doc_text
stringlengths 157
16.7k
| summary_text
stringlengths 26
11.1k
| highlight_spans
stringlengths 9
3.7k
|
|---|---|---|
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]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Six life insurance companies have qualified to receive billions of dollars in bailout money under the government 's Troubled Asset Relief Program , according to the U.S. Treasury Department . Allstate is one of six life insurance companies who are qualified to receive TARP money . Treasury Department spokesman Andrew Williams said Allstate , Ameriprise Financial , Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. , Lincoln National Corp. , Principal Financial and Prudential Financial Inc. have qualified for TARP money . `` These life insurers met the requirements for the Capital Purchase Program because of their bank holding company status and each applied for CPP capital investments by the deadline of November 14 , 2008 , '' Williams said . Williams also said other financial institutions in the Capital Purchase Program `` will be reviewed and funded as appropriate on a rolling basis . '' In April , about $ 135 billion remained from the original $ 700 billion allocated for the bailout last October . No current figures were immediately available . No funding amounts were announced by the Treasury Department , but Hartford said it had been preliminarily approved for $ 3.4 billion . `` We are pleased that we received preliminary approval to participate in -LRB- the -RRB- Treasury 's Capital Purchase Program , '' said Ramani Ayer , chairman and chief executive officer of Hartford . `` These funds would further fortify our capital resources and provide us with additional financial flexibility during one of the most volatile market climates in our nation 's history . '' Investors have been increasingly worried about the health of life insurers , which have been hit hard by worries about capital requirements and growing losses . A number of insurers that are also bank holding companies or thrifts have been eligible for funds from TARP since last fall . Last year , the Office of Thrift Supervision approved applications from Hartford and Lincoln to become bank holding companies , because of their planned bank purchases . Philadelphia , Pennsylvania-based Lincoln is buying Newton County Loan & Savings FSB in Goodland , Indiana . Hartford , based in Hartford , Connecticut , is buying Federal Trust Bank in Sanford , Florida . | Six life insurance companies to receive TARP money , U.S. Treasury says . As of April , about $ 135 billion remained from original $ 700 billion allocated for bailout . Industry has suffered amid concerns with capital requirements , growing losses . | [[0, 20], [30, 175], [0, 26], [178, 221], [222, 269], [241, 269], [274, 311], [921, 929], [932, 992], [966, 1033], [1668, 1770]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Humanitarian aid agencies scrambled Monday to offer help to the tens of thousands of people in need after Tamil separatists declared an end to their quarter-century struggle in Sri Lanka . A Tamil refugee holds her child at a tented site in Vavuniya . The United Nations said Monday that over the past few days some 65,000 people had fled what had been the fighting zone in northeast Sri Lanka , bringing to 265,000 the number of internally displaced people , which it refers to as IDPs . `` This latest massive influx of people , who have endured extreme conditions , will put an even greater strain on the transit and IDP sites that are already buckling under the pressure of the existing IDP population , '' the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a written statement . The agency pledged to erect an additional 10,000 shelters to accommodate people streaming from the combat zone . It reiterated its request for the Sri Lankan government to set aside land for the construction of emergency shelters , water and sanitation facilities and public buildings in Vavuniya , Jaffna , Mannar and Kilinochchi . And it called on the government to improve conditions at 42 sites already hosting the displaced people , and to ensure adequate care and maintenance for them . But the United Nations said its access to the sites in Vavuniya had been curtailed in recent days `` and this affects our ability to monitor and distribute aid to the displaced . We hope this ends quickly . '' Suresh Bartlett , aid agency World Vision 's national director , said , `` The conventional war may be over but the real challenge now is to foster an environment where fractured and displaced Tamil communities can heal and have a real chance at creating a future for themselves and their children . '' Among the pressing issues , he said , is getting people back to their land and homes as quickly as possible , which in some cases will require that land be demined and buildings be repaired . About 80,000 of the displaced -- a third of the people in camps -- are children , who need emotional , psychosocial and educational support in addition to physical aid . `` It is important to get people home as quickly as possible so they can feel a sense of ownership over their own lives , recover their dignity and livelihoods and create an environment where their children feel safe , '' he said . In a telephone interview from Colombo , Sri Lanka 's most populous city , Bartlett said that the displacement camps are overcrowded , with two and three families staying in shelters intended for a single family . `` A lot more needs to be done , '' he said . `` More land needs to be cleared , more shelters set up '' and safe drinking-water supplies assured . `` It 's not easy and it 's not straightforward . '' He said many of the people still streaming into the camps are malnourished . Though the end of the conflict marks a great opportunity , `` we can do with all the international support that we can get at this time , '' he said . Estimates put the number of civilians killed in the conflict at 70,000 to 80,000 , but Bartlett acknowledged that the true number may never be known . Medecins Sans Frontieres , the aid group also known as Doctors Without Borders , was trying to scale up on Monday , a spokeswoman said . The group 's head of mission , Hugues Robert , said the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization is staffing three hospitals in the region , where it was screening people seeking help to determine their needs , stabilize them , then treat them . With fighting apparently ended , Robert predicted that the organization 's team of 343 national staff and approximately 50 international staff will focus many of their efforts on providing post-operative care . `` We have a lot of wounded people , '' he said . One area of need that remains largely unaddressed , he said , is mental health . Amnesty International called for steps to be taken to ensure civilians and captured fighters are protected . `` The Sri Lankan government must ensure that its forces fully respect international law , including all provisions relating to protecting civilians from the effect of hostilities , '' said Amnesty International 's Asia-Pacific director , Sam Zarifi . Amnesty International called on the Sri Lankan government to give humanitarian agencies full access ; to allow independent observers to monitor the situation to guard against human-rights violations ; and to register displaced people as a safeguard against enforced disappearances . Zarifi called on the international community to deploy monitors . In Washington , U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly called the end of fighting `` an opportunity for Sri Lanka to turn the page on its past and build a Sri Lanka rooted in democracy , tolerance , and respect for human rights . '' He said it is `` vital for the government to provide for the needs of the civilians now living in relief camps . Providing food , water , shelter , basic health care , and sanitation as well as expediting their return to their homes should be a top priority for the government . '' | U.N. : 65,000 people flee fighting zone in northeast Sri Lanka in past days . Brings total number of internally displaced people to 265,000 . About 80,000 -- a third of the people in displacement camps -- are children . U.N. pledges to erect an additional 10,000 shelters to accommodate people . | [[271, 412], [415, 434], [1998, 2027], [2065, 2167], [800, 912], [828, 912]] |
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]] |
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]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Army Maj. Steven Hutchison fought battles in the jungles of Vietnam . Then he fought an epic battle on the home front . And at age 60 , he still was n't done fighting for his country . Maj. Steven Hutchison served 22 years in his first Army stint , then returned at age 57 . He died Sunday . The battle ended for Hutchison on Sunday . He died in Basra , Iraq , of wounds from a roadside bomb in Al Farr . He is the oldest U.S. service member to die in Iraq or Afghanistan . Hutchison joined the Army in 1966 and served two one-year tours in Vietnam , according to a news release from Fort Riley , Kansas , home of Hutchison 's 1st Infantry Division , the famous `` Big Red One . '' Over the next 22 years , he was a platoon leader in Germany and commander of a basic training company at Fort Jackson , South Carolina . Along the way , he earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Delaware and became an assistant professor of military science at Claremont College in California . He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal , among others . Hutchison retired from the military in 1988 and took up the quiet life of a college professor . He taught at several small colleges in California and became a researcher for a health care company in Scottsdale , Arizona , said his brother , Richard Hutchison . But Hutchison felt compelled to return to military service after the terrorist attacks of September 11 . His wife , Kandy , vetoed that idea , however . That decision proved fateful , as Hutchison was able to stand by his wife 's side through her battle with breast cancer . She died of the disease in January 2006 . The always-athletic Hutchison channeled his grief by whipping himself into shape and returning to active duty at age 57 the following year , his brother said . Military rules say retirees may be recalled up to age 64 for general officers , 62 for warrant officers and 60 for all others . Hutchison served a tour in Afghanistan and then was sent to Iraq , where he was part of a team training Iraqi forces to secure their own country . `` He 's been a soldier his whole life , '' Richard Hutchison , of Mesa , Arizona , told CNN affiliate KNXV-TV . Watch a report on Hutchison 's life '' `` He was a great guy , '' he said . `` We hung around together ; we went to the movies together , went out to dinner together . He loved to shoot pool ; we used to shoot pool all the time , either at my house or at his house . He was just a great friend and a great brother . '' The soldier-psychology professor , who is also survived by two daughters and two half-siblings , had a mischievous side , too . `` He liked to tease me about him being younger than me , even though he was five years older than me , '' Richard Hutchison said with a soft chuckle . `` He would tell everyone he was the youngest one . And they would believe him . Made me feel real good . '' Richard Hutchison plans to fly to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware over the weekend to claim his brother 's body and return it to Scottsdale for burial . The last communication the brothers had was a routine e-mail Steven Hutchison sent from Iraq about two weeks ago . He rarely wrote about his experiences in Iraq , Richard Hutchison said . However , there was one matter on the ground that the soldier involved his brother in . `` When he was in Iraq , they found a dog and were taking care of it . He sent me an e-mail asking me to send some dog food and dog supplies , '' Hutchison said . The Army made Hutchison 's team give up the dog , but they left it in good hands , his brother said . `` He had a big heart . '' CNN 's Adam Levine , Larry Shaughnessy , Barbara Starr and Joe Sterling contributed to this report . | Army Maj. Steven Hutchison , 60 , becomes oldest American killed in Iraq . Hutchison retired after 22-year Army career , volunteered to return years later . Psychology professor served tours in Vietnam , Afghanistan and Iraq . During interim , he stood by wife during her fight against cancer . | [[424, 492], [430, 492], [204, 208], [209, 265], [209, 225], [268, 293], [1101, 1144], [1679, 1708], [1764, 1817], [493, 502], [531, 567], [1967, 2005], [1515, 1543], [1546, 1596], [1549, 1636]] |
-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- -- CNN correspondent Sean Callebs has just finished a long assignment : living on food stamps during all of February . He tracked his experiences on the American Morning blog . CNN 's Sean Callebs with a meal he prepared living on a food-stamp budget . This meant no eating out , no food on the run while covering stories and no enjoying king cake and other New Orleans specialties during Mardi Gras . The food stamp program , newly named the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -LRB- SNAP -RRB- , is run by the Department of Agriculture and provides food to those in need . The latest numbers show 31 million Americans are relying on supplemental food assistance to get by every month . Callebs is based in New Orleans , so he worked through the Louisiana Department of Social Services . The agency gave him a gift card worth $ 176 , the maximum amount of assistance for which he was eligible , instead of an actual EBT card or food stamps . This week , he reflected on what he learned in an interview with House Call . House Call : Did living on a limited food budget have an impact on your health ? Callebs : I would n't say it had a big impact on my health . I think that towards the end , I wondered if having fewer calories than I normally eat and also not having as much meat and fish -- I wondered if that affected my energy levels . I was running maybe 4 to 5 miles and toward the end of this diet when I got to three miles I just got kind of winded . I do n't know why that happened . Watch Sean Callebs talk about his experience '' HC : Were there also some benefits ? Callebs : I think I lost weight . I would n't say noticeable . It 's not like I came out of this 30 days later and people were like `` Wow , what happened to you ? '' but all my clothes are looser . I do n't have a scale , but I can tell you my pants are much looser . HC : You write in your blog about your love of diet soda and how you had to drop it . Callebs : -LRB- Laughing -RRB- It 's funny , because for the first 10 days it was really on my mind a lot . It was probably more than anything else I missed -- probably a sad commentary on my lifestyle . Then toward the end , I did n't even think about it and my photographer , as a joke the last day , he brought over two 20 ounce bottles of diet soda and said , `` At midnight tonight you can have these , '' and I did n't drink them . I do n't miss it as much and , I ca n't guarantee this is what caused it , but I 've always had a problem with acid reflux and once I got started eating on the food stamp diet , it seemed to go away . I ca n't conclusively say that that was the cause , but I sleep better and I feel better . HC : How does your $ 176 compare with the average food stamp allotment ? Callebs : I think it 's difficult to say that there 's an average food stamp allotment because it really breaks down to how many people you have in the family and to what degree you live at or below the poverty level . I went to the state , and I said , `` I want to pretend I have no income so how much can I get ? '' and they said this is the maximum you can get : $ 176 . I did get a lot of e-mails , A LOT of e-mails , from people who have lived with government assistance and they said , `` Look , $ 176 is a ton of money to live on . So you think it 's hard ? You should put yourself in our shoes . '' That was sobering because I thought $ 6.28 a day -- that 's basically a super-sized fast-food meal . -LRB- According to SNAP , the average monthly stipend was about $ 96 per person and about $ 215 per household in 2007 . -RRB- . HC : So , what did you learn ? Callebs : I think that I learned that you can stretch $ 176 . It sounds intimidating if you 've always had enough , but if you have n't had enough then you learn pretty quickly how to make ends meet . That 's what I learned pretty quickly . Snacks went out the window , name brands went out the window but , all in all , I ate pretty healthy . HC : Are you going to continue with this new way of living ? Callebs : I am . I just got back from the grocery store and I spent $ 27 and I got plenty of food to last me for a few days . I 've already wrapped it up and put it in the freezer . I 'm still buying the stuff I bought before . It 's a diet I 'm sure I 'll stick to . I feel good . | CNN 's Sean Callebs talks about his month living on a food-stamp budget . He lost some weight but learned how to better cook , budget and bargain-hunt . Callebs cut out diet soda `` treat '' and experienced less acid reflux . Range of responses from readers , from `` ca n't be done '' to `` welcome to my world '' | [[0, 15], [68, 85], [88, 134], [218, 268], [1517, 1561]] |
CANNES , France -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As award-winning Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi walked down the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of his new feature Thursday , the real star of the show was conspicuously absent . Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi , director of `` No One Knows About Persian Cats , '' which was co-written by Roxana Saberi . American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi , credited as co-writer and executive producer of the faux-documentary `` No One Knows about Persian Cats , '' was still in Iran , having been released from jail only days earlier . The woman Ghobadi describes as his fiancée was freed from prison last Monday after being jailed on espionage charges following a one-day trial that was closed to the public . She had served three and a half months , not all time served , of her eight year sentence and at one point was on hunger strike . `` For four months , she was in prison . For me , four months is like four years , '' Ghobadi told CNN . `` In there , what did they do with her ? How did she live in there ? '' `` I could n't understand why the government sent her to prison , '' he continued . `` She is like an angel . She is really so clean . I believe her . For example , if you ask me about my mum and her , I believe her first . '' After much to-ing and fro-ing by the Iranian authorities , Ghobadi says he could n't believe it when he found out Saberi had finally been freed , before the end of her sentence . `` When -LSB- I found out -RSB- she was free ... I could n't understand , '' the 40 year-old director told CNN . He said it felt as if the the authorities were playing games with himself and other supporters of Saberi as they gave different timescales for her release -- `` two weeks , four years , eight years . '' But just after the pair were reunited Ghobadi -- who won Cannes ' first-time film-maker award the Camera d'Or in 2000 with `` A Time For Drunken Horses '' -- had to leave for the French film festival . `` Persian Cats , '' which chronicles the hardships facing young rock musicians as they seek to evade censorship from the authorities , had been selected to play in the Un Certain Regard slot . Although Saberi was unable to be with Ghobadi on the red carpet , Ghobadi says she have kept in close telephone contact since her release , checking on how the film has been received . Ghobadi himself has already suffered at the hands of the Iranian authorities . His 2008 film `` Half Moon '' was banned and says he was left feeling depressed and suicidal after spending three years unsuccessfully trying to get permission from the Iranian authorities for another previous film . He thought about leaving Iran because he felt unable to work and cites Saberi as the inspiration behind `` Persian Cats , '' which was filmed in Tehran . Shot illegally in just 17 days using a small , cheap digital camera -- the state owns all 35mm equipment in Iran , according to film industry trade magazine , Screen International -- the faux-documentary chronicles the hardships facing two young musicians who are trying to put together a band . The story which combines comedy and tragedy to great dramatic effect showcases music and performances from real musicians who are part of the Tehran underground music scene . It is estimated that there are 2,000 illegal bands in Tehran , all practising and performing in a hidden world of hand-built recording studios in basements and rooftops around the city . Ghobadi says that he feels some responsibility for Saberi 's time in prison because she stayed in Iran to help him with `` Persian Cats : '' `` She wanted to go back to the U.S. -LSB- She -RSB- just stay for me and for my film and help for this film and give me the idea for the music . '' Ghobadi wrote an open letter in April this year calling for Saberi 's release when she was jailed after initially being arrested buying a bottle of wine , describing her as being caught in a `` game of politics . '' `` My Iranian girl with Japanese eyes and an American ID , is in jail . Shame on me ! Shame on us ! '' he wrote of Saberi , who has a Japanese mother , in the letter . Saberi was jailed on January 31 this year , tried on April 13 and sentenced on April 18 to eight years . Her appeal was on May 10 and she was freed the next day . Now , Ghobadi says , he is planning to go to New York this week to be with Saberi , who is currently staying in Vienna with her family . They both plan to write books and then , maybe , do another film together . Ghobadi says he wants to start a family and get married to Saberi as soon as they can . But first they will take a few weeks to process everything that has happened : `` We need the time , '' he says . | Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi talks about his film 's co-writer Roxana Saberi . American journalist Saberi was recently released from jail in Iran after three months . Ghobadi says he feels responsible for her time in jail and that they will marry soon . `` No One Knows about Persian Cats '' chronicles underground musicians in Tehran . | [[304, 306], [313, 346], [746, 784], [1382, 1424], [1427, 1459], [897, 916], [3465, 3548], [3483, 3567], [4515, 4588], [270, 301], [463, 494], [3210, 3224], [3229, 3277]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A grand jury has indicted polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs on a second sexual assault charge in connection with a probe of his Texas compound , prosecutors said Wednesday . The charge against Warren Jeffs stems from a probe into his sect 's Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado , Texas . The Schleicher County , Texas , grand jury charged Jeffs , who already could be sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of a different charge in Utah , with a first-degree felony count of aggravated sexual assault . The indictment is Jeffs ' second in Schleicher County . In July , he was charged with sexually assaulting a child under 17 . Grand jurors have also indicted three more members of Jeffs ' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , prosecutors said Wednesday . One member faces a count of conducting the unlawful marriage of a minor , another faces three counts of bigamy and a third faces three counts of bigamy and one count of tampering with evidence . The Texas charges stem from a state and federal investigation into the sect 's Yearning for Zion Ranch outside Eldorado , about 190 miles northwest of San Antonio . In April , child welfare workers removed more than 400 children from the compound , citing allegations of physical and sexual abuse . After a court battle , the Texas Supreme Court ordered the children returned in June , saying the state had no right to remove them and there was no evidence to show the children faced imminent danger of abuse on the ranch . To date , 12 people associated with the compound have been indicted as part of the investigation , Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said . Jeffs , 52 , is the leader and `` prophet '' of the estimated 10,000-member FLDS , an offshoot of the mainstream Mormon church . The FLDS openly practices polygamy at the YFZ Ranch , as well as in two towns straddling the Utah-Arizona state line -- Hildale , Utah , and Colorado City , Arizona . In Utah , Jeffs was convicted on accomplice to rape charges for his role in the marriage of a sect member to a 14-year-old . He is awaiting trial in Arizona , where he faces similar charges . He faces a sentence of up to life in prison for the Utah conviction , and he also could face another life term if convicted of the Texas charges . His attorney in Arizona , Michael Piccarreta , has questioned the motives of Texas authorities , telling CNN in a July interview that the state 's investigation into Jeffs and his followers is an effort `` to cover themselves up on the botched attack on the ranch in Texas . '' | Warren Jeffs indicted on second Texas sexual assault charge in four months . Grand jury also indicts three other members of polygamous sect . Charges stem from probe of sect 's ranch outside Eldorado , Texas . Jeffs convicted in Utah of accomplice to rape for role in member 's marriage to teen . | [[0, 15], [19, 163], [593, 661], [662, 782], [0, 15], [19, 163], [195, 300], [1009, 1128], [311, 367], [374, 470], [1970, 2094]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Slumdog Millionaire '' took home eight Oscars on Sunday night , a surprising achievement for a film once thought to be straight-to-DVD fodder . `` Slumdog Millionaire '' with Dev Patel and Freida Pinto has a `` rags-to-riches '' storyline with wide appeal . The colorful story , which mixes the gritty life of Mumbai 's poor with the shiny aspirations of the new India , features no stars recognizable to Western audiences , but it may have made one of its native country . So , is it time for Bollywood -- as India 's huge Mumbai-based film industry is called -- to come to America ? `` International cinema comes in cycles in the United States , '' said Frank Lovece , a film critic with Film Journal International . `` Now , it 's Bollywood 's time . '' But `` Slumdog '' is a far cry from the lavish movie musicals made by Bollywood , which releases nearly 1,000 films annually . And it 's not authentically Indian -- it was directed by Briton Danny Boyle , and the leading actor , Dev Patel , was born and raised in England . Watch the `` Slumdog '' principals talk about their victories '' However , the film is a celebration of India -- from the slums to the Taj Mahal . It pays homage to Bollywood by incorporating many of the industry 's norms -- vibrant colors , fast-paced editing , a fairy-tale love story and a feel-good musical dance ending . '' ` Slumdog ' is the reason why people go to the movies . It 's the whole package , '' said Gene Newman , editorial director at Premiere.com . `` It 's an incredible story ... and it makes you feel good . '' Memorable moments from the Oscars '' Priya Joshi , associate professor of English at Temple University and author of the forthcoming book , `` Crime and Punishment : Nationalism and Public Fantasy in Bollywood Cinema , '' said the film 's `` rags-to-riches '' storyline has a lot to do with its wide mainstream appeal . `` Hindi film and Bollywood , in particular , is a profoundly political cinema about the crisis of the day , '' she said . `` Today , the typical American feels like the poor in the world . ... This sense of vulnerability is what the film is able to capture . '' Watch the `` Slumdog '' stars talk about bonds between the cultures '' Hollywood often has used international styles and filmmakers to its advantage . In its early days , the U.S. film capital embraced European directors such as Fritz Lang and Jean Renoir . The 1960s saw the influence of French New Wave cinema . Japanese films inspired `` The Magnificent Seven '' and `` Star Wars '' ; Hong Kong works inspired Hollywood blockbusters such as `` The Departed '' and `` The Matrix . '' `` Slumdog '' is n't even the first film centering on India to attract Hollywood 's attention . `` Indian cinema has been around in the United States since Satyajit Ray in the early 1940s , '' Lovece said . Ray , who won the Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1992 , made films in Bengali , a language spoken in eastern India . Despite that fact , his movies , notably `` The Apu Trilogy , '' have had universal appeal . Since Ray , many Indian actors have emerged on the Hollywood scene . Aishwarya Rai , one of Bollywood 's leading ladies , starred in 2004 's `` Bride and Prejudice '' and appeared , more recently , in `` The Pink Panther 2 . '' `` India 's movie stars are essentially the country 's ambassadors , '' said Gitesh Pandya , box-office analyst and founder of BoxOfficeGuru.com . `` A lot of people going to see -LSB- `` Pink Panther 2 '' -RSB- are learning about Bollywood through -LSB- Aishwarya Rai -RSB- . '' From Ray to Rai , Indian influence in American cinema is vast . Many Hollywood films also have been influenced by Bollywood . Baz Luhrman 's 2001 musical `` Moulin Rouge , '' a tragic romance told with song and dance , borrows heavily from Bollywood . `` These big , epic numbers are very reminiscent of Bollywood , '' Newman said , also referring to `` Chicago , '' `` Mama Mia ! '' and `` West Side Story . '' `` Musicals have always been part of the tradition of American cinema , and Bollywood really just took it to the next level . '' Hollywood films such as 2008 's `` The Love Guru '' and 2005 's `` The 40-Year-Old Virgin '' -- which ends with a musical dance number -- also borrow from Bollywood , Newman said , but are comedies that parody the enchantment in Bollywood films . `` There 's innocence and playfulness in a lot of the cinema in India , '' he said , which is why Bollywood , in its authentic form , would not appeal to American audiences . `` We 're a little more cynical , '' said Newman . '' ` West Side Story ' is kind of laughable by today 's standards . ... But , for some reason , in India , that innocence is still acceptable . '' Joshi said the cultural differences between Bollywood and Hollywood could make it difficult for Bollywood films to cross over to America . `` India is still clinging on to its social values , which explains Bollywood 's success everywhere but in America , '' she said . `` Bollywood films do n't have any kissing in them or tend not to . Warner Bros. used to make movies like this in the past . ... If it 's ready to ready to return to its roots , then it 's ready for Bollywood . '' American audiences may want to explore Bollywood films after seeing `` Slumdog Millionaire , '' Pandya said , but it is unlikely that they will find another film like it . `` The film is obviously very successful , but it is its own entity so it does n't necessarily mean that people in this country will wake up to Bollywood overnight , '' he said . `` Bollywood is not for everybody . ... People who love to see Adam Sandler movies are not going to line up to see Bollywood films . '' Newman agreed , saying that , for now , America will see Bollywood only in small traces . `` I think a lot of filmmakers have been enamored with Bollywood , '' he said . `` They 're investing over there , like -LSB- Steven -RSB- Spielberg . '' But in American cinema , `` for the most part , there will be little tinges of Bollywood . '' | `` Slumdog Millionaire '' is not authentically Bollywood or Indian . Hollywood has often used international styles and filmmakers to its advantage . Film critic : It 's Bollywood 's time to influence American cinema . Box-office analyst : Bollywood will have a hard time crossing over to America . | [[910, 940], [2242, 2321], [5973, 5991], [6015, 6059], [4765, 4892]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Many Americans are finding ways to trim their holiday budgets this year , but reports are showing that buying video games is one place consumers are not cutting back . Through November , video game sales are up 22 percent over 2007 . According to market researcher NPD Group , U.S. retail sales of video games totaled $ 2.91 billion in November , a 10 percent jump from a year ago . Overall sales this year through November are more than $ 16 billion , up 22 percent from 2007 . Anita Frazier , an analyst from NPD , cites the industry 's wide content variety on newer generation consoles such as Nintendo 's Wii , Sony 's Playstation 3 and Microsoft 's XBOX 360 as a reason for the strong performance . Frazier also says that video games are a relatively cheap form of entertainment , considering the hours of value they provide . Matt Helgeson , senior editor at Game Informer magazine , agrees . `` Video games can take between 10 and 40 hours , sometimes 50 hours , to complete '' depending on the title , Helgeson said . `` Gamers can often get two to three months out of one game . '' Furthermore , during these recessionary times , Helgeson explains that video games `` provide the ultimate escapism . '' According to NPD , some of the top-selling game titles in November include `` Gears of War 2 , '' which sold 1.6 million copies , and `` Call Of Duty : World At War , '' which sold 1.4 million . Nintendo 's `` Wii Play '' and `` Wii Fit '' put up impressive numbers , as well . With those kinds of sales , video games have potential to be one of the most popular stocking stuffers for kids this holiday season . Helgeson says that these days , games are a core part of being a kid , and it 's no longer a question of `` do you play video games ? '' Instead the question is `` what games are you playing ? '' `` Ages , races , social groups -- video games cut across all platforms , '' Helgeson said . Whether you 're shopping for a hardcore gamer or something for the family , `` there is something for everybody . '' | Video game sales were $ 2.91 billion in November , a 10 percent jump from last year . Game Informer editor : Video games provide good value . `` Gears of War 2 , '' `` Call of Duty : World at War '' two popular games this season . | [[321, 388], [1275, 1348]] |
