activity near Pakistan border . | [[338, 417], [1369, 1444], [808, 970], [839, 847], [883, 970], [808, 970]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- By most accounts , the showdown was pretty brutal . Many declared Jon Stewart , right , the victor in his face-to-face with Jim Cramer on `` The Daily Show . '' Many watching Thursday night 's `` Daily Show '' on Comedy Central felt that comedian-turned-media-critic Jon Stewart held bombastic financial guru and CNBC `` Mad Money '' host Jim Cramer 's feet to the fire . And Cramer flinched . Stewart , known for his zany , satirical take on the news , was serious as he took Cramer 's network to task for what Stewart viewed as their `` cheerleading '' of corporations at the heart of the nation 's current economic crisis . And despite the title of his financial show , Cramer came off as less mad and more apologetic . Watch Stewart vs. Cramer '' `` If it was a prize fight , they would have stopped it , '' said Howard Kurtz , the `` Washington Post '' media critic and host of CNN 's `` Reliable Sources . '' `` I was stunned that Jim Cramer kind of did a rope-a-dope strategy and did n't really defend himself against Jon Stewart 's assault . '' Kurtz is very familiar with the style of both men . He has appeared on `` The Daily Show '' and is the author of `` The Fortune Tellers : Inside Wall Street 's Game of Money , Media and Manipulation , '' in which Cramer is featured . Kurtz said Stewart `` made clear at the outset that he was n't going for laughs '' and displayed very much the same passion for holding the media accountable as he did when he appeared on , and denounced , CNN 's `` Crossfire . '' Watch the debate on `` Reliable Sources '' `` When I went on -LSB- Stewart 's -RSB- show last year , he was so wound up in ripping the media that he went on for another 10 minutes , knowing full well that we were out of time , '' Kurtz said . `` Stewart , as funny as he can be , is a very trenchant media critic who cares passionately about this stuff , and we saw that Thursday night . '' iReporter David Seaman of New York said he was surprised at the vigor with which Stewart `` attacked Cramer 's credibility . '' Check out David 's iReport . The public wants answers as to how the country got into such financial distress , and viewers really want someone to answer for the mess , Seaman said . `` People want to see a lot of the financial gurus on a shish kabob , being skewered , '' Seaman said . `` It 's really important to hold people accountable , and as we saw last night , Jon Stewart is a bit of a wild card , so if you are n't living up to expectations , he may call you out . '' David Brancaccio , host and senior editor of `` Now on PBS , '' commended Cramer for his bravery in going on the show , though he said he was surprised that the brilliant founder of TheStreet.com seemed ill-prepared for Stewart 's very thoughtful questioning . Brancaccio , the former host of American Public Media 's `` Marketplace '' radio program , echoed the comments of many in that he found the exchange visibly uncomfortable for the usually showman-like Cramer . `` You have the comedian as journalist , and you have the financial journalist as clown , in that on his show , Cramer 's goofing around and plays the clown , '' Brancaccio said . `` What a role reversal . '' Brancaccio said Stewart 's show has emerged as an important vehicle for media criticism . Thursday night 's show marked an important moment in journalism , especially financial reporting , Brancaccio said . `` It 's really important that tough questions are asked , because when tough questions are n't asked , we end up with Enron , '' he said . `` It 's interesting that the tough questions came from Jon Stewart , brilliant comedian that he is . '' Brancaccio thinks the episode may serve as a cautionary tale for those in the media who do n't do their due diligence . White House approves of smackdown . `` I do n't think any financial journalist wants to be in Cramer 's position , '' Brancaccio said . `` I think -LSB- journalists -RSB- may redouble their efforts to be dispassionate reporters asking the tough questions . '' Steve Krakauer is associate editor of TVNewser.com , one of the leading blogs about the television news industry , and said comments at his site have been mixed about the show . Although some thought it was one of the best interviews they had ever seen , others found Stewart arrogant and said his outrage might have been a bit staged . Krakauer said the question now is where Cramer -- who has said he plans to make some changes to his show -- goes from here . Krakauer said he doubts that there will be a complete overhaul of `` Mad Money . '' `` I ca n't see things drastically changing , '' Krakauer said . '' ` Mad Money ' is one of the most successful shows on CNBC . Despite what has been written about Jim Cramer , the things he 's gotten incorrect and the calls he has made , he 's still popular and one of the most entertaining for people who are interested in that type of financial news . '' If anything , Cramer 's appearance on `` The Daily Show '' may have just stoked the flames . Comedy Central 's Web site played it up with clips from the show that it called `` an historic moment in basic cable . '' The topic is such a hot one that Kurtz will lead `` Reliable Sources '' with it Sunday , with journalist Tucker Carlson , radio show host Stephanie Miller and `` Baltimore Sun '' television critic David Zurawik as guests . `` Beyond the entertainment value , and we are not above that , this is a really important moment for holding financial journalists accountable , '' Kurtz said . `` It may have taken Jon Stewart to blow the whistle on some of the hype and shortsightedness at America 's top business news channel , but those failings were repeated throughout the business press , which stumbled badly in reporting on what turned into a huge financial meltdown . '' | Critics and viewers see Stewart as victor after interview with `` Mad Money '' host . Pair squared off in an uncomfortable debate on `` The Daily Show '' iReporter : Surprised at how Stewart `` attacked Cramer 's credibility '' Howard Kurtz : `` Important moment for holding financial journalists accountable '' | [[180, 390], [180, 390], [1928, 1997], [2009, 2052], [828, 848], [5450, 5529]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Richard Deitsch struggled through several days of denial before facing the fact that he was thousands of miles from home and he had no idea where his passport was . It 's most important to make copies of your passport , say experts . Web sites offer easy-access digital storage . The Sports Illustrated reporter was covering the 2008 Olympics in Beijing , China , where he should have been having the time of his life . But his emotions were all over the place -- and none of them were good . His passport , he assumed , had fallen out of his backpack . `` When I realized it was missing , I went through a number of stages -- panic , fear , anger , and finally , acceptance , '' he wrote while enjoying a recent vacation in Russia . `` I looked for three days in every possible spot before I finally admitted to myself it was gone . '' Deitsch 's bureaucratic nightmare reached a low point when he found himself inside a police station telling his story to five police officials who spoke no English . `` I was a wreck , '' he wrote later in a Sports Illustrated piece . He had brought his own translator , an SI China reporter whom Deitsch credited with negotiating through the red tape and eventually saving his entire assignment . Fortunately for Deitsch , he had prepared well for such an emergency . The best thing Deitsch did , said travel experts , was to make several copies of his passport and work visa before departing for China . As a result , he had a replacement passport in his hands within a few days after he reported it missing . Experts seem to come from two schools of thought on how to protect a passport . Some prefer to lock the document away once they arrive in a destination , while others say keeping the passport with you is the best way to safeguard it . Whatever option you choose , the bottom line is , if you lose your passport you must be able to prove your identity and citizenship to the U.S. government . The best way to do it is to have a copy of your passport handy . Deitsch 's experience has prompted him to become `` hyper-vigilant '' about his passport , he wrote . He usually chooses to lock the document in a safe during his travels , rarely carrying his passport on him . `` And when I do , I find myself grabbing the front of my pants-pocket every couple of minutes to make sure that it remains where it should , '' he wrote . Once it 's clear your passport is lost , bring your passport copy and any other traveling or ID-related paperwork to the nearest embassy or consulate during business hours . Be prepared to spend at least four hours waiting in line , filling out forms and answering questions from officials . If you did n't bring extra ID photos with you on your trip , have some taken before heading to the embassy or consulate . Make sure the photos are cropped to the correct size for your country 's passport . If you have no paperwork , take someone in your traveling party with you . They will have to vouch for you . U.S. citizens who are traveling alone and have no other way to prove their identification will be allowed to call `` family , friends or associates '' in the United States to confirm their identity , according to the U.S. State Department Web site . Laura Kidder , editorial director of Fodor 's travel guides , suggested making color copies of the passport 's data page and sticking them inside your luggage ; you can scan them into a computer and e-mail them to yourself ; or you can use an online document storage company . `` There 's one -LSB- online company -RSB- that is particularly geared for passport and travel documents , '' Kidder said . She recommends the Australian Web site www.passportsupport.com , which costs about $ 15 Australian per year . `` This is the safest way to do it , which is more secure than you e-mailing it to yourself , '' said Kidder . Storing your passport data on a server offers higher security , she said , because the data is encrypted . In addition to passport documents , such services also will safely store data for tickets , drivers licenses , medical papers and lists of critical contacts . Passportsupport.com users are asked to scan their documents in jpg files . Users can then upload these files to the passportsupport.com server with the Web site 's interface . Kidder said she keeps copies of her documents in her luggage when traveling , and her passport secure in the hotel -- either in a self-service safe in the hotel room or a safe operated by the front desk . Rather than safes , Robert Siciliano , CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com , said he prefers to hold his passport himself . Siciliano said he always carries his passport -LRB- and other valuables -RRB- on him , even when he heads down to a beach to relax with his laptop . He says if you plan to go in the water , know that someone is waiting to steal your stuff . Invest in portable alarms and do n't lose sight of your possessions . Siciliano said locking passports in a room safe leaves you open to the possibility of a forgotten combination . In those cases , a hotel will send someone to the room who can unlock the safe . Devices that unlock room safes can easily be bought online , Siciliano said . It 's a good example of how many people can access your room and safe if they want to go through your stuff . `` There are people out there that are focusing on you not paying attention , on you being trusting , you being naive , '' he says . `` You 're putting your faith and trust in someone who might have problems . People are flawed . '' The best way to protect yourself is to buy a passport holder for $ 10 - $ 20 and always keep it on you , Siciliano said . Wear it under a shirt and pull it out only if needed . Never put it in a backpack or a purse . Experts said preparation is most important ; you need to do your research and have multiple copies of everything . `` I always have backup for my backup , '' Siciliano said . | American who lost passport in China : ' I was a wreck '' Most important : Always bring backup proof of identity ; keep it safe . Consider uploading copies of documents to secure Web site . | [[1025, 1038]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared set for a second term as his Congress party and its allies scored a decisive lead over their opponents on Saturday in a vote count after the country 's monthlong general elections . Congress supporters in Banglaore Saturday celebrate the party 's lead in election results . The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance surged ahead in more than 255 of the 543 federal parliamentary boroughs , outpacing the main opposition composed of a grouping led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party -LRB- BJP -RRB- . BJP leader Arun Jaitley conceded defeat , stating that the ruling party will win the election . `` We respect this mandate and accept it , '' Jaitley said . India 's communists , who last year parted ways with the federal government for its civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States , also suffered a massive blow in their stronghold state of West Bengal as they trailed their rivals in more than half of its boroughs . Singh drove down to the home of Sonia Gandhi , the Italian-born head of the Congress party , after trends gave out a clear mandate in favor of the ruling coalition . Standing beside Gandhi , who once again endorsed the choice of Singh for her party 's top job , he thanked voters for their support . He vowed to maintain a stable government that he said would remain committed to secular values . Singh also remarked that he would like Rahul Gandhi , son of his party chief , to become a member of his new Cabinet . Deepak Sandhu , the prime minister 's spokeswoman , told CNN that Singh is expected to hold a meeting of his current Cabinet on Monday . The prime minister , whose coalition may need some extra backing to be able to reclaim power with a majority of 272 lawmakers on its side , threw up an invitation to all secular parties to come and support his government . The fifth and final phase of India 's marathon general election to choose a federal government ended Wednesday . Most of the results of the will be out by the end of the day , election officials said . India is home to about 714 million voters . About 100 million voters registered for Wednesday 's polling . | NEW : Victory looks certain for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 's second term . NEW : Singh stands with Sonia Gandhi , head of Congress party , to thank voters . NEW : Singh vows to maintain stability , invites support of secular parties . Hindu nationalist coalition Bharatiya Janata Party concedes . | [[0, 9], [68, 126], [1301, 1338], [1339, 1435], [1692, 1712], [1832, 1877], [518, 598]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Violence echoed across a volatile Pakistani province and an adjacent tribal region on Saturday , with dozens reported killed in the latest military push , a drone strike , and a car bombing targeting a school bus . A Pakistani girl displaced by the military 's offensive against the Taliban rests at a camp Saturday north of the capital . Pakistan 's artillery and airstrikes against Taliban militants in North West Frontier Province left 47 suspected militants dead in operations over the last 24 hours , the military said . `` Security forces are closing in from different directions and have been able to inflict more casualties , '' the military said in the daily roundup of its offensive in the Swat district and adjoining regions . The troops have been fighting to oust militants from districts across Pakistan 's North West Frontier Province . Forty-five people were killed in various areas of Dir , where four militants were arrested . The military conducted search-and-destroy operations in Shangla district , where they targeted terrorist hideouts and reported the arrest of one militant leader and the death of another . In Swat , the military said it killed a militant commander and were getting closer to the city of Mingora , where they isolated and blocked `` the movement of fleeing terrorists , '' amid the sound of intense exchanges of fire . Watch Pakistani troops pound Taliban positions '' In the adjacent tribal region , a missile believed fired by a drone overnight struck a madrassa , a religious school , a Pakistani intelligence official said . More than 20 people were killed , according to local and Taliban sources . The strike was near the village of Mir Ali in North Waziristan , one of seven districts in Pakistan 's tribal regions . The official asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media . According to a count by CNN , this is the 16th suspected missile strike in Pakistan this year . Pakistan has complained repeatedly about what it says are American airstrikes on its territory . The U.S. military in Afghanistan has not commented on the strikes , which typically target Taliban fighters in the border region . But the United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from remote-controlled drones . In Peshawar , at least nine people were killed and 33 hurt Saturday when a car bomb exploded while a school bus passed on a road , local authorities said . The school bus was carrying handicapped children . It is not clear if any of them were killed , but as many as seven were injured . Peshawar is the capital of North West Frontier Province . More than a million people have been displaced in northwestern Pakistan as a result of the two-week-old military offensive with the Taliban , the U.N. refugee agency said Saturday . Antonio Guterres , high commissioner for refugees , said 1,171,682 people have been registered as internally displaced people . These are in addition to the 553,916 displaced people who 've fled eruptions of fighting in the tribal areas and North West Frontier Province since August . CNN 's Reza Sayah contributed to this report . | Pakistan military says it killed 47 militants in 24 hours in North West Frontier Province . Local sources say 20 killed in suspected U.S. missile strike on religious school . Pakistani troops fighting to oust Taliban militants from volatile province . In Peshawar , nine killed when a car bomb exploded as school bus passed . | [[379, 543], [1611, 1642], [1611, 1630], [1645, 1685], [778, 890], [778, 788], [808, 890], [216, 254], [2369, 2380], [2383, 2419], [2420, 2480], [2468, 2497]] |