BEIJING , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A third baby has died and at least 6,200 children have fallen ill after drinking formula tainted with the same chemical involved in a massive pet food recall last year , Chinese officials said Wednesday . China 's largest producer of milk , Mengniu Dairy Group , announced the recall of three batches of formula made in January after tests showed they were contaminated with melamine , said Li Changjiang , China 's director of quarantine and inspection . Though it should not be added to food ingredients , suppliers in China sometimes put it in food to make a product appear to be protein rich . Melamine has nitrogen , and standard tests for protein in bulk food ingredients measure levels of nitrogen . More than 1,300 infants are hospitalized with illnesses including malnutrition , kidney stones and acute renal failure . On Monday two brothers were arrested who Chinese officials say supplied three tons of milk each day to the Sanlu Group , which makes baby formula . Watch crowds of moms get their babies tested '' They could face death if convicted , according to state-run newspaper China Daily . The siblings ' raw milk had been watered down and a chemical added to fool quality checks , the newspaper said . Watch who has been arrested '' Sanlu Group , one of China 's leading dairy producers , has recalled more than 8,200 tons of the tainted formula following reports of sickened babies , news agency Xinhua reported . The manufactured also sealed off more than 2,100 tons of contaminated product , and another 700 tons still need to be recalled , according to Xinhua . Watch angry parents demand answers at Sanlu '' Investigators said the brothers confessed to watering down the raw milk and mixing in tripolycyanamide , also known as melamine . The paper reported the siblings did it to recover losses suffered when the factory rejected earlier milk shipments , and that 19 other people have been detained for questioning . Recalls of the products by the Yashili and Suokang companies have been made , and of China 's 175 baby milk powder production companies , 66 have already stopped production , Li said . Investigators are testing samples at the remaining factories . Learn more about the chemical melamine '' China 's Xinhua news agency reported that worried parents started lining up at 5 a.m. Wednesday to see doctors at Renmin Hospital in Shijiazhuang , the capital of the northern Hebei Province . Wang Lifang said she went to the hospital after medics at her local hospital 28 miles -LRB- 45 kilometers -RRB- away in Xingtang County found problems with her two-month-old daughter . `` The county hospital found my daughter has kidney stones that are smaller than 4mm -LSB- less than a fifth of an inch -RSB- , '' the farmer in her 30s told Xinhua . `` My daughter is so young that the doctors worry the stones might not be washed out themselves so they told me to go to the provincial hospital . '' The report said the girl had drunk a little water . `` Doctors said I better not feed her powdered milk , '' Xinhua quoted a `` tearful '' Wang as saying . `` In the past few days , I fed her fresh milk bought from a neighbor who raises a cow but once I left home I did not know what to do . '' Other parents told Xinhua they wanted their children scanned for kidney stones as a precaution . Peng Jing , a mother in her 20s , said her 2-month-old son had drunk about two small bags of Sanlu powdered milk . `` He seems OK , but we want to be 100 percent sure he is healthy so we came to have the tests , '' she told Xinhua at Renmin Hospital . The food safety scandal prompted China agricultural officials to start a nationwide inspection of its dairy industry . Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation . The chemical is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . Chinese investigators have found melamine in nearly 70 milk products from more than 20 companies , Li said Wednesday . Products made by Sanlu had the highest concentration of the chemical . It is not the first time Sanlu has been connected to a scandal involving tainted milk powder , according to China Daily . In 2004 , at least 13 infants in the eastern Anhui province died of malnutrition after drinking milk powder that had little to no nutrition . The illegally manufactured milk was falsely labeled with the Sanlu brand , according to the paper . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said no Chinese baby formula has been allowed on the market in the United States . In a statement on its Web site , the FDA said it had reached out to all five companies making formula in the United States and none has used formula or source materials from China . This episode marks the latest in a string of tainted products produced in China : . CNN 's John Vause and Yuli Yang contributed to this story . | More than 6,200 babies now known to be ill , official says . China 's largest milk , Mengniu Dairy Group , recalls three batches of formula . Concerned parents line up to get their infants scanned , Xinhua reports . Melamine in milk is same chemical that killed U.S. pets from tainted pet food . | [[61, 154], [240, 273], [298, 346], [1011, 1058], [1439, 1468], [2266, 2411], [3256, 3352], [137, 202]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The jury that convicted O.J. Simpson of robbery and other charges relied mostly on audio and video evidence -- and very little on testimony from prosecution witnesses -- jury members said Sunday . O.J. Simpson , convicted of robbery and kidnapping last week , could be sentenced to life in prison on December 5 . `` We honestly felt we could not rely on that witness testimony , '' said Michelle R. Lyons , one of seven jurors who spoke to reporters in Las Vegas , Nevada , on Sunday . `` There was not one decision we made that was based only on witness testimony . '' Jury foreman Paul Connelly said some of the prosecution 's witnesses did n't seem trustworthy . At least three former Simpson co-defendants who cut deals to testify in the case had criminal records . Asked whether the jury trusted the witnesses , Connelly answered : `` Not entirely , no . '' Watch jurors explain their verdict '' Prosecutors produced an audiotape of the confrontation in which authorities said Simpson and five men burst into a Las Vegas , Nevada , hotel on September 13 , 2007 . The men allegedly made off with pillowcases containing Simpson sports memorabilia . Several jurors said audiotapes of the incident and conversations between Simpson and others that were recorded surreptitiously before , during and after the heist made the prosecution 's case . `` It would have been a weak case '' without the tapes , juror Dora Pettit said . The jury of nine women and three men found Simpson and co-defendant Clarence `` C.J. '' Stewart guilty Friday of 12 charges , including conspiracy to commit a crime , robbery , assault and kidnapping with a deadly weapon . Simpson , 61 , could get life in prison . Sentencing is scheduled for December 5 in Las Vegas . Prosecutors alleged that Simpson , a former football star , led a group of men who used threats , guns and force to take the memorabilia and other items from memorabilia dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley . Four men who had been charged with Simpson cut deals with the prosecution and testified against him . One testified that Simpson instructed him to bring a gun to the hotel encounter . `` Everything was based on the recordings , '' juror Dora Pettit said of the panel 's decisions . Simpson , who did not testify during the trial , told police he did n't know the people with him were armed . He also claimed the items had been stolen from him , and the hotel encounter was just about him retrieving his items . Simpson 's lawyer has indicated he plans to appeal the conviction , partly because some of the jurors had indicated during jury selection that they disagreed with a 1995 verdict in which he was acquitted of killing his ex-wife , Nicole Brown Simpson , and her friend Ronald Goldman . Watch Fred Goldman hail the verdict '' Teresa Owens , one of the jurors in the Simpson robbery case , said any suggestion that the jury found Simpson guilty because of the verdict 13 years ago is `` terrible . '' `` There 's reports right now that we 've had some kind of vendetta against Mr. Simpson for ... 13 years ago , '' she said . `` That in no way had anything to do with this case whatsoever . '' Connelly said the murder trial `` never came up . '' `` I do n't think it was on anybody 's minds . For that , I can say I 'm proud of the jury , '' he said . Before the robbery and kidnapping trial , the jurors promised they could disregard Simpson 's past and solely consider the evidence against him and Stewart , 54 . Owens also said it would be `` preposterous '' for anyone suggest that the makeup of the jury -- 11 jurors were white , and one said she was Hispanic , while Simpson is black -- hurt the defense 's chances . `` They chose us . Five hundred people ... filled out these questionnaires , '' Owens said . `` They had the -LSB- opportunity -RSB- to pass us . '' Pettit said the jury has been painted by some `` as an all-white jury that hates O.J. '' `` That 's just not true , '' she said . `` It could n't be further from the truth . '' Asked whether they felt the crime was bad enough to warrant life sentences , Connelly said that was up for the court to decide . Pettit said that `` if he walked out tomorrow , I 'd be fine with that . '' However , she said Simpson had to be found guilty and that his argument about just wanting to recover his own things did n't work . `` Under Nevada law ... even if you 're recovering your own stuff , you ca n't do it in the manner that they all went in and did it , '' Pettit said . | Some witnesses did n't seem trustworthy , jury foreman says . At least three witnesses who cut deals to testify had criminal records . `` Not one decision '' was made based solely on testimony , juror says . Jurors : Simpson 's 1995 acquittal on murder charges never came up . | [[332, 395], [589, 684], [621, 684], [694, 728], [733, 765], [685, 728], [766, 788], [505, 585], [2205, 2258], [2651, 2665], [2675, 2754], [3178, 3227], [3192, 3227]] |
ORLANDO , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Remains found last week in a wooded area have been identified as belonging to missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony , authorities said Friday . Caylee Anthony , 2 , had been missing since June in a case that has received national attention . The cause of the child 's death will be listed as homicide by undetermined means , said Jan Garavaglia , medical examiner for Orange County , Florida . She said she does not expect enough additional evidence to surface for that finding to be revised . The remains were identified through DNA testing , comparing a sample from the remains to a sample known to be from Caylee . Some of the remains had been sent to the FBI lab in Quantico , Virginia , for testing . The skull was found December 11 a half-mile from the home of Caylee 's grandparents , where the girl and her mother , Casey Anthony , 22 , lived before the girl disappeared . She was last seen in June . Casey Anthony faces charges including first-degree murder in the case . Watch a Nancy Grace video tribute to Caylee Anthony '' Orange County Sheriff 's Capt. Angelo Nieves said Thursday that searchers at the site had found `` significant skeletal remains '' since the discovery of the skull . A `` large percentage '' of Caylee 's skeleton has been recovered , Garavaglia said Friday . The bones showed no sign of trauma before death . A child 's skeleton has many more bones than an adult 's , she said , and not all are fully developed . Some of the bones recovered are no larger than a pebble , she said . Watch the medical examiner discuss her findings '' Garavaglia said the manner of Caylee 's death -- an opinion based on factors including an examination of the body and circumstantial evidence -- was determined to be homicide . Caylee 's grandmother Cindy Anthony was notified of the test results by the medical examiner 's office , Garavaglia said . Officials at the Orange County Corrections Department said Casey Anthony was notified of the results by a chaplain about 1:45 p.m. , per jail policy . One of Casey Anthony 's defense attorneys , Jose Garcia , entered the jail earlier , corrections officials said in a written statement . `` Due to happenstance , not policy , attorney Garcia was not in the presence of the inmate when the notification was made , '' the statement said . `` We will not be commenting on the demeanor of inmate Anthony or her reaction to the news . '' The Anthony family 's pastor , Thomas Shane Stutzman of Eastside Baptist Church , arrived at the jail about 2 p.m. but left 19 minutes later because Casey Anthony had refused his visit , as she was meeting with Garcia at the time , jail officials said . Casey Anthony could face a sentence of life in prison if convicted . Prosecutors said this month that they will not seek the death penalty against her . Garavaglia would not disclose specific information regarding the remains other than to say they were completely `` skeletonized . '' Toxicology tests on the remains are pending , she said . `` Our number one priority from day one was to locate little Caylee Anthony , '' Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said . `` We have stayed the course , and we will continue to do so until we have thoroughly completed our investigation into this tragedy . '' The sheriff grew emotional while responding to a reporter 's question about the effect of the case on him personally . `` Having a kid ... I 've raised two girls , goodness gracious , '' Beary said , his voice breaking . `` The bottom line is , no child should have to go through this . '' The case has left an `` open wound '' in the community , he said , but he thinks closure will not come until after trial . George and Cindy Anthony , Casey Anthony 's parents , did not give up hope that Caylee was still alive until they were notified of the test results , their attorney , Brad Conway , said Friday . He took no questions but read from a statement . `` They now know that their precious granddaughter is safe and hope that she will serve as the angel that protects thousands of missing children and their families , '' he said , adding that the Anthonys want `` the same answers as everyone who has been assigned to investigate and prosecute this case '' and will be available to authorities . `` As you can imagine , the Anthonys are grieving deeply over this loss , '' he said . `` Please respect their privacy and understand they will stand together as a family in order to get through this . ... This is a tragic moment in the lives of good and honorable people . Please treat them respectfully so they can grieve with dignity over the loss of this precious child , Caylee Marie Anthony . '' On Thursday , the sheriff 's office said that the utility worker who found the skull December 11 had called police three times -- August 11 , 12 and 13 -- regarding the site where the remains were found . That utility worker , Roy Kronk , came forward Friday . Reading from a statement , he said that `` back in August of this year , I previously reported to Crimeline and to the sheriff 's communications center that I had spotted something suspicious , a bag in the same area . '' `` I have been and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation by the sheriff 's office and the FBI , '' Kronk said . He refused to provide details of what he saw at the site where the remains were found . Watch Kronk talk about his calls to police '' His attorney , David Evans , said Kronk `` has no connection whatsoever to this case , has no connection whatsoever to the Anthony family or any of the proceedings that have gone on before . He is here as a concerned citizen and no more . Those who have specified to the contrary could not be more wrong . '' Evans said Kronk was asking for privacy for his co-workers , who have been the subject of `` intrusive news-gathering activities . '' Some of those colleagues , he said , `` protected his privacy and sacrificed their own in doing so . '' Kronk will not be granting interviews at this time , Evans said . Police said Thursday that in his first call August 11 , the worker reported seeing a gray bag on the side of the road . A deputy responded , Nieves said , but the worker was no longer at the scene , and the deputy did not see the bag . On August 12 , the worker called a police crime line . The call was sent to a detective , who told the meter reader that the area had been searched and cleared by cadaver dogs , police said . On August 13 , the worker reported finding a bag in a swampy area , and a deputy was dispatched . The deputy looked at the area but found nothing , thinking the `` bag '' may have just been trash , Nieves said . The meter reader revisited the site last week , apparently while working in the area , authorities said , and found the skull . The site was searched earlier , Beary said , but was flooded at the time . Nieves said Thursday that police were conducting a thorough review of the tips and their response but emphasized that the meter reader has been cooperative and is not a suspect . Beary acknowledged Friday that there were questions surrounding those tips but said the only way to find the answers was to conduct an investigation . CNN 's John Couwels and Natisha Lance contributed to this report . | NEW : Casey Anthony 's parents express grief , ask for compassion . Meter reader Roy Kronk comes forward , says he saw bag in wooded area . Casey Anthony notified that remains are her daughter 's , authorities say . Medical examiner declares Caylee 's death a homicide . | [[4321, 4368], [6495, 6507], [6510, 6560], [280, 360], [1752, 1783]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A watchdog group critical of pork barrel spending released its latest findings Wednesday targeting the top Congressional `` porkers . '' Some of the pork projects , according to the group , include a Lobster Institute ; the Rocky Flats , Colorado , Cold War Museum ; and the First Tee , a program to build young people 's character through golf . Members of Congress requested funds for all these pet projects and thousands of others last year , according to the latest copy of the annual `` Pig Book '' released by Citizens Against Government Waste . `` Congress stuffed 11,610 projects '' worth $ 17.2 billion into a dozen spending bills , the group said in the report released Wednesday . The `` Pig Book '' names dozens of what the citizens group considers the most egregious porkers , the lawmakers who funnel money to projects on their home turf . Interactive : Pork barrel spending '' Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi , the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee , requested the most money , $ 892.2 million , according to the group . In a statement to CNN , Cochran said he does n't `` accept the premise '' of the group 's claim that `` any and all federal spending not specifically requested by the Executive Branch is wasteful and irresponsible . '' `` The Congress is vested with the power to appropriate funds to be spent by the federal government by the U. S. Constitution . We will continue to carry out that responsibility with care and a commitment to serve the public interest , '' he said . `` There were several candidates for the Narcissist Award , '' Tom Schatz , the president of the group said . Read the group 's 2008 report . `` But this one went to House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel for the Charles Rangel Public Service Center at the City College of New York -- $ 1,950,000 -LSB- for a project -RSB- that he named after himself . '' Rangel , a Democrat from New York , said last summer he was `` honored that City College chose to have my name attached to what is an important project , not just for the residents of my congressional district , but for New York City and this nation . '' Some lawmakers defended their earmarks , such as Rep. Mike Thompson , D-California , who channeled $ 742,764 to olive fruit fly research . `` The olive fruit fly has infested thousands of California olive groves and is the single largest threat to the U.S. olive and olive oil industries , '' he said . Schatz responded that his organization is criticizing the way lawmakers direct money to specific projects , not the projects themselves . `` There are existing programs for virtually everything in the ` Pig Book . ' If members -LSB- of Congress -RSB- believe they should be given additional funding , give them to the agencies rather than to specific projects , '' he said . The problem with earmarks , he said , is that `` we do n't know if -LSB- the projects -RSB- are valuable or not . '' Rep. Jim Clyburn , D-South Carolina , the third ranking Democrat in the House , defended his earmark for a program that funds a youth golf program for children on U.S. military bases . `` It 's a character building program , that seems to be working well for low income kids and that 's why we do it throughout the United States of America . I just feel that children living on military installations ought to have this program as well , '' Clyburn told CNN . Clyburn also defended the practice of earmarking federal funds . `` I can name earmark after earmark , there 's absolutely nothing wrong with congresspeople responding to their constituents and funding programs that they feel are necessary to improve the quality of life of the people who live in their districts . '' Clyburn also raised questions about the group releasing the `` Pig Book '' saying , `` they 're not telling the truth about this earmark no more than them telling the truth about where they get their money from . The committee against government waste is n't against government waste . '' He cited press reports from the St. Petersburg Times that the Committee Against Government Waste received money from the tobacco industry and other private groups to lobby Congress . Both parties came in for criticism , with the Democrats , who control both houses of Congress , topping the Republicans in spending . The Democrats were behind 5,199 projects worth $ 5.5 billion , while the Republicans earmarked 3,408 projects worth $ 4.4 billion , the citizen 's group said . And in a sign bipartisanship is not dead , the two parties jointly backed 2,518 projects worth $ 3.8 billion . Interactive : Map of pork per capita by state '' The three senators running for president were not among the top targets of criticism , and one got an entirely clean bill from the watchdog group . `` Sen. -LSB- Barack -RSB- Obama had 53 earmarks worth $ 97 million dollars , and Sen. -LSB- Hillary -RSB- Clinton had 281 earmarks worth $ 296 million . Sen. Obama recently said he would not request any project for this upcoming fiscal year , '' said Tom Schatz , the president of Citizens Against Government Waste . `` And of course Sen. -LSB- John -RSB- McCain has never requested them and he wo n't be doing so in 2009 . So now the question is if Sen. Clinton will join the other major candidates in saying that she will not request any earmarks for 2009 . '' To qualify for the Pig Book , a project must meet at least one of these standards : it was requested by only one chamber of Congress ; was not specifically authorized ; was not competitively awarded ; was not requested by the president ; greatly exceeded the president 's budget request or the previous year 's funding ; was not the subject of congressional hearings ; or served only a local or special interests . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Ed Hornick and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report . | NEW : GOP Sen. Thad Cochran , Democrat Rep. Jim Clyburn respond to report . Citizens Against Government Waste releases annual pork spending report . Some of the biggest pork projects , according to the group , include a Lobster Institute . Democrats were behind 5,199 projects , while Republicans were behind 3,408 . | [[508, 581], [167, 192], [195, 217], [167, 192], [220, 247], [4351, 4391], [4420, 4480]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. government has dropped charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri , the suspect in the bombing of the destroyer USS Cole , according to a Pentagon spokesman . Parents and friends at the funeral in 2000 for a sailor killed during the bombing of the USS Cole . The charges were dropped `` without prejudice '' by Susan Crawford , convening authority at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , according to Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon . The proceeding did not address specifics of the government 's case against al-Nashiri , who remains a `` high value '' detainee held at Guantanamo . In removing the charges without prejudice , prosecutors can resubmit charges at a later date while at the same time complying with President Barack Obama 's order to the military to hold off on cases for four months . On his first day in office , Obama ordered the halt , requiring prosecutors to seek delays in the 14 active cases before military commissions there . But the judge , Col. James Pohl , ordered arraignment for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri to go ahead as scheduled on Monday . With this move , all cases at Guantanamo are now in line with the president 's order to halt court proceedings at the detention center , according to Gordon . Al-Nashiri is accused of planning the October 2000 bombing of the Cole while it was in the Yemeni port of Aden . The attack killed 17 American sailors and crippled the vessel , which returned to service in 2002 . The Office of Military Commissions , which manages the prosecutions of suspected terrorists , said last week that it might have to temporarily drop charges against al-Nashiri to comply with the presidential order . When prosecutors asked for a continuance in the trial , Pohl denied the request , saying the government 's `` argument for continuances were unpersuasive , '' according to a copy of his opinion . Pohl noted there had been no previous requests for a delay , and that the public 's interest in a speedy trial would be harmed by further delay . Al-Nashiri was captured in 2002 . He was held in secret locations until being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 . Meanwhile , the White House has invited families of sailors who died in the Cole bombing to meet with Obama on Friday . A number of the families were called Thursday afternoon , according to Andrew Hall , the lawyer who represented families . The invitation was for the families to attend `` without their lawyers , '' according to Hall . They were not told why they were going to meet with Obama , he added . According to the White House schedule for Friday , Obama will meet privately with families of the Cole attack and also with families of victims of the 9/11 attacks . `` The president wants to talk with these families about resolving the issues involved with closing Guantanamo Bay -- while keeping the safety and security of the American people as his top priority , '' the schedule said . | NEW : Obama meeting privately with families of bombing Friday . Charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri dropped `` without prejudice '' Move done to comply with President Obama 's ruling to shut Guantanamo Bay . Nashiri was scheduled to go on trial Monday , will remain `` high value '' detainee . | [[2623, 2737], [0, 15], [19, 90], [284, 350], [1601, 1603], [1615, 1701], [730, 790], [1601, 1603], [1615, 1701], [554, 564], [571, 606], [579, 627], [1000, 1009], [1030, 1114]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Another Hollywood marriage is ending -- but this one was no flash in the pan . Robin Wright Penn and Sean Penn had been married 11 years . Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn are divorcing , according to their representative , Mara Buxbaum . People magazine first reported the split Thursday night . The actors began dating after they met making the 1990 movie `` State of Grace . '' They married in 1996 , and have two children , Dylan Frances , 16 , and Hopper Jack , 14 . Previously , Penn was married to Madonna for four years , while Wright was married to actor Dane Witherspoon for two years . In addition to `` State of Grace , '' Penn and Wright appeared together in 1997 's `` She 's So Lovely '' and 1998 's `` Hurlyburly , '' and both are set to appear in Barry Levinson 's next film , `` What Just Happened ? , '' due out in 2008 . Penn , 47 , won a best actor Oscar for 2003 's `` Mystic River , '' and was nominated for best actor for `` Dead Man Walking , '' `` Sweet and Lowdown , '' and `` I Am Sam . '' His latest directorial effort , `` Into The Wild , '' has received four SAG Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations . Wright , 41 , is best known for her title role in `` The Princess Bride '' and for starring opposite Tom Hanks in `` Forrest Gump . '' E-mail to a friend . | Sean Penn , Robin Wright Penn had been married 11 years . Pair met while making 1990 's `` State of Grace '' Couple has two children ; has made three films together , with fourth due out . | [[123, 182], [340, 400], [370, 420], [424, 428], [451, 514]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Britain feared that it would have been overwhelmed in the event of a Soviet attack because of the depleted state of its armed forces , according to secret files made public on Tuesday . U.S. President Jimmy Carter watches UK PM James Callaghan speak at a 1979 meeting in Guadeloupe . Papers released by the National Archives , under the 30-year rule , reveal that Royal Air Force fighter jets only had sufficient ammunition for two days of combat and the Royal Navy would fail to defend the country from Russian submarines . The army would have been too over-stretched to cope with a widescale campaign of sabotage and subversion by Soviet special forces , the papers show . Prime Minister James Callaghan called the situation a `` scandal '' when he discovered the scale of the problem and demanded resignations among the military . `` Heaven help us if there is a war ! '' he scrawled on one note . But ministers could do little until the Tornado fighter plane became available in the mid-1980s along with other military hardware . The problem became clear when senior intelligence officers warned in late 1977 that , in the event of a conventional war , the Russians could unleash up to 200 bombers and 18 submarines against the UK . The assessment of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was that British forces would be unable to cope . `` UK forces can not match the threat postulated by the JIC assessment , '' the chiefs noted in January 1978 in a document marked Top Secret UK Eyes Alpha . `` Air defenses would be outweighed because aircraft would be outnumbered and stocks of air defense munitions would sustain operations for only two or three days . `` Maritime forces need better anti-submarine weapons , and face a massive threat from submarine and air-launched missiles and also from mines ; the most serious deficiency is in numbers . `` The army in the UK would , until mobilization is complete , have insufficient forces to meet its commitments ; after mobilization of the reserves , a process taking between 15-20 days , the Army would be able to counter the currently assessed Soviet land threat during the initial stages of the war but , lacking supporting arms and logistic support , it would be inadequate to deal with any more significant threat , including sabotage or subversion on a wide scale . '' | Britain feared it would have been overwhelmed in Soviet attack , papers reveal . Papers were released by the National Archives under the 30-year rule . Prime Minister James Callaghan called the situation a `` scandal '' | [[36, 168], [1273, 1366], [320, 360], [388, 560], [711, 869]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The mayor of Gulfport , Mississippi , and his wife were arrested Wednesday on charges they defrauded the federal government and an insurance company of more than $ 220,000 in claims related to Hurricane Katrina , authorities said . Gulfport Mayor Gregory Brent Warr , shown in 2005 , says the charges `` will not change my commitment '' to the city . Gregory Brent Warr and Laura Jean Warr were named in a 16-count federal indictment handed up last week by a grand jury , the Department of Justice said in a news release . They are accused of conspiracy , Federal Emergency Management Agency fraud , Department of Housing and Urban Development home grant fraud and insurance fraud , all arising from claims after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast on August 29 , 2005 . If convicted on each count , the couple would face up to 210 years in prison and up to $ 4 million in fines , prosecutors said . `` Understand that what has been alleged toward my wife and me has no connection to me as mayor , '' Brent Warr said in a statement issued Wednesday . `` This has not and will not change my commitment to the progress and recovery of our city . '' He said he pleaded not guilty , but said he will not speak further about the case . `` I am the mayor of Gulfport , and I will continue working to rebuild our city , '' Warr said . `` We have hundreds of dedicated employees , department heads and directors , and everything we have achieved thus far is a result of their hard work and love for this city . `` For Laura and me , personally , this is a difficult time , but I will continue the work as mayor . '' According to the indictment , the Warrs in 2005 applied for FEMA assistance regarding a Gulfport home , telling officials that home was their primary residence when it was not . In 2006 , the indictment says , the couple applied to the Mississippi Development Authority for a Homeowner 's Assistance Grant funded by HUD , again claiming they lived at the address . The indictment also alleges the Warrs made misrepresentations to Lexington Insurance Company regarding personal property in the insured home , payment of rent for alternative living after Katrina and the extent of damage to the home . The Warrs received a total of $ 222,798 `` as a result of the said offenses , for which the defendants are liable , '' the indictment says . The couple was released on bond and ordered to appear for trial April 6 , the Justice Department said . In his statement , Warr said the inquiry `` has been going on for more than a year now , and we hope and pray for a much faster resolution . '' City spokesman Ryan LaFontaine issued a statement saying that while he was not in a position `` to speculate what is happening in the mayor 's personal life ... I can tell you that as for the city , we are continuing to carry out the people 's business . `` The mayor has indicated that he has every intention of coming to work tomorrow , and every day after that , as the mayor of Gulfport , '' LaFontaine said . `` In the nearly four years that he has been here , Mayor Warr has created a framework and an agenda for the recovery of Gulfport . And he has assembled a very talented team of directors and employees that understand the enormity of the recovery challenges that lie ahead . `` Under his continued leadership , I 'm very confident that this city will continue to move along the path that he has set , '' LaFontaine said . `` The people of Gulfport do n't care about the mayor 's personal issues . They only care about what he 's doing to fix their issues . '' | Gulfport , Mississippi , mayor `` will continue working to rebuild our city '' Mayor Gregory Brent Warr , says he pleaded not guilty . Indictment : Couple received $ 222,798 `` for which the defendants are liable '' Couple , released on bond and ordered to court April 6 , face up to 210 years . | [[251, 284], [303, 369], [1080, 1087], [1100, 1172], [1292, 1339], [1594, 1633], [1184, 1205], [105, 200], [2237, 2279], [829, 876], [2378, 2409], [2378, 2388], [2414, 2449]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Syrian arms dealer was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison for conspiring to sell weapons as part of a plot to kill Americans in Colombia , according to prosecutors . Syrian-born arms dealer Monzer al-Kassar , seen in a file photo , tried to sell weapons to undercover U.S. agents . Monzer al-Kassar was also ordered Tuesday to forfeit all of his assets , according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the Southern District of New York . Al-Kassar 's co-defendant Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy received a 25-year prison sentence for his role in the conspiracy . Both men were convicted in November of five charges , including conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals , conspiracy to acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles , conspiracy to provide support for FARC guerrillas in Colombia , and money laundering . The federal indictment paints al-Kassar as an international arms dealer with a hand in conflicts in nearly every part of the world , with a web of bank accounts and front companies across Europe and the Middle East . Al-Kassar was arrested in Spain in 2007 on a U.S. warrant and his associate Moreno Godoy was arrested in Romania . Both were extradited to the United States . The arrests stemmed from an undercover sting operation involving U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents posing as members of FARC . During the 16-month operation , the agents arranged to buy more than 12,000 weapons from the two men , according to the indictment . Al-Kassar agreed to provide surface-to-air missiles for the FARC to shoot down American helicopters , and also offered to send 1,000 men to fight with the FARC , plus explosives and men who could train the FARC in how to use them , the indictment charged . Al-Kassar demanded 3,500,000 euros -LRB- $ 4.4 million -RRB- as `` partial payment '' for the weapons , it said . Justice Department officials say al-Kassar has been a source of weapons and military equipment for armed combatants since the 1970s . Kassar had told journalists before he was arrested that he had retired from arms dealing , but the United States says he had been involved since the 1970s , providing weapons and military equipment to armed factions in Nicaragua , Cyprus , Bosnia , Croatia , Iran , Iraq , Somalia , and elsewhere . CNN Justice Producer Terry Frieden contributed to this report . | Syrian sentenced in conspiracy to sell weapons in a plot to kill Americans . Co-defendant gets 25 years ; plan was to kill Americans in Colombia . U.S. calls Monzer al-Kassar an international dealer arming many wars . U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency arrested arms dealers in sting operation . | [[0, 18], [100, 148], [142, 178], [681, 716], [142, 178], [498, 616], [681, 716], [864, 994], [1881, 2014], [1910, 2014], [1265, 1348]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- No one expected to find Donna Molnar alive . Donna Molnar 's body temperature was 30 degrees Celsius when rescuers found her Monday . Searchers had combed the brutal backcountry of rural Ontario for the housewife from the city of Hamilton , who had left her home three days earlier in the middle of a blizzard to grocery shop . Alongside his search-and-rescue dog Ace , Ray Lau on Monday tramped through the thick , ice-covered brush of a farmer 's field , not far from where Molnar 's van had been found a day earlier . He kept thinking : Negative-20 winds ? This is a search for a body . `` Then , oh , all of a sudden , Ace bolted off , '' said Lau . `` He stooped and looked down at the snow and just barked , barked , barked . '' Lau rushed to his Dutch shepherd 's side . `` There she was , there was Donna , her face was almost totally covered except for one eye staring back at me ! '' he said . `` That was , ` Wow ! ' There was a thousand thoughts going through my head . It was over the top . '' With one ungloved hand near her neck , Molnar , 55 , mumbled and tried to scream as Lau yelled to other rescuers . Dressed in a leather coat , sweater , slacks and winter boots , Molnar was carefully extracted from a 3-foot-deep mound of snow that had apparently helped to insulate her . Watch how the rescuers found Molnar '' Then , rescuers got their second shock . `` She was lucid , and said , ` Wow . I 've been here a long time ! ' and then she apologized and said , ' I just wanted to take a walk , I 'm sorry to have caused you any trouble , ' '' said Staff Sgt. Mark Cox of the Hamilton Police Department , one of the leaders in the hunt . `` And we 're all thinking this is incredible , this is really something . '' `` I 've been doing search and rescue for seven years , and this is the wildest case I 've had in finding someone alive , '' he said . She was rushed to a hospital and immediately sedated to begin the agonizing steps of hypothermia treatment . `` I think the snow must have worked to trap her body heat , and that 's what really saved her , '' Cox said . `` This really speaks to what 's possible . '' David Molnar is calling his wife 's survival his `` Christmas miracle . '' He was n't able to speak with her immediately after she was taken to the hospital . But while she was under sedation , he leaned over her and whispered in her ear , `` Welcome back , I love you . '' `` My wife , you know , does n't pump iron . She is strong physically and spiritually , '' he said . `` When people say to me how do I explain how she survived , I said I believe God reached down and cradled her until the rescuers could find her , because there 's no rational explanation . '' In addition to hypothermia , Donna Molnar is being treated for severe frostbite , and her recovery will take months . But his wife 's condition was upgraded Wednesday from critical to serious . `` That may not sound like a great thing to everyone , but to us , that is the best news we could possibly get on Christmas Eve , '' David Molnar said . As for Ace , he 's still awaiting his reward : a T-bone steak . It 's the least that can be done for a dog who , in his own way , paid it forward . `` A while ago , Ace was rescued from a home where he did n't belong , and now he got to rescue someone . I ca n't describe the magnitude of that , what that means to me , '' Lau said . `` He 's definitely getting his steak . I 'm grocery shopping right now . '' | Donna Molnar went missing after she left her home to go grocery shopping . Housewife had been buried in snow for 72 hours when a rescue dog found her . She 's in serious condition , being treated for hypothermia , severe frostbite . Dog , who had been rescued himself , will be rewarded with a T-bone steak . | [[246, 259], [264, 346], [2752, 2802], [2845, 2916]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man accused of shooting into a crowd outside an under-21 nightclub -- killing two teenage girls and wounding seven other people -- before shooting himself was in critical condition Monday , police in Portland , Oregon , said . A shooting outside a Portland nightclub Staurday killed two people and injured seven others , police said . Investigators identified the gunman in Saturday night 's shooting in Portland as Erik Salvadore Ayala , 24 , and are trying to determine why the rampage happened , police said . `` This is unprecedented in the city of Portland . We do n't have this type of thing , '' Portland police Detective Mary Wheat said , adding that even seasoned police veterans were shocked by what she called `` a random act of violence . '' `` Nobody knows the motive at this time , '' Wheat said , noting that Ayala did n't have a police record . `` We 're trying to figure what drove him to this . '' Investigators believe Ayala sprayed bullets into a crowd of students outside a non-alcohol nightclub called The Zone on Saturday night and then shot himself , authorities said . The students were participants in a Rotary Club foreign exchange program . Slain were Ashley Wilks , 16 , and a Peruvian exchange student , Marta `` Tika '' Paz De Noboa , 17 , according to Wheat . Wilks , a Portland high school sophomore , was getting ready to spend her junior year in either France or Spain , her principal said . Two juveniles , four 18-year-olds and a man in his 40s were wounded , Wheat said , adding that exchange students were among those hurt . Scott Bieber , youth protection officer for the exchange program in northern Oregon and southwestern Washington , said the shooting was `` nothing like anything we 've ever seen in Rotary before , to have as many of our kids involved in something as tragic at one time . '' `` Our main focus right now is to build a support structure for the students who were involved and their host families and their real families , and also for the families of the 28 other inbound students we have in our Rotary district , '' Bieber said . Eleven exchange students went to the club to celebrate a birthday and were waiting in line when the assault began , Bieber said . Wheat said a 9 mm handgun was used in the shooting . `` It does n't appear at this time that he reloaded , '' she said . Paz De Noboa was attending Columbia High School in White Salmon , Washington . School officials were helping students deal with their grief over the incident , and counselors were available , said Superintendent Dale Palmer and Vice Superintendent Jerry Lewis of the White Salmon Valley School District . `` She was very shy and reserved , '' Palmer said . `` I think she was a good student and helpful to other struggling students . '' Matt Utterback -- principal of Ashley Wilks ' school , Clackamas High School -- issued a statement on the school 's Web site confirming Wilks ' death and the wounding of Susy De Sousa , an 18-year-old foreign exchange student from Italy . Wilks ' was a `` bright and curious student '' who took honors classes and was a member of the swimming team , Utterback said . He passed along praise from her teachers and her swim coach . `` An awesome student with a beautiful smile . She was the kind of person that lights up a room . A truly wonderful , delightful kid , '' Utterback said . About De Sousa , Utterback said : `` Susy challenges herself to take rigorous classes despite the fact that English is her second language . She has a good sense of humor and is known for her persistence . '' De Sousa was in critical condition but improving , Wheat said . Classes were not in session Monday because it was a teacher workday . Utterback said counseling was available for students , and deplored the shooting . `` Such a horrific act is impossible to accept or understand , '' he said . | Two teens killed , seven other people wounded in Portland , Oregon , shooting . Investigators `` trying to figure out what drove -LSB- gunman -RSB- to this , '' detective says . Police identify shooter as 24-year-old man , say he shot himself . Students had gone to under-21 club to celebrate a birthday . | [[66, 87], [91, 148], [0, 15], [121, 148], [248, 314], [248, 296], [319, 339], [356, 369], [469, 519], [883, 933], [152, 175], [356, 457], [937, 950], [1076, 1093], [2113, 2178]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The original judge has been dead for 15 years , and no one has been able to find the criminal case file since 2004 . Yet a 1977 sex scandal involving famed director Roman Polanski and a 13-year-old girl continues to stalk the courts of Los Angeles . Academy Award-winning director Roman Polanski has n't left France in 30 years because of a U.S. fugitive warrant . Attorneys for the 75-year-old Academy Award-winning director asked a judge Tuesday to put the matter to rest once and for all . But a judge denied the request , saying the director must show up in court to obtain a ruling . That poses problems for Polanksi because prosecutors have vowed to seek his arrest on a bench warrant the minute he sets foot in the United States . The bench warrant was issued when Polanski failed to appear for sentencing more than 30 years ago . Lawyers Douglas Dalton and Chad Hummel last month filed a 239-page dismissal `` request , '' citing allegations brought to light in the documentary , `` Roman Polanski : Wanted and Desired . '' The documentary was first broadcast in June on HBO , which shares a corporate parent with CNN . The court filing alleges that a meddling prosecutor who believed Polanski should be behind bars improperly influenced a judge to ignore the terms of a plea bargain , as well as the wishes of the district attorney 's office , the probation officer and the victim . None of them wanted Polanski to serve jail time . Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza left the door open to reconsider his ruling if Polanski , who has lived in exile in France since 1977 , shows up in court . `` It 's hard to contest some of the behavior in the documentary was misconduct , '' Espinoza said in court . But he declined to dismiss the case entirely , a decision that did n't surprise legal experts who said such rulings are extremely rare . `` You have to give -LSB- Polanski attorney -RSB- Chad Hummel the creative lawyering of the year award , '' said legal analyst Laurie Levinson , a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles . Espinoza in effect said he was tossing out the request without considering whether it has merit because Polanski has n't shown up for court . But he suspended his ruling , writing that `` if the defendant submits to the jurisdiction of this Court within 30 days , the Court shall consider the merits of the motion . '' Polanski 's victim is among those calling for the case to be tossed out . Larry Silver , the victim 's lawyer , said he was disappointed in the ruling and that Espinoza `` did not get to the merits and consider the clear proof of both judicial and prosecutorial corruption . '' He argued in court that had `` Mr. Polanski been treated fairly '' his client would not still be suffering because of publicity almost 32 years after the incident . Levinson said the victim 's support may offer a sliver of hope for Polanski . `` The best thing he has going is the victim , '' she said . `` In this age of victims ' rights , if I were the lawyer I would be playing that card too . '' But prosecutors have consistently argued that dismissing the Polanski case would be a miscarriage of justice , allowing a man who `` drugged and raped a 13-year-old child '' to go free . Polanski 's attorneys back up the allegation with a DVD of the documentary , a script , a copy of Polanski 's 1977 pre-sentencing report and various court transcripts , interviews and declarations . They paint a picture of backroom conversations between a prosecutor itching for a piece of the case and a judge so image conscious that he kept a scrapbook of media clippings , asked lawyers to `` stage '' Polanski 's sentencing hearing and feared criticism if he did n't send the director to prison . Allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct are commonly raised on appeal , but only a small percentage of these appeals succeed . Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor . The director , his lawyer and the prosecutor handling the case believed they 'd hammered out a deal that would spare the young victim a public trial and Polanski jail time , according to the filing . The first surprise came when Judge Laurence J. Rittenband sent Polanski to prison for `` diagnostic testing '' to determine whether he was what then was called a `` mentally disturbed sex offender . '' -LRB- The results came in after Polanski spent 42 days at a maximum security prison . He was n't . -RRB- . The second surprise came on the eve of sentencing , when Rittenband informed the attorneys that he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days . Polanksi fled the United States and has been living in exile in France ever since . Previous attempts to resolve the case failed , including a recently disclosed secret negotiation in 1997 . The sticking point has always been Polanski 's refusal to come to court because he would face almost certain arrest the moment he set foot in the United States . As a director , Polanski is best known for the films `` Rosemary 's Baby , '' `` Chinatown '' and `` The Pianist , '' a 2002 drama about the Holocaust that won him the Oscar for best director . But he is also known for a personal life tinged with tragedy . He was born in France and moved to Poland with his parents as a small child . Later , he escaped Krakow 's Jewish ghetto and hid from the Nazis with the help of strangers . His mother died at Auschwitz . He endured the anti-Semitism of post-war Europe , attended film school and directed `` Knife in the Water , '' which won a 1963 Oscar nomination for best foreign-language film . He then came to Southern California to make `` Rosemary 's Baby . '' As he was making his mark in Hollywood , Polanski was also making headlines in connection with two lurid Los Angeles crimes in the 1960s and '70s . Polanski was filming in Europe when members of Charles Manson 's `` family '' butchered the director 's pregnant wife , actress Sharon Tate , and four others in August 1969 . Eight years later , he stood accused of plying a 13-year-old girl with champagne and a sliver of a quaalude tablet and performing various sex acts , including intercourse , with her during a photo shoot at actor Jack Nicholson 's house . Nicholson was not at home , but his girlfriend at the time , actress Anjelica Huston , was . According to a probation report contained in the filing , Huston described the victim as `` sullen . '' She added , `` She appeared to be one of those kind of little chicks between -- could be any age up to 25 . She did not look like a 13-year-old scared little thing . '' Huston said Polanski did not strike her as the type of man who would force himself on a young girl . `` I do n't think he 's a bad man , '' she said in the report . `` I think he 's an unhappy man . '' As she has from the beginning , the victim says Polanksi should n't go to prison . Samantha Geimer , now 45 , married and a mother of three children , sued Polanski and received an undisclosed settlement . She long ago came forward and made her identity public -- mainly , she said , because she was disturbed by how the criminal case had been handled . Earlier this month she filed a court declaration accusing prosecutors of victimizing her yet again by publicizing graphic details of the sexual encounter . The makers of the documentary also talked with people who played roles behind the scenes . From those interviews , the tale of alleged backroom dealings emerged . Former prosecutor David Wells was regularly assigned to Rittenband 's Santa Monica courtroom . He handled routine matters and told the filmmakers he had the judge 's ear . `` I was in the court every day , '' he said in an interview with the filmmakers . `` So Rittenband -LSB- would -RSB- ask me questions about the thing because he counted on me , or whoever was his favorite DA at the time , to advise him on what the -- what the law was , criminal law . He was very good at civil law , but criminally , he left that to his DAs to do . '' Although he was involved in the early stages of the investigation , Wells was taken off the Polanski case . He said he was `` miffed '' at the way it was handled because he believed Polanski should go to jail . Wells recommended the 90 days of diagnostic testing to the judge because Polanski would be in a prison setting but could n't appeal , he said . Wells told the filmmakers he showed the judge a photo of the director at an Oktoberfest celebration while the sentence was pending . `` I took the picture into Judge Rittenband . I said , ` Judge , ' I said , ` Look here . He 's flipping you off ... ' And I said , ` Have n't you had enough of this ? ' And then he exploded and what happened happened . '' Polanski 's attorneys said the conversations were improper `` ex parte '' communications -- and nothing short of prosecutorial misconduct . Legal ethics and rules of criminal procedure usually bar one party in a case from discussing it with the judge unless the other side is present . Wells could not be reached for comment . His voice mail was full , and was not accepting new messages . But he recently told the Los Angeles Times that he did nothing wrong and that he still strongly feels Polanski should go to prison . It will be Judge Peter Espinoza 's call on how to handle a celebrity case that appears to have been snakebitten from the start . CNN 's Jack Hannah contributed to this report . | NEW : Judge denies motion to throw out charges , at least until director appears . Roman Polanski fled U.S. before his sentencing in '70s . Director acknowledged having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor . Previous attempts to resolve the 1977 sex case have failed . | [[541, 567], [577, 580], [541, 548], [570, 632], [1772, 1812], [782, 881], [816, 881], [1567, 1577], [1581, 1591], [1596, 1635], [4703, 4734], [3925, 3933], [3975, 4027], [161, 175], [228, 293], [4787, 4831]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World record holder and Olympic champion Usain Bolt added yet another title to his tally after racing to victory in the Bupa Great CityGames 150 meter sprint in a new best time in Manchester on Sunday . Usain Bolt smashed the world 150m record in his first race of the season in Manchester