CEDAR RAPIDS , Iowa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Doug Ward drives through a subdivision made up of rows of trailers . You can hear the sadness in his voice as he says , `` This just does n't feel like home . '' He longs for the life he lived before devastating floods destroyed his Cedar Rapids neighborhood . The A&W Drive-In in Cedar Rapids was Doug Ward 's life for 30 years . `` I want to come back . I miss -LRB- my friends -RRB- very much , '' Ward said as he escorted CNN on a tour of Cedar Rapids , Iowa , nearly a year after the floods . Ward , 64 , is an institution in the historic Time Check neighborhood just across the Cedar River from downtown . He owns the A&W Drive-In on Ellis Boulevard , a fixture on this street since 1948 . Historian Mark Stoffer Hunter calls the drive-in Cedar Rapids ' `` Eiffel Tower . '' `` It 's been there for us over the decades , '' Hunter said . `` It 's one of those landmarks that tells you you 're in Cedar Rapids . '' When floodwaters ravaged Cedar Rapids last June , Ward 's drive-in drowned in almost 10 feet of water . Now , the drive-in sits in ruins . A&W root beer mugs covered in dried mud sit on the restaurant floor . The stench of floodwater lingers in the air . Putting together the pieces of Ward 's life hit a snag in the fall of 2008 when an economic storm swept across the country . In a matter of months , the financial support Ward needed to rebuild dried up . `` Life 's got to go on . If you sit and worry about it too much , you 'd probably be at my funeral today , '' Ward said . Watch as Ward talks about the devastation in Cedar Rapids '' Ward estimates that it will cost close to $ 1 million to rebuild the A&W Drive-In at its current location . He 's been able to line up $ 350,000 in loans , but that 's far short of what he needs . `` The idea that he might not be able to rebuild the business here , it hurts , '' said Stoffer , the Cedar Rapids historian . `` It 's happening not just in this neighborhood , but in all the neighborhoods that were affected by the floods . '' So now Ward spends a lot of time driving around Cedar Rapids scouting new locations . He wants to stay on Ellis Boulevard , but the surrounding neighborhood sits mostly empty . If people do n't move back , then there are no customers to feed . `` If the neighborhood were normal again , we 'd be up and running . But it 's not , '' Ward said . Ward not only lost his business , but the house he and his wife lived in for 28 years was destroyed , too . The house today sits gutted . The flood weakened the foundation . Three estimates show it will cost $ 85,000 to make the needed repairs . FEMA gave the Wards $ 28,000 toward the costs of rebuilding their home or buying a new one . But without home insurance , it 's another cost in Ward 's mounting pile of financial troubles . Ward said if he ca n't get his business up and running soon , he 'll have to find another job . He 's tapped into retirement savings extensively , and he 's received some financial support -LRB- he wo n't specify how much -RRB- from other sources . Ward is soft spoken , yet tough . He 's faced difficult struggles all his life . His father died when he was 5 . He dropped out of school after eighth grade to earn money for his family . At 13 , he worked in a dry milk factory and spent 10 years working as a Coca-Cola delivery man . Owning the A&W Drive-In was a dream that produced a comfortable living . Now he misses the days serving his friends icy-cold root beers . But you wo n't hear him complain about the battle he 's facing . `` I 've been knocked around , but we 'll get up and get going , '' he said . | The A&W in Cedar Rapids was Doug Ward 's life for 30 years until last year 's flood . Almost a year later , the drive-in sits in ruins , the root beer mugs still muddied . The drive-in has been a landmark in the Time Check neighborhood since 1948 . It will cost upward of $ 1 million to rebuild or change locations . | [[300, 369], [959, 1006], [1009, 1062], [1107, 1137], [1098, 1116], [1128, 1167], [537, 541], [549, 650], [1603, 1710], [1618, 1656], [1645, 1710], [2671, 2727]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Internet giant Google has been stopped from gathering images in Greek cities for its Street View service until it provides further guarantees about privacy . One of Google 's Street View camera cars capturing images in central London . Launched in the U.S. two years ago , Street View provides users with access to 3-D `` pedestrian 's - eye '' views of urban areas by zooming into the lowest level on its Google Maps and Google Earth applications . It has since been rolled out in more than 100 cities in Japan , Australia , New Zealand , France , Spain , Italy , Britain and the Netherlands . The images are obtained from cars specially-fitted with cameras that drive around towns and cities taking panoramic 360 degree shots of everything from pedestrians in the street , to customers sitting in street cafes . Despite pledging to recognize local privacy laws , Google has come under fire from privacy campaigners who fear the application could be abused by criminals or even snooping government agencies . Do you agree ? Share your thoughts below . In April , a group of villagers in a picturesque English village chased away one of the search engine 's camera cars as it attempted to photograph their homes . Fearing the appearance of their well appointed properties on the Web site would attract criminals scouting for burglary targets , villagers in Broughton , north of London , summoned the police after blocking the car . A month earlier , the BBC reported that Google was forced to pull a number of images from Street View after receiving complaints about pictures that included a man entering a London sex shop , and a drunken reveler being sick at a bus stop . The search giant has now run into trouble in Greece after being blocked by the country 's privacy watchdog from expanding its service there . The Hellenic Data Protection Authority wants further clarification from Google about how long it will store images for and the measures in place to make people aware of privacy rights . In a statement , a Google spokesperson told CNN : `` Street View has not been banned in Greece . We have received a request for further information from the Greek DPA and we are happy to continue discussing these issues with them and provide information they request . `` Google takes privacy very seriously , and that 's why we have put in place a number of features , including the blurring of faces and license plates , to ensure that Street View will respect local norms when it launches in Greece . `` We believe that launching Street View in Greece will offer enormous benefits to both Greek users and the people elsewhere who are interested in taking a virtual tour of some of its many tourist attractions . '' | Greek watchdog wants more information from Google about privacy measures . Privacy campaigners say Street View could be abused . Residents of one UK village say it will help burglars scout targets . Google says it is n't breaking any laws and takes privacy very seriously . | [[1835, 1979], [2118, 2187], [884, 935], [916, 935], [940, 966], [1233, 1360]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nearly two out of three Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president , according to an average of the most recent national polls . President Obama is still being evaluated on how he does his job , CNN 's polling director says . In a CNN Poll of Polls compiled Thursday , 64 percent of those questioned in various surveys say they approve of how Obama is handling his duties as president . Twenty-eight percent disapprove . The president 's approval rating also stood at 64 percent in a CNN Poll of Polls compiled in January , just after his inauguration . `` Most polls have shown Obama getting fairly high marks on most of the issues he has handled so far , '' CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said . `` One exception has been the way he has handled government assistance to failing banks and automakers . His numbers on the federal deficit are also low in comparison to his approval ratings on the economy and foreign policy . '' So how does Obama compare to his predecessors in the White House around the 100-day mark ? George W. Bush stood at 62 percent in a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll in April 2001 , Bill Clinton was at 55 percent in a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll in April 1993 , George H.W. Bush stood at 58 percent in a Gallup poll from April 1989 , and Ronald Reagan was at 67 percent in a Gallup poll taken in April 1981 . Learn more about previous presidents ' approval ratings '' `` The hundred-day mark tends to fall during a period when Americans are still evaluating a new president . The danger period for most presidents comes later in their first year in office , '' Holland explained . `` Bill Clinton , for example , still had good marks after his first 100 days , but his approval rating had tanked by June of 1993 . Ronald Reagan 's approval rating stayed over 50 percent until November of his first year in office , but once it slipped below that mark , it stayed under 50 percent for two years . So Obama 's current rating certainly does not indicate that he is out of the woods yet . '' The CNN Poll of Polls is an average of three national surveys taken over the past week : Gallup Tracking , Pew and AP/GfK . | 64 percent of Americans in various polls approve of Obama 's work so far . Rating is similar to recent predecessors ' around 100-day mark . Approval tends to slip later in the year , CNN polling director says . | [[277, 317], [320, 339], [370, 437], [472, 504], [510, 552], [985, 1075], [997, 1075], [246, 276], [708, 754]] |
Editor 's note : The Rev. Donald Cozzens is writer in residence and adjunct professor of theology at John Carroll University in Cleveland , Ohio . A priest of the Diocese of Cleveland with a doctoral degree , he is the author of several books on the Catholic Church , including `` Sacred Silence : Denial and the Crisis in the Church '' and `` Freeing Celibacy , '' both published by Liturgical Press . For another view on this topic , read here . The Rev. Donald Cozzens says the debate over celibacy for priests will be around for decades . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's an issue that simply wo n't go away . In spite of signals from the Vatican discouraging even discussions of obligatory celibacy for Catholic priests , the almost 1,000-year-old rule is under the microscope . And it will be for decades to come . Here 's why . In the Catholic tradition , even though sex is cast as sinful unless expressed in the conjugal embrace of husband and wife , it is held as fundamentally good , a part of God 's creation . The church even holds that marriage -LRB- including spousal lovemaking -RRB- is a sacrament -- something sacred that contributes to the sanctity of husbands and wives . In light of this official teaching , it is dawning on many Catholics that mandatory celibacy for priests , a canonically imposed discipline of the church , is precisely that -- a discipline . They are asking , `` How is it that a discipline of the church has been allowed to trump a sacrament of the church ? '' In effect , the church is saying that should God call a man to the priesthood , God will not , at the same time , call that individual to the sacrament of marriage . It 's right to ask , how does the church know this ? Public opinion surveys indicate that most Catholics , priests included , believe the discipline of celibacy needs a serious review . Recently the retired archbishop of New York , Cardinal Edward Egan , observed that obligatory celibacy is open for discussion . It is not , Egan noted , a matter of dogma . For decades now , bishops from Asia , Europe and the Americas have asked Vatican officials to consider optional celibacy for priests . The church 's official response is consistent and succinct : As a precious gift from God , the discipline of celibacy for priests will remain in place . This , in spite of the inherent paradox lying just below the claim that the gift of celibacy is a precious gift of God to the priesthood and the church : How can a gift be legislated ? The church answers that if a man is called to the priesthood , God will grant him the gift of celibacy . Many priests today wonder how church leaders know this . Reading the mind of God in this matter -- in any matter of church discipline -- is risky business . More and more Catholics today are coming to understand that celibacy as a universal law for priests had its origins in the 12th century and that during the church 's first millennium , priests and bishops -- and at least thirty-nine popes -- were married . Still , most well-read cradle Catholics are surprised to learn that St. Anastasius , pope from 399 to 401 , was succeeded by his son , Pope St. Innocent I , and that a century later Pope St. Hormisdas ' son , St. Silverius , also was elected to the papacy . Even in our secular world , it 's common to speak of church-based ministry as a calling , a vocation . Is n't it possible that God would call an individual to the priesthood and to the sacrament of marriage ? God apparently did so for more than half the church 's history . How do we know that God is n't doing so today ? For some years now I 've been teaching in the religious studies department at John Carroll University in Cleveland . I 've asked dozens of serious , healthy young students if they have given any thought to being a priest . They seem flattered by the question . With only one exception , each has answered , `` Yes , I 've thought about being a priest , but I want a family . '' There are , of course , other factors , urgent and pressing , that will keep the celibacy issue alive . The Catholic priesthood is aging . The average age of active priests hovers at 60 , and if retired priests are factored in , it is considerably higher . Moreover , Catholic seminaries are lucky to be half full . Parish staffing challenges alone will press for a review of the celibacy rule . Catholic bishops simply do not have enough priests to meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of the Catholic faithful . Closing and merging parishes may offer some temporary relief for overworked priests , but the shortfall of priests will continue to challenge the vitality of Catholic parishes and the health of Catholic clergy for decades to come . But the most human , existential factor that should keep the celibacy issue on the table is the spiritual and emotional health of priests . Celibacy really is n't the issue -- mandatory or obligatory celibacy is . There are many priests who do possess the gift of celibacy -- it is their `` truth '' so to speak -- and their humanity , warmth and pastoral effectiveness give abundant evidence of their authentic celibate lives . But there remain other priests who believe deep down they are called to the priesthood but not to celibacy . And for these men , the burden of mandated celibacy threatens their spiritual and emotional well-being . The priesthood may be their `` truth , '' but mandated celibacy wraps them in a cloak of loneliness and struggle . I do n't know Father Alberto Cutie . He appears to have touched the lives of many and preached the gospel with power and conviction . I suspect he feels called by God to be a priest , but not a celibate priest . Surely he knows that Easter Rite Catholic priests are allowed to marry and that the church welcomes into the priesthood married convert ministers from other Christian denominations . Surely he knows that in many parts of the Catholic world , clerical celibacy is openly flouted , and church authorities choose not to notice . I wonder if church officials understand the burden they place on the shoulders of a man who believes he is called to priestly ministry but not to celibacy . Certainly , a married priesthood will have burdens of its own and , sadly , scandals of its own -- infidelity and abuse among others . But it should be left to the individual priest and seminarian to determine whether or not he is blessed with the gift of celibacy . A mandated `` gift , '' after all , is really no gift at all . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the Rev. Donald Cozzens . | The Rev. Donald Cozzens : Celibacy is 1,000 years old but not intrinsic to the church . Many popes were married in the first millennium of the church , Cozzens says . Cozzens says church views marriage as sacred ; why should priests be denied it ? Cozzens : Celibacy is a gift that should be optional , not mandated by the church . | [[827, 852], [950, 984], [1015, 1126], [6312, 6439], [6308, 6439]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Australian authorities have declared several coastal areas near Brisbane disaster zones after a massive oil spill earlier this week , according to the Queensland government . Large stretches of Queensland 's coastline are being affected by the oil . `` This is a very serious situation , '' Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said , according to a news release on Friday . `` It appears the volume of oil involved is much greater than originally reported by the Pacific Adventurer . And the effect of the oil spill is more widespread . '' The Pacific Adventurer sustained damage early Wednesday when Cyclone Hamish struck the waters of eastern Australia with more than 125 kph -LRB- 77 mph -RRB- winds . The cargo ship lost 30 of its 50 containers of ammonium nitrate about 13 kilometers -LRB- 8 miles -RRB- off the coast of Cape Moreton . Those containers are still missing . The damaged ship also spilled a large amount of oil that is covering at least 60 kilometers -LRB- 37 miles -RRB- of beach in and around Brisbane , according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation -LRB- ABC -RRB- . Watch sludge washing up on shorelines '' The ship 's owner , Swire Shipping , initially said no more than 42,000 liters -LRB- 11,100 U.S. gallons -RRB- of oil escaped from the ship , but now says that `` substantially more oil was spilled , '' ABC reported Friday . The ship is currently in the custody of Australia 's Maritime Safety Authority in Brisbane , as the investigation into the spill continues . A massive clean-up effort is also under way . So far , 13 oil-covered birds have been recovered , according to the Queensland government . | Pacific Adventurer sustained damage when Cyclone Hamish struck . Damaged ship spilled large quantity of oil and chemical cannisters . Ship now in the custody of Australia 's Maritime Safety Authority . | [[553, 608], [891, 907], [913, 942], [1306, 1343], [1346, 1348], [1371, 1461]] |