on Sunday . The Jamaican , who broke both the 100m and 200m records before anchoring his country to the 4x100m relay title in Beijing , clocked 14.36 seconds -- smashing the previous world 's best by 0.39 seconds . Bolt , in his first competitive outing of the season , finished well ahead of Britain 's Marlon Devonish , who ran 15.07 . The 22-year-old , who was only passed fit on Monday after a car crash which required minor surgery on his foot just over a fortnight ago , was given a bye into the final . But he did not disappoint and the breakdown of times in his sprint were staggering . He covered the first 100m in 9.90 , which although well short of his record-breaking 9.69 in Beijing , was still impressive on a very damp temporary track constructed in the city center . Even better was his speed over what is termed `` the flying 100 '' -- from 50-150m -- which he covered in just 8.72 seconds . It all added up to a run which eclipsed the previous best of 14.75 by American Tyson Gay , whose time was recorded during a 200m race and not a straight 150m sprint . `` It is one more to the tally , '' Bolt told reporters when told of his world-best time . `` I thought I would just go out there and run a good time . I am not in the best shape and I still have a lot of work to do but I am getting there , '' he added . Debbie McKenzie Ferguson of the Bahamas won the women 's race in 16.54 seconds ahead of Olympic and world 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu , who finished in 17.10 . | Usain Bolt shatters world record by winning 150m in Manchester on Sunday . The Jamaican sprint king defeats Marlon Devonish in a time of 14.36 seconds . The 22-year-old old was only passed fit on Monday after a recent car accident . | [[0, 221], [0, 15], [108, 176], [222, 320], [321, 333], [470, 523], [321, 333], [445, 466], [524, 528], [531, 569], [579, 628]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The forthcoming trial in Germany of John Demjanjuk could be the last occasion on which a Nazi war crimes suspect faces prosecution . German officials claim John Demjanjuk was an accessory to 29,000 murders in a Nazi death camp . But the legacy of decades-old efforts to bring the perpetrators of World War II atrocities to justice means that those who commit similar offences in the 21st century will not be able to hide from their past so easily , according to a leading war crimes prosecutor . Many leading Nazis such as Hermann Goering , Rudolf Hess and Albert Speer were prosecuted by the main allies -- the U.S. , the Soviet Union and the UK -- shortly after the end of the war at the Nuremberg Trials . South African judge Richard Goldstone , formerly the chief U.N. prosecutor for war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda , told CNN that Nuremberg had been the `` first attempt of any importance to hold war criminals accountable '' and had laid the foundations for the development of modern humanitarian law . Yet many lower-ranking servants of the Nazi regime and its allies were able to escape punishment for their crimes , assuming new identities , fleeing Europe or even finding employment with Soviet or western security agencies as determination to bring them to justice waned with the advent of the Cold War , according to Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center . `` These murderers walked into small cities and killed men , women and children and walked away without a trace , '' Hier told CNN . `` The sad thing is that had the world wanted to prosecute Nazi war criminals after Nuremberg , and had -LRB- countries -RRB- put up the budget and the resources then every one of these elusive criminals would have been brought to justice . '' But Goldstone said that the creation in 2002 of the International Criminal Court marked a `` very important step forward '' to ensure that future atrocities would not be so quickly forgotten . While previous tribunals investigating crimes in Rwanda and Yugoslavia were ad hoc creations set up by the U.N. Security Council , the ICC is a permanent institution with a specific remit to investigate and prosecute cases of genocide , crimes against humanity and war crimes . Goldstone said that developments in humanitarian law and the evolution of international justice meant that modern institutions were more sophisticated and fairer than Nuremberg had been , recognizing the rights of victims to representation but also ensuring a fair trial for defendants . `` Modern international law requires trials that are a lot fairer than the trials that were put on at Nuremberg , '' he said . The jurisdiction of the ICC is currently recognized by 108 countries -- though not by the U.S. , Russia or China . But Goldstone said the court was `` moving quickly '' towards universal ratification and said U.S. President Barack Obama 's new administration was likely to be more cooperative and friendlier to the ICC than predecessor George W. Bush had been in office . `` I 'd love to see the day when there is universal ratification because when that happens there will be nowhere for war criminals to run to , '' he said . Demjanjuk , an 89-year-old native Ukrainian deported from the U.S. this week , is alleged to have been a guard at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland and is accused of being an accessory to the murder of more than 29,000 people . Hier said Demjanjuk 's extradition marked the culmination of greater efforts in the U.S. since the late 1970s to send suspected war criminals to face trial . An Office of Special Investigations was established in 1979 to hunt for war criminals on U.S. soil , while legislation allowed even suspects who had acquired U.S. citizenship to be extradited for lying on their naturalization papers about their Nazi pasts . But he said Demjanjuk 's trial could be the last of its kind -- and not just because of the age of suspected war criminals still at large . `` You ca n't just have a trial with documents . You have to have living witnesses , '' Hier said . `` Most of those witnesses are very old , most of them are well into their 80s and beyond and they have to be in sufficient good health that they can be questioned and travel to take part in the trial . '' But Hier said it was very important that former Nazis were pursued to the grave , living out their final years with the fear that their past crimes could still catch up with them . '' -LRB- Nazi hunter -RRB- Simon Wiesenthal talked about two kinds of justice . There is the justice of handcuffs and putting someone on trial . But there is also a psychological fear of a knock on the door , '' he said . `` Every Nazi war criminal should live every night of his life with the possibility that in his case there will yet be a knock on the door . '' | Expert : Trial of Nazi war crimes suspect John Demjanjuk could be last of its kind . Leading Nazis prosecuted at Nuremberg but many lesser Nazis escaped justice . Struggle to prosecute Nazis influenced creation of International Criminal Court . ICC has remit to probe war crimes , genocide , crimes against humanity . | [[0, 15], [60, 151], [3855, 3927], [1032, 1256], [252, 338], [2104, 2111], [2180, 2250]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A wheel from the main landing gear of a Colgan Airlines passenger plane fell off and rolled away as the aircraft was landing in Buffalo , New York , earlier this week . A wheel fell off the landing gear of Q400 Bombardier upon landing on Colgan Flight 3268 earlier this week . On Thursday night , The Toronto Sun posted a video of the incident shot by a passenger on the Q400 Bombardier -- the same type of plane involved in a fatal Colgan Airlines crash three months ago , also on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport . The video shows the wheel touch down on the ground and then roll away , followed by metal parts that are meant to keep the wheels in place . The plane was towed to the gate , where everyone on board `` deplaned normally , '' said Joe Williams , a spokesman for Pinnacle Airlines , Colgan 's parent company . `` At no time was any passenger or crew member at risk , nor were any injuries reported , '' Williams said of the Tuesday incident . `` The aircraft was properly maintained in accordance with the manufacturer and Federal Aviation Administration procedures . '' Williams said the incident `` appears to have been caused by the failure of the outer wheel bearing ... the bearing was relatively new , having been on the aircraft for five weeks . '' Colgan Flight 3268 originated in Newark , New Jersey . `` I was scared , and the other passengers looked worried , too , '' one passenger told the Toronto newspaper . `` For a moment , I thought the worst in that we may not make it . '' Three months ago , Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in nearby Clarence Center , New York , killing all 49 passengers and crew members aboard . One person was killed on the ground . Hearings about the cause of that accident have been held in Washington this week . Investigators have focused on pilot fatigue as a possible cause of the crash . | Wheel from main landing gear fell off as aircraft was landing earlier this week . Colgan Airlines spokesman says no one on Flight 3268 was injured . One person on flight : `` I was scared , and the other passengers looked worried , too '' Three months ago , Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed , killing all 49 people aboard . | [[119, 154], [168, 187], [188, 295], [1365, 1377], [1384, 1419], [426, 490], [1544, 1560], [1563, 1619], [1544, 1560], [1563, 1585], [1633, 1684]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Martin , the speaker of Britain 's House of Commons , said Tuesday he would resign in the face of widespread public anger over expense claims by lawmakers . Michael Martin , the House of Commons Speaker , has tendered his resignation . Martin , whose statement lasted barely a minute , said he would step down June 21 . He is the first speaker to be forced out of office since 1695 . Martin said he was stepping down in order to promote `` unity '' in the House of Commons . Prime Minister Gordon Brown later Tuesday announced recommendations for comprehensive reforms to the expenses system to put an end to the `` abuses and misjudgments of the past . '' Watch how the rules have led to abuse '' He proposed a review of expense claims of the past few years by an independent panel , and the introduction of an outside agency to regulate expense reimbursements , which Parliament currently does itself . Parliament at `` Westminster can not operate like some gentlemen 's club , '' he said . `` There has got to be transparency . There has got to be a proper audit . '' Watch more of Brown 's speech '' The reforms are currently only proposals . It is not clear if they will be implemented . Brown also paid tribute to Martin and added that he had chaired a meeting of party leaders Tuesday afternoon to discuss an overhaul of the expenses system . The speaker traditionally chairs debates and ensures protocol is followed . But part of the reason MPs are now focusing their anger on Martin is that his office also handles expense claims . Watch more on Martin 's resignation '' Critics say he allowed claims to run amok and failed to recognize the depth of public disgust at the amounts being claimed -- into the tens of thousands of dollars for some lawmakers . Martin was savaged by MPs on Monday after he addressed parliament , with one lawmaker after another demanding to know when he would resign . Politicians across the political spectrum have been under fire after weeks of front-page headlines revealing their expense claims . What do you think about the expense scandal ? They included requests for reimbursements for mortgages that had been paid off , members of the same family claiming the same expenses and reimbursement for lavish home furnishings . The justice minister , Shahid Malik , resigned from the Cabinet over his claims , which he insisted were within the allowable limits . The governing Labour Party also cut ties with MP Elliot Morley , a former Cabinet minister , over his expense claims . Watch London cabbies speak out against lawmakers '' The expenses scandal came to light in a series of recent front-page reports in The Daily Telegraph newspaper . The expense claims were to be made public in the summer , but the Telegraph obtained them early . Many lawmakers put in the spotlight by the newspaper insist they broke no rules . London 's Metropolitan Police announced shortly before Martin 's resignation that they would not investigate the leaking of the expense reports to the press . `` The leak of documents is not something that the -LRB- Metropolitan Police -RRB- would condone , '' they said in a statement , but felt it was unlikely they would obtain the evidence they need to launch a successful prosecution . The police had not yet decided whether to investigate whether politicians broke the law in their expense claims , the statement added . | NEW : British PM announces recommendations for reforming system . Martin is the first Speaker forced out of office since 1695 . MPs had demanded he fall on his sword as part of changes to system . | [[547, 635], [364, 427], [367, 427]] |
-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]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Clashes between Somalia 's transitional government and the Al-Shabab militia left 103 people dead and 420 others wounded , Somali officials said Friday . The fighting in Mogadishu between the rebel group and the government has raged for nine days . The fighting in Mogadishu between the rebel group and the government has raged for nine days , said Farhan Ali Mohamud , information minister of the Somali government . Human rights groups deplored the high number of casualties , urging both sides to comply with international law in respect to the civilian population . Thousands of families have fled the capital , Mogadishu , seeking a safer environment in camps south of the city . `` The people of Somalia have once again been subjected to unbearable violence , '' said Pascal Mauchle , head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Somalia . `` The daily struggle for survival is exhausting their capacity to cope . '' Humanitarian groups expressed concern , too , that Somalis will not have access to medical care . The international medical agency Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to close an outpatient clinic in Mogadishu to ensure safety for its staff . `` With so few medical facilities available in Somalia , it is crucial that people are able to access those that are still functioning , '' said Alfonso Laguna , head of the agency in the region . The new round of fighting stems from an interpretation of sharia law , or Islamic law , the spokesman said . Somalia 's new President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has recently approved implementing sharia law , but the rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form . A spokesman for the rebel group said it has recruited many fighters for the battle against the government . `` It is not only Somali jihadists that are fighting in Mogadishu against the government . There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us , '' said Sheikh Hassan Ya ` qub , a spokesman for al-Shabaab . Abdiraman Abdi Shakur Warsame , minister of international cooperation for Somalia 's transitional government , issued a stern warning to the rebels in an address to a young audience celebrating Somali youth day at the capital . `` The government is determined to defend itself from these religious gangs who are covering in the name of Islam and I assure you that in the course of coming days , we will eliminate these elements and some of them will be forced out of the country , '' Warsame said . The U.S. Embassy in Kenya released a statement about the fighting . `` The extremists who are instigating these attacks have no regard for the well-being of Somalis and are undermining the peaceful efforts of the legitimate government to further national reconciliation , '' the statement said . `` The United States is particularly disturbed at reports that foreign fighters and those who rejected dialogue in 2006 are participating in this effort to forcibly remove a legitimate Somali government from power . '' Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report . | Government forces are fighting a rebel group in Somalia 's capital , Mogadishu . Somali officials say 103 people have been killed , hundreds more wounded . Rebel fighters want a stricter form of sharia law introduced in Somalia . Fighting started in early May , rebels say they 're recruiting more supporters . | [[173, 267], [268, 360], [268, 336], [363, 423], [0, 15], [74, 131], [121, 139], [142, 158], [142, 172], [1606, 1670]] |
CARACAS , Venezuela -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Venezuela temporarily seized a pasta-making plant Friday belonging to U.S.-based food giant Cargill , citing a production quota dispute . Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez 's government takes over a Cargill plant for the second time in recent months . Rafael Coronado , Venezuela 's deputy minister for food , announced the takeover live on the state-run Venezolana de Television channel . He said the plant did not meet production levels for pasta sold at lower , government-mandated prices . An inspection of the plant Thursday found that 41 percent of its pasta met the government-established level , Coronado said at a news conference in front of the food plant . Fifty-nine percent was `` out of regulation , '' he said . The Venezuelan government will take over the plant for 90 days , he said , and then will determine what steps to take next . It was the second time in recent months that the government of left-wing President Hugo Chavez has taken over a Cargill plant . Chavez announced in March that he had ordered the takeover of a Cargill rice plant . Cargill spokesman Mark Klein said Friday afternoon the Minnesota-based company did not have an immediate comment . But Klein said in March , when the rice plant was taken over , that Cargill `` is committed to the production of food in Venezuela that complies with all laws and regulations . '' Cargill has been doing business in Venezuela since 1986 , according to the company 's Web site . Its operations include oilseed processing , grain and oilseed trading , animal feed , salt , and financial and risk management . The company has 2,000 employees in 22 locations in Venezuela , the Web site says . | Venezuela cites production quota dispute in takeover of pasta-making plant . Government will take over plant belonging to Cargill for 90 days . Minnesota-based food giant has no immediate comment on seizure . Cargill rice plant seized by President Hugo Chavez 's government in March . | [[10, 35], [141, 176], [0, 7], [39, 138], [765, 827], [930, 1017], [1044, 1102], [1103, 1217], [1137, 1217], [177, 289], [930, 1017], [1018, 1102], [1044, 1102], [1249, 1278]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Somalia 's hard-line Islamic group Al-Shabab seized control of Jowhar , the president 's hometown , after a battle with pro-government forces Sunday . An Islamist fighter mans a position in the streets of Mogadishu , Somalia , on Saturday . Jowhar is a major town 55 miles -LRB- 88 kilometers -RRB- southeast of Mogadishu , the capital . `` All businesses are closed and residents are already fleeing while Al-Shabab are roaming the streets , '' a local journalist said . The town had been under the control of forces backing the transitional government , which is scrambling to cope with deadly advances from Al-Shabab in Mogadishu . Al-Shabab was once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union , which took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006 . The United States says the group is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network , and the U.S. backed an Ethiopian invasion that drove the ICU from power in 2006 . After seizing control of Jowhar on Sunday , the rebels started conducting `` search operations in the police station and the provincial headquarters of the town , '' the journalist added . The clashes extended into the suburbs of the town , where sporadic fighting was going on between the rebels and government forces , said the journalist , who requested anonymity for safety reasons . The town 's seizure comes amid escalating tension between Somalia 's transitional government and the Al-Shabab militia , which has waged days-long attacks in the capital . In the latest round of violence , one person was killed and 15 others wounded when mortars slammed into a police academy in Mogadishu on Sunday . Clashes between the rebels and the government in Mogadishu have left at least 103 people dead and 420 wounded , Somali officials said Friday . The east African nation has not had an effective government since 1991 . Last week , a spokesman for the rebel group said that it had successfully recruited more fighters . `` It is not only Somali jihadists that are fighting in Mogadishu against the government , '' said Sheikh Hassan Ya ` qub , a spokesman for Al-Shabab . `` There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us . '' The new round of fighting stems from an interpretation of sharia , or Islamic law , the spokesman said . Somalia 's new president , Sheikh Sharif Ahmed , recently approved implementing sharia , but the rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form . Meanwhile , a powerful Islamist warlord defected to the government Saturday after he disagreed with rebel Islamist groups on the war against the transitional government . The warlord , Sheikh Yusuf Mohamud Siad Indha Ade , was the military commander of Hassan Dahir Aweys , who is suspected by the United States of being a terrorist . | Group Al-Shabab is affiliated with al Qaeda , according to the U.S. Clashes between rebels and government killed 103 , wounded 420 , officials say . Al-Shabab recently said it has been successful at recruiting more members . | [[788, 870], [1202, 1273], [1661, 1770], [1759, 1770], [1773, 1789], [1877, 1886], [1889, 1976]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A military offensive to rid Pakistan 's northwest of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters has killed more than 1,000 militants since it began in full force earlier this month , the country 's interior ministry said Sunday . A Pakistani girl displaced by the offensive against the Taliban rests at a camp Saturday north of Islamabad . Officials also said that only 2 percent of the North West Frontier Province remains under Taliban control as a result of the operation . Both claims were difficult to verify independently . The government did not say whether the operation resulted in civilian casualties , or how many people it displaced . The United Nations said Saturday that more than a million people have been displaced as a result of the two-week-old offensive . The U.S-led coalition and NATO -- based in Afghanistan -- have long said Pakistan is not being proactive enough in battling militants who are launching attacks from Pakistan 's swath of tribal areas along the border . Pakistan has denied the claim . But the country 's military launched an intense operation to rout out militants from the area after Taliban fighters took control of a district just 60 miles from the capital , Islamabad . The control of the Buner district brought the Taliban closer to the capital of the nuclear-armed country than it had been since it mounted its insurgency . Watch car bomb , drone attack in Pakistan '' | Pakistani troops fighting to oust Taliban militants from volatile province . U.S-led coalition and NATO , based in Afghanistan , have long criticized Pakistan . Islamabad , coalition says , not effective in halting border attacks from inside Pakistan . Pakistan has denied the claims , has launched operations to rout out militants . | [[1057, 1132], [1090, 1169], [829, 833], [837, 857], [803, 833], [861, 870], [876, 936], [803, 833], [871, 936], [803, 833], [871, 936], [1021, 1052], [1057, 1132], [1090, 1169]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Somalia 's hard-line Islamic group Al-Shabab seized control of Jowhar , the president 's hometown , after a battle with pro-government forces Sunday . An Islamist fighter mans a position in the streets of Mogadishu , Somalia , on Saturday . Jowhar is a major town 55 miles -LRB- 88 kilometers -RRB- southeast of Mogadishu , the capital . `` All businesses are closed and residents are already fleeing while Al-Shabab are roaming the streets , '' a local journalist said . The town had been under the control of forces backing the transitional government , which is scrambling to cope with deadly advances from Al-Shabab in Mogadishu . Al-Shabab was once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union , which took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006 . The United States says the group is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network , and the U.S. backed an Ethiopian invasion that drove the ICU from power in 2006 . After seizing control of Jowhar on Sunday , the rebels started conducting `` search operations in the police station and the provincial headquarters of the town , '' the journalist added . The clashes extended into the suburbs of the town , where sporadic fighting was going on between the rebels and government forces , said the journalist , who requested anonymity for safety reasons . The town 's seizure comes amid escalating tension between Somalia 's transitional government and the Al-Shabab militia , which has waged days-long attacks in the capital . In the latest round of violence , one person was killed and 15 others wounded when mortars slammed into a police academy in Mogadishu on Sunday . Clashes between the rebels and the government in Mogadishu have left at least 103 people dead and 420 wounded , Somali officials said Friday . The east African nation has not had an effective government since 1991 . Last week , a spokesman for the rebel group said that it had successfully recruited more fighters . `` It is not only Somali jihadists that are fighting in Mogadishu against the government , '' said Sheikh Hassan Ya ` qub , a spokesman for Al-Shabab . `` There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us . '' The new round of fighting stems from an interpretation of sharia , or Islamic law , the spokesman said . Somalia 's new president , Sheikh Sharif Ahmed , recently approved implementing sharia , but the rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form . Meanwhile , a powerful Islamist warlord defected to the government Saturday after he disagreed with rebel Islamist groups on the war against the transitional government . The warlord , Sheikh Yusuf Mohamud Siad Indha Ade , was the military commander of Hassan Dahir Aweys , who is suspected by the United States of being a terrorist . | Group Al-Shabab is affiliated with al Qaeda , according to the U.S. Clashes between rebels and government killed 103 , wounded 420 , officials say . Al-Shabab recently said it has been successful at recruiting more members . | [[788, 870], [1202, 1273], [1661, 1770], [1759, 1770], [1773, 1789], [1877, 1886], [1889, 1976]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She had many plans for the future : to go to college , start a career , meet the man of her dreams , raise a family -- when the time was right . Expert : `` There 's a big disconnect between pregnancy rates and what Latina families want and value . '' It was all cut off by an unexpected pregnancy . The baby became her life , consuming her energy and forcing her dreams to the back burner of her life . She is 19 or younger and Latina , and has had her first baby . It 's not what she wanted . Nor did her parents , who are the greatest influence on her decisions about sex , according to a wide-ranging survey released Tuesday by experts on the Hispanic community in the United States . The survey also found that 84 percent of Latino teens and 91 percent of Latino parents believe that graduating from college or university or having a promising career is the most important goal for a teen 's future . Somewhere along the way , the aspirations fail to match up to reality . The survey attempts to examine some of the reasons for the disparity and why Latinas now have the highest teen birth rate among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States . `` There 's a big disconnect between pregnancy rates and what Latina families want and value , '' said Ruthie Flores , senior manager of the National Campaign 's Latino Initiative . According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy , 53 percent of Latinas get pregnant in their teens , about twice the national average . After a period of decline , the birth rate for U.S. teenagers 15 to 19 years rose in 2007 by about 1 percent , to 42.5 births per 1,000 , according to preliminary data in a March 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's National Center for Health Statistics . In 2007 , the birth rate among non-Hispanic whites ages 15 to 19 was 27.2 per 1,000 , and 64.3 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic black teens in the same age range . The teen birth rate among Hispanic teens ages 15 to 19 was 81.7 per 1,000 . Of the 759 Latino teens surveyed , 49 percent said their parents most influenced their decisions about sex , compared with 14 percent who cited friends . Three percent cited religious leaders , 2 percent teachers and 2 percent the media . Watch more on the survey results '' Three-quarters of Latino teens said their parents have talked to them about sex and relationships , but only half said their parents discussed contraception . The survey also found that : . • 74 percent of Latino teens believe that parents send one message about sex to their sons and a different message altogether to their daughters , possibly related to the Latino value of machismo . • Latino teens believe that the most common reason teens do not use contraception is that they are afraid their parents might find out . • 72 percent of sexually experienced teens say they wish they had waited . • 34 percent of Latino teens believe that being a teen parent would prevent them from reaching their goals , but 47 percent say being a teen parent would simply delay them from reaching their goals . • 76 percent said it is important to be married before starting a family . Flores said it is crucial to understand the beliefs and attitudes that influence teen behavior in order to reduce the high rates of Hispanic teen pregnancy . The survey , co-sponsored by the Hispanic advocacy group National Council of La Raza , was an attempt to to do just that . She said that despite a rich culture and the growing influence of Hispanics in America , the Latino community disproportionately suffers from troubling social indicators . Consider that fewer than six in 10 Latino adults in the United States have a high school diploma . Latino teens are more likely to drop out than their non-Hispanic counterparts , and of all the children living in poverty , 30 percent are Latino . `` Teen pregnancy is not an isolated issue , '' Flores said . `` It 's related to poverty , to dropout rates . That 's going to have an impact on our national as a whole . '' Flores said 69 percent of Latino teen moms drop out of high school , and the children of teen mothers are less likely to do well in school themselves and often repeat grades . `` That has a big economic impact , '' Flores said . It 's an impact that is sure to be noticed . The nation 's 45 million Latinos constitute the largest minority group in the United States with a growth rate twice that of the general population . That means by 2025 , one-quarter of all American teens will be Latinos . | 53 percent of Latinas are pregnant by their 20th birthday , survey finds . Survey : Most feel that college , career are key to their future . Most teens in study believe that parents give conflicting messages . | [[1436, 1485], [708, 718], [724, 924], [2506, 2703], [2704, 2840], [2732, 2840]] |
PARKLAND , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sherri and Ira Rojhani stopped paying the mortgage on their 2-year-old South Florida home in April , victims not of a troubled economy , but , they say , of drywall from China that they believe is making them sick . An air conditioning unit in a Florida , is blackened and corroded from Chinese drywall , homeowners say . They join a growing list of homeowners in 13 states who face foreclosure or the prospect of paying both their mortgage and rent on alternate housing as they seek relief from what they describe as corrosive gasses emitted from the Chinese drywall . The drywall is now the subject of several scientific studies . `` Families are being forced to make health decisions based on financial consideration , and that is fundamentally flawed , '' said Sherri Rojhani , a homeowner in Parkland , Florida . `` We should n't be in a position to stay in a home , based on our health , '' she said . Homeowners allege the gas is causing home appliances and copper wiring to fail and causes chronic , long-term upper respiratory infections . Federal authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are studying the possible health effects of the drywall . Most of their results are still some time off . On Tuesday the EPA announced that it found sulfur , a corrosive material , in the Chinese drywall samples it tested and that sulfur was not found in the U.S. manufactured drywall samples it also tested . The EPA also found strontium in the Chinese drywall at levels about 10 times higher than in the U.S. drywall . Strontium is a metal often used in manufacturing the glass for television screens . The EPA also detected two elements typically found in acrylic paints in the Chinese drywall but not in the U.S. drywall . The EPA said these results are not intended to establish a definitive link between the drywall and the conditions being found by homeowners in their homes . The CPSC says representatives from the Chinese government are in the U.S. working on the issue . Pointing to the blackened copper on their home 's corroded air conditioning unit as all the evidence they need , the Rojhanis say they are n't going to wait for the government studies . They say the air in the home they share with their son , Seth , 18 , who is paraplegic with a history of cancer , is giving them headaches and causing sinus infections . Sherri says she 's been coughing since February . `` What we are doing is discontinuing our mortgage , and saving our money for moving expenses , and for a rental property , '' Sherri Rojhani told CNN . They stopped paying their mortgage in April . Their attorney contacted their mortgage company , Countrywide , recently bought by Bank of America , almost a month ago with details of their plight . A letter to the Rojhanis from Bank of America 's counseling center said the bank intends to move forward with the foreclosure process . That does n't make sense to Sherri Rojhani . `` It 's worth zero . They can not sell it . They face the same issue we do for a potential buyer , '' she said . Countrywide / Bank of America did not respond to CNN 's request for comment . Indeed , banks and mortgage companies across the country may soon find themselves in the same position if homeowners walk away and allow their homes to be foreclosed . `` They 're having to make choices about their credit and whether they are going to lose their home , but they 're always going to pick their health first , '' said Michael Ryan , the Rojhanis ' attorney . According to the Gypsum Association , a trade group that represents drywall manufactures , enough drywall was imported from China during the housing boom from 2005 to 2007 to build 30,000 complete homes . But it 's possible that some of the Chinese drywall was used in smaller remodeling projects across the country . So , the number of homes affected is difficult to calculate . Meanwhile , the U.S. government has made clear that not all Chinese drywall is bad . Rather than foreclosing , the Rojhanis suggest the banks team with homeowners against those who supplied the drywall . `` It 's in their best interests to join us in going after ... the distributors and the manufactures to get remediation , '' she said . The Rojhanis are now suing their home builder . Joseph Espinal lives in the same Parkland , Florida , area as the Rojhanis , but his lender , HSBC , has given him and his family a three-month grace period in paying their mortgage . In an e-mailed statement , an HSBC spokeswoman , Kate Durham , told CNN : `` HSBC does not comment on individual customer matters but we can tell you that our home preservation team members regularly work with customers facing various hardships , to offer assistance . '' But what happens after that three-month payment hiatus ends is anybody 's guess . `` It 's a great start , '' Joseph Espinal told CNN . `` But I do n't see anybody coming up to the plate and saying , Mr. Espinal , I know we screwed you by building a house with toxic chemicals , here 's a temporary home , while we repair what went wrong . '' He 's moving his wife and two young daughters into a rental this month , after what he describes as almost two years of sickness and visits to doctors . `` We have sinus headaches which lead to antibiotics , and then three weeks , four weeks later , I 'm back asking for more , '' he said . Espinal made a 40 percent down payment on his home . He 's concerned and angry about what 's happened to his investment . `` I do n't want to lose my money , '' he said . CPSC says Florida leads the nation in complaints about Chinese drywall . Other complaints from homeowners are coming from Louisiana , Virginia , Wisconsin , Ohio , Alabama , Mississippi , Missouri , California , Washington , Wyoming , Arizona , Tennessee and Washington D.C. . Many homeowner 's have turned to their home insurance companies for help , only to find that any problems would not be covered by homeowner 's policies . `` If it 's defective , where they have to be recompensated , that would have to come from the manufacturer , '' said Loretta Worters of the Insurance Information Institute , an insurance industry trade group . Last week , Florida Reps. Robert Wexler , a Democrat , and Mario Diaz-Balart , a Republican , were successful in passing legislation that required the secretary of housing to examine the effect of Chinese drywall on mortgage foreclosures and to study the availability of property insurance coverage for these homes . `` It is critical that we address this problem swiftly to avoid devastating results in our communities and long-term effects on the health and well being of our families , '' Diaz-Balart said in a written statement . Meanwhile , Florida 's attorney general has warned consumers to be aware of fraudulent companies selling bogus test kits and quick fixes , costing thousands of dollars . There are no quick fixes according to state and federal experts . Sherri Rojhani says she wo n't be taking any chances . `` If the fumes are strong enough to corrode metal , and copper pipe is turning black , I do n't need a degree from the EPA to determine if my lung tissue is at risk . '' | Chinese-made drywall emits corrosive gasses , homeowners say . Mortgage relief sought as value of homes reduced to zero , homeowners say . Residents say they choose between health , foreclosure . Drywall-related problems not covered by insurance , insurer says . | [[181, 189], [192, 253], [343, 359], [512, 572], [556, 607], [671, 724], [671, 682], [700, 757], [5940, 5957], [6020, 6093]] |
Editor 's note : Eve Ensler is the playwright of `` The Vagina Monologues '' and the founder of V-Day , a global movement to end violence against women and girls . V-Day has funded over 10,000 community-based anti-violence programs and launched safe houses in the Democratic Republic of Congo , Haiti , Kenya , South Dakota , Egypt and Iraq . This commentary was adapted from remarks Ensler made Wednesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs and the Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations , Human Rights , Democracy and Global Women 's Issues . Playwright Eve Ensler says conflict in Congo is taking a terrible toll on women and girls . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I write today on behalf of countless V-Day activists worldwide , and in solidarity with my many Congolese sisters and brothers who demand justice and an end to rape and war . It is my hope that these words and those of others will break the silence and break open a sea of action to move Congolese women toward peace , safety and freedom . My play , `` The Vagina Monologues , '' opened my eyes to the world inside this world . Everywhere I traveled with it scores of women lined up to tell me of their rapes , incest , beatings , mutilations . It was because of this that over 11 years ago we launched V-Day , a worldwide movement to end violence against women and girls . The movement has spread like wildfire to 130 countries , raising $ 70 million . I have visited and revisited the rape mines of the world , from defined war zones like Bosnia , Afghanistan and Haiti to the domestic battlegrounds in colleges and communities throughout North America , Europe and the world . My in-box -- and heart -- have been jammed with stories every hour of every day for over a decade . Nothing I have heard or seen compares with what is going on in the Democratic Republic of Congo , where corporate greed , fueled by capitalist consumption , and the rape of women have merged into a single nightmare . Femicide , the systematic and planned destruction of the female population , is being used as a tactic of war to clear villages , pillage mines and destroy the fabric of Congolese society . In 12 years , there have been 6 million dead men and women in Congo and 1.4 million people displaced . Hundreds and thousands of women and girls have been raped and tortured . Babies as young as 6 months , women as old as 80 , their insides torn apart . What I witnessed in Congo has shattered and changed me forever . I will never be the same . None of us should ever be the same . I think of Beatrice , shot in her vagina , who now has tubes instead of organs . Honorata , raped by gangs as she was tied upside down to a wheel . Noella , who is my heart -- an 8-year-old girl who was held for 2 weeks as groups of grown men raped her over and over . Now she has a fistula , causing her to urinate and defecate on herself . Now she lives in humiliation . I was in Bosnia during the war in 1994 when it was discovered there were rape camps where white women were being raped . Within two years there was adequate intervention . Yet , in Congo , femicide has continued for 12 years . Why ? Is it that coltan , the mineral that keeps our cell phones and computers in play , is more important than Congolese girls ? Is it flat-out racism , the world 's utter indifference and disregard for black people and black women in particular ? Is it simply that the UN and most governments are run by men who have never known what it feels like to be raped ? What is happening in Congo is the most brutal and rampant violence toward women in the world . If it continues to go unchecked , if there continues to be complete impunity , it sets a precedent , it expands the boundaries of what is permissible to do to women 's bodies in the name of exploitation and greed everywhere . It 's cheap warfare . The women in Congo are some of the most resilient women in the world . They need our protection and support . Western governments , like the United States , should fund a training program for female Congolese police officers . They should address our role in plundering minerals and demand that companies trace the routes of these minerals . Make sure they are making and selling rape-free-products . Supply funds for women 's medical and psychological care and seed their economic empowerment . Put pressure on Rwanda , Congo , Uganda and other countries in the Great Lakes region to sit down with all the militias involved in this conflict to find a political solution . Military solutions are no longer an option and will only bring about more rape . Most of all , we must support the women . Because women are at the center of this horror , they must be at the center of the solutions and peace negotiations . Women are the future of Congo . They are its greatest resource . Sadly , we are not the first to testify about these atrocities in Congo . I stand in a line of many who have described this horror . Still , in Eastern Congo , 1,100 women a month are raped , according to the United Nations ' most recent report . What will the United States government , what will all of you reading this , do to stop it ? Let Congo be the place where we ended femicide , the trend that is madly eviscerating this planet -- from the floggings in Pakistan , the new rape laws in Afghanistan , the ongoing rapes in Haiti , Darfur , Zimbabwe , the daily battering , incest , harassing , trafficking , enslaving , genital cutting and honor killing . Let Congo be the place where women were finally cherished and life affirmed , where the humiliation and subjugation ended , where women took their rightful agency over their bodies and land . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eve Ensler . | Eve Ensler : War in Congo is targeting girls and women . She says rape is being used as a weapon , with 1,100 raped each month . Western governments , including the U.S. , need to protect Congo 's women , she says . | [[593, 637], [593, 614], [632, 684], [2001, 2009], [2012, 2075], [2078, 2190], [2294, 2351], [4993, 4998], [5001, 5017], [5020, 5049], [4993, 4998], [5020, 5039], [5052, 5106]] |
MOSCOW , Russia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dozens of gay and lesbian rights activists planning a parade in southwestern Moscow Saturday have been detained , Russia 's Interfax news agency reported . Gay and lesbian rights activists are detained in Moscow Saturday ahead of a planned march . The arrests included Nikolai Alexeyev , a prominent gay activist in Russia , and his associate Nikolai Bayev , Interfax said , adding that more people trickling into the location were being arrested without explanation . Officials of Moscow 's gay community had announced earlier plans to rally at Novopushkinsky Park in central Moscow , Interfax said . The arrests came ahead of Saturday night 's Eurovision Song Contest , which is being held in Moscow . The contest has a strong following among the gay and lesbian community . Watch police break up the march '' Journalists from various countries gathered at the scene , as police barricaded the park with metal bars . Trucks with soldiers onboard were parked on nearby streets , Interfax said . UK gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell , in a statement on his Web site ahead of the march , said it was being held to coincide with the final of the Eurovision Song Contest . `` This parade is in defense of human rights . We are defending the often violated human rights of lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender Russians . They want legal protection against discrimination and hate crimes . I support their cause . `` Not all Russians are homophobic , but many are . Gay Russians suffer queer-bashing attacks , blackmail , verbal abuse and discrimination in education , housing and employment . This shames the great Russian nation . '' The Eurovision Song Contest , which began in 1956 , sees singers and groups from a short list of European nations perform a specially written song before telephone votes from each nation decide the winner . In western Europe , the contest is regard as a light entertainment spectacular , with a strong following among the gay and lesbian community . Many fans dress up , hold parties and gather round the TV to watch the three-hour-plus televised marathon . In recent years , however , eastern European nations , which take the contest much more seriously , have come to dominate . The contest is also known for its political edge , as nations either give zero points to traditional enemies -- or , if they are enjoying good relations , the maximum number of points , as a sign of friendship . The most famous winners of the contest were ABBA , who came to attention as the Swedish entry with `` Waterloo '' in 1974 . In 1988 , Celine Dion won the contest while singing on behalf of Switzerland . The dance show Riverdance first came to attention as an interval act when the contest was held in Dublin , Ireland , in 1994 . The organizers of the contest estimate it is watched by 100 million people worldwide . | News agency : Police barricade park where demonstrators due to meet . Arrests come ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest , being held in Moscow Saturday . Most famous winners of the contest were ABBA , who came to attention in 1974 . Contest is traditionally taken more seriously in eastern Europe . | [[909, 953], [637, 704], [678, 704], [713, 738], [2473, 2596], [2517, 2521], [2528, 2596], [2165, 2189], [2198, 2234]] |
HONG KONG , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The United Nation 's International Maritime Organization -LRB- IMO -RRB- has gathered this week in the shipping hub of Hong Kong to draw up new rules on ship recycling . Ship-breaking yards in Bangladesh are responsible for pollution and health problems . As the delegates meet in the city 's Convention and Exhibition center overlooking the harbor , many of the vast container ships that glide past them will end up 1,500 miles away on the beaches of south east Bangladesh . India , Pakistan and Bangladesh take 80 percent of end-of-life ships , according to the NGO Platform on Shipbreaking , but critics of the U.N. convention being discussed fear the problems of pollution and poor working conditions these countries experience through badly regulated shipbreaking will not be properly addressed . Lee Adamson , the IMO 's spokesperson , is confident the convention will be `` a tremendous step forward in terms of health and safety for workers in the industry and for protection of the environment from end-of-life ships . It will set standards where none previously existed . '' But those standards do n't go far enough for lawyer and head of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association , Rizwana Hasan . She has been trying to clean up the dirty and dangerous industry through the law courts since 2003 . Her passion and persistence led to a Bangladesh High Court ruling in March this year finally forcing the government to tighten its regulations of the trade . It has also brought her the Goldman Environmental Prize in April and increasing international attention . `` Now I have an international connection , my opponents are taking me more seriously as a threat , '' she told CNN . The main objection of Hasan and the nongovernmental organization Platform on Shipbreaking against the IMO convention is that it fails to deal with the issue of pre-cleaning -- the removal of toxic materials from ships before they are beached and dismantled , which is often done by hand by laborers without any safety equipment . `` Technical details about recycling are being discussed , but nothing about pre-cleaning of ships . It 's the core issue . Pre-cleaning is when the majority of in-built toxic material of a ship is removed before being beached in a foreign country . Plus , nothing is being said against beaching -- Bangladesh 's beaches have become a natural disadvantage , '' Hasan told CNN . Secretary-General of the IMO Efthimios E. Mitropoulos stated in his opening address of conference its aim `` is to adopt a new convention on the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships , while balancing the commercial and economic considerations of the industry . '' With perhaps too much emphasis on the economic considerations of the industry , Hasan believes the IMO is in effect legalizing shipbreaking in the name of ship recycling . `` They 're talking about the responsibility of the ship owners in building new ships , but not about the existing ships and what to do them , '' said Hasan . More ships to scrap . The ship breaking industry is booming . Single-hull oil tankers have to be taken off the high seas by 2010 , but the financial downturn has also become a major factor . With less trade in goods , container ships are being taken out of service and scrapped , as shipping lines can no longer afford to keep them afloat . In turn shipbreaking industries fuels local businesses in iron milling and create local markets for parts from ships , including anything salvaged , from doors and tables to nuts and bolts . Shipping companies often sell their decommission ships to intermediary companies that then sell the ships to breakers yards . Less scrupulous companies will not ensure the ships are as free of toxic materials as they should be before they are dismantled and even change their flag of convenience so they are not bound by the UN Basel convention on the exporting of toxic material . In 2006 legal actions instigated by Hasan were successful in turning away two toxic-laden ships from being beached in Bangladesh . The dangerous job of breaking up ships has migrated from dry docks in industrial countries to other ports across the world , where labor and environmental laws are not strictly upheld . While still happening on a smaller scale in India , it was because of tighter laws there that more ships started being beached across the Bay of Bengal . The bulk of Bangladesh 's shipbreaking is done on the beaches around Chittagong in southeastern Bangladesh . Casual laborers often include children and do n't have the most basic of protection gear , such as gloves , hard hats or face masks while breaking up the ship by hand and have to handle a cocktail of toxic waste including asbestos , PCBs , lead and other heavy metals . See more photos of the shipbreaking yards '' Accidents and death are common , although Hasan says it 's almost impossible to say how many accidents occur ; the shipbreaking companies are cagey on the numbers . `` I call it exploitation , I do n't call it employment . The majority of the laborers are seasonal migrants from the north , the poorest of the poor . They will get three meals and day and rarely some payment , but they will definitely get diseases , '' said Hasan . Environmental devastation . As well as the human impact , the environmental damage has been equally devastating , with heavy metals contaminating the surrounding land , oil leaking into the oceans , and asbestos released into the air . Mangroves , natural protection zones against floods , have been cut down to make way for the shipbreaking yards and high value beachland leased out to the companies that run them . Fishing , the traditional livelihood of many in the region , has been ruined because of polluted water and few fish left in coastal waters . `` Bangladesh is allowing its beach to turn into a dumping ground . It 's a classic example of environmental injustice , '' said Hasan . Yet Hasan is not denouncing the industry completely but the way in which it is conducted . `` It 's a matter of disgrace for Bangladesh to have this industry in its current form . I 'm not saying I want the industry to shut down , because the main stakeholders , the workers have a say in this . They should have a say whether we need the industry or not , '' said Hasan . There have been improvements in the treatment of workers since the High Court of Bangladesh ruled in March in favor of tighter regulations surrounding the industry . `` Until very recently the owners -LSB- of the shipbreaking companies -RSB- did n't take responsibility for deaths or injuries . After we started filing the cases they have started paying compensation . '' The cases Hasan won were founded on the U.N. 's Basel Convention on the export and disposal of toxic waste . Although it has provided the means for Hasan and her team to score victories in the courts , the Basel ruling is a set of guidelines where the principal was to regulate toxic waste and not a legally binding rule for shipping . Adamson maintains that the Basle convention and other UN measures to protect ship workers and the environment were `` heavily involved '' in the draft convention . He also questions the usefulness of a convention that does not get universal agreement . `` There is nothing that can force a sovereign state to become party to an international convention should it consider it not in its interests to do so . What would be the value of a convention to which those states were not party ? That , I think , is very much at the heart of the matter , '' he told CNN . Regardless of the final wording of the convention , Hasan 's attentions will focus on improving the situation in Bangladesh for shipbreaking workers and the environment . `` There 's something called natural justice . Enough is enough . Since the workers have been informed that there has been a ruling things have changed ; they 're getting their compensation . But that 's not my goal -- to kill people and then give them compensation . My ultimate goal is to see this industry does n't pollute and does not kill , '' said Hasan . | U.N. meeting in Hong Kong to draw up new convention on ship recycling . Eco lawyer Rizwana Hasan claims it wo n't stop dangerous shipbreaking practices . Bangladesh beaches sites of polluting and dangerous shipbreaking . Hasan succeeded in making Bangladeshi government clean up shipbreaking yards . | [[0, 33], [100, 206], [2551, 2638], [207, 292], [388, 420], [442, 512]] |