JERUSALEM -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pope Benedict XVI completed his eight-day tour of the Holy Land on Friday with an exhortation to both Israelis and Palestinians to work through their decades-old conflict . Pope Benedict XVI prays in Jerusalem on Friday at what 's believed to be the burial site of Jesus . `` No more bloodshed ! No more fighting ! No more terrorism ! No more war ! Instead let us break the vicious circle of violence . Let there be lasting peace based on justice , let there be genuine reconciliation and healing , '' the pontiff said . Benedict made the comments at a farewell ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv before Israeli President Shimon Peres and other religious and secular leaders . In his concluding remarks , Benedict called his visit to Israel 's Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem and his conversations with survivors a `` deeply moving encounter . '' He seemed to address some criticism he received within the country for not speaking in stronger terms about anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial . Referring to the Holocaust , Benedict spoke of the victims who `` were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred . '' After Benedict 's Monday speech at Yad Vashem , the memorial 's chairman , Holocaust survivor Rabbi Yisrael Lau , criticized the pope , saying the pontiff did not `` participate in the pain of the Jewish people '' and `` used the term ` killed ' when talking about Holocaust victims and not the word ` murdered ' as his predecessor did . '' Benedict drew the ire of Jews and German Catholics earlier this year by rehabilitating an excommunicated bishop who had disputed the number of Jews killed in concentration camps during World War II . The bishop 's excommunication was unrelated to his Holocaust denial . Friday , Benedict repeated his call for Palestinians to enjoy a `` sovereign independent homeland '' and `` to live in dignity and to travel freely . '' He remarked that `` one of the saddest sights for me during my visit to these lands was the wall '' -- a reference to the 20-foot concrete barrier he saw in Bethlehem during his visit to a Palestinian refugee camp . Israel says the structure , which it calls a security fence , was built to prevent terrorist attacks ; Palestinians consider it an illegal land grab . Benedict began the day with a busy morning in Jerusalem 's Old City , including meeting the patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches . Between sessions with the patriarchs , Benedict toured and prayed at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher , believed to be located on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried . On his Middle East visit , the pope has navigated the region 's treacherous political landscape , which often pits Jew against Muslim and Muslim against Christian . Benedict has repeatedly called for reconciliation between the peoples of the region during his visit , urging Israelis and Palestinian to put aside their grievances and divisions . `` Just and peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the Middle East can only be achieved through a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect , in which the rights and dignity of all are acknowledged and upheld , '' the pope said . Celebrating Mass on Thursday , Benedict covered similar territory in his message to over 30,000 parishioners gathered at the Mount of the Transfiguration , outside Nazareth . Watch the reaction of one visitor who attended Mass '' `` Christians readily join Jews , Muslims , Druze and people of other religions in wishing to safeguard children from fanaticism and violence , while preparing them to be builders of a better world , '' he said . Benedict 's trip marks the first papal visit to some of Christianity 's most holy places since Pope John Paul II made the pilgrimage in 2000 . | NEW : Benedict XVI winds up Mideast trip with call for `` peace based on justice '' Pope revisits Old City after similar outing on Tuesday . Pope calls for spirit of cooperation and mutual respect in the Middle East . Trip marks first papal visit to Holy Land since Pope John Paul II in 2000 . | [[29, 102], [432, 475], [2851, 2951], [3032, 3173], [3707, 3816], [3802, 3849]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police say they believe they know who killed a 31-year-old Southern Illinois woman and her two young sons , but are waiting for prosecutors to build a strong forensic case against the suspect before disclosing his identity . Chris and Sheri Coleman are shown with their two boys , Garret and Gavin . `` We do n't have a warrant for his arrest at this time , so we do n't feel it would be prudent to give his name out until the state 's attorney determines whether or not there 's enough to charge him , '' said Maj. Jeff Connor of the Major Case Squad . Connor heads the squad that is part of the St. Louis , Missouri , homicide task force . He made the comments during an appearance on HLN 's Nancy Grace . Police found the bodies of Sheri Coleman and the children , Garret , 11 , and Gavin , 9 , in the bedrooms of their two-floor home in the St. Louis suburb of Columbia , Illinois , on the morning of May 7 . Indications were they had been strangled . The killings shocked the suburb of about 10,000 residents . The Monroe County , Illinois , state 's attorney 's office is awaiting forensic test results , more interviews , documents and reports , according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch . Watch Nancy Grace on the case '' Connor said threatening messages were found on the walls inside the home , but he would not disclose the exact wording . According to Connor , Christopher Coleman -- the boys ' father and Sheri Coleman 's husband -- left the house at 5:43 a.m. , and drove to a gym to work out . `` Shortly thereafter he started calling his house , realized that nobody was answering and on his way back at around 6:50 is when he made the phone call to the Columbia Police Department , '' Connor said . Connor said Coleman told police he started calling his house shortly after leaving it because he `` was making sure the kids were getting up for school . '' | Bodies of woman and her two children found in Southern Illinois home last week . Police : State 's attorney to decide whether to file charges against certain person . Threatening messages found on the walls inside the home , police say . Woman 's husband says he left home for gym before slayings , police say . | [[19, 124], [727, 814], [442, 519], [1248, 1320], [1391, 1410], [1498, 1526]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The contentious debate over so-called enhanced interrogation techniques took center stage Wednesday on Capitol Hill as a former FBI agent involved in the questioning of terror suspects testified that such tactics -- including waterboarding -- are ineffective . From left : Sens. Lindsey Graham , Sheldon Whitehouse , . Patrick Leahy and Dianne Feinstein listen Wednesday . Ali Soufan , an FBI special agent from 1997 to 2005 , told members of a key Senate Judiciary subcommittee that such `` techniques , from an operational perspective , are ineffective , slow and unreliable and harmful to our efforts to defeat al Qaeda . '' Soufan 's remarks followed heated exchanges between committee members with sharply differing views on both the value of the techniques and the purpose of the hearing . Soufan , who was involved in the interrogation of CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah , took issue with former Vice President Dick Cheney , who has said that enhanced interrogation techniques helped the government acquire intelligence necessary to prevent further attacks after September 11 , 2001 . The techniques , which the Bush administration approved , are considered torture by many critics . Watch analysts discuss harsh interrogations and torture '' `` From my experience -- and I speak as someone who has personally interrogated many terrorists and elicited important actionable intelligence -- I strongly believe that it is a mistake to use what has become known as the ` enhanced interrogation techniques , ' '' Soufan noted in his written statement . Such a position is `` shared by many professional operatives , including the CIA officers who were present at the initial phases of the Abu Zubaydah interrogation . '' Soufan told the committee that within the first hour of his interrogation of Zubaydah , the suspected terrorist provided actionable intelligence . But once the CIA contractors took over and used harsh methods , Zubaydah stopped talking , Soufan said . When Soufan was asked to resume questioning , Zubaydah cooperated . After another round of more coercive techniques used by the contractors , however , Soufan said it was difficult for him to re-engage Zubaydah . One of four recently released Bush administration memos showed that CIA interrogators used waterboarding at least 266 times on Zubaydah and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed , the suspected planner of the September 11 attacks . `` People were given misinformation , half-truths and false claims of successes ; and reluctant intelligence officers were given instructions and assurances from higher authorities , '' Soufan testified . `` I wish to do my part to ensure that we never again use these ... techniques instead of the tried , tested and successful ones -- the ones that are also in sync with our values and moral character . Only by doing this will we defeat the terrorists as effectively and quickly as possible . '' Watch as Soufan makes his case before the panel '' Soufan was hidden behind a protective screen during his testimony before the Judiciary Committee 's Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts . Staffers for the committee cited `` documented threats '' against him , noting his previous interaction with al Qaeda terrorists as well as his undercover work against Islamic extremists . Philip Zelikow , who was a top aide to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , repeated an accusation during the hearing that Bush officials ordered his memo arguing against waterboarding to be destroyed . The order , `` passed along informally , did not seem proper , and I ignored it , '' Zelikow said . He said that his memo has been in State Department files and is being reviewed for possible declassification . Zelikow slammed the `` collective failure '' behind the government 's adoption of `` an unprecedented program of coolly calculated dehumanizing abuse and physical torment to extract information . This was a mistake , perhaps a disastrous one . '' He added that some `` may believe that recent history , even since 2005 , shows that America needs an elaborate program of indefinite secret detention and physical coercion in order to protect the nation . ... If they are right , our laws must change and our country must change . I think they are wrong . '' Watch Zelikow tell CNN 's Kiran Chetry how U.S. leaders came to the wrong conclusions on interrogation policy '' Committee Republicans warned that the hearing ultimately could contribute to diminished national security . `` As we harshly judge those who had to make decisions we do n't have to make , please remember this : that what we do in looking back may determine how we move forward , '' said Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina . `` And let 's not unnecessarily impede the ability of this country to defend itself against an enemy who , as I speak , is thinking and plotting their way back into America . '' A top intelligence source familiar with the Bush administration 's interrogation program was dismissive of Soufan 's credibility as a witness . `` It 's puzzling that someone who questioned a single high-value detainee for just a few months claims to be able to talk about the value of a program that lasted nearly seven years after he was part of it , '' the source said . `` Suffice it to say , there are varying accounts of the facts and circumstances surrounding the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah . '' Soufan wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in April arguing that there `` was no actionable intelligence gained from using enhanced interrogation techniques on Abu Zubaydah that was n't , or could n't have been , gained from regular tactics . '' He said that `` using these alternative methods on other terrorists backfired on more than a few occasions . ... The short-sightedness behind the use of these techniques ignored the unreliability of the methods , the nature of the threat , the mentality and modus operandi of the terrorists , and due process . '' While at the FBI , Soufan was involved with investigations of sensitive international terrorism cases , including the East Africa bombings , the 2000 attack on the USS Cole and the September 11 attacks . Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse , D-Rhode Island , opened the hearing by accusing Bush administration officials of lying about the use of techniques that had damaged the country 's standing in the world . Watch Whitehouse and Graham at the hearing '' `` The truth of our country 's descent into torture is not precious . It is noxious . It is sordid , '' Whitehouse said . `` It has also been attended by a bodyguard of lies . ... President Bush told us America does not torture while authorizing conduct that America has prosecuted . ... Vice President Cheney agreed in an interview that waterboarding was like a dunk in the water , when it was used as a torture technique by tyrannical regimes from the Spanish Inquisition to Cambodia 's killing fields . '' CNN 's Pam Benson contributed to this report . | Committee Republicans say hearing could help diminish national security . Ali Soufan : `` People were given ... half-truths and false claims of successes '' Ex-FBI agent takes issue with Dick Cheney , who says such tactics helped U.S. The techniques , OK 'd by Bush administration , are considered torture by some . | [[4417, 4524], [4446, 4462], [4474, 4524], [2429, 2508], [0, 26], [102, 167], [826, 832], [904, 953], [915, 955], [960, 1060], [1116, 1171], [1174, 1214]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Australia 's National Rugby League apologized on Tuesday for the behavior of its players after ABC 's `` Four Corners '' current-affairs program revealed allegations of group sex in 2002 between players and a New Zealand woman . Two other women told the program they were sexually abused by NRL players . Former Cronulla player Matthew Johns said he was unable to say `` sorry enough '' regarding the incident . `` Violence against women is abhorrent , and sexual assault and the degradation of women is just that , '' said David Gallop , the NRL 's chief executive . `` So much of what we saw -LSB- during Monday night 's program -RSB- was fundamentally indefensible . And if anyone in the game today is ignoring the importance of that message , then frankly they will need to find another career . '' The allegations of group sex involved NRL personality Matthew Johns , who played for Cronulla at the time of the alleged incident in Christchurch , New Zealand . Watch more on the scandal '' Johns was suspended indefinitely by the Nine Network on Wednesday . `` The fact is , whatever the arguments about the details of the New Zealand incident involving Cronulla players in 2002 , the conduct and its aftermath was simply unacceptable , full stop , '' David Gyngell , Nine 's chief executive officer , said in a statement on the network 's Web site . `` I fully endorse David Gallop 's comments concerning the indefensible conduct of some players and the lack of respect for women -- and the critical focus on all stakeholders to help eradicate it from our game . '' `` I join with him in extending my apologies and sympathy to the young woman involved in the incident , who clearly is still distressed as a consequence , '' Gyngell said . In the ABC report , the then-19-year-old woman said she met Johns and his Cronulla teammate Brett Firman when she was working as a waitress . She said she went back to their hotel room , where she alleges six Cronulla players and staff had sex with her , while a half-dozen others watched . `` They were massive , like big rugby players . I felt that I just had no idea what to do . There was always hands on me , '' she said . `` I thought I was worthless , and I thought I was nothing . I think I was in shock . I did n't scream . They used a lot of mental power over me and belittled me . '' Less than a week after the incident , the woman made a complaint to police and about 40 Cronulla players and staff were questioned , ABC reported . Those involved said the sex was consensual and no charges were filed . The woman told ABC she 's speaking out now because she wants the wives and girlfriends of the players to know what they did . `` If I had a gun , I 'd shoot them right now , '' she said . `` I hate them . They 're disgusting . '' Before the ABC report , Johns addressed the allegations last week on the Nine Network . `` It was an incident that was investigated by police . It caused all parties enormous pain and embarrassment , '' Johns said . `` For me personally , it 's put my family through enormous anguish and embarrassment , and has once again . And for that , I just , I ca n't say sorry enough . '' In his statement , Gallop pointed to NRL initiatives put in place since 2002 to promote positive attitudes toward women , including programs developed with the help of a rape crisis center . `` Rugby League means an enormous amount to millions of people and , in many ways , the football we see today and the strength of the competition is better than it has ever been , '' he said . `` No amount of on-field success , though , can take away from the need to face up to these issues . '' | Allegations of group sex involved NRL personality Matthew Johns . He played for Cronulla at the time of alleged incident in Christchurch , New Zealand . Nine Network suspends Johns ; CEO apologizes , extends sympathy to woman . Woman tells ABC she 's speaking out to let players ' wives , girlfriends know . | [[822, 889], [860, 889], [896, 967], [860, 889], [896, 967], [1142, 1201], [1013, 1080], [1593, 1666], [2577, 2678], [2638, 2702]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 10 people were killed , and an unknown number remained missing Wednesday , after a boat authorities believe was used for human smuggling capsized off the coast of Florida . The Coast Guard said it rescued 26 people from a capsized boat off the coast of Florida . Almost all of the victims are believed to be from Haiti and the Bahamas , according to the U.S. Coast Guard -- which said a dangerous number of people was packed onto a small pleasure cruiser . The Coast Guard said it rescued 26 people from the boat , and searchers did n't know how many more people had been on the boat . `` You do n't put 26 people on a small boat . It was way overloaded , completely unsafe , '' said Capt. Jim Fitton , the Coast Guard 's sector commander in Miami , Florida . `` With smugglers , you have the potential for this because smugglers are n't interested in people 's welfare . They 're interested in making money . '' The boat capsized about 15 miles east of Boynton Beach , Florida , some time around 2 a.m. Wednesday , the Coast Guard said . The agency was notified more than nine hours later by someone who saw the boat . There were women and children on the boat , Fitton said . A pregnant woman was taken to a hospital , while most of the victims remained onboard a Coast Guard cutter that was being used in the continuing rescue efforts , he said . Only eight of the people rescued by Wednesday afternoon were wearing life jackets . The Rev. Luke Harrigan , a Ft. Lauderdale , Florida , pastor to members of the Haitian community who is working with the Coast Guard , said he is contacting family members of the victims who were killed . `` Most of them now did n't even know they were coming to the United States , '' he said . `` Sometimes the person organizing the trip does n't even tell them where they are going . '' He said it 's not uncommon for smugglers to charge people from the impoverished island nation as much as $ 4,000 for passage into the United States . Coast Guard rescuers were continuing to search the area of the crash Wednesday evening . | Coast Guard rescues 26 ; searchers unsure how many others missing . Almost all of the victims are believed to be from Haiti and the Bahamas . Boat capsized about 15 miles east of Boynton Beach , Florida . | [[56, 100], [201, 290], [222, 263], [485, 540], [547, 613], [2002, 2090], [291, 332], [336, 362], [291, 316], [330, 362], [145, 200], [201, 290], [941, 995]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Farrah Fawcett , the actress known worldwide for her beauty and her role on `` Charlie 's Angels , '' is reportedly seriously ill and may be close to death after a long battle with cancer . Farrah Fawcett , seen here in 2004 , is featured in a documentary about her fight with cancer . A documentary , which airs Friday night on NBC , will feature an intimate look at her life since being diagnosed with the disease . On Thursday , Larry King talked with Candy Spelling , a close friend of Fawcett . Her husband , the late Aaron Spelling , produced `` Charlie 's Angels . '' Spelling talks about her relationship with Fawcett and why she believes she did the documentary . The following is an edited version of the interview . Larry King : Did you first meet Farrah in connection with getting that part ? Candy Spelling : Yes . Actually , she did a lot of small , little parts in the movies for Aaron starting around 1973 . So it 's been , my God , 36 , 37 years since I , you know , first met her . Watch Candy Spelling talk about her friendship with Farrah Fawcett '' King : So you knew her well during all that time ? Spelling : Yes . King : Did you know about her getting picked to be on `` Charlie 's Angels ? '' Spelling : I remember . She did some small roles . I think the one that Aaron really decided he was really going to use her was this American beauty pageant and , also , it was like `` Murder on Flight 502 . '' He did the 90-minute versions . King : Movie of the week ? Spelling : Right . Movie of the weeks . King : When did you know she had cancer ? Spelling : I found out about a year -- when I first heard , I do n't know if it was a year or two years ago when we first heard , and I contacted her . I had n't talked to her in a while . She said , `` I 'm going to be all right , Candy . Everything is going to be all right . '' King : Why do you think , Candy , she did the documentary ? Spelling : I think that she wanted to give other people courage that , you know , are fighting this kind of thing . I know how , you know , devastating the press , you know , was with Aaron when he had cancer . And it 's just so difficult . And I mean , you know , it 's hard to have a private life at that point . King : Why do the tabloids get so tough on someone in such pain ? Spelling : It 's news . It 's kind of a sad thing . I 'm always so sorry to see it . But , you know , people believe what they see , and a lot of times , we do n't know how true it really is . | Candy Spelling talks about the `` Angel '' her late husband made famous . Aaron Spelling produced `` Charlie 's Angels '' featuring Farrah Fawcett . Fawcett , the subject of an upcoming documentary , is fighting cancer . | [[519, 530], [559, 590], [209, 223], [246, 304]] |