YANGON , Myanmar -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an American man who swam to her lakeside home went on trial in the military dictatorship Monday behind closed doors inside a prison compound . Soldiers guard the entrance to Insein Prison on Monday in Yangon , Myanmar . The trial is expected to last about three months , said Nyan Win , spokesman for her National League for Democracy party . Suu Kyi 's lawyer asked the court to open up the hearings but was turned down because of security concerns , Win said . Police put up roadblocks on the streets leading to the Insean Prison near Yangon , with a half-dozen officers at each station . Shops around the prison were closed , according to opposition exile groups . A group of diplomats from Germany , Italy , Australia and Britain tried to pass through the barricades to attend the trial . They were stopped and turned away . `` It was a way of signaling our concern at what 's happening and the need for the proceedings in the court to take place in an open and transparent fashion , '' Britain 's ambassador to Myanmar , Mark Canning , told CNN . About 100 supporters of Suu Kyi waited outside . The American visitor , John Yettaw , is charged with immigration violations and trespassing into a restrictive area , charges that carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison . Watch more on Suu Kyi 's trial '' He is accused of staying overnight in Suu Kyi 's lakeside home earlier this month , violating the conditions of her house arrest , according to the country 's ruling military junta , which rarely grants her visitors . The central Missouri man was appointed a lawyer selected by the U.S. embassy , Win said . Suu Kyi , the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate , and two of her maids have been detained under Section 22 of the country 's legal code -- a law against subversion -- according to Nyan Win , spokesman for Suu Kyi 's National League for Democracy . Suu Kyi , 63 , had been scheduled to be released from house arrest later this month after being incarcerated 13 of the past 19 years . She is now being held in a specially built area of Insein Prison , where Yettaw also is detained , a U.S. Embassy official told CNN on Friday . The timing of Suu Kyi 's detention raised suspicion among her supporters , who said the government 's action was an excuse to extend her house arrest . Watch former U.S. president Jimmy Carter discuss Aung San Suu Kyi '' `` This is the cunning plan of the regime to put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in continuous detention beyond the six years allowed by the law they used to justify the detention of her , '' said the U.S. Campaign for Burma , a pro-democracy group fighting for her release . `` Daw '' is an honorific . The southeast Asian country was known as Burma before the military government changed it to Myanmar . Those who oppose the junta still use the old name . Suu Kyi 's lawyer , U Kyi Win , blamed her prison detention on Yettaw . Local media said Yettaw , a 53-year-old former military serviceman from Falcon , Missouri , swam almost two miles across Inya Lake on May 3 and sneaked into Suu Kyi 's home . Police maintain a round-the-clock presence outside the house . And swimming in the lake is forbidden . U Kyi Win told CNN that Yettaw arrived at his client 's house that day and that she asked him to leave immediately . U Kyi Win said Yettaw refused to leave , first saying he did n't want to swim in daylight for fear of being captured , and later blaming leg cramps . Yettaw finally left May 5 . Suu Kyi did n't tell authorities about the visit because she did n't want Yettaw or anyone else to get in trouble , Win said , nothing that several of her party members and supporters are already in jail . He added that Yettaw would likely be in the courtroom during the trial . Little else is known about Yettaw 's role in the Myanmar incident or his intentions , apart from local media reports that said Yettaw , a diabetic , told Suu Kyi 's two housekeepers he was tired and hungry after the swim and they offered him food . Some previous media reports referred to him as John William Yeattaw . He appeared healthy and in good spirits at a hearing on Friday at Insein Prison , the U.S. Embassy official said . The defense will argue that Yettaw entered Suu Kyi 's home due to poor government security , said Jared Genser , a Washington , D.C.-based lawyer who is one of the attorneys on her defense team . `` Frankly , she does not believe she did any offense , '' Genser said . He noted that Insein Prison houses many political prisoners , and the conditions are poor for even a young , healthy person . Tuberculosis is rampant , mosquitoes and other insects are numerous , and nighttime temperatures at the prison frequently reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit -LRB- 29-32 Celsius -RRB- with no fresh air traveling through the facility , Genser said . `` There is deep reason to be concerned with her detention , '' he said . `` Insein is a notorious prison . It is filthy . ... When you combine that with her health concerns , it is very worrying . '' Suu Kyi has been the face of Myanmar 's pro-democracy movement and the focus of a global campaign to free her . Her National League for Democracy party won over 80 percent of the legislative seats in 1990 , but she was disqualified from serving because of her house arrest , and the military junta ignored the results . It was during her house arrest that she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 . CNN 's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report . | Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial with U.S. man . John Yettaw is charged with trespassing into restrictive area . Suu Kyi 's supporters call charges an excuse to extend her house arrest . The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was scheduled to end 13 years of house arrest . | [[1184, 1204], [1212, 1299], [2291, 2305], [2312, 2375], [2317, 2384], [1954, 1961], [1964, 1966], [1969, 1990], [1954, 1961], [1988, 2088]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The bodies of young elephants covered in the brown dirt of dried-up wells tell a heartrending story . A baby elephant in the Gourma region of central Mali had been trapped in a well for three days . Reaching desperately for drops of water , they had lowered their trunks , toppled in , remained trapped and died in Mali 's scorching heat . The `` last desert elephants in West Africa '' have `` adapted to survive in the harsh conditions '' they face , Save the Elephants said Monday . But now , the group says , conditions have gone from bad to worse , and they are living `` on the margin of what is ecologically viable . '' Save the Elephants distributed new pictures Monday that depict the devastating drought and the struggle for survival in Mali , one of the poorest nations in the world . `` Six elephants have already been found dead , '' the group wrote in a news release accompanying the photos . `` Four others , including three calves , were recently extracted from a shallow well into which they had fallen when searching for water . Only the largest survived . '' The youngest are in the most danger , since their smaller trunks ca n't reach deep into the few remaining wells , the group said . The worst drought in 26 years is threatening the existence of the `` last desert elephants in West Africa , '' the northernmost herds in the continent , Save the Elephants said . The animals , now numbering only about 350 to 450 , have been called `` the last elephants of Timbuktu , '' said Jake Wall , a scientist with Save the Elephants . But they 're south of Timbuktu , Wall told CNN in a phone interview from Bamako , Mali . `` We tend to refer to them as ` the last Sahelian elephants . ' '' See a map of Mali '' Each year , the elephants trek farther on the fringes of the Sahara to find water . They have the longest migration route of any in the continent , traveling `` in a counterclockwise circle '' of about 700 kilometers -LRB- 435 miles -RRB- , Save the Elephants said . The images are signs of the crisis gripping the northwest African nation . The U.N. Development Programme ranks Mali near the bottom of its Human Development Index . It cites a 56 percent poverty rate in the country , with nearly a third of the population unlikely to live past age 40 , and an illiteracy rate of 77 percent . The World Food Programme says the majority of infant deaths in Mali are due to malnutrition . The drought , combined with soaring temperatures , has also led to deaths of cattle , Save the Elephants said . `` The stench of rotting corpses fills the air , and what little water remains is putrid and undrinkable by all standards . '' In areas where the elephants live and search for water , `` the normal peaceful coexistence between the elephants and herdsmen is starting to break down and giving way to conflict over access to water , '' Wall said . There is some hope for the weeks and months ahead . `` We 're hoping the rains start in June , and that will allow the elephants to start drinking out of shallow ponds until the really heavy rains begin '' in July or August , Wall said . But `` urgent action '' is needed in the interim `` to secure water for the elephants , '' Wall 's group said in its news release . Save the Elephants , which focuses on helping elephant populations worldwide , said it has partnered with a foundation and the Mali government in its fundraising appeal . | Elephants dying in Mali are among 350 to 450 left in the area . Save the Elephants releases photos of elephants struggling during drought . Soaring heat is killing cattle , which is leading to water pollution , group says . There is hope that rain in June may provide relief to elephants . | [[1407, 1456], [1459, 1509], [646, 770], [260, 264], [326, 358], [2435, 2483], [2486, 2518], [2945, 2984]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman Loera , a 54-year-old drug cartel leader whose nickname means `` Shorty , '' is the most wanted man in Mexico . He 's also one of the most wanted men in the United States . Joaquin `` El Chapo '' Guzman Loera leads the Sinaloa cartel , which is battling for turf along the border . For five years , the State Department has kept a $ 5 million bounty on his head , calling Guzman a threat to U.S. security . Guzman , who leads the Sinaloa cartel , is a key player in the bloody turf battles being fought along the border . He recently upped the stakes , ordering his associates to use lethal force to protect their loads in contested drug trafficking corridors , according to the Los Angeles Times . The cartel 's tentacles and those of its chief rival , the Gulf cartel , already reach across the border and into metropolitan areas such as Atlanta , Georgia ; Chicago , Illinois ; Seattle , Washington ; St. Louis , Missouri ; and Charlotte , North Carolina , Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Joseph Arabit told a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee in March . `` No other country in the world has a greater impact on the drug situation in the United States than Mexico does , '' said Arabit , who heads the DEA 's office in this year 's border hot spot , El Paso , Texas . See where Mexican cartels are in the U.S. . A December 2008 report by the Justice Department 's National Drug Intelligence Center revealed that Mexican drug traffickers can be found in more than 230 U.S. cities . So far , the U.S. has largely been spared the violence seen in Mexico , where the cartels ' running gunbattles with police , the military and each other claimed about 6,500 lives last year . It was a sharp spike from the 2,600 deaths attributed to cartel violence in 2007 . Once again , drug war casualties are mounting on the Mexican side at a record pace in 2009 -- more than 1,000 during the first three months of the year , Arabit said . See who the key players are '' The violence that has spilled over into the U.S. has been restricted to the players in the drug trade -- trafficker-on-trafficker , DEA agents say . But law enforcement officials and analysts who spoke with CNN agree that it is only a matter of time before innocent people on the U.S. side get caught in the cartel crossfire . `` It 's coming . I guarantee , it 's coming , '' said Michael Sanders , a DEA spokesman in Washington . Sinaloa cartel leader Guzman 's shoot-to-kill instructions are n't limited to Mexican authorities and cartel rivals ; they also include U.S. law enforcement officials , the Los Angeles Times reported , citing sources and intelligence memos . The move is seen as dangerously brazen , the newspaper reported . In the past , the cartels have tried to avoid direct confrontation with U.S. law enforcement . U.S. officials are trying to stop the violence from crossing the border . The Obama administration committed to spending an additional $ 700 million to help Mexico fight the cartels and agreed to double the number of U.S. agents working the border . But $ 700 million pales in comparison with the wealth amassed by just one target . Guzman , who started in collections and rose to lead his own cartel , is said to be worth $ 1 billion after more than two decades in the drug trade . He made this year 's Forbes list of the richest of the rich , landing between a Swiss tycoon and an heir to the Campbell 's Soup fortune . Popular Mexican songs , called narcocorridos , embellish the myth of the poorly educated but charismatic cartel leader . `` Shorty is the Pablo Escobar of Mexico , '' said security consultant Scott Stewart , invoking the memory of the colorful Medellin cartel leader who also landed on the Forbes list and thumbed his nose at Colombian authorities until he died in a shower of police bullets in December 1993 . Stewart , a former agent for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security , gathers intelligence on the cartels for Stratfor , a Texas-based security consulting firm that helped document Guzman 's worth . Just a decade ago , Mexican smugglers worked as mules for Colombians , moving their cocaine by land across the U.S. border when the heat was on in the Caribbean . But Colombian President Alvaro Uribe 's campaign of arrests and extraditions made ghosts of the Medellin and Cali cartels . The mules stepped into the power vacuum and never looked back . Now they buy cocaine from the Colombians and take their own profits . Mexican cartels now bring in about 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States , according to the DEA . Mexico also is the top foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine . Marijuana became the cartels ' biggest revenue source for the first time in 2007 , bringing in $ 8.5 billion . Cocaine came in second , at $ 3.9 billion , and methamphetamine earned $ 1 billion , a top U.S. drug policymaker told a group of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials last year . Watch how marijuana became the cartels ' top cash crop '' The Mexican government recognizes seven cartels , but the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels are the major players along the U.S. border , according to the DEA agents , local police officials and security analysts who spoke with CNN . The cartels ' enforcers -- Los Negros for Sinaloa , Los Zetas for Gulf -- are believed to be responsible for most of the violence . The status and alliances of the players continue to shift . Although the DEA and some analysts disagree , others say the Zetas , a paramilitary group of turncoat soldiers and anti-narcotics police , are now running the Gulf cartel . `` From what we 've seen , the Zetas have taken over the Gulf cartel , '' analyst Stewart said . `` In violent times , soldiers tend to rise to the top . '' These soldiers are incredibly well-armed , police learned after a November raid that resulted in the arrest of top Zeta lieutenant Jaime `` Hummer '' Gonzalez Duran . It was the largest weapons seizure in Mexican history -- 540 rifles , including AK-47s ; 287 grenades ; two rocket launchers ; and 500,000 rounds of ammunition . At the very least , the Zeta enforcers now have a seat at the table . The DEA 's Arabit testified that the Gulf cartel is now run by a triumvirate . Included is Los Zetas leader Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano , a former military man who is also known as `` El Lazco , '' or `` The Executioner . '' The past year witnessed unprecedented bloodshed as the two cartels battled for control of the border 's lucrative drug-trafficking corridors . The cartels are fighting over control of Ciudad Juarez , across the border from El Paso , Texas ; Sonora Nogales , across from Nogales , Arizona ; and Tijuana , across the border from San Diego , California . Two years ago , the turf battle was over Nuevo Laredo , across the border from Laredo , Texas . It 's all about the highways that help move the drugs . Nuevo Laredo is close to the Interstate 35 corridor , and Juarez has easy access to I-10 , a major east-west interstate , and I-25 , which runs north to Denver , Colorado . Tijuana is also conveniently near I-10 and I-5 , which heads north all the way to the Canadian border . Some of the battles are internal , Arabit said . Some are with other cartels . And some , he said , can be attributed to the cartels ' `` desperate '' attempt to resist Mexican President Felipe Calderon 's unprecedented attack on drug traffickers . As soon as he took office in January 2007 , Calderon called out the cartels . He has deployed about 30,000 troops to back up and , in some cases , do the job of local police . Mexico also has extradited about 190 cartel suspects to the United States since Calderon took office . The violence involves beheadings , running gunbattles and discoveries of mass graves and huge arms caches . Police and public officials have been gunned down in broad daylight . The cartels ' enforcers boldly display recruitment banners in the streets . `` The beheadings started at the same time the beheading videos started coming out of Iraq , '' analyst Stewart said . `` It was simple machismo . The Sinaloa guys started putting up videos on YouTube of them torturing Zetas . '' When Mexicans first stepped into the role of Colombians in the mid-1990s , the Juarez and Tijuana cartels were dominant , beneficiaries of their location . Today , they are shadows of their former selves , weakened by the deaths and arrests of their leaders . Juarez cartel leader Amado Carrillo Fuentes died of complications from plastic surgery in 1997 . Known as `` The King of the Skies '' for his fleet of cocaine-carrying planes , he was said to be undergoing liposuction and other appearance-altering procedures to avoid arrest . Three of his doctors were charged with killing the cartel leader with an overdose of anesthetic during his surgery . Two of them later were killed . His death , along with the 2003 arrest of Gulf cartel founder Osiel Cardenas Guillen , set the stage for the ongoing turf battle . When Cardenas was extradited in 2007 , Guzman set his sights on controlling Juarez as well as Nogales . Cardenas is awaiting trial in October in federal court in Houston , Texas , where he is accused of drug trafficking and attempting to kill two federal agents and an informant on the streets of Matamoros , Mexico . Arrests and extraditions crippled the Arellano-Felix Organization in Tijuana , and last year , Guzman made a move on that plaza as well . `` Right now , they are fighting to survive much like Pablo Escobar , '' said the DEA 's Elizabeth Kempshall , who heads the agency 's office in Phoenix , Arizona . Phoenix has become the nation 's kidnapping capital , largely because of the cartels ' increasing presence . Kempshall said that cartel leaders fear nothing more than extradition : `` That is the worst thing for any cartel leader , to face justice in the United States . '' CNN 's Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this story . | Sinaloa , Gulf cartels battle for control of drug routes across U.S. border . The turf war has spurred record death tolls with gunbattles , beheadings . U.S. is doubling number of agents at border , spending $ 700 million . Agents , analysts compare situation to '90s battle against Colombian cartels . | [[258, 284], [291, 330], [5110, 5182], [6425, 6567], [6476, 6567], [512, 570], [1830, 1840], [1843, 1920], [6425, 6567], [7734, 7841], [7734, 7746], [7756, 7766], [7769, 7841], [2938, 3045], [2938, 2962], [3021, 3027], [3050, 3113], [5110, 5138], [5185, 5259]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Serbian police are conducting another search for war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic and another fugitive , the office of the war crimes prosecutor in Belgrade said Friday . Ratko Mladic , pictured in 1993 , is the highest-ranking war crimes suspect still at large . The search , launched at the request of Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic , is being conducted around the town of Arandjelovac , 45 miles -LRB- 75 kilometers -RRB- south of Belgrade , the prosecutor 's office said . Serbia is offering a reward of 1 million euros for information leading to the capture of Ratko Mladic , the Bosnian Serb general wanted by the United Nations ' International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia , ICTY , in the Hague . A reward of $ 250,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of Serbia 's other fugitive , Goran Hadzic . Mladic is the highest-ranking figure from the conflict to remain at large following the July arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic . Mladic commanded the Bosnian Serb military during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina . The U.N. tribunal indicted Mladic in 1995 , along with 51 others , on charges involving war crimes and atrocities committed during four years of civil war . In July 1996 , an international arrest warrant was issued for Mladic after investigators collected evidence at the site of the Srebrenica massacre . Mladic stepped down as military commander in November 1996 and returned to Belgrade . But he disappeared after former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was arrested in 2001 . The 66-year-old faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity over the killing of some 7,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995 . He 's also wanted for his role in the 1992 shelling of Sarajevo . In 1992 , as hostilities broke out in Sarajevo , Mladic led the `` shelling and sniping to target civilian areas of the city and its civilian population and institutions , killing and wounding civilians , and thereby also inflicting terror upon the civilian population , '' the war crimes tribunal contends . The status of Mladic is one of the major stumbling block 's to Serbia 's admission to the European Union . In April Serbia 's government signed a preliminary agreement setting the country on the path to full EU membership . But ratification of the agreement was made conditional on Serbia sending Mladic to the Hague . CNN 's Ben Blake in London , England , contributed to this report . | Serbian police search for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic . Mladic is the highest-ranking Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect still at large . Search conducted in town of Arandjelovac , 75kms -LRB- 45 miles -RRB- south of Belgrade . Serbian EU membership agreement conditional on sending Mladic to the Hague . | [[0, 15], [19, 120], [189, 201], [223, 281], [282, 351], [361, 369], [372, 442], [2342, 2432]] |
YANGON , Myanmar -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an American man who swam to her lakeside home went on trial in the military dictatorship Monday behind closed doors inside a prison compound . Soldiers guard the entrance to Insein Prison on Monday in Yangon , Myanmar . The trial is expected to last about three months , said Nyan Win , spokesman for her National League for Democracy party . Suu Kyi 's lawyer asked the court to open up the hearings but was turned down because of security concerns , Win said . Police put up roadblocks on the streets leading to the Insean Prison near Yangon , with a half-dozen officers at each station . Shops around the prison were closed , according to opposition exile groups . A group of diplomats from Germany , Italy , Australia and Britain tried to pass through the barricades to attend the trial . They were stopped and turned away . `` It was a way of signaling our concern at what 's happening and the need for the proceedings in the court to take place in an open and transparent fashion , '' Britain 's ambassador to Myanmar , Mark Canning , told CNN . About 100 supporters of Suu Kyi waited outside . The American visitor , John Yettaw , is charged with immigration violations and trespassing into a restrictive area , charges that carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison . Watch more on Suu Kyi 's trial '' He is accused of staying overnight in Suu Kyi 's lakeside home earlier this month , violating the conditions of her house arrest , according to the country 's ruling military junta , which rarely grants her visitors . The central Missouri man was appointed a lawyer selected by the U.S. embassy , Win said . Suu Kyi , the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate , and two of her maids have been detained under Section 22 of the country 's legal code -- a law against subversion -- according to Nyan Win , spokesman for Suu Kyi 's National League for Democracy . Suu Kyi , 63 , had been scheduled to be released from house arrest later this month after being incarcerated 13 of the past 19 years . She is now being held in a specially built area of Insein Prison , where Yettaw also is detained , a U.S. Embassy official told CNN on Friday . The timing of Suu Kyi 's detention raised suspicion among her supporters , who said the government 's action was an excuse to extend her house arrest . Watch former U.S. president Jimmy Carter discuss Aung San Suu Kyi '' `` This is the cunning plan of the regime to put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in continuous detention beyond the six years allowed by the law they used to justify the detention of her , '' said the U.S. Campaign for Burma , a pro-democracy group fighting for her release . `` Daw '' is an honorific . The southeast Asian country was known as Burma before the military government changed it to Myanmar . Those who oppose the junta still use the old name . Suu Kyi 's lawyer , U Kyi Win , blamed her prison detention on Yettaw . Local media said Yettaw , a 53-year-old former military serviceman from Falcon , Missouri , swam almost two miles across Inya Lake on May 3 and sneaked into Suu Kyi 's home . Police maintain a round-the-clock presence outside the house . And swimming in the lake is forbidden . U Kyi Win told CNN that Yettaw arrived at his client 's house that day and that she asked him to leave immediately . U Kyi Win said Yettaw refused to leave , first saying he did n't want to swim in daylight for fear of being captured , and later blaming leg cramps . Yettaw finally left May 5 . Suu Kyi did n't tell authorities about the visit because she did n't want Yettaw or anyone else to get in trouble , Win said , nothing that several of her party members and supporters are already in jail . He added that Yettaw would likely be in the courtroom during the trial . Little else is known about Yettaw 's role in the Myanmar incident or his intentions , apart from local media reports that said Yettaw , a diabetic , told Suu Kyi 's two housekeepers he was tired and hungry after the swim and they offered him food . Some previous media reports referred to him as John William Yeattaw . He appeared healthy and in good spirits at a hearing on Friday at Insein Prison , the U.S. Embassy official said . The defense will argue that Yettaw entered Suu Kyi 's home due to poor government security , said Jared Genser , a Washington , D.C.-based lawyer who is one of the attorneys on her defense team . `` Frankly , she does not believe she did any offense , '' Genser said . He noted that Insein Prison houses many political prisoners , and the conditions are poor for even a young , healthy person . Tuberculosis is rampant , mosquitoes and other insects are numerous , and nighttime temperatures at the prison frequently reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit -LRB- 29-32 Celsius -RRB- with no fresh air traveling through the facility , Genser said . `` There is deep reason to be concerned with her detention , '' he said . `` Insein is a notorious prison . It is filthy . ... When you combine that with her health concerns , it is very worrying . '' Suu Kyi has been the face of Myanmar 's pro-democracy movement and the focus of a global campaign to free her . Her National League for Democracy party won over 80 percent of the legislative seats in 1990 , but she was disqualified from serving because of her house arrest , and the military junta ignored the results . It was during her house arrest that she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 . CNN 's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report . | Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial with U.S. man . John Yettaw is charged with trespassing into restrictive area . Suu Kyi 's supporters call charges an excuse to extend her house arrest . The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was scheduled to end 13 years of house arrest . | [[1184, 1204], [1212, 1299], [2291, 2305], [2312, 2375], [2317, 2384], [1954, 1961], [1964, 1966], [1969, 1990], [1954, 1961], [1988, 2088]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President George W. Bush called India 's prime minister Thursday to push a proposed nuclear partnership that sparked an unsuccessful no-confidence vote against the Indian leader this week , a White House spokesman said . Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a confidence vote despite opposition to the nuclear deal . `` Both leaders expressed their desire to see the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear issue move forward as expeditiously as possible , '' Gordon Johndroe said . The phone call took place two days after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh narrowly survived the no-confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament . The vote was sparked by concerns from the opposition that India was kowtowing to the U.S. . The tentative deal was announced in 2006 and signed by Bush and Singh a year ago . Under the agreement , which will need to be approved by the U.S. Congress , India would have access to U.S. nuclear fuel and technology for its civilian nuclear power plants . That would happen even though New Delhi , which tested nuclear weapons in 1974 and 1998 , has declined to join international non-proliferation agreements . In return , India has promised that it would not transfer the fuel and equipment to its weapons program , and it would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect at least 14 of its 22 nuclear plants . The plan would also expand U.S.-Indian cooperation in energy and satellite technology . The plan was approved by India 's Cabinet last year , and does not have to be ratified by the parliament . The leaders of India 's two communist parties -- which hold about 60 seats in Parliament -- have accused Singh of surrendering India 's sovereignty to the United States with the deal . A no-confidence vote would have forced Singh to resign , and required the government to hold early elections unless a new coalition could have been formed . The Congress Party-led coalition has governed India since 2004 . Tuesday 's 275-256 vote was so crucial to the survival of Singh 's government that five members of parliament serving prison sentences were freed to cast votes -- under the watchful eyes of their jailers . Shortly after Singh survived the vote , White House spokeswoman Dana Perino praised the deal as `` a good one for everybody . '' `` It 's good for India because it would help provide them a source for energy that they need , one that is nonpolluting and one that does n't emit greenhouse gas emissions , '' she said . `` And we think that we can move forward with this . If their legislature lets it move forward , then we can do the same here and then we 'll be able to get this wrapped up . '' | President Bush calls India 's PM to push a proposed nuclear partnership . Indian government won confidence vote in face of anger over U.S. nuclear deal . Five members of parliament serving prison sentences were freed to vote . | [[0, 9], [62, 140], [102, 224], [258, 350], [2062, 2138]] |
BIHAR , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Extreme flooding has displaced millions of people on either side of the India-Nepal border after a river burst its banks , authorities said Thursday . People walk along a flooded railway track in Madhepura , India . In India 's northeastern state of Bihar , almost 3 million people have been affected by the worst flooding in decades , and more than 100,000 people have been displaced in southeastern Nepal after the breach last week . The Saptakoshi River in Nepal is the same one that flooded neighboring India 's poorest state , although the Indians call it the Kosi River . In some stretches , it is three miles -LRB- 5 km -RRB- wide . Nepalese Home Secretary Umesh Mainali said that of those displaced in Nepal , `` more than 40,000 are living in government run camps . '' Many victims are taking shelter in schools and colleges . Residents were forced from their homes after an aged and damaged embankment on the river burst August 18 in Nepal . Water flowed so forcefully through the breach that it actually changed the course of the river , which now flows 75 miles -LRB- 120 km -RRB- east of its original bed . Bad weather and washed-out roads -- including the region 's main highway -- have hampered relief efforts , officials said . The heavy rains have also made repairing the breach difficult . Nepalese and Indian teams have been working separately to try to stem the flow of water , Mainali said . State-run Nepal Television reported Thursday that many Indian citizens are coming through the open border because of the availability of food and shelter . The Indian government said that about 50 people have been killed , revising the figure down from 87 deaths reported Wednesday . The Disaster Management Department in Bihar released a death toll of 12 , an increase of two since Wednesday . There was no immediate explanation for the variance in numbers . `` Flood is understatement , '' Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said . `` It 's a disaster . '' Watch how India is struggling to cope '' Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi , head of the ruling Congress party , flew over the four most flooded districts of Supaul , Saharsa , Araria and Madhepura , the news agency Press Trust of India reported . Singh announced immediate aid of about $ 238 million and promised the delivery of 125,000 metric tons of grain to the region . CNN 's Sara Sidner traveled by boat Thursday with some of the soldiers and called the mayhem `` enormous . '' `` We have seen panic , we 've seen sorrow , we 've seen despair . ... Hundreds of people screamed to us from rooftops as we floated by . '' The soldiers were trying to pull people to safety , Sidner said , `` but there are simply too many people to rescue and too few boats to do so . People were literally screaming , waving , running with suitcases in water trying to get to us . '' The Home Ministry said that nearly 153,000 people have been evacuated , and 31,000 are staying in 155 relief camps . About 228,000 homes have been damaged . There was no number provided Thursday on the number of homes destroyed . Madhepura district , where 1 million people live in 378 villages , is the worst hit , officials said . There are 900,000 residents in Supaul and 250,000 in Araria . More than 2.7 million people in 1,600 villages have been affected , thousands of them marooned on thin strips of dry land peeking out from cloudy brown waters of the swollen Kosi River . With heavy rainfall forecast for the next two days , officials worry that the situation will get much worse . Indians call it the River of Sorrow . Every summer , from June to September , the relentless monsoon rains cause the Kosi to overflow , bringing untold misery . This year , though , it swallowed entire villages in areas unaccustomed to water that deep -- with the worst flooding in 80 years in the landlocked rural state . Government agencies , nongovernmental organizations and good Samaritans have begun doing what they can : using motorboats to rescue stranded residents , for example , or dropping thousands of food packets from the sky . Watch as boats deliver supplies , provide rescue '' The scale of the disaster is overwhelming . About half the state is under water , a submerged area the size of the entire U.S. state of Delaware . One man told CNN 's partner network IBN that he scrounged together 2,000 rupees -LRB- $ 45 -RRB- to pay a boatman to ferry his family to safety . `` We agreed on 2,000 -LRB- rupees -RRB- , and he upped it to 2,700 -LRB- $ 61 -RRB- just like that , '' he said . `` What can I do ? I paid him . '' But many others stayed put . Nine hundred million Indians survive on less than 85 rupees -LRB- $ 2 -RRB- a day , a British government study found this year . Many of them live in Bihar , the poorest and considered to be the most lawless state in India . They have nowhere to go . `` It 's raining here . People are on rooftops begging to be rescued , '' CNN 's Bharati Naik said while touring some of the affected area Thursday . There are `` not enough boats . Villagers are crying and extremely frustrated . '' Officials worry that in coming days , stranded residents may start drinking the contaminated river water , raising fears of an epidemic . `` There is no water to drink , '' one man told CNN-IBN . `` We are hungry . We 're thirsty . We have to drink something . '' Roshan Kumar , a teacher from one of the flooded villages , arrived at an army base to seek help for his neighbors . About 30,000 people are stranded , he said . The army said it 's doing all it can . Meanwhile , the water level in many areas continues to rise even as hope , among many , is beginning to falter . | India and Nepal battle worst flooding for decades . India says 3 million affected in northeast ; Nepal says 100,000 displaced . River burst bank and now flows 75 miles east of its original course . Indian prime minister tours area and announces $ 238 million aid package . | [[8, 29], [33, 123], [249, 366], [3801, 3909], [249, 366], [369, 468], [130, 153], [869, 878], [926, 973], [1070, 1079], [1088, 1152], [2272, 2324]] |
EL PASO , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Marina Diaz knows each day could be her last when she leaves for school each morning . Marina Diaz and Alejandro Caballero cross a U.S.-Mexico border checkpoint on the way to school each day . But that does n't stop her from making the trip from her home on the dusty outskirts of Ciudad Juarez , Mexico , a key battleground in Mexico 's drug wars , to El Paso , Texas , where she attends high school . From the moment she catches a bus to downtown Juarez , she is mindful of her surroundings . This is a city that saw 1,600 homicides last year . She warily watches the federal soldiers patrolling the streets . Diaz , 18 , finally relaxes after she clears customs at a border checkpoint and passes the `` Welcome to Texas ! '' sign greeting pedestrians at the intersection of El Paso Street and 6th Avenue in downtown El Paso . From there , it 's another five minutes to the Lydia Patterson Institute . She is not the only student making the trip across the border each day . In fact , most of the students in the school do it : About 70 percent of the institute 's 459 students live in Juarez . Some are American citizens with Mexican parents ; others are Mexican citizens who carry a student visa to any one of three U.S.-Mexico border checkpoints in El Paso that serve tens of thousands of students , white-collar workers and day laborers each day . Students describe their lives and daily challenges '' When she gets to the school each morning , Diaz changes out of her jogging pants and into her uniform skirt . `` Because of the people over there , I do n't feel comfortable with the men and stuff , so I wear pants , '' she explains . `` You definitely see a difference here . The streets , they are more clean here than they are in Juarez , and I think the people respect you a little more . You do n't have to worry about people giving you trouble . '' El Paso , population 734,000 , has long enjoyed the benefits of strong community ties with its industrial sister city of approximately 1.5 million . But the violence and insecurity created by the war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels has strained that relationship . For students at Lydia Patterson , who live in Juarez and cross the bridge each weekday , the small , United Methodist preparatory school has become a safe haven in the months since drug-related violence in Juarez has intensified . `` My school is a home for me because I have teachers and they treat me like parents , '' says Hazel Barrera , 18 . `` Here , they take care of us and they make us feel comfortable and safe . '' Lydia Patterson 's faculty and administrators -- many of whom are graduates of the school , and also reside in Juarez -- say the school 's mission is very much the same as it was when it was founded nearly 100 years ago as a sanctuary for Mexican families fleeing the violence of the Mexican Revolution . `` Our students are exceptional , and I always tell them I respect them and I admire their courage because they 're living through this horrible time , '' says the school 's president , Socorro Brito de Anda . Watch de Anda talk about how cartel violence affects her school '' `` There are some students who 've had some very horrifying experiences , and we have to be there for them , '' she says . `` Make them feel safe is mainly what we want to do here , make them feel that there 's a place where they can go to school and concentrate on school without having to worry about their safety . '' Despite the Spartan aesthetic of the school grounds , which occupies a city block in downtown El Paso , most students might agree that Lydia Patterson lives up to de Anda 's standards . Hazel Barrera and other Lydia Patterson students help clean the school to pay for their scholarships . By 7:30 a.m. , the cafeteria is buzzing with chatter in English and Spanish of students who come in early for free breakfast . In the open-air courtyard that divides a pair of red-brick , two-story buildings of classrooms , students sit alone and in groups , reading books and exchanging gossip . In between classes , they gather in the office of their beloved student activities coordinator , an alumnus who helps them study history and plan activities . After classes , students linger as long as they can before it gets dark , chatting in empty classrooms with bars and gates over the windows and doors . Many stay for team sports or clubs , others contribute to the school 's upkeep -- a stipulation of the scholarships that more than two-thirds receive . If a soccer game or yearbook meeting ends late , the school ensures that a teacher , coach or parent escorts the students over the bridge , oftentimes , all the way home . `` There are teachers who can take us home because they are close to us and they want to be sure that we come home safe , '' Hazel says . `` I do n't feel like it 's two countries , I feel like it 's two homes . '' Watch Hazel talk about her two homes '' Since Mexican border towns became battlefields in the drug war , American towns like El Paso have become refuges for middle - and upper-class Mexicans . Many have moved their businesses stateside ; the El Paso real estate market is seeing an influx of Mexican nationals and green card-carriers from Juarez purchasing homes and relocating their families . Families that can not give up their lives in Juarez send their children to schools like Lydia Patterson , which has accepted 25 new students from Mexico since January . The instability in Juarez has sent ripple effects through the school . `` We 've had more inquiries from parents wanting to bring students to our school because of security , but on the other hand , they 're struggling financially because many have had to close their business in Juarez due to the violence , so they 're looking for a safe place for their children , '' de Anda says . `` I 've had parents in my office crying and pleading for us to take their children . They say the part of the day that their children are in school is the only time they do n't fear for their safety , '' she says . Ask any student walking through Lydia Patterson 's fluorescent-lit hallways how `` narcotrafico '' related violence has affected him or her , and most relay some vignette about a relative or neighbor who was robbed at gunpoint , extorted with death threats or caught in the middle of gunfire . Diaz remembers the time she and some friends were walking to the mall when they spotted a crowd swarming around a body . `` They told us that it had happened just a few minutes before , and it was like , wow , if we were there only a few minutes earlier , maybe it could 've been us , '' she says , smiling nervously at the thought . Many of the teens at Lydia Patterson appear trapped between two worlds : one in which society tells them they 're not safe , and another in which they feel such fears are exaggerated . The violence in Juarez has curtailed the social lives of Diaz and her friends , as their parents forbid them from going out after school or after dark on the weekends . `` It 's not that they do n't trust my friends or the things I do , but they 're seriously worried that I may be in the wrong place at the wrong time and that something might happen to me , '' says Irvinn Ceja , 16 . Watch Irvinn describe how drug violence has changed his life '' Ceja says he is concerned more for his parents ' safety than his own . `` I think that especially my dad , he 's the one who works , he 's a salesman , he works in the streets , he has to visit his clients , has to offer his products , so most of his time is on the streets driving and that 's a big cause of stress because anything might happen , '' Ceja says . Parents view Lydia Patterson as a means of elevating their family above the instability of Juarez . `` What would have become of my children if they stayed in Ciudad Juarez ? Our lives changed the moment we were able to leave the danger , the fear of going out in the streets , '' says Maria Isabel Munoz Bustamante , whose daughter graduated from Lydia Patterson five years ago , and has a son , Alejandro , enrolled in his senior year . `` We were nearly at the point of being another statistic in Ciudad Juarez , just a number . '' The situation is Juarez also affects students who live in El Paso . Mari Brito says her father 's import business has taken a hit , and the family does n't visit relatives in Juarez as much anymore . Also gone are the days when Brito would cross freely between El Paso and Juarez to hang out with friends . Their contact is now limited to the school day and the Internet . `` We used to have all kinds of fun -LSB- in Juarez -RSB- and now we ca n't anymore because we do n't know if it 's safe , '' says Brito , whose parents sent her to Lydia so she could get in touch with her Mexican roots . Like many El Pasoans , Brito sympathizes with the plight of her classmates and considers it a problem that extends to her community . `` I 've learned to be grateful that I have the opportunity to live in El Paso and to probably care a little more about my neighbor city , '' she says . `` We 're all exposed to it because we know of it and we know the danger of it ... , so we 've all been through it . '' | 70 percent of Lydia Patterson Institute 's students commute from Mexico . Students , parents say school provides sense of security in contrast to Juarez , Mexico . Lydia Patterson Institute has admitted 25 new students from Mexico this year . School founded as sanctuary for families fleeing Mexican Revolution . | [[2183, 2204], [2282, 2357], [3378, 3508], [5617, 5684], [6017, 6096], [5426, 5448], [5455, 5511], [2781, 2913]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Move over Wonder Woman and Lois Lane - Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin are breaking into the world of comic books . No capes , no tights : Female Force stars Sarah Palin , Michelle Obama , Hillary Clinton and Caroline Kennedy . Washington-based publisher Bluewater Productions released a series of comic books featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on March 11 . The company says it has already sold 7,500 copies of each to distributors . `` We really want to show strong , independent , female role models in comics , '' said Darren Davis , president of Bluewater Productions . Another company released comics about President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain during the presidential election . Then they decided that Hillary Clinton 's story needed to be told . `` She was the first -LSB- major -RSB- female presidential candidate , so we just started with -LSB- her -RSB- , and there was so much interest in it , '' said Jason Schultz , executive vice president of Bluewater Productions . The first two issues in Female Force , already released , feature Clinton and Palin . The next two will feature Caroline Kennedy and First Lady Michelle Obama . The Michelle Obama comic is expected to be released in April , and has pre-sold 28,000 copies . The next set will feature other `` strong , independent women '' such as Princess Diana , Schultz said . Comic fans approve of the idea . `` I think it just says , like , that women are important , '' one comic book fan told CNN . Another added , `` It shows that comics are n't just about guys in tights beating each other up -- it 's about information , it 's about understanding people a little better , '' said another reader . Richard Laermer , CEO of a public relations firm and author of several books on marketing , said he 's not surprised . `` We 're in a very politically minded time right now , '' he said . The creators expect to expand the comic book world to a larger demographic with the books . `` It 's bringing a whole new demographic to comic books , '' Schultz said . `` It just shows little girls , young women , that they can be anything they want , '' he added . Mary Ellen Balchunis , an assistant professor of political science at La Salle University in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania said `` getting girls -LSB- interested in politics -RSB- at a younger age is brilliant . '' `` I think it 's great that they 're doing these comic books , '' Balchunis said . `` In the past , women have shown a low level of political efficacy . '' She said the choices are `` fabulous , '' because `` these are the women who are at the top of the totem pole right now . '' Each comic will be biographical , Schultz said . `` With Hillary , it starts with her life and ends up with her as Secretary of State . '' `` It would be fun to see how the superhero Hillary sort of pushes her way forth and shows people what she did in her life . To me that 's just awesome , '' said Laermer . Another professor of political science said the way the women are portrayed will be important . `` Comic books , by definition , are caricatures , but there are different ways of doing those caricatures , '' said Landon Storrs , an associate professor of history at the University of Houston . `` So it 's a question of what the artists go for . If they just tap into familiar stereotypes , then they could reinforce negative ideas about powerful women , even as they are trying to do the opposite , '' she added . The fact that real , living women are now in comic books is another barrier that Davis and Schultz have broken through , historian and author Trina Robbins said . `` It 's about time . They 've never done a major living woman , '' she said . `` I think what 's good is they 're doing women in politics and not Paris Hilton . '' LaNeice Collins reported from New York . Robyn Sidersky reported from Atlanta , Georgia . | A comic book series featuring real women of power has hit the stands . Bluewater Productions series features `` strong , independent women '' Sarah Palin , Hillary Clinton are featured in the first Female Force . Heroes of upcoming issue are Michelle Obama , Caroline Kennedy . | [[317, 415], [0, 15], [19, 89], [317, 415], [1045, 1081], [1103, 1130], [1131, 1205]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The then-senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee urged the CIA in 2003 not to destroy videotapes it had made of the interrogations of terrorist detainees , according to the newly declassified letter . Lawyers for several Guantanamo detainees say the government has defied orders to preserve evidence . Rep. Jane Harman wrote in a letter dated February 10 , 2003 , that destruction of the tapes would `` reflect badly on the agency . '' The Democrat from California released the letter Thursday . Last month , the CIA acknowledged videotapes were made in 2002 of two terrorist detainees but were destroyed in 2005 . Some of the tapes showed the harsh interrogations of Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri . In the case of Zubaydah , the tactics captured on videotape included waterboarding , which simulates drowning , a controversial technique that critics consider a form of torture . Shortly after becoming the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee in 2003 , Harman was briefed on the CIA 's interrogation and detention program , and the existence of the videotapes . She was told of the intention to destroy the tapes once an internal inquiry into the program was complete . Harman wrote her letter to the CIA 's chief lawyer urging the agency to reconsider its plan . `` Even if the videotape does not constitute an official record that must be preserved under the law , the videotape would be the best proof that the written record is accurate , if such record is called into question in the future , '' she wrote . The release of the letter comes a day after the Justice Department announced there is enough evidence to warrant a criminal investigation into the destruction of the CIA tapes . The inquiry will look into whether the CIA or other government officials committed crimes in the handling of the tapes . Congressional oversight committees are independently investigating the tape destruction . The House Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Jose Rodriguez , the former head of the CIA covert service who sources say ordered the destruction of the tapes , to testify before the panel January 16 . CIA General Counsel John Rizzo , who opposed the tape destruction , has agreed to voluntarily appear before the committee . E-mail to a friend . | Letter : Rep. Jane Harman said destroying tapes would `` reflect badly on '' CIA . Last month , the CIA acknowledged videotapes were made in 2002 . Tapes showed the harsh interrogations of two terrorist suspects . In one instance , a tape shows detainee undergoing waterboarding . | [[344, 378], [443, 474], [538, 548], [551, 627], [97, 104], [113, 185], [128, 195], [538, 548], [551, 627], [657, 752], [753, 776], [779, 890]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A struggling German soccer team is offering a refund to its fans who traveled to another city to watch it suffer a 4-0 loss . Cottbus are second from the bottom of the German Bundesliga . More than 600 Energie Cottbus supporters saw their team suffer its sixth loss in seven games when it received a 4-0 drubbing Friday at the hands of another team , Schalke . Cottbus are second from the bottom in the German Bundesliga 's ranking and is in danger of being relegated to a lower league at the end of the season . The team posted a Web statement Saturday headlined , `` Sorry , Energie Fans ! '' In it , the team said its players `` did not manage at any time to stand up to a high-class opponent with our particular qualities of passion , dedication and one-on-one duels . '' `` Certainly one can lose at Schalke , '' the team manager Steffen Heidrich said in the statement . `` Nevertheless we did not put up enough defense against the class of the individuals of this opponent . '' The team said it will announce details in the coming weeks of how fans can receive a refund on their admission ticket . `` I welcome the apologetic gesture of the team to its fans , '' Heidrich said . `` Real compensation must actually be given in the coming matches . '' CNN 's Ben Brumfield contributed to this report . | More than 600 supporters watch their team suffer its sixth loss in seven games . Energie Cottbus are second from the bottom in its league 's ranking . The team will announce details of how fans can receive a refund on their ticket . | [[207, 299], [252, 341], [145, 206], [380, 450], [1003, 1122], [1017, 1122]] |
Editor 's note : A nationally syndicated columnist , Roland S. Martin is the author of `` Listening to the Spirit Within : 50 Perspectives on Faith '' and `` Speak , Brother ! A Black Man 's View of America . '' Visit his Web site for more information . He is host of `` No Bias , No Bull '' at 8 p.m. ET on CNN while Campbell Brown is on maternity leave . Roland Martin says Michael Vick has served his sentence and should be allowed back on the field . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Michael Vick completes home confinement in July , he will have served the 23-month prison sentence imposed after he pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges . After his release from a Kansas prison Wednesday , he headed to his home in Virginia to serve the final two months under home confinement , because all the beds at halfway houses in the area are taken . But that has n't deterred the Vick haters who are still in an uproar over the heinous details of his dogfighting kennel . Yes , reading the details of the treatment of the dogs , including the killing of some of them , could make anyone sick . Yet what 's the point of sentencing someone to jail , then having them serve their time and be released if we still want to imprison them for the rest of their lives ? Frankly , I 'm sick of Americans who talk all day about `` do the crime , then do the time , '' then still want to treat a man like a criminal when he gets out of prison . This does n't just apply to Michael Vick . Look at all the individuals who are sent to prison , get out and then ca n't find a job . Why ? Because they have the Scarlet Letter on their record , which is a big fat `` F '' for felon . Do n't think I 'm looking for any sympathy for someone who goes to jail . I firmly believe that you deserve all that you get for breaking the law . But listening to some of these zealots go on and on and on about Vick needing to continue to be punished is ridiculous ! The judge in Vick 's case has imposed a number of restrictions . One of them is that he ca n't ever own a dog again . OK , gotcha . But to say the man should n't be allowed to play in the NFL is D-U-M-B . The crimes of which he was convicted had nothing to do with playing sports . Remember Wall Street star Michael Milken ? When he was sent to jail for securities fraud , he was banned from working on Wall Street again . I get that . He was an insider and allowing him back into the financial game would have been atrocious . I get it when someone is convicted of molesting children that they ca n't live within a certain distance of a school or be left alone around children when released . But there is nothing related to Vick 's crime that says he should not be allowed to play professional football . What is particularly galling is that , right now , you have any number of football players who have beaten people -- including their wives and girlfriends -- served time for drunk driving or committed other crimes , yet they have resumed their careers . The same goes for teachers , radio and television broadcasters , politicians and others . So is this any different because it involved dogs ? Are we to say that the horrible treatment of dogs is vastly different than mistreatment of human beings ? The critics will likely say , `` These men are role models . Kids look up to them . They should have no business on the field . '' Yet some of these same kids are living with fathers and mothers who are felons . So are we supposed to remove them from the home as well ? Enough with the public bullying . Vick was sentenced and served his time . And now he 's gotten out . If you want to be angry with him , fine . But please , cut the sanctimonious crap . He deserves to make amends and get on with his life . If you were in his shoes , you would want to do the same . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland Martin . | Roland Martin : By July , Michael Vick will have finished his 23-month sentence . He says some argue Vick should n't be allowed to play due to severity of his crime . He says the crime is n't connected to his career as a football player . Martin : We have to allow people who have served time to work productively . | [[479, 526], [474, 501], [527, 577], [549, 642], [2658, 2671], [2677, 2738]] |
SRINAGAR , Indian-controlled Kashmir -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- India 's military on Wednesday accused Pakistani forces of another cease-fire breach in Kashmir . Indian troops in Kashmir go through their drills . This week has seen tensions mount in the region . `` Pakistani troops fired six 82-mm mortar rounds in a span of one hour ... at our positions , '' Indian defense spokesman Lt. Col. A. K. Mathur said Wednesday . But the report was denied by Pakistan 's army spokesman , Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas , who said there had been no `` exchange of fire from our side ... of the LoC -LSB- Line of Control -RSB- , '' that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan . Mathur said no Indian forces were wounded in the incident , and they `` maintained restraint and did n't retaliate . '' `` We contacted the Pakistan army on the hotline and told them to stop the firing so that the situation does n't escalate , '' the Indian spokesman said . But Abbas said he had no reports from local commanders of any incident . `` This has been their -LSB- India 's -RSB- allegation but as far as the local commanders are concerned ... there is no incident from our side of any kind , '' Abbas said . The reported incident came after Monday 's border clash in Kashmir , the first major skirmish between South Asia 's nuclear rivals since a 2003 cease-fire . India maintains that Pakistani crossed the LoC and fired on Indian soldiers , prompting a firefight . Pakistan blamed India for sparking the incident by crossing into its territory in Kashmir . Senior Pakistani and Indian military officials met briefly Tuesday to discuss the incident , in which one Indian soldier was killed . Pakistan denied reports that its forces sustained casualties . Indian and Pakistani forces have exchanged periodic gunfire since May , but Monday 's clashes appear to be a serious setback to the ongoing peace process between the two nations . Indian Defense Minister A. K. Antony blames Pakistan for 19 cease-fire violations since January , which Pakistan denies . Kashmir has been at the root of two wars between India and Pakistan , both of which tested nuclear weapons in 1998 . An 18-year separatist campaign in the Indian-controlled portion of the largely Muslim territory has claimed more than 43,000 lives , according to government officials , although human rights groups and non-governmental organizations put the toll at twice that number . India has long accused Pakistan of supporting the separatists in Kashmir , a charge Pakistan denies . India blamed militants from Pakistan for a suicide car bombing outside its embassy in Afghanistan that killed 58 people on July 7 . CNN 's Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar contributed to this report . | India 's military accuse Pakistan of another cease-fire breach in Kashmir . Pakistani troops fired six 82-mm mortar rounds in hour , India says . Pakistani Army denies claim , saying no weapons were fired . | [[77, 153], [1918, 2013], [255, 328], [421, 496], [480, 496], [503, 602], [1675, 1737], [2501, 2527]] |