LONDON , -LRB- England -RRB- CNN -- Natalia Vodianova is best known as the supermodel who has graced the cover of Vogue , walked the catwalk for the likes of Chanel and Versace . Supermodel Natalia Vodianova 's charity plans to build hundreds of play parks for children in her native Russia . But Vodianova has a dream that could n't be further from the glitzy world of fashion -- to build 500 play parks in her native Russia . Vodianova , born and raised in Russia , was in the country during the 2004 Beslan school siege , in which at least 339 hostages , around half of them children , were killed . Deeply affected by the tragedy she returned to New York , where she was living at the time , determined to do something to help the surviving children . Vodianova organized a fundraising event that generated $ 350,000 to build the children a playground and she founded her charity , the `` Naked Heart Foundation . '' With an ethos that play is not only therapeutic for children , but a necessity , the foundation aims to provide playgrounds for Russia 's urban youth . So far the charity has built 23 playgrounds around the country , starting in her home town of Nizhnii Novgorod , and there are 15 more in the pipeline . `` For me , since I started my charity , it has been a very different way of life , '' Vodianova told CNN . Watch Vodianova take CNN around Moscow '' `` Giving back just feels so great . I always try to open each play park with myself present for the children , because it makes it more special for them . I go to very remote parts of Russia are far from Moscow and it gives these children an extra message of love . '' For Vodianova , this is just the start . She told CNN that her dream is to build 500 play parks in Russia . The charity 's play parks can cost anywhere between $ 27,000 and $ 400,000 , depending on their size and range of play equipment . Vodianova admits , `` It 's a big dream -- an expensive one ! '' When it comes to fundraising , Vodianova 's secret weapon is her connections in the fashion world . Last year she organized a `` Love Ball '' in Moscow -- a Valentine 's Day fundraiser that counted among the guests the likes of designer Valentino , actress Lucy Liu , singer Natalie Imbruglia , and supermodel Eva Herzigova . See photos of `` The Love Ball . '' '' The event was held in a former royal residence , Moscow 's 16th century Tsaritsino Estate . It featured an ice palace made from 220 tons of ice and music provided by British band Razorlight , among others . The highlight was a Valentine 's - themed auction , with lots including a private performance from rock star Bryan Adams , bought for $ 120,000 , and a painting by British artist Damien Hirst called `` Love is All Around , '' which sold for $ 1.6 million . The auction alone raised $ 6.7 million for the charity . Vodianova admits that the global economic crisis is making it harder to get sponsorship for this year 's event and says it will be more low-key than last year . `` We are not going to make it a very extravagant event ; it 's very disrespectful of what 's going on in the world right now , with the recession and a lot of people losing their jobs . `` We 're not gong to spend a lot of money on it , but it 's important to keep going , '' she told CNN . With a husband and three young children , Vodianova says it can be hard to divide her time between family , career and her charity . She describes her charity work as a 24-hour job . `` I feel a huge sense of responsibility for my foundation because it 's really very important to me . Somehow it became my most difficult baby to raise , '' she says . But she has no doubt about the value of her work , both for Russia 's children and herself . `` The biggest thing I can do for my soul is to hear that laughter and to see all these children that come and play on the play parks that my foundation built . '' CNN Producer Deborah Rivers contributed to this report . | Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova runs the `` Naked Heart Foundation '' Her dream is for the foundation to build 500 play parks across Russia . The `` Love Ball '' was a celebrity-filled fundraising event held in Moscow . | [[179, 292], [381, 427], [1002, 1072], [1687, 1753], [1705, 1753], [2050, 2101], [2105, 2134], [2140, 2186]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- So much for Southern hospitality . The attack took place on April 27 at Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta , Georgia . When Pearl Jam -- the Seattle , Washington-based grunge rock band -- was in the Atlanta area late last month , bass guitar player Jeff Ament and a band employee were mugged outside a recording studio , a police report shows . According to the DeKalb County Police Department , Ament and Mark Anthony Smith were attacked shortly before noon on April 27 when they arrived at Southern Tracks Recording . Southern Tracks is the home base of producer Brendan O'Brien , with whom the band has worked before . According to Rolling Stone , the band is recording a new album with the producer . Three men reportedly emerged from a nearby wooded area wearing masks and brandishing knives . They smashed windows of the rented Jeep Commander , snatched a BlackBerry phone and other belongings , and demanded money , the police report shows . The suspects allegedly got away with more than $ 7,300 in goods and cash . Ament jumped from the passenger side of the vehicle and started to run , but he was chased by a suspect and knocked to the ground , said Mekka Parish , a public information officer with the police department . Watch surveillance video of the attack '' She said he `` suffered some lacerations '' on the back of his head and was treated at the scene . His backpack was also snatched , she said , and included inside was Ament 's passport . `` At this time detectives believe the victims were not specifically targeted , '' Parish said . `` But they believe the suspects were familiar with the studio because of its isolated location . '' Though surveillance cameras captured the incident , the masks worn by the attackers have made identifying suspects difficult . Witnesses reported seeing the suspects flee through the woods and hop into a waiting black Maxima , Parish added . Anyone with leads on this case is encouraged to call 770-724-7850 . | Pearl Jam 's bassist was mugged in Atlanta , Georgia , on April 27 , police say . Jeff Ament and one of the band 's employees were outside recording studio . Police say masked men with knives snatched more than $ 7,300 in cash and goods . Ament suffered head lacerations , which were treated at the scene . | [[72, 145], [158, 266], [269, 357], [158, 266], [269, 357], [744, 837], [778, 837], [744, 753], [817, 837], [988, 1062], [1315, 1413], [1324, 1382], [1315, 1318], [1378, 1413]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The European Commission handed down its ruling in a landmark anti-trust case against Intel Wednesday , fining the computer chip giant a record $ 1.45 billion for abusing its dominant position in the computer processing unit -LRB- CPU -RRB- market . On Wednesday the European Commission fined Intel a record $ 1.45 billion for violating anti-trust laws . The ruling , which Intel plans to appeal , may have future implications for American companies accused of `` jurisdiction shopping '' to avoid anti-trust verdicts against them , says CNN 's Jim Boulden , who explains the basics of the Intel case . The commission has hit Intel with the biggest fine ever -- what were its reasons ? The European Commission says Intel has been abusing its dominant market position in semiconductors for years . The EC says Intel has systematically given PC makers and stores rebates to keep computers with AMD chips off the shelves . AMD -LRB- another American company and Intel 's only competitor -RRB- first raised the red flag in 2000 . Why does the commission have the power to impose such fines ? EU law does not regard market dominance as illegal , but it is allowed to fine a company that abuses its position as the biggest in any given market . It has a guideline of fining a company based on a percentage of profits . EU law is set up to `` protect consumers , '' and the anti-trust office says consumers were hurt . Yet as Intel likes to point out , consumers did not launch this case -- AMD , a competitor , launched this in Europe -LRB- and in Japan and South Korea -RRB- as the U.S. antitrust officials under George W. Bush were unlikely to pursue a case on these merits . The EU could fine Intel -LRB- or any company -RRB- based on 10 % of global annual revenues , but chose to fine it on a smaller percentage made in the EU . Can Intel afford to pay this fine ? What state is the company in at the moment ? Intel reported first quarter revenue of $ 7 billion . It can easily afford this . Interestingly , it lost 4 percent of its market share to AMD so far this year . The company says it will appeal -- when is that likely to be heard ? Another appeal will take months . Intel already appealed a preliminary part of this ruling last year and lost . Meanwhile , the EC can argue that Intel is still abusing its position and increase the fine during the appeals process , as it did to Microsoft . Intel is not the first tech company to be hit by the European Commission . What about Microsoft ? The anti-trust unit has launched another round of investigations against Microsoft . It has already paid its fine and the EU continues to watch the company 's behavior on the previous matters . What kind of precedent does the Intel case set ? The EU has fined all kinds of cartels and market abusers , but rarely does it fine big American companies based on complaints from American competitors -- so the case catches the eye , especially with critics who accuse American companies of `` jurisdiction shopping '' to get a favorable outcome . | European Commission fines Intel a record $ 1.45 billion for anti-trust violation . EC says Intel has been abusing its dominant market position . Competitor AMD brought the case to the attention of European officials . EC anti-trust has commenced another round of investigations into Microsoft . | [[0, 15], [19, 119], [0, 15], [122, 176], [153, 242], [268, 372], [317, 372], [621, 676], [704, 814], [733, 814], [1163, 1165], [1177, 1256], [2513, 2597]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The body of their 2-year-old granddaughter , Caylee Anthony , was found in Florida in December . And their daughter , Casey Anthony , is charged in her death . She could be executed if convicted . It 's a case that has gripped America . George and Cindy Anthony , parents of murder suspect Casey Anthony , on `` Larry King Live '' Wednesday . George and Cindy Anthony answered their critics in an exclusive interview on `` Larry King Live '' Wednesday night . Appearing with their lawyer , Brad Conway , they talked about whether they still support their daughter completely and what their lives have been like under the media glare . The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity : . Larry King : We are amazed because we 've received -- get this -- thousands of blog responses to your appearance here tonight . And , honestly , most of them are critical . Why do you think people are angry at you ? Cindy Anthony : Because they do n't understand . They 've never been in our shoes . So a lot of people , especially bloggers , ... like to pick things apart . And , you know , we 're a target . King : But what are they picking apart ? Cindy Anthony : They 're picking apart the fact that we 're standing behind our daughter . They 're picking apart the fact that we are trying to make something out of Caylee 's tragedy . King : Do you talk to Casey a lot ? Cindy Anthony : I have n't spoken to Casey in person since October the 14th . We write . King : Why not ? Cindy Anthony : Because every time we go to the jail to see her , it 's videotaped and then it 's all over `` Nancy Grace '' and , you know , the six o'clock news . King : How do you explain the body being found so close to home ? Cindy Anthony : I ca n't explain it . I do n't know if anybody can right now . Watch how Anthonys cope with granddaughter 's death , daughter 's incarceration '' King : But you have thoughts , do n't you , George ? George Anthony : Well , I mean there 's so many things I really would like to know , but there 's a lot of things I just do n't know . King : But you 've got to ask . George Anthony : I wish I had an opportunity to talk to my daughter . But , again , we do n't have that chance . King : But logically , if she 's not involved , what could be said that could harm her ? Cindy Anthony : You know , people pick everything apart . If Casey cries , she 's not crying enough . If she smiles at us like she did in court the first time she saw us , then she 's smiling for the wrong reasons . King : -LSB- Caylee 's -RSB- body is stuffed in a laundry bag . The skull is wrapped in duct tape . Could you imagine your daughter would do that ? Cindy Anthony : No . Attorney Brad Conway : The duct tape probably was not wrapped around the skull . We know that there was no flesh and no hair attached to the duct tape , yet that 's what goes out in the media and that 's what people assume to be true . And that 's the unfair part : This young lady has not had her opportunity in court , yet people have drawn conclusions from discovery that 's out there . King : Cindy , the meter reader who found the body alerted the authorities as far back as August about a suspicious bag . This tip was n't acted on . Do you think there would be any difference if the body were found earlier ? Cindy Anthony : I 'm sure there would be , if she was really there back in August . I 'm not convinced of that yet . King : Are you trying to find a murderer ? I mean do you have a private detective ? Cindy Anthony : We have a private investigator who 's still investigating Caylee 's disappearance . The defense has private investigators . And we 're leaving them to their job . King : Brad , is this a rock and a hard place -LSB- for George and Cindy Anthony -RSB- ? Conway : It is . What the Anthonys are trying to do is deal with the grief of the loss of their granddaughter while trying to help other people out . And , unfortunately , there are going to be a lot of people that go through what they go through . The only way to take a negative thing and make a positive is share their grief publicly and let people know that it 's OK to do this . King : The Anthonys have written a Web exclusive -LSB- for CNN -RSB- responding to their critics . You wo n't see it anywhere else . See the Anthonys ' blog and comments from readers . King : Did you ever try to harm yourself ? Cindy Anthony : I wrote suicide notes , but I never acted on it . King : Because ? Cindy Anthony : You know , when you are away from someone and something is ripped out of your life so suddenly ... Imagine a child -- not having that child around . And , weeks into it , not knowing where she was and what had happened to her was devastating . It was hard to get up in the morning and , you know , go on with your day . King : What stopped you ? Cindy Anthony : My faith . You know , I knew that 's not the right thing to do . King : Do you completely believe she did n't do it ? Cindy Anthony : Yes , I do . King : Completely ? Cindy Anthony : Yes . I see the love in Casey 's eyes . Every single picture that you see of Caylee and Casey together , you can see the love in their eyes . King : Cindy , you were the first to call authorities last July to say you had n't seen Caylee for a month and that your daughter 's car smelled like it had a dead body in it . Did n't you worry that that would be kind of presumptive from the state to make a case out this ? Cindy Anthony : You know , Larry , on July 15th , all I wanted was the police department out to my house out to help me look for Caylee . King : Did you smell the smell ? Cindy Anthony : I smelled a smell in the car . I smelled it in my refrigerator with sour food . King : Do you have any idea why -LSB- Casey -RSB- did n't call police all the time her daughter was missing ? Cindy Anthony : I ca n't answer that . Casey was probably grieving as best as she could . It does n't make her guilty . King : No , but weird . Cindy Anthony : It does n't make her guilty . Yes , but a lot of people do weird things under stress , under tragedy . So it does n't make you guilty . King : Would you favor that whoever did this crime should face the death penalty ? Cindy Anthony : You know , I 'm not a fan of the death penalty for anybody . King : George ? George Anthony : I 'm opposed to it . King : Let 's take a call . Caller : I have a question for the Anthonys . What will they do if their daughter is found guilty ? Will they still support her or will they cut all ties ? Cindy Anthony : I ca n't cut tie from my own flesh and blood , so no . King : Do you expect to testify , George ? George Anthony : I 'm sure we 'll be in court when everything comes , probably sometime next year . King : Do you think they 'll be called , Brad , both ? Conway : Yes , sir , they will . Another caller : Where do you find the strength to support your daughter when everyone seems to be against her ? Cindy Anthony : You know , my faith has gotten stronger and stronger every day through these last nine months . | George and Cindy Anthony say media attention prevents them from visiting Casey . They say public does n't understand their situation , people pick their actions apart . Cindy Anthony said she wrote suicide notes but never acted on them . Their attorney expects they 'll be called as witnesses in daughter Casey 's trial . | [[1074, 1096], [2333, 2341], [2344, 2374], [4415, 4436], [4443, 4464]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Ryan O'Neal walked the red carpet at the premiere of `` Farrah 's Story , '' he stopped every few feet to answer reporters ' questions about Farrah Fawcett 's battle with cancer . Farrah Fawcett was diagnosed with cancer three years ago . ` Farrah 's Story , ' a documentary on her battle , will air Friday . CNN 's Douglas Hyde was at the end of the line and the last to interview the actor , who was almost in tears after a string of intense explanations about his longtime companion 's condition . `` She was OK in the first interview , but now I 'm worried , '' O'Neal said , visibly drained after focusing on Fawcett 's battle . The documentary , which airs Friday night on NBC , is not a celebration of Fawcett 's career , but an intimate look at her life since being diagnosed with anal cancer three years ago . `` Basically , it 's a gonzo trip , '' O'Neal said . It was shot by Fawcett 's close friend , Alana Stewart . `` It shows you every detail , how she found out and how she dealt with it , '' O'Neal said . Early in 2007 , Fawcett said she was told her cancer had gone into remission . Her official Web site has posts from February 2007 celebrating the news . But the cancer returned later that year . Anal cancer affects more women than men , and the illness is usually found in people who are in their early 60s . The American Cancer Society estimates that 5,000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year and about 680 people die from it annually . While cancer keeps Farrah in her bed , a legal fight has begun over the documentary . Producer Craig Nevius filed a lawsuit this week against O'Neal and Stewart , claiming they stole creative control of the film from him . Nevius told CNN he was kicked off the project more than two months ago . `` I have been banned from talking to or seeing Farrah for about ten weeks , which is highly unusual , considering that healthy or sick , I spoke to this woman at least twice a day from the time of her diagnosis on , '' Nevius said . Nevius said his goal was to do the film `` based on Farrah 's artistic visions that are a reflection of her and while at the same time maintaining and protecting her privacy to the extent that she wants it maintained and protected . '' `` I take no joy in this , '' Nevius said . `` I tried to avoid this , but I am doing it for Farrah . '' A spokesman for O'Neal called it `` horrific '' that Nevius would file the lawsuit . `` We hope and we pray that Farrah Fawcett does not find out about this lawsuit , because we know it would impact her health even more so , '' said O'Neal spokesman Paul Bloch . CNN 's Douglas Hyde and Marc Balinsky contributed to this report . | Documentary `` Farrah 's Story '' is a `` gonzo trip , '' Ryan O'Neal says . Producer claims he was robbed of creative control . Craig Nevius : `` I have been banned from talking to or seeing Farrah '' O'Neal spokesman : `` We hope and we pray '' Fawcett does not learn about lawsuit . | [[1607, 1628], [1684, 1743], [1818, 1891], [2392, 2444], [2477, 2487], [2492, 2556], [2505, 2556], [2559, 2614]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The fifth and final phase of India 's marathon general election to choose a federal government ended Wednesday . Indians voters hold up their voter ID cards at a polling station in northern India . Home to about 714 million voters , India is now due to hold a single-day vote count Saturday for 543 seats in the lower house of its parliament . India 's election commission spokesman Rajesh Malhotra told CNN that a 62 percent voter turnout was recorded in the last phase of polling Wednesday . Voting in the month-long exercise was spread across 28 states and seven federal territories . Stock markets closed 138.4 points down -- as voting drew to a close Wednesday -- apparently over fears of political uncertainty ahead . Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 's Congress party , which came to power in 2004 as head of a communist-backed coalition , is seeking re-election . The party mainly faces opposition from an alliance led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party . Watch more about one village refusing to vote '' Over the years , regional parties have emerged as key players in government formation in India , creating a situation in which federal power is now shared by a coalition of groups . Last year , Singh 's Congress party lost the support of the communists , who opposed India 's civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States . The party was able to survive primarily with the backing of a powerful regional party . | Voting in the month-long exercise was spread across 28 states . India is scheduled to hold the vote count on Saturday . Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 's Congress party seeking re-election . | [[531, 564], [531, 624], [270, 380], [761, 808], [881, 905]] |
MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Florida state investigation has determined that 31 crosses on the grounds of a former reform school mark graves of teens and employees who died in a fire and an influenza outbreak . Crosses mark graves of reform school students killed in a fire and flu outbreak in the early 1900s , investigators say . One grave even contains the body of a student who was slain by another student , the investigation found . The five-month investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement rules out claims by a group of reform school survivors that students who were beaten by guards are buried there . The former students , now in their 60s , call themselves the `` white house boys , '' after a concrete-block building where boys were taken for punishment . They said that they witnessed murders , and that students suddenly disappeared after they suffered severe beatings at the school , in Marianna , Florida , in the 1950s and '60s . The men believed the graves , marked only by white steel crosses that are rusting with time , were those of the teens who were beaten and killed by reform school workers and administrators . But authorities found documents that pointed to the fire and the flu outbreak . They said they plan no exhumations . `` This is our conclusion , based on what we know today , '' said Mark Perez , the chief of investigations for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement . `` Enough information has been corroborated on who is buried there . We went and identified all of the individuals who perished while in custody , '' he said . The FDLE released its results in an 18-page investigative report . It says that no information confirms that any of the administrators or workers at the facility contributed to the deaths of any of the students . Their investigation into the charges of physical abuse , made by the former reform school students , continues . However , the investigators concluded that claims by the former students of slayings and disappearances of boys could not be corroborated . `` None of the former students were able to provide any first-hand information which would have identified any of these alleged victims , or the persons responsible for their purported demise , '' the report states . Roger Kiser is one of the former students who pushed for the investigation . He 's written a book on the alleged abuse at the school and says that the FDLE has yet to contact him , despite , he says , witnessing two deaths at the school . `` My personal feeling is that the State of Florida does not want to know the truth . It is just too horrible a tragedy for the general public to learn about , '' he wrote in an e-mail to CNN . Florida 's governor , Charlie Crist , had ordered an investigation to determine who is buried in the 31 unnamed graves . The graves are in a secluded area on the property of what was the Florida School for Boys in Marianna , a town near the Georgia border . The FDLE says that records have determined that the cemetery was known to everyone back in the early 1900s , and the details got lost in time . `` There was enough information available to establish their identities and the cause of death , '' said Mark Perez of the FDLE . However , the FDLE has not been able to determine why the graves are not marked with headstones or any other identifiers . `` That 's the million-dollar question . We ca n't find any records why they were n't marked , '' he said . But records have determined that the remains are those of boys who died in a fire at the reform school in 1914 . Many of these victims were orphans and indigents whose families could not afford to have the bodies shipped home . And so , the FDLE said , they were buried at the school . Others died in a flu epidemic , in about 1918 . According to the FDLE , among the remains are those of one reform school boy who was slain by another student . Other graves are those of pets . The deaths were reported extensively in local news coverage , and even in a newsletter that was published , at the reform school , called `` The Yellow Jacket . '' | NEW : Investigation continues into whether staff abused boys in 1960s . Florida School for Boys hit by 1914 fire , 1918 flu outbreak . Authorities say they found no evidence boys were killed by school officials . Governor ordered investigation of what lies beneath 31 white crosses . | [[1807, 1861], [1908, 1919], [152, 171], [176, 218], [219, 317], [3531, 3535], [3540, 3585], [3759, 3788], [3791, 3806], [1661, 1806], [1674, 1806], [0, 5], [8, 31], [35, 171], [2710, 2729], [2740, 2830]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- European intelligence agencies are on alert for new al Qaeda terrorist plots following the arrest of two men at an Italian port and investigations into the activities of an alleged al Qaeda network based in Brussels . Bassam Ayachi officiated at the wedding of Malika el Aroud -LRB- pictured -RRB- , who became an al Qaeda `` icon . '' The two are closely tied to a Brussels-based al Qaeda recruiting network , Belgian counter-terrorism officials have told CNN . They are Bassam Ayachi , 62 , and Raphael Gendron , 33 -- and they were detained in the port of Bari on November 11 last year after allegedly trying to smuggle three Palestinians and two Syrians into Italy in the false bottom of a camper van they were driving . Now they face much more serious allegations following a counter-terrorism investigation by Italian , French and Belgian police . Italian authorities have officially charged them with being leaders of a logistical support team for al Qaeda . A bug planted by Italian police in the suspects ' detention facility picked up snatches of conversation about an alleged scheme to attack Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris . A partial transcript of one of their alleged conversations has now been released . `` I 'll hit de Gaulle , '' Gendron tells Ayachi . `` We 'll hit it there , '' Ayachi replies . `` At night when there will be a lot of people . '' Later in the conversation they appear to discuss buying grenades off contacts in the Middle East . French authorities have said that they were never aware of a concrete plot to attack the airport . Italy suspects well known to Belgian Security Services . Ayachi and Gendron were detained after Italian authorities allegedly found Jihadist propaganda in their possession when they arrived on a ferry from Greece . Belgian police say they alerted Italian authorities that the pair were known extremists . Ayachi is a naturalized French cleric of Syrian descent , and in the early 1990s had founded the Centre Islamique Belge -LRB- CIB -RRB- , an organization Belgian authorities say espoused hard-line Salafist and pro al Qaeda views . Gendron , described by Italian police as a computer expert , was the main administrator of the CIB 's Web site in Belgium . In 2006 Gendron and Ayachi 's son Abdel Rahman Ayachi were convicted in Belgium for posting threatening anti-Semitic messages on the site . Their prison sentences were later reduced to a fine by an Appeals court . A Belgian counter-terrorism source tells CNN that the CIB has clandestinely continued its operations in Belgium . When CNN reporters visited its headquarters on the Rue Memling in Brussels in February , Islamists appeared to still occupy the premises . In previous interviews with Belgian journalists , Avachi said his organization concentrated on pastoral care for Muslims in Brussels and did not promote pro-al Qaeda views . In April 1999 Ayachi officiated at the wedding of two protégés at CIB , Abdessattar Dahmane and Malika el Aroud . The couple would later become `` icons '' of the al Qaeda movement , according to Belgian counter-terrorism officials . Two days before 9/11 , Dahmane assassinated Ahmed Shah Massoud , the head of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance , in a suicide bombing operation in Afghanistan . After his death Malika el Aroud , a Belgian citizen of Moroccan descent who had accompanied him to Afghanistan , returned to Europe and founded Minbar.SOS -- a Web site promoting Bin Laden 's Jihad . She also remarried . In a CNN interview in 2006 el Aroud demonstrated how she and her new husband Moez Garsallaoui ran the site , which contained postings of attacks on coalition troops in Iraq and translations of the speeches of al Qaeda leaders . Alleged recruitment for training in Pakistan . According to Belgian police el Aroud and Garsallaoui moved to Brussels in 2007 and worked in tandem to recruit operatives to train in the tribal areas of Pakistan . El Aroud , it is alleged , inspired young men to volunteer for Jihad through her incendiary Web postings . Garsallaoui , the police say , went out to the streets to recruit people . El Aroud was arrested last December in Brussels and charged along with five others with participation in a terrorist group . She denies the charge . El Aroud and Garsallaoui allegedly recruited six individuals in all , four from Belgium and two from France , according to legal documents obtained by CNN . Those documents include the interrogation report of one of the French recruits who traveled to Pakistan and was arrested when he returned to Europe . The recruit , who can only be named by his initials W.O. , told French authorities that several members of their traveling group including Garsallaoui , were given explosives training by al Qaeda trainers in Pakistan 's Federally Administered tribal areas early in 2008 . During the two-week course , according to the legal documents , W.O. alleged that Egyptian and Syrian instructors taught them how to assemble weapons , fire rocket launchers , and how to handle explosives . One trainer even set off a small charge of TNT in demonstration , telling them that the explosive was used to attack U.S. convoys in Afghanistan and in suicide vests . Belgian security services went on high alert after members of the group started to return from the tribal areas in late 2008 , concerned they might have been tasked to launch attacks in Europe . According to -LSB- Belgian -RSB- counter-terrorism sources , the trigger for the Brussels arrests was an intercepted e-mail sent by one of the alleged recruits , Hicham Beyayo , in early December shortly after he returned to Belgium . The e-mail allegedly suggested that Beyayo had been given the green light to launch an attack in Belgium . However no explosives were recovered by Belgian police , and some terrorism analysts are skeptical that an attack was imminent . Beyayo 's lawyer Christophe Marchand told CNN the email was merely `` tough talk '' to impress an ex-girlfriend . Belgian authorities continue to insist that the alleged cell was a potential national security threat . The alleged role of Ayachi and Gendron . A senior Belgian intelligence source told CNN that Ayachi and Gendron -- the two men detained in Italy -- were known to provide ideological support for members of the alleged Brussels terrorism network , but at this time were not suspected of having played a direct role in recruiting young European Muslims for training in Pakistan . Questions on their role , however , have been raised by a new revelation by Italian investigators , who allege that when they were arrested , Ayachi and Gendron were carrying the last will and testament of Beyayo , whose e-mail had caused such alarm . In the alleged will Beyayo made clear he was ready for martyrdom . `` When you hear of my death ... do n't wear black and most importantly do n't display my photo , '' Beyayo purportedly wrote . `` I will emigrate to the field of Jihad to triumph for the religion of God , to defend the Muslim countries and to protect the sacred lands of the Muslims . And I will be a great help to the Mujahedeen brothers . '' Marchand told CNN that such a document in no way indicated that his client was preparing an attack in Europe . -LSB- He said Beyayo had traveled to the tribal areas of Pakistan to fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan , not to become an al Qaeda operative -RSB- . `` Writing a will was hardly unusual behavior for somebody whose aim was to go and fight jihad in Afghanistan , '' Marchand said . According to Belgian counter-terrorism officials , Ayachi 's CIB and Malika el Aroud 's Web site served as focal points for many of those linked to the alleged Brussels network . The officials say that , Ayachi , Gendron , el Aroud , Garsallaoui and Beyayo belonged to a tight-knit 20-30 strong community of militants in Brussels . CNN , through its own investigation and through Belgian legal and police sources , has identified the user names under which several of these individuals , including Gendron , Garsallaoui and Beyayo posted messages on El Aroud 's site Minbar SOS . Continued security concerns . According to Belgian counter-terrorism officials , three of the seven individuals who traveled to the Afghan-Pakistan border region in 2008 for training are still at large in the area . Some European counter-terrorism officials believe this is a significant security concern , given the Brussels network 's track record In smuggling people into Europe . In an interview with CNN , Alain Winants , the director of Belgian Intelligence said : `` Every secret service will tell you that individuals who are already radicalized and who are in addition are being specialized in some fighting techniques or techniques of propaganda are representing a big risk when they come back . '' Those still at large , Belgian counter-terrorism sources say , include Moez Garsallaoui , -LRB- Malika el Aroud 's husband -RRB- who they believe has developed close ties with the top leadership of al Qaeda in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan . Belgian counter-terrorism officials told CNN that Garsallaoui was in regular email contact from the region with his wife before her arrest last December . According to a lawyer briefed on the legal dossier in the Belgian case , in June 2008 Garsallaoui allegedly sent el Aroud an e-mail claiming to have killed five Americans in Afghanistan . His wife congratulated him , according to the legal source . Garsallaoui also purportedly posted messages on el Aroud 's radical Web site from the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan , including a message posted last September urging militants in Europe to launch attacks . `` The solution my brothers and sisters is not fatwas but boooooooms , '' the posting stated . The posting was discovered by CNN under Garsallaoui 's purported user name on the Minbar SOS Web site . Earlier this week Garsallaoui purportedly posted a new statement on Minbar.SOS . In the message which was entitled `` We Need You '' he said he had joined up with Taliban forces who were making raids against American troops in Afghanistan from the tribal areas of Pakistan . `` The Jihad is going well and the Taliban are stronger than ever , they are gaining territory every day and more important than that they are winning the trust of the local population , '' he claimed . But Garsallaoui purportedly also had this sobering message for Belgian authorities : . `` If you thought that you could pressure me to slow down through the arrest of my wife you were wrong . It wo n't stop me fulfilling my objectives ... those who laugh last , laugh more . '' | Italy arrests of two men spurs European terror alert . Pair closely tied to a Brussels-based al Qaeda recruiting network , officials say . Italy charged them with being leaders of a logistical support team for al Qaeda . | [[67, 216], [6230, 6259], [8347, 8437], [189, 236], [355, 427], [6230, 6241], [6254, 6358], [7683, 7729], [873, 984], [917, 984]] |
The father of missing child Haleigh Cummings ' married his 17-year-old-girlfriend , who was the last one known to have seen the child alive , the girl 's grandmother told Nancy Grace producers . Ronald Cummings proposes to Misty Croslin Sunday at a local Chili 's restaurant . On Sunday Ronald Cummings asked his teenage girlfriend , Misty Croslin , for her hand in marriage at a local Chili 's restaurant . While he was with several family members , Cummings got down on one knee , asked Croslin to marry him and gave her Haleigh 's grandmother 's diamond ring . Because Croslin is only 17 years old , her mother filled out the paperwork so the two could be married . On Thursday , the pair tied the knot , after the three-day waiting period required by Florida law . Croslin , who was beaming earlier in the week after the engagement , told CNN affiliate WJXT-TV that while she knows there will be critics of the marriage and the timing , `` everything is still about Haleigh . '' Croslin said she wanted to be together as a family , just as Haleigh would have wanted . `` Everybody is probably going to take this marriage thing the wrong way , '' Croslin told WJXT . `` This is what Haleigh wanted . She has always talked about it , and even if she 's not with us , she is still with us . '' Croslin told police she tucked Haleigh and her 4-year-old brother into bed about 8 p.m. February 9 in their Satsuma , Florida , home . She said she went to sleep herself about 10 p.m. but woke at 3 a.m. to find Haleigh missing and a back door propped open by bricks . Police are still actively searching for the girl , with a new search happening this week , and investigators Wednesday took the back door that was found propped open . In the middle of the search for the girl , the newlyweds will fly to New York Thursday night for their honeymoon and an exclusive appearance on the Today show . Haleigh 's grandmother , Teresa Neves , also acknowledged the timing might seem `` unusual . '' `` Well , it is unusual for some onlookers , but those people did n't live with my two grandchildren , '' she told Nancy Grace . `` My grandchildren , both Haleigh and Junior , have very often said that they would love for their daddy to marry Misty and that they wanted Misty to be their mommy . And so I feel like they are just trying to fulfill a wish for Haleigh so that when she comes home she will have that extra happiness to come home to . '' Before the wedding , Neves told CNN affiliate WKMG-TV the wedding would be difficult without Haleigh . `` It 's an event that Haleigh really should be at , but when she comes home , we 'll have a great big wedding so she can be the flower girl and see it all again , '' Neves said . | Ronald Cummings , Misty Croslin , 17 , wed after getting engaged at Chili 's Sunday . Croslin acknowledges critics , but says `` this is what Haleigh wanted '' Grandma Theresa Neves says Haleigh , brother , both wanted the pair to get married . Neves : `` When she comes home she will have that extra happiness to come home to '' | [[0, 27], [47, 104], [195, 276], [277, 331], [350, 407], [769, 776], [838, 979], [1170, 1202], [2139, 2162], [2175, 2264], [2363, 2435]] |
ATHENS , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The body of accused triple killer and University of Georgia professor George Zinkhan was claimed by a relative Friday , nearly a week after Zinkhan was found dead , the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said . A studio proof shows professor George Zinkhan and his wife , Marie Bruce . A mortuary shipping service in Atlanta picked up Zinkhan 's body at the request of a son from a previous marriage , GBI spokesman John Bankhead said . Details on plans for the body were n't immediately available . Earlier Friday , Bankhead had said Zinkhan 's body -- found Saturday in a self-dug shallow grave -- could be headed to a pauper 's grave if the family did n't claim the body from the Athens-Clarke County coroner 's office by Saturday morning . Such a grave is typically reserved for unidentified bodies , unclaimed bodies or people without family members . Bankhead said the situation was rare and that it was unclear why the family had taken that long to claim the body of the professor , described by colleagues and acquaintances as aloof and eccentric . Neighbor Bob Covington remembers a lot of `` forced moments '' with Zinkhan . The last such interaction came the afternoon of April 24 , the day before witnesses said Zinkhan , 57 , killed his wife and two others outside a community theater in Athens . Covington was walking down the driveway of his Bogart home to check the mail . Zinkhan had just done the same and was walking back to his house . Covington said hello and told Zinkhan that his son , a UGA student who used to mow the Zinkhans ' lawn , had recently seen Zinkhan on campus . `` He said , ` Yeah , that 's where I hang out , ' and turned and walked into the house , '' said Covington , who lived next door to Zinkhan for eight years . `` That 's mostly what it was with George , forced moments . '' It was odd for Zinkhan to say more than five or 10 words before disengaging , while his wife , Marie Bruce , was the `` polar opposite , '' Covington said , describing the 47-year-old thespian as engaging and vivacious . Despite the contrasts in personalities , Covington never saw evidence that there were problems between the two , he said . `` He never raised his voice at his kids . I never heard that . I never heard him raise his voice at Marie , '' he said . Neighbors , students and fellow faculty members all concur that Zinkhan was standoffish , but their accounts also paint a contradictory image of the marketing professor who would occasionally walk the halls of UGA 's business college barefoot . Some faculty members were quick to defend Zinkhan , but reluctant to do so on record . One said he felt it was a university matter . Another was reluctant to be on record defending an accused mass killer . `` He 's being painted as an ogre , which does n't fit , '' said the former . Two faculty members said Zinkhan was introverted but friendly . He was close to some colleagues . He remembered their birthdays and was generous with gifts at Christmas . His quirky behavior was generally overlooked because of his brilliance , a colleague said . One fellow professor went so far as to call him a genius , and not just with marketing , either . Zinkhan apparently was well-versed in a wide range of topics -- art , opera , architecture -- and he loved sports . Faculty members recalled that the strapping 6-foot-2 Zinkhan played on the intramural softball team with some of his graduate students , and he liked to boast of his home runs . He also loved his son , 8 , and daughter , 10 , and regularly brought them to work . Neighbors said they saw him outside playing soccer with the kids on a miniature goal that still sat in the yard this week . A basketball goal with a rim a foot or two below regulation stood over the Zinkhans ' driveway , and a miniature yellow house sat dormant in his wooded backyard . A neighbor who asked not to be named said the cedar front door on the house Tuesday was new . A SWAT team had burst through the old front door shortly after Zinkhan allegedly shot Bruce ; attorney Tom Tanner , 40 ; and Ben Teague , 63 . Bruce was the president of the board of the Town and Gown Players , a theater group holding a reunion picnic on the theater 's deck when the shooting took place . Tanner and Teague were identified as set designers for the theater . Covington saw Zinkhan shortly after the April 25 slayings . He was grilling bratwursts for lunch when Zinkhan rang the doorbell . `` He asked if I 'd mind watching the kids because there 'd been an emergency , '' Covington said . Covington agreed . He thought it was strange when Zinkhan immediately sprinted out of the garage , but did n't pay it much attention because Zinkhan said he had an emergency . The children , Covington said , seemed oblivious that their mother had just been slain . It was less than an hour later , when Covington 's wife noticed two police officers with shotguns behind the hedges in a nearby yard , that Covington learned his neighbor was accused of a triple killing . The police told Covington they were looking for Zinkhan in connection with the shootings . `` I was incredulous , '' he said . Covington 's daughter , who had baby-sat for the Zinkhans , drew a floor plan of the Zinkhan home for police and told them where the spare key was hidden . Covington allowed police to use his home in their stakeout and summoned Zinkhan 's daughter to see whether she knew anything about what had happened . It was clear the girl had n't seen the slayings , but one of her remarks was chilling , Covington said . Asked what her father 's emergency involved , she replied , `` Something about a firecracker . '' Though many expressed astonishment that Zinkhan was linked to the slayings , some UGA faculty members said they suspected Zinkhan was having problems at home before police confirmed it this week . He lost an estimated 50 pounds in the two months before the shootings , they said . To others , the signs of problems were more obvious . Professor Barbara Carroll , who had once worked under Zinkhan , wrote an e-mail to her colleagues at the business school saying she went into protective custody after police found a map to her house in Zinkhan 's vehicle . In the e-mail , she said she had told previous department heads , deans and provosts `` that George Zinkhan was dangerous . '' `` Many people in this college and this department have known about Zinkhan 's ` troubled past ' and did nothing about it . Those people also bear responsibility here , '' she wrote . Carroll did not return phone messages or open her door for reporters Tuesday . However , one of Zinkhan 's former students said he and his classmates also thought Zinkhan was more than just odd . David Sackin , 43 , was a graduate student and took classes with Zinkhan in 1996 and 1997 . Zinkhan 's lectures were delivered in monotone , his teaching style was dry and he did n't seem to care what was happening in the classroom , Sackin said . When students convened outside the classroom , they surmised that something darker than a lack of enthusiasm drove Zinkhan 's behavior , he said . `` If anyone asked any of my classmates if there was one professor who 'd go on a rampage , who would it be ? They 'd unanimously say Zinkhan , '' Sackin said . `` He was strange , definitely . '' In her e-mail , Carroll told colleagues they may never know the whole story . Indeed , police have said only that one of the victims , Tanner , `` appeared to be a specific target in the shootings and was shot first . '' The prospect of learning specifics about what could have propelled a painfully private introvert to homicide probably died in a shallow grave behind a Bogart elementary school . CNN 's Jason Hanna contributed to this report . | NEW : Son from previous marriage claims University of Georgia professor 's body . Acquaintances , colleagues remember George Zinkhan as eccentric , aloof . Neighbor : Children unaware of mother 's slaying ; daughter mentioned `` firecracker '' Student , colleague both thought Zinkhan may be dangerous before triple killing . | [[319, 432], [1007, 1020], [1023, 1089], [2321, 2368], [2373, 2408], [2850, 2913], [4767, 4781], [4784, 4840], [4752, 4764], [4784, 4840], [5631, 5642], [5646, 5679], [6641, 6747]] |
Editors ' Note : Below is an excerpt from Larry King 's new autobiography `` My Remarkable Journey '' published by Weinstein Books . Larry King anchors `` Larry King Live at 9 p.m. ET on CNN . In 1959 , Bobby Darin , left , was Larry 's first major guest on his WKAT radio program . Larry Zeiger left Brooklyn , New York , for Miami Beach , Florida , at the age of 23 to try to find a job in radio . This is how he got his new name : . I went to stay with my Uncle Jack in Miami Beach . I was so excited that I started knocking on doors the next day . I stopped at a small station on First Street , WAHR . The guy in charge liked my voice . `` We get a lot of people coming and going , '' he told me . `` If you hang around , you 'll get the first opening . '' I sat and watched in fascination for a few weeks . It was a tiny operation , but the sight of the UPI and AP machines furiously clicking out news made me feel like I was on the brink of something big . Miami Beach was like a dream . The palm trees . The ocean . I remember walking past Joe 's Stone Crab . Joe 's is more than a restaurant , it 's a landmark . It was full when I arrived in 1957 , and I guarantee you , people will be waiting in line tomorrow night . I stopped outside the front window with only a few dollars in my pocket , unable to afford a meal , looking at the happy faces , wondering what it would take to get into a place like that . Then came my big break . There was a morning deejay named Tom Baer . He was making sixty dollars a week and his alimony was sixty-five . He claimed to be living off the coconuts falling from trees . He quit on a Friday , and the general manager told me I could start on Monday . I must have rehearsed the entire weekend . I do n't even think I slept . On Monday morning I showed up at WAHR with the record that would play my theme song , `` Swingin ' Down the Lane . '' The general manager called me into his office to wish me good luck . `` By the way , '' he said , `` what name are you going to use ? '' `` What do you mean ? '' `` You ca n't use Larry Zeiger , '' he said . `` It 's too ethnic . People wo n't be able to spell it or remember it . You need a better name . '' There was no time to think about whether this was good or bad or what my mother would say . I was going on the air in five minutes . The Miami Herald was spread out on his desk . Face-up was a full-page ad for King 's Wholesale Liquors . The general manager looked down and said , `` King ! How about Larry King ? '' `` OK , '' I said . This was the opportunity of a lifetime . I was n't going to blow it . `` Fine . You 'll host The Larry King Show . '' Nine o'clock was approaching . That 's when the news came on . A few minutes later , The Larry King Show would make its debut . I went through the control-room door , sat down , and set up my record . The news ended . I started my theme song , then faded down the music so I could introduce myself . I opened my mouth . It was as dry as cotton . For the first time in my life , I could n't speak . So I brought `` Swingin ' Down the Lane '' up again and faded it once more . Again , not a single word came out of my mouth . I could only wonder if listeners were hearing the pounding of my heart . I 'd waited for this moment my whole life . How could I be blowing it ? Once more , I cranked up `` Swingin ' Down the Lane '' -- but not a word came out of me . The next thing I knew , the general manager was kicking open the door to the control room . `` This is a communications business ! '' he roared in a way that only a general manager can . Then he turned , walked out , and slammed the door behind him . Shaken , I leaned in to the microphone and said , `` Good morning . This is my first day ever on the radio . I 've always wanted to be on the air . I 've been practicing all weekend . A few minutes ago , they gave me my new name . I 've had a theme song ready to play , but my mouth is dry . I 'm nervous . And the general manager just kicked open the door and said , ` This is a communications business ! ' '' That 's how my career started on May 1 , 1957 . Years later , Arthur Godfrey would tell me , `` The only secret in this business is ... there is no secret . '' He was right . I learned a great lesson on my first day . There 's no trick to being yourself . I do n't think I 've ever been nervous on the air since then . | Larry Zeiger moved from Brooklyn to Miami in 1957 in pursuit of a radio hosting gig . Zeiger became Larry King when his first boss called his name `` too ethnic '' Larry recalls being unable to speak his first time on-air . He quickly overcame his first-day jitters and has felt at home on the air ever since . | [[283, 320], [323, 338], [368, 399], [2097, 2117], [2998, 3027], [3030, 3049], [3127, 3132], [3135, 3175], [3383, 3410], [4329, 4391]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom should leave office during the investigation into whether he was connected to three recent slayings , his 2007 presidential opponent said Thursday . Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has said he has no intention of giving up power over the slayings inquiry . Retired Gen. Otto Perez Molina , who lost to Colom in a runoff , said Guatemala is suffering its worst crisis since the democratic process began in 1985 after years of civil war . Demonstrations will continue and anger will mount unless Colom temporarily steps out of the way to allow an unblemished probe , he said . `` We want an impartial investigation , a transparent investigation , '' Perez told CNN . `` The president must leave his post . '' The crisis started Monday with the surfacing of a video in which Guatemalan attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg said Colom , the president 's wife and a top aide would be responsible if something happened to the lawyer . Rosenberg was gunned down Sunday while riding his bike in Guatemala City . He had recorded the video last week . Rosenberg was being threatened with death , he said , because he had blamed Colom and his associates for the April slayings of a prominent businessman and his daughter . Rosenberg had represented the businessman . They were killed , Rosenberg said , because they had refused to participate in acts of corruption as the president wanted . `` It 's the time-honored tradition in Guatemala that if someone gets in your way , there 's likely to be a violent outcome , '' said Donald J. Planty , the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala from 1996 to 1999 . Colom took to the airwaves Monday night to vehemently deny that he , his wife or the aide had any connection to the slayings . He promised a full investigation and said he would accept international help , asking the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to become involved . A Guatemalan newspaper reported Thursday that an FBI agent had arrived in the country in connection with the investigation . But Rosenberg supporters say they do n't believe the Guatemalan government can carry out an impartial and thorough investigation and want Colom out . Perez said Vice President Jose Rafael Espada could take over until the investigation is complete . `` We are only asking that the state be strengthened , '' Perez said . `` If he does n't do this , we believe the situation will get worse . '' Colom said in an interview Tuesday night with CNN en Español that he has no intention of resigning or otherwise giving up power . He blamed the deaths on unnamed people who want to bring down his government . `` It is evident that -LSB- Rosenberg 's video statement -RSB- was written by someone who has been in on this plan to destabilize the government and for reasons that I do n't know , because I do n't know why Mr. Rosenberg mentions us in that video , '' Colom said . For Perez and other critics , that 's not good enough . `` The president has not wanted to confront this and has given evasive answers , '' Perez said . `` Until the president confronts this , indignation will increase . '' Some analysts say Colom needs to get the nation under control immediately . `` It 's a very worrisome situation , '' said Planty , the former U.S. ambassador . `` The country is in very serious trouble . '' There were rumors two to three weeks ago that the military might stage a coup , Planty said . `` The security situation is out of control , '' he added . Heather Berkman , a Latin America analyst with the Eurasia Group consulting firm , calls it `` a major political scandal . '' Larry Birns , director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs , a Washington policy institute , agrees with that assessment . `` It 's very damning for the president . Very damning , '' he said . Fernando Carrera Castro , a fiscal analyst and executive director of the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales , said the upheaval could further tear apart a poverty-ridden nation trying to heal from a deadly civil war . The three recently slain Guatemalans -- Rosenberg , businessman Khalil Musa and his daughter -- came from the upper economic class . As a result , Carrera said , many wealthy Guatemalans are being `` radicalized '' against the government . Likewise , he said , many poor and disenfranchised Guatemalans also are becoming radicalized and are rallying behind Colom and the government . `` I fear that this crisis will lead to violence and destabilization of the government , '' Carrera said from Guatemala City . `` We all want justice . That is clear . '' Juan Tornoe , a Guatemalan who has lived in the United States for seven years , rejects what he says are efforts to forge a class divide . `` The powers that be are trying to make it a social issue -- the wealthy against the poor , '' he said . `` This is not a social issue . This is Guatemalans are fed up . '' Tornoe has personal connections with some of the key actors in the crisis . Rosenberg was his wife 's law professor at La Universidad Francisco Marroquin , Tornoe said . And he said he went to high school with Gustavo Alejos , the presidential aide Rosenberg mentioned in the video . In his conversations with friends in Guatemala , Tornoe said , he sensed `` a sense of desperation , of hopelessness . '' He believes people are fed up . `` They 're saying , ` OK . Let 's do something . Let 's not let this happen again and again and again , ' '' he said . Carrera , the fiscal analyst , holds out hope . The investigation , he said , will be handled by an independent attorney general who does not report to the president . And the probe will be conducted under the watchful eye of a U.N.-Guatemalan commission set up to investigate corruption and political violence . `` That gives me more confidence , '' he said . But Perez and others note that the attorney general , Jose Amilcar Velasquez Zarate , met privately with Colom on Tuesday morning , the day after the scandal broke . The meeting was not disclosed until reporters uncovered it and questioned Velasquez on his way out . Colom 's critics accuse the president of already meddling in the investigation . Colom and Velasquez said the meeting had been planned days ahead of time . `` There is no interference in the investigation , '' Velasquez told reporters afterward . Guatemala has `` a culture of corruption , '' said Planty , the former U.S. envoy . A just investigation is necessary , he said . `` Until they fix it , they will limp along -- and that 's the good scenario , '' he said . `` They are in serious danger of becoming a failed state , if they 're not already . There is complete impunity . Nobody is punished for anything . '' Rosenberg said the same thing in the video , bemoaning the `` narcos , assassins and thieves '' who have taken over the country . `` Those thieves are sinking all of Guatemala , '' he said . `` They kill people like dogs . '' The lawyer 's niece , Mariela Rosenberg , said her uncle learned to accept his fate . `` He had many threats , '' she told CNN en Español , `` and when he saw it was inevitable , he taped a video . '' Radio journalist Mario David Garcia told CNN en Español that Rosenberg was supposed to detail his allegations Monday afternoon on Garcia 's program , `` Hablando Claro '' -LRB- Speaking Clearly -RRB- . Instead , his funeral was held that day . | Lawyer who blamed Guatemala 's president for two slayings was killed Sunday . In video released after his death , lawyer says to blame president if he is slain . President should step aside during inquiry , says man who lost '07 presidential race . President blames deaths on people he says want to bring down his government . | [[810, 817], [827, 875], [0, 15], [19, 152], [155, 201], [721, 758], [2554, 2592], [2578, 2592], [2597, 2632]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He 's the man who helped make `` Slumdog Millionaire '' an international hit , scoring the soundtrack of the Oscar winning film . Despite his performance at the Oscars ceremony and being caught up in all the glitz and adulation , Rahman is a reluctant star . Feeling like a millionaire : AR Rahman picked up two Oscar 's for best original song and best score . He 's worked on films since he was a teenager , taking over the role of family breadwinner after his father died and followed in his footsteps as a composer . While he had stints writing advertising jingles in India , composing for films has been his life 's work so far , yet from his studio in Chennai he admitted to CNN he did n't want to score films . `` I kept saying next year I 'll quit , next year I 'll quit . And finally because I was sucked into it more and more , now I have the Oscars '' he said . His Oscar performance and acceptance speech was one of the most memorable at this year 's awards . `` I thought if I get it I 'll be quiet , if I do n't get it I 'll be quiet , so I was training my mind not to get over-emotional . So when I first got it I did n't feel it at all , it was like a rehearsal for me . When I finished my performance then I felt at ease and then I became very philosophical as you know , and I chose love over hate and all this stuff , '' he told CNN . Feted by many in media , his hit `` Jai ho '' was covered by the Pussy Cat Dolls , but the softly spoken Rahman does n't find it hard to remain grounded . Rahman runs a music school in Chennai , the KM Music Conservatory that keeps him motivated and reminds him that music has a potency that can transform lives . `` Music can do so many things . I have my foundation , I have my music school . I have people teaching , kids are learning , so I take this as an advantage , the popularity and taking that and putting it into good things , which motivated me to work harder , '' he said . As well as working on more Hindi films , Hollywood beckons , if only for a new experience . There have also been rumors he may score the next James Bond film . `` I have a couple of offers from Hollywood . Pure American movies which I thought for the heck of it let 's do it and a couple of other surprises that you 'll know very soon if it works out . Big surprises I think , '' he said . | Oscar-winning composer scored the soundtrack for ` Slumdog Millionaire ' Began work as a 13-year-old to support family after his father died . Will continue to score films in India and Hollywood ; runs music school in Chennai . | [[0, 15], [98, 148], [380, 382], [408, 410], [428, 487], [1527, 1564]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama on Friday resumed -- with expanded legal protections -- the Bush administration 's controversial system of military trials for some Guantanamo Bay detainees . President Obama says the commissions are OK , `` provided that they are properly structured and administered . '' On the heels of Obama 's shift this week to block the release of photos showing prisoners allegedly being abused by U.S. personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan , the military commissions announcement further infuriated the president 's most ardent supporters while winning cautionary praise from some of his political foes . Obama said he supports the idea of the military commissions but opposes the version of the law that had been governing such trials in recent years : the Military Commissions Act put in place under the Bush administration in 2006 , but subsequently struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court . The president said military commissions `` are appropriate for trying enemies who violate the laws of war , provided that they are properly structured and administered . '' But , he said , the 2006 act `` failed to establish a legitimate legal framework and undermined our capability to ensure swift and certain justice against those detainees . '' He said he plans to enhance due process rights for detainees held at the U.S. facility in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , in order to improve the widely criticized approach created by his predecessor . Statements that have been obtained from detainees through interrogation and cruel treatment , such as waterboarding , will no longer be admitted as evidence before the commissions , Obama said , and hearsay evidence will be limited . The revised system also will give detainees greater latitude in selecting legal representation and afford basic protections to those who refuse to testify . Military commission judges also will be able to establish the jurisdiction of their own courts . `` These reforms will begin to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution , while bringing them in line with the rule of law , '' Obama said . He said he plans to ask Congress to enact other reforms to the 2006 law . Sen. John McCain , R-Arizona , applauded his former opponent . `` Today 's announcement is a step -- but only a step -- toward a comprehensive detainee policy that will deal with the detainees held at Guantanamo and elsewhere in a fashion that both accords with our values and protects our national security , '' McCain said in a written statement . But Obama 's announcement infuriated some of his core supporters -- with the revisions hardly calming the concerns of groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union . The ACLU chided the military commission decision as `` a striking blow to due process and the rule of law . '' `` These military commissions are inherently illegitimate , unconstitutional and incapable of delivering outcomes we can trust , '' said Anthony D. Romero , the group 's executive director . `` Tweaking the rules of these failed tribunals so that they provide ` more due process ' is absurd ; there is no such thing as ` due process light . ' '' he said . `` If the administration 's proposed rules really bring these proceedings in line with constitutional requirements , there is no reason not to use our tried and true justice system . If they do n't , these tribunals have no place in our democracy . '' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs countered that military commissions have a long history in the United States . `` First and foremost , the president of the United States is going to do what he believes is in the best security interest of the people of the United States , '' Gibbs told reporters . Obama suspended the military commissions by signing an executive order on his third day in office , the same day he signed an order to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo within a year and announced a 120-day review of the whole process . The review deadline is next week . Gibbs said he does not know where and how trials for alleged terrorists will unfold on American soil . Nor did he disclose how many suspects would face legal proceedings under the revised commissions . Three Guantanamo detainees ' cases have gone through the commission so far . The Bush administration established the military trial system after the U.S. military began capturing detainees in Afghanistan in late 2001 . The next year , it opened the Guantanamo facility , saying suspects were treated properly and received due process through the system . But legal organizations and human rights agencies have repeatedly challenged the system on grounds that detainees were mistreated . One lawyer representing a client at Guantanamo said closing the detention facility , which Obama is advocating , is a `` meaningless gesture '' if the military commissions continue . `` The military commissions are fundamentally flawed and ca n't be fixed , '' said Army Maj. Jon S. Jackson , a lawyer for Mustafa al-Hawsawi , one of five 9/11 defendants charged in the military commission process . Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , the self-confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks , is the most high-profile of those defendants . | Obama revives Bush system that was suspended in January . New system to include expanded due-process rights for the suspects , Obama says . ACLU calls move `` a striking blow to due process and the rule of law '' | [[0, 26], [67, 98], [1291, 1351], [2632, 2728], [2729, 2836]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Five new cases of the H1N1 virus in New York City schools will force three schools to close for a week , Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference Thursday evening . The city is temporarily closing the schools to `` slow transmission '' of the virus , Mayor Michael Bloomberg said . The two intermediate schools and one primary school are in Queens , and all three will be closed for at least five days , the mayor said . `` We are closing the schools to slow transmission '' of sickness , he said . Bloomberg , flanked by New York Gov. David Paterson and New York City School Chancellor Joel Klein , said four students at one of the intermediate schools have the virus and an administrator was critically ill Thursday with H1N1 . Bloomberg indicated the school administrator had a pre-existing medical condition . Fifty students at that school have been sent home with flu-like symptoms since May 6 . At the two other schools , the primary school had an overflowing nurse 's office Thursday , reporting 29 students suffering from flu-like symptoms . The other intermediate school had 241 students absent with illness Thursday . The New York City Department of Health and the Department of Education have been in nearly constant contact , said Jason Post , a spokesman from Bloomberg 's office . When there 's a spike in students absent from classes , the Department of Health is alerted . `` There 's always good communication , flu or no flu , '' Post said . `` But our senses have been sharp for a while now . '' The Health Department has seen a general increase in flu activity in Queens , officials said in a news release . While the symptoms of H1N1 flu seem to resemble those of seasonal flu , the H1N1 virus appears to spread more extensively , at least in schools , warranting closures to slow transmission in the community , the release said . Dr. Isaac Weisfuse , the deputy commissioner of the city 's Department of Hygiene and Mental Health , said although concern is legitimate , there 's no solid evidence that suggests the H1N1 flu -- also known as swine flu -- is more dangerous than the flu in general . `` The bottom line is if you 're sick , stay home , '' Weisfuse said . `` And do n't go back to school until you 're better for one whole day . '' In late April , St. Francis Prep , a high school in Queens , was closed because of a flu outbreak . Since then , the school reopened and the stricken students have recovered , according to the mayor 's office . `` As we have said from the outset of the appearance of H1N1 in our city last month , we will share with New Yorkers what we know and not speculate on what we do n't know , '' said Bloomberg in a statement . According to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , as of Thursday night 7,412 cases of H1N1 flu have been confirmed worldwide . The organizations said 63 deaths attributed to the virus have been confirmed worldwide . The CDC said 4,298 cases of the virus and three fatalities have been confirmed in the United States as of Thursday night . New York had 224 confirmed cases of H1N1 , the CDC said . It was not clear whether the five cases cited by Bloomberg and the other New York officials were included in the latest CDC total . | Officials cite five new cases of H1N1 virus in New York City schools . One school administrator critically ill with the virus , officials say . Administrator had a pre-existing medical condition , mayor indicates . Dozens of students have reported flu-like symptoms at the 3 closed schools . | [[3192, 3298], [536, 545], [637, 766], [441, 457], [767, 850], [787, 850], [851, 937], [965, 983], [1030, 1086]] |
MANAMA , Bahrain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Suryavathi Rao entered her 40th year in what can be called no man 's land . A protestor locked in a suitcase reading `` Stop Human Trafficking '' in Germany last year . A domestic worker from India , she arrived at a shelter in the Gulf state of Bahrain one morning with only a nightgown , slippers , and a prayer for a better life . `` I had to leave because it was getting too difficult for me , '' she said . `` I have not brought any clothes , I have not brought personal belongings , all I brought with me is a Bible . '' Rao says her employer -- a family with eight children who sponsored her journey here -- did not pay her the monthly salary of just over $ 100 for six months . Having fled her employer 's home , she is now considered an illegal resident on the island . Marietta Dias , who runs the Migrant Workers Society , says the mind-set regarding immigrant workers here has got to change . Some employers treat their help as `` not a person but a machine -LRB- that -RRB- starts in the morning : Put on a switch -LRB- and -RRB- work consistently right through the day . Take care of the children , washing , cleaning , cooking , right down to cleaning -LRB- the -RRB- car . '' The exploitation of workers is a huge business worldwide . People forced to work without pay collectively lose more than $ 20 billion a year in earnings , according to a report from the United Nations International Labour Organization released Tuesday . Global profits from human trafficking and forced labor have reached $ 36 billion , according to the United Nations , and that sum is climbing . `` Forced labor is the antithesis of decent work , '' ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said in a statement as the report became public . `` It causes untold human suffering and steals from its victims . '' `` It is the vulnerable who suffer the most '' in times of economic crisis like the present , the report says . It took years for governments to acknowledge the problem . Now the biggest challenges , officials say , are the implementation and enforcement of laws . `` Eighty percent of forced labor is in the private economy , but this is very , very rarely been prosecuted , if at all in most countries , '' said Roger Plant , one of the authors of the ILO report . Part of the problem is that the law is often hazy . `` There 's a whole lot of gray areas where intermediate agents , sub-brokers , are taking advantage of loopholes in the law in order to extract large amounts of money from vulnerable people , uninformed -LRB- people -RRB- who are going off to work in a country where they do n't speak the language , '' Plant said . But for him , the bottom line is clear . `` There is some absolutely flagrant forced labor where the offenders must be put behind bars . Forced labor is a serious criminal offense and must be treated as such , '' he said . Labor markets need a regulatory overhaul like the one financial markets are now facing , he argued . `` Because labor markets are too deregulated there are too many options for people to act in an unethical way , '' he said . `` After the havoc in the financial markets , people are realizing they need some monitoring , licensing , regulation . You 've got to do the same on the labor markets , '' he said . The ILO tried to set standards for private agencies that place workers , he said . `` But we 're finding is that there is a number of totally unknown , unlicensed and unregulated labor workers at the bottom end of the market , and there is broker after broker , intermediate after intermediate getting cash -- getting some money from the worker , '' he said . `` Usually it is in the very much down the bottom in the informal sector , in the developing countries , but we are finding that sometimes this is pervading even larger recruitment agencies . '' Bahrain , where Suryavathi Rao fled her employer , is considered a reformer on labor issues . The Gulf state has introduced the Labour Market Regulatory Authority to register and track workers of all types . `` People were not familiar with the definition of human trafficking and most of the time they were n't accepting that is phenomena is actually here in our region , '' Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa of the country 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said . A top priority is to reduce the role of middlemen who take sizable fees -- sometimes a year 's salary plus interest , he said . But worldwide , prosecutions are comparatively rare , said Antonio Maria Costa , under secretary-general of the United Nations . `` Only a few thousand people were criminalized in the underworld in the past 2-3 years -- a fraction of the criminals who actually prey upon victims . '' The average , according to labor officials , is one prosecution for every 800 cases -- a rate that keeps workers like Suryavathi Rao , and millions more , vulnerable to exploitation . | Global profits from human trafficking , forced labor reach $ 36 billion , U.N. says . Eighty percent of forced labor is in private economy , says ILO report author . Bahrain has introduced the Labour Market Regulatory Authority to register workers . Bahrain Foreign Ministry : Top priority is to reduce role of middlemen . | [[1482, 1562], [1482, 1536], [1565, 1596], [3950, 4063], [3980, 4030], [4229, 4317], [4318, 4367]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two attacks on Christian families in the city of Kirkuk on Sunday evening left three people dead and two others wounded , police said . Due to persecution , Christians in Iraq have had to rely on Iraqi security forces , as shown here on Easter Sunday . The first occurred in a neighborhood in southern Kirkuk when a Christian woman and her daughter-in-law were murdered in their home late night Sunday . Police told CNN the attackers slit the women 's throats . In a neighborhood close by , gunmen attacked a Christian family in their home , shooting a father and his three sons , police said . One of the sons died instantly and the other son and the father were wounded . Many of Iraq 's estimated 1 million Christians have fled the country after targeted attacks by extremists . In October , more than a thousand Iraqi families fled the northern city of Mosul after they were reportedly frightened by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists , who apparently ordered them to convert to Islam or face possible death . At least 14 Christians were killed in Mosul in the first two weeks of October . Kirkuk is 150 miles -LRB- 240 km -RRB- north of Baghdad . | Christian woman and her daughter-in-law 's throats slit in their home late Sunday . In nearby neighborhood in Kirkuk , gunmen shoot father and three sons ; one dies . Targeted by extremists , many of Iraq 's 1 million Christians have fled country . | [[287, 437], [343, 437], [438, 495], [454, 495], [496, 522], [525, 573], [496, 522], [525, 573], [525, 531], [576, 612], [708, 815], [708, 754], [777, 815], [816, 826], [829, 991]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Your husband , an avid gamer and techie , dies of a heart attack , leaving his vast online life - -- one you do n't know much about - -- in limbo . Eternal Space lets loved ones create customized online gravesites and memorial pages . His accounts , to which you do n't know the passwords , go idle . His e-mails go unanswered , his online multiplayer games go on without him and bidders on his eBay items do n't know why they ca n't get an answer from the seller . Web site domains that he has purchased , some of which are now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars , - will expire , and you may never know . It 's a scenario that 's becoming more likely as we spend more of our lives online . And it 's raising more questions about what happens to our online lives after we log off for the final time . The answer , until recently , was nothing . But now , as online usage increases and social-media sites soar in popularity , more companies are popping up to try and fill that void created in your digital life after death . Jeremy Toeman , founder of the site Legacy Locker , recognized that when he was on a plane and wondered what would happen to his online life if it crashed . While his will leaves everything to his wife , including all of his digital assets , Toeman realized how difficult it would be for her to access his accounts . `` My GoDaddy account would belong to her , but it does n't solve the practical reality of how she would get access to it , '' he said . He experienced a similar scenario after his grandmother died , and he tried to get the password for her e-mail account -- only to give up because of the hassle . So Toeman built his company to change all that . Legacy Locker allows users to set up a kind of online will , with beneficiaries that would receive the customer 's account information and passwords after they die . `` We know it 's a hard thing to think about -- to get people to face mortality . We know it 's kind of morbid , but for those who live their entire lives online , it 's also very real . '' A Legacy Locker account costs $ 29.99 a year . Users can set up their accounts at www.legacylocker.com to specify who gets access to their posthumous online information , along with `` legacy letters , '' or messages , that can be sent to loved ones . If someone contacts Legacy Locker to report a client 's death , the service will send the customer four e-mails in 48 hours . If there 's no response , Legacy Locker will then contact the people the client listed as verifiers in the event of his or her death . Even then , the service would not release digital assets without examining a copy of the customer 's death certificate , Toeman said . Eddie Lopez is the kind of tech-savvy guy for which a service such as Legacy Locker was made . The St. Paul , Minnesota , man has three online banking accounts , a PayPal account , domain names , Web-hosting accounts , multiple e-mail addresses and many social-networking accounts . `` I do think this is something people should be really considering these days , '' Lopez told CNN when asked about services such as Legacy Locker . He wants to hire a service to handle his digital assets but is concerned about privacy . `` Although I 'm glad there 's people breaking ground in this area , I do n't think I would jump at the first opportunity to sign up , '' Lopez said . `` My concerns are turning over such an exhaustive list of user names and passwords to a single business . That 's one-stop shopping for any hacker to get access to just about every detail of my life . '' Lopez would prefer to entrust half of his digital-security information to a service such as Legacy Locker and the other half to family members , so that each side 's information would be useless without the other 's . `` I hope Legacy Locker and similar services can address these privacy-security concerns with some real-world solutions , '' he said . `` I just do n't feel comfortable turning over my digital life -- built over 15 years -- to a kind promise . '' Legacy Locker is n't the only new company helping techies plan for death in the digital age . AssetLock -LRB- formerly YouDeparted.com -RRB- offers a `` secure safe deposit box '' for digital copies of documents , wishes , letters and e-mails . Deathswitch and Slightly Morbid also offer similar services in a variety of prices and packages , depending on how many accounts are involved . Not all of these services deal with online assets . There 's also a growing trend towards giving all aspects of death -- - the grieving process , the funeral , the memorial and even the grave site -- - a digital makeover . FindaGrave.com claims to have cemetery records for 32 million people in its searchable database , while EternalSpace.com offers a new spin on the traditional grave site by offering virtual memorial pages full of videos , pictures and tributes . On Eternal Space , loved ones can choose from different headstones and bucolic landscape backgrounds -- the mountain lake is a popular option -- to create a customized online grave site . Loved ones can add `` tribute gifts '' such as roses , candles , stuffed animals and other items , while mourners can access photos and videos in a `` Memory Book '' and leave remembrances of their own . Jay Goss , president of Eternal Space president , is trying to bring the funeral experience to anyone who can access the Web . In that way , he hopes to provide a gathering place , and a voice , for mourners who may not be able to attend the real-life memorial service . `` It 'd be the equivalent of a funeral where everyone can attend and everyone can spend 30 minutes behind the podium , '' Goss said . `` It gives everyone a chance to put a 360-degree wrapper on the life the person lived and celebrate that life from how every person knew them . '' Eternal Space 's virtual memorial sites are currently only being offered through select funeral homes , cemeteries and crematoriums . Goss ' hope is that the site will help allow the deceased 's memory to be `` eternally '' passed on . `` All of these stories and videos are being left , in essence , to this Eternal Space Web site so that everyone can share , not just that day , not the days after , but the weeks after and years after , '' he said . Some funeral-industry professionals believe these online memorials and virtual grave sites provide a valuable service . `` Assuming the site is handled with respect , virtual memorials respond to a basic human need to remember our deceased family , friends and colleagues , '' said Robert M. Fells , general counsel for the International Cemetery , Cremation and Funeral Association . `` Based on our members ' feedback , I 'd have to say that virtual memorial sites are gaining popularity with the public as a very practical alternative to being present at the grave site , '' he added . `` There 's nothing ` weird ' about them as far as we have seen . '' `` There are funeral homes out there that will help families create virtual memorials , but ... we 've also seen Facebook and MySpace profiles of deceased persons being turned into memorials , '' agreed Jessica Koth , spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association . `` Consumers have become increasingly comfortable with expressing their grief online . '' `` While not a replacement for a funeral , online memorialization can help people work through their grief after the funeral , '' she added . `` We 've all become accustomed to communicating and expressing ourselves electronically -- via e-mail , Facebook , Twitter . Expressing one 's grief online is an outgrowth of what 's happening in other areas of our lives . '' CNN.com 's Brandon Griggs contributed to this story . | New services are helping people organize their digital assets after their death . Customers can designate loved ones to access their posthumous online accounts . Legacy Locker allows users to set up a kind of online will , with beneficiaries . Eternal Space lets loved ones create customized online grave sites . | [[2116, 2237], [1713, 1792], [167, 253], [192, 253], [4916, 4932], [4935, 5016], [5020, 5103], [7004, 7009], [7015, 7058]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When `` La Bamba '' hit movie screens in 1987 , audiences flocked to see the true story of singer Ritchie Valens , who died as a teen in an airplane crash almost three decades earlier . `` La Bamba '' starred Lou Diamond Phillips as singer Ritchie Valens . It 's one of 40 films featured in the festival . But it was memorable for another reason . The film was the first box office hit directed by a Latino filmmaker and starring mostly Latino actors , said Chon Noriega , a professor of cinema and media studies at the University of California , Los Angeles . `` La Bamba '' is part of the Latino Images in Film festival , which begins Tuesday and runs through May on Turner Classic Movies . The event features 40 films that show how Latinos have been depicted on the big screen and is part of the network 's `` Race and Hollywood '' series . -LRB- Turner Classic Movies , like CNN , is owned by Time Warner . -RRB- . Noriega , who chose the films and also co-hosts the festival , talked with CNN.com about what he hopes viewers will take away from the movie line-up . Watch clips from some of the classic films '' The following is a edited version of that interview . CNN : What was your selection process ? Chon Noriega : I decided I was going to focus specifically on Hollywood films that look substantively at either Latino characters or the Latino community . I came up with a master list of films , and it 's only about 70 . There really have n't been that many that have dealt explicitly with the Latino population . And then , from there , we looked at what was available . CNN : When you talk about Latino images , who do you include in that description ? Noriega : It 's a kind of pan-ethnic , multiracial category . But basically in terms of the series , what it reflects is Mexican-Americans , Puerto Ricans and Cuban-Americans . There really have n't been , as far as I can tell , many Hollywood films that go beyond those three major groups . CNN : What do you hope to accomplish with this movie lineup ? Noriega : By and large , these are films that really have n't been seen since their original release . We really do n't have an idea of what the history has been in terms of how Hollywood has dealt with or represented what is now a pretty sizeable part of our population . We have an idea of what the stereotypes have been in terms of the kind of expendable characters that emerge within Westerns or action films , background characters like maids . CNN : What do you mean by expendable characters ? Noriega : If I 'm watching a science-fiction film and there happens to be a Latino character , I know that that character is going to be the first one to die . -LRB- laughs -RRB- . It is almost inevitable . Or in a Western . They 're really not there as characters ; they 're there as foils for the largely white characters that are defining the film and the story . To my mind , it 's valuable just to go back and just see that these are the films that at different points represent how not just Hollywood but our society was trying to figure out where Latinos fit within the national culture . CNN : As people watch these movies , from very early Hollywood to the 1990s , what is the progression of Latino characters ? Noriega : I do n't know that we see a single trajectory of going from either one thing to another or from bad to better . You see certain recurring figures or types . You see different versions of the gangster kind of morphing into the gang member . But it 's more or less an urban outlaw type , and that persists . I think you see little shifts in terms of when they 're being made and who is making them . You have some of the same characters in `` My Family/Mi Familia , '' but it 's being made by a Chicano filmmaker as part of an attempt to show a very diverse view of what a family can be . CNN : What 's your take on white actors playing Latino characters ? Noriega : Actually , -LSB- co-host -RSB- Robert Osborne and I kind of went back and forth on that throughout the series because I think there are two views . One is : Actors are actors , and they play make-believe , and they pretend to be different types of characters , and in an ideal world , actors should be able to play anything they are able to do effectively . But when you look at it sociologically , you see it 's only working one way , and that 's where I think there 's a problem . In the history of Hollywood , we 're maybe able to identify 70 films that really focus on Latino characters , family or community , and a third of those have white actors playing the Latinos . And Latino actors are not really getting the same opportunity to play other types . CNN : How did the industry try to `` transform '' actors into Latino characters ? Noriega : The Latino population -- and it 's part of the irony of this -- it 's not a racial group . It 's a multiracial , multi-ethnic group . We talk about that in terms of `` West Side Story , '' where everybody 's identified how Natalie Wood was in brownface playing a Puerto Rican . But in 1980 , there was a revival of it on Broadway , and they actually cast a Puerto Rican actress . In the makeup room , they started putting brownface on her , -LSB- because -RSB- she was n't dark enough to meet the expectations of what a Latina character would look like on stage . I 've done focus groups with Latino actors in the Screen Actors Guild , and they continually talk about that there are these expectations of what a Latino character is going to look like and more often than not , Latino actors do n't look like that . -LRB- laughs -RRB- . CNN : What do you think about how Latinos are portrayed in film today ? Noriega : We have a somewhat broader cohort of actors who are known , who are included in films , not always starring , but they get secondary roles in films and so there 's in some sense more of a presence . When you look at the statistics in terms of the overall presence of Latinos in film and television , the numbers really have n't changed that much . So it 's a kind of a subtle shift . | Turner Classic Movies begins month-long Latino Images in Film festival . Event features 40 films that show how Latinos have been depicted on the big screen . Discussion tackles controversial practice of white actors playing Latino characters . Scholar : Films show how Hollywood tried to figure out where Latinos fit in culture . | [[627, 640], [668, 711], [276, 297], [289, 324], [712, 862], [731, 739], [745, 862], [712, 739], [803, 862], [3884, 3924], [4554, 4610]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Marine accused of killing Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach , who was more than eight months pregnant , was not the father of her unborn child , a law enforcement source close to the murder investigation said Saturday . Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean , who is being held on a murder charge , is scheduled for arraignment in June . The source , who has seen a report completed earlier this month by the Defense Department 's Armed Forces Institute of Pathology , said Cpl. Cesar Laurean 's DNA does not match that of the unborn child , who also died . Laurean and Lauterbach were stationed at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . An autopsy showed that Lauterbach , 20 , died of blunt force trauma to the head . Police unearthed her charred body from beneath a barbecue pit in Laurean 's backyard in January 2008 . She disappeared the month before . Laurean was 22 when he was arrested in Mexico in April 2008 . At the time , a Mexican reporter asked Laurean whether he had killed Lauterbach . The Marine replied , `` I loved her . '' Laurean has been indicted on charges that include first-degree murder , financial card transaction fraud and obtaining property by false pretenses . North Carolina prosecutors allege he killed Lauterbach on December 14 and used her ATM card 10 days later before fleeing to Mexico . He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico . The law enforcement source familiar with the case said a DNA swab was taken by court order from Laurean after he was extradited from Mexico in March to face charges in North Carolina . Mexican authorities agreed to the extradition , in part because prosecutors took the death penalty off the table . Mexico does not have a death penalty . Before her death , Lauterbach told the Marines that Laurean raped her . The month before she disappeared , Lauterbach 's mother says Maria told a military investigator that she no longer believed Laurean was the father of her unborn child . However , Lauterbach 's mother , Mary , says her daughter remained adamant that Laurean raped her . Laurean denied it . A few weeks before a scheduled rape hearing at Camp Lejeune , Lauterbach disappeared . Dewey Hudson , district attorney for Onslow County , said Laurean is scheduled for arraignment in early June , and is expected to enter a plea . `` I can not comment on any of the tests , '' Hudson said . He would not say how the DNA results might affect his case against Laurean . Through her attorney , Mary Lauterbach said the DNA test results do n't answer bigger questions she has about whether the Marines did enough to protect her daughter or moved quickly enough to investigate her claims . `` We do not believe that the result will have any effect on the continuing investigation or the trial , '' said Lauterbach 's attorney Merle Wilberding . | DNA taken from suspect Cpl. Cesar Laurean does n't match child 's , source says . Swab obtained after suspect was extradited from Mexico to United States . Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach 's body was found in Laurean 's backyard in 2008 . | [[343, 377], [474, 544], [1433, 1531], [1493, 1567], [718, 820]] |
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