GAINESVILLE , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When 19-year-old Reid Overton wants to smoke a cigarette on his college campus , he has to walk to a distant parking lot and get into his car , but he does n't seem to mind . `` Even as a smoker , I do n't like to walk past a cloud of smoke , '' he says . Reid Overton , a freshman at Gainesville State College in Georgia , heads to his car when he wants a smoke . Overton is one of 5,300 students at Gainesville State College , an hour north of Atlanta , Georgia . A 4-year-old ban prohibits anyone from using tobacco products on campus , including students , faculty and visitors . A smoke-free campus was the brainchild of longtime college president Martha Nesbitt , herself a former smoker . `` It 's just a healthier place to be , '' says Nesbitt , `` because as you go in a building , you 're not going to have to go through smoke . When you walk out , you do n't see cigarette butts littered around . It 's just a cleaner , healthier campus . '' Nesbitt reports there have n't been any problems enforcing the ban . Signs are posted around campus , and the policy is prominently displayed on everything from the school Web site to admissions applications . The American Nonsmokers ' Rights Foundation reports nearly 60 college campuses around the United States have smoke-free policies that affect the entire campus . Other schools have limited restrictions , banning smoking indoors in residential housing and student facilities . Nesbitt believes her college is one of the first to fully prohibit the use of tobacco products . Watch more on efforts to curb smoking on campus '' The American Cancer Society says the movement is catching on . `` The trend toward a smoke-free country is going on everywhere , '' says Daniel Smith , president of the American Cancer Society Action Network . `` I think college campuses are simply reflecting the same trend we 're seeing in society . '' With the 30th anniversary this week of the nationwide Great American Smokeout , the cancer society is pushing a smoke-free college campus initiative . It encourages campus coordinators to hold competitions and distribute survival kits that include gum and support information . The group is trying to convince students that if they can quit for a day , they can quit for good . According to the cancer society , the prevalence of smoking in the United States is highest among college-age students , ages 18 to 24 . While other age groups are decreasing their tobacco use , the cancer society says college students are smoking at a greater rate . Those statistics worry Smith . `` We know that 30 percent of all cancers are caused by smoking , '' he says . He blames the addiction rates among young adults on heavy marketing efforts on college campuses by tobacco companies . `` Many people might initially think it 's cool . But when they 're educated about the health effects , by that time , they are addicted , and it 's very hard to quit . '' Overton is n't all that worried about cutting back on his pack-a-day smoking habit , but he says that long walk to his car has provided some added benefits . `` It does n't encourage me to quit , but it does encourage me to cut back some . '' That 's welcome news for some of his nonsmoking classmates . `` I 'm not forced to be around all of the smokers , '' says freshman Matthew Bradford , 19 . `` I 'm not breathing it in all of the time , and it 's nice to get some fresh air when you get out of class . '' E-mail to a friend . Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News . | American Cancer Society : Trend of smoke-free colleges is growing . Nearly 60 U.S. colleges have smoke-free policies that affect entire campus . Cancer society : U.S. smoking prevalence highest among people ages 18-24 . | [[1627, 1689], [2012, 2082], [1204, 1307], [1204, 1229], [1294, 1364], [2344, 2428], [2344, 2390], [2431, 2446]] |
Editor 's note : Clark Howard , the Atlanta-based host of a nationally syndicated radio show , will be host of a new television show designed to help viewers save more , spend less and avoid getting ripped off during these tough economic times . `` Clark Howard '' debuts on HLN January 3 . The show will air Saturdays and Sundays at 6 a.m. , noon and 4 p.m. Clark Howard says there are good bargains in store for those who wait until January to shop . ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Retailers have received the biggest lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings in memory . Americans have been on a buyers ' strike all fall and have not been interested in 50 percent off sales , doorbusters or any other promotions to get them to pry open their wallets . In a normal year when Christmas season sales are strong , retailers offer whatever they have left after the holiday , just the unloved stuff that did n't sell , at incredible markdowns . This year is different . You may get some bargains after Christmas , but if you want really rock-bottom prices , wait until January 5 . Retailers are going to be stuck with massive amounts of goods and those will be reduced to fire sale prices . If you have money that you can afford to part with , get out there the first full week of the New Year . Everything from electronics to clothing to appliances to furniture will be a deal . Be careful if you shop from December 26 through January 4 . The bargains are mostly fake ones during those 10 days because patterns are completely disrupted by gift cards . Most people are off from work between Christmas and New Years , have the time to shop and have the gift cards burning a hole in their wallets . Stores are able to `` pretend '' to offer bargains in the immediate after-Christmas period and people feel like they `` have '' to spend right away with store credit from returns and that gift card dough . As a result , the discounts are relatively small . However , follow my way and your wallet will really smile on you . Wait to do returns until after the 5th and those long return lines are gone . Retailers usually give 14 or so days after Christmas to do returns so you are still OK on the deadline and you do n't have to wait in lines , which I avoid like the plague . Then think about it : You get the pick of all the merchandise that people returned that has been marked down and you get access to all the stuff that did n't sell that is on final clearance . But that 's not all : I love January shopping because you have the stores virtually to yourself . My favorite time to go is Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday night when you will find more employees than customers in the stores . I do have a special warning about all those gift cards . A lot of retailers that have been selling gift cards this season are not going to make it . Expect a wave of retailer bankruptcies in January , February and March . Over and over again bankruptcy court judges have wiped out the value of gift cards . Do n't let your 's lie around in a drawer gathering dust after Christmas . Use them over the next month before they go bad . Speaking of stores going bust , do n't get fooled by `` Going Out of Business '' sales , known in the lingo of the trade as GOB 's . They are as phony as a $ 3 bill . When any chain store goes broke , they hire a specialist company known as a liquidator . The liquidator is the one who puts those big going out of business sale banners on the stores and pays those guys to stand on street corners holding signs that say 40 percent , 50 percent , even 60 percent off . But the deals are usually fake . Many liquidators will sell the store 's merchandise at a discount , but usually not as good as prices on a regular sale . The real money is made by the liquidator in many cases by bringing in what I call `` fake '' goods . They are not literally fake , just things that were never sold in the store in the first place . Those items are priced with high prices that are then `` discounted '' 50 percent or more to fool you into thinking you are getting a real deal . The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of Clark Howard . | Clark Howard : American consumers have been reluctant to buy this year . He says you may get bargains after Christmas , but big sales could come in January . Howard : January shoppers also wo n't have to face holiday crowds . He says consumers should beware of `` going out of business '' sales . | [[359, 419], [414, 419], [424, 452], [974, 1015], [1731, 1791], [414, 419], [424, 452], [3127, 3145], [3159, 3213]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Residents of a western Pennsylvania neighborhood can return home Sunday after a chemical leak forced them to evacuate the night before . Hundreds of residents were forced to flee Saturday after a chemical leak in Petrolia , Pennsylvania . Authorities surveyed the neighborhood in Petrolia and determined that no traces of the toxic chemical remained , said Freda Tarbell , spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection . A leak at the Indspec Chemical Corp. plant in Petrolia on Saturday formed a cloud affecting at least 2,000 residents -- some of whom fled their homes . Others huddled indoors with their windows shut , authorities said . Three people were taken to hospitals , but officials could not immediately say why . Watch why residents were asked to evacuate '' It was not immediately clear how many people were injured , though plant manager Dave Dorko said all employees and inspectors at the plant were safe and accounted for . Tarbell described the chemical as fuming sulfuric acid , which is also known as oleum . The plant uses the chemical during its production process , she said . The plant produces a chemical called Resorcinol -- essentially a strong glue used in the tire industry . The leak affected between 2,000 and 2,500 residents , Tarbell said . Some stayed the night with friends and relatives and some sought refuge in shelters . Others opted to stay indoors and `` shut their windows and doors to make sure the acid cloud was not entering their home , '' she said . Ed Schrecengost , a former Indspec employee , said firefighters showed up at his son 's wedding reception , urging the guests to leave . `` It 's about as dangerous as you can get , '' Schrecengost told CNN affiliate WPXI . `` It 's a very fuming acid . A quart bottle of this material could fill a household in two seconds . '' Dorko said the leak was caused by an overflow from a tank . The material , he said , evaporates easily , creating a toxic cloud . CNN 's Saeed Ahmed and Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report . | NEW : Environmental official says area surveyed , no traces of chemical remain . Toxic cloud forms Saturday after chemical leak at Pennsylvania plant . Three residents taken to hospital ; extent of injuries not known . | [[258, 269], [312, 465], [156, 240], [466, 582], [1931, 1943], [1956, 1973], [1985, 2000], [1931, 1948], [1976, 2000], [686, 722], [817, 874]] |
VATICAN CITY , Vatican -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pope Benedict XVI called for peace in the Middle East and an end to the exploitation of children in the homily he delivered early Thursday during the annual Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in St. Peter 's Basilica . Pope Benedict XVI calls for a `` conversion of hearts '' to help children . He later delivered the traditional Christmas address in St. Peter 's Square , sending Christmas greetings in languages including English , Spanish , Lithuanian , Ukrainian , Slovak and many others . The address is known as `` Urbi et Orbi '' -- Latin for `` To the City and the World . '' Benedict , 81 , called for the faithful to pray for peace to come to `` the land in which Jesus lived , and which he loved so deeply . '' `` Let us pray for mutual understanding , that hearts will be opened , so that borders can be opened , '' he said . The pontiff also called for special consideration for suffering children who are homeless , forced to serve as soldiers or exploited in pornography `` and every other appalling form of abuse . '' `` The Child of Bethlehem summons us once again to do everything in our power to put an end to the suffering of these children ; to do everything possible to make the light of Bethlehem touch the heart of every man and woman , '' he said . Watch Pope Benedict deliver his message during midnight Mass '' `` Only through the conversion of hearts , only through a change in the depths of our hearts can the cause of all this evil be overcome . '' Thousands heard the pope , in white and gold robes , speak inside the basilica at St. Peter 's -- although Vatican cameras captured some sleeping children who had been unable to stay awake for the late ceremony . Those who could not get inside watched on giant television screens outside in the square . As Benedict was leaving down the main aisle , someone wearing red jumped the barrier . The person was swiftly tackled by security . The pope appeared to slow his step momentarily and take a slight step back as the action took place , but he quickly resumed the processional , waving to the audience . Watch as security steps in '' Vatican spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi told CNN she did not appear to pose any risk . | Pope Benedict XVI also calls for an end to exploitation of children . Pope seeks end to violence in to `` the land in which Jesus lived '' Person jumps barrier as Pope leaves ; security quickly tackles person . | [[42, 106], [691, 699], [709, 720], [1818, 1829], [1864, 1904], [1905, 1949]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Georgia man suspected of shooting to death a 21-year-old up-and-coming rapper at a ritzy Los Angeles shopping center Monday afternoon is being held on $ 1 million bail , Los Angeles Police said . Rap artist Dolla arrives at the Soul Train Music Awards in Pasadena , California , on March 10 , 2007 . Dolla , whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton II , was shot in the head about 3:10 p.m. at the Beverly Center , his publicist said . Police later arrested Aubrey Louis Berry , 23 , at Los Angeles International Airport , a Los Angeles Police statement said . No other details were given about Berry , who was arrested on suspicion of murder . Dolla , who was based in Atlanta , Georgia , was in Los Angeles recording his debut album . He caught the attention of multiplatinium R&B singer Akon when the then-12-year-old Dolla was performing with friends at showcases around Atlanta . The two collaborated on Dolla 's first single , `` Who the F -- is That ? '' which also featured another high-profile singer , T-Pain . Another Dolla song , `` Feelin ' Myself , '' appeared on the soundtrack to the 2006 movie `` Step Up . '' According to his MySpace page , Dolla was born in Chicago , Illinois . His twin sister died at birth due to complications from an enlarged heart . The family moved to Atlanta after Dolla 's father committed suicide -- while Dolla , then 5 , and another sister watched from their parents ' bed , the Web page said . Dolla began composing rhymes in elementary school and decided to pursue a career in music . A source close to the record company said Dolla had just arrived in Los Angeles to work on his debut album . Funeral services , which will be held in Atlanta , will be announced later , publicist Sue Vannasing said . | NEW : Aubrey Louis Berry , 23 , of Georgia , being held on $ 1 million bail in shooting . The rapper Dolla , based in Atlanta , Georgia , is shot in the head and killed . Dolla was at the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles , his publicist said . Dolla , whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton II , was 21 . | [[44, 79], [0, 40], [163, 213], [484, 529], [346, 351], [397, 460], [693, 700], [705, 725], [463, 483], [693, 698], [738, 756], [68, 102], [346, 351], [370, 399]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The photograph was shocking : a hooded detainee , in U.S. custody , standing on a box with electrical wires hooked up to his fingers . Images of abuse at Abu Ghraib changed the discourse on the war , says Abdul Rahman al-Rashed of Al-Arabiya TV . That photo , as well as the others depicting detainee abuse inside Abu Ghraib at the hands of U.S. troops , came to symbolize `` America in the eyes of the world at that time , '' said CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour . `` Those pictures unfortunately became symbolic , emblematic of all the troubles that the U.S. faced in the last four years of the Bush administration , particularly given its war in Iraq , '' Amanpour said . `` Beyond that , it caused a great deal of outrage around the world . '' It was against this backdrop that President Obama reversed course last week , telling government lawyers to object to a court-ordered release of additional images showing alleged abuse of detainees . Military commanders urged him to fight the release of the photos , fearing it would endanger the lives of U.S. soldiers . The photographs first appeared in a report on `` 60 Minutes 2 '' in late April 2004 , followed by an extensive story on the abuse by award-winning journalist Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker . `` It was a big shock , '' said Abdul Rahman al-Rashed , the head of the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television station . `` It hurt mostly the ones who were for the fall of the Saddam -LSB- Hussein -RSB- regime . ... It was a heated debate in the Middle East at the time -- whether -LSB- the invasion -RSB- was the right decision and whether the Americans had bad intentions or not . '' iReport.com : Did Obama make the right call on photos last week ? The fallout was immediate , both overseas and at home . A year into the Iraq war , the American public had grown increasingly uneasy about the direction of the war , and the Abu Ghraib photographs gave anti-war protesters the ammunition they needed to rally around their cause and question Bush administration policies . See Bush administration interrogation tactics '' A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll immediately after the photos were released showed that nearly three-quarters of Americans said the mistreatment of the detainees was unjustified under any circumstances . Bush 's overall performance rating sank to what was then the lowest of his presidency , 46 percent . The poll also showed support for the war at its lowest since before it began , with only 44 percent saying they believed it was worthwhile . See some of the disturbing photos -LRB- discretion advised -RRB- '' It was a blow from which the administration , especially then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld , never fully recovered . Amanpour said Obama 's presidential victory and big wins by Democrats in the House and Senate were proof of that . `` The American people said that they wanted their good name , the name of their country , the influence and credibility of their country 's standing , to be restored in the rest of the world , '' she said . The photos did what a print report could not do . They showed front-and-center what human rights groups had been saying for months : that the Bush administration was abusing prisoners within U.S. custody . Some photos showed naked prisoners piled on top of each other like a pyramid . Another showed a smiling female U.S. soldier giving a thumbs-up next to a naked , hooded prisoner . As a result of the furor unleashed by the pictures , 11 American soldiers were tried and convicted of Abu Ghraib offenses , and some officers were reprimanded . Al-Rashed said he had expected violations in war , but nothing like `` humiliating individuals in those kinds of scenes . '' The Middle East has a `` bloody , long , bad record about torture of prisoners , '' he said , but what happened at Abu Ghraib was even more reprehensible because it undercut America 's democratic values . `` You talk about democracy , you talk about the respect of individuality , the freedom . ... The prison pictures just really made us speechless . '' `` It was something completely new -- something that we had not seen before in all the dictionary of prisoners and torture and mistreatment . It just weakened the argument completely about the wisdom of getting rid of a regime like Saddam . It made the argument for the other side stronger . '' The photographs had a direct impact within the Iraq insurgency . Just days after the photos became public , American contractor Nicholas Berg was beheaded -- with his executioners saying they were retaliating for Abu Ghraib abuses . The insurgents posted video of the killing on the Internet for all to see . `` The publication of these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals , '' Obama said . `` In fact , the most direct consequence of releasing them would be to further inflame anti-American opinion , and to put our troops in greater danger . '' Watch Obama explain reversing course '' The court had ordered the release in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union . The ACLU said the Pentagon had agreed to release a `` substantial '' number of photographs by May 28 . Officials at the Pentagon said the photographs are from more than 60 criminal investigations between 2001 and 2006 and show military personnel allegedly abusing detainees . Obama 's decision has sparked a heated debate on what is best for democracy . Marc Thiessen served in the Bush administration from 2001 to 2009 , including time as Bush 's chief speechwriter . He has said that the `` enhanced interrogations '' of detainees worked and has opposed the release of the latest round of prisoner abuse photos . Watch more on the photo debate '' `` If these photos had been released , within two seconds flat , they would have been up on jihadi Web sites , and al Qaeda would be using them to incite violence , '' he said . ACLU attorney Amrit Singh disagrees , saying terrorists already have plenty of information `` at their disposal to conduct violence . '' `` They can conduct all the violence they want without the release of these photographs , '' she said . `` So to pick on these photographs as the cause of violence , I think , is a grave mistake . There were people who suffered immensely , the victims of torture depicted in these photographs . It 's for their sake and for the sake of future victims of torture that these photographs must be aired . '' She added , `` It is essential that these photographs be released so that the public can know the full scale and scope of prisoner abuse that took place in its name . '' Republican strategist Kevin Madden said Obama sided with national security instead of `` the fury of propaganda that would be unleashed against U.S. forces overseas . '' He said the liberal left is trying to use the photos `` as a vendetta against the Bush administration . '' `` And in that process , what they 're doing is essentially smearing the country as a country that condones detainee abuse and condones the torture , when in fact we do n't , '' he said . To that , Singh shot back , `` But what is the limit of that argument ? If gross human rights violations have been committed , do you sweep them under the rug because they will cause outrage ? '' Al-Rashed of Al-Arabiya said Obama 's decision did n't get much play in the Arab world last week , mostly because the alleged abuse is n't as `` shocking anymore . '' `` It 's not as big news as it used to be , '' he said . CNN senior political analyst David Gergen , a former adviser to several Republican presidents and one Democrat , said Obama made a wise political decision , even if he upset the left . `` I think in these situations , you ca n't think about who is going to be pleased and who 's not . I think you have to think about what 's the right decision for the president and assume good policies ultimately make good politics . '' | Head of Al-Arabiya says 2004 Abu Ghraib photos `` just really made us speechless '' Christiane Amanpour : Photos `` symbolic ... of all the troubles that the U.S. faced '' Obama 's decision to fight the release of new round of photos sparks debate . ACLU says if more abuses occurred , `` Do you sweep them under the rug ? '' | [[154, 183], [219, 265], [4050, 4102], [827, 842], [871, 955], [1704, 1755], [5494, 5571], [5687, 5832], [7296, 7325], [7348, 7387]] |
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]] |
PADUCAH , Kentucky -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The aunt of former U.S. soldier Steven Green told jurors tearfully Monday that `` We did not send a rapist and murderer to Iraq '' as defense lawyers worked to save her nephew from a death sentence . Former U.S. soldier Steven Green has been convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old Iraqi girl . Patty Ruth , a Texas elementary school principal , told a civilian jury about Green 's childhood as a reader who loved to be hugged by relatives . `` I do not know how we got to this spot , '' Ruth said in emotional testimony . `` I do not know how this happened . '' Green was convicted last week in U.S. District Court in Kentucky of murder , rape , conspiracy and obstruction of justice in connection with a 2006 rape-and-murder south of Baghdad . A jury found him guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl , then killing her and setting her body on fire to destroy evidence . Green also was found guilty of killing the girl 's parents and 6-year-old sister . He could become the first former U.S. soldier to face the death penalty for war crimes before a civilian court , where he was tried because he had been discharged from the military before his crimes came to light . Four other former soldiers are in prison for their roles in the crimes and the cover-up that followed . Green faces either death or life in prison without the possibility of parole . His fate will be in the hands of the jury by week 's end . The defense has presented relatives and medical professionals who have pieced together a picture of Green 's childhood as troubled and stressful . It included the breakup of his parents ' marriage , routine beatings to the point of injury by an older brother and being moved about through Texas by his mother . Ruth , the final witness scheduled by the defense , said that when the idea of the military came up for her nephew , she was unsure the Army would accept him . Even after he received a high school diploma through a correspondence course , she said , `` I could not picture or imagine how he could make it through basic training . '' Ruth said when she saw a picture of her nephew before his September 2005 deployment , she knew he was n't `` Stevie '' anymore , standing as tall as his father in the photo at Fort Benning , Georgia . When he returned from Iraq 11 months later , he was `` remarkably thin , '' Ruth said , and she noticed circles under his eyes . Green and his father spent a night at the Ruth home , his aunt said , and she remembered him pacing the yard while smoking . He fell asleep wearing his fatigues , she said . When asked by the defense about the rape-murder plot that left an Iraqi family dead near Yusufiya , about 20 miles south of Baghdad , Ruth responded , `` He 's my Steve . You ca n't stop loving someone . '' There were other family members in the court on Monday . Green 's father , John , an oil field worker from Midland , Texas , looked on quietly . He did not testify . Ruth , who is John Green 's sister , noted for the jury that Green 's mother is not at the trial this week . The mother is moving and had to attend a going-away party , Ruth said . Final arguments are expected Wednesday . | Steven Green in sentencing phase after being convicted of rape , murder . Green found guilty last week of incident in Iraq while he was soldier . Aunt : `` He 's my Steve . You ca n't stop loving someone '' | [[238, 338], [607, 681], [238, 338], [607, 681], [2601, 2653], [2735, 2749], [2753, 2771], [2772, 2804]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police in Milwaukee are working to track down a serial killer linked to at least seven unsolved homicides dating back more than two decades , authorities said . Five victims -LRB- clockwise from top left -RRB- : Debora Harris , Joyce Mims , Tonya Miller , Quithreaun Stokes , Sheila Farrior . Law enforcement officials in the Wisconsin city have matched the unknown man 's DNA with seven women -- six prostitutes and a runaway involved in the drug trade . The deaths occurred between 1986 and 2007 . `` Six of the victims were women who were working as prostitutes -- high-risk behavior that makes them vulnerable to crime , '' authorities said . Police believe the killer had sex with the runaway , but she was killed by someone else . The developments have prompted officials to form a local , state and federal task force to investigate the homicides . A state lab is working to determine whether the DNA of at least 23 other slain prostitutes matches that of the killer . `` In the past , we might have linked some of these homicides through their method of operation , but theory has given way to technology , '' said Edward Flynn , the Milwaukee police chief . `` Within the last couple of weeks , we have been able to confirm a link . '' Flynn , who described the killer as an `` unknown suspect who conducts his business in secret , '' said the investigation would require tips from the community . `` This suspect has been able to avoid and evade law enforcement for these last 23 years . He has never been arrested for a felony as he does not appear in any DNA database , '' Flynn said . Police said 42 prostitutes were killed between 1986 and 2007 , and that 31 percent of the cases have been solved . There has been a higher clearance rate -- 78 percent -- in other homicides . Of the seven killed , two were in 1986 , three in 1995 , one in 1997 and one in 2007 . The runaway was one of the three killed in 1995 . Flynn said there have been `` patterned homicides '' discovered across the country as a result of advanced DNA technology , citing investigations in Los Angeles , California ; Mesa , Arizona ; and Las Vegas , Nevada . However , he said there is no link with the Milwaukee cases . In discussing advances in DNA technology , Flynn said there were no matches in 1990s , two around 2000 and the seven have been linked in recent weeks . `` We already have determined that five suspects in murders of other prostitutes -- completely unrelated to this investigation -- have been identified because their DNA match open homicide cases . Three of them already are in prison for cleared homicides of prostitutes , '' police said in a statement Tuesday . CNN 's Joe Sterling contributed to this report . | Police in Milwaukee match unknown man 's DNA with seven slain women . Six of the victims were prostitutes and the seventh a runaway . Suspect has avoided arrest for 23 years and is not on any DNA database . Investigation will require tips from the community , Milwaukee police chief says . | [[0, 15], [51, 124], [312, 412], [2413, 2458], [2491, 2574], [519, 605], [1426, 1516], [1426, 1441], [1469, 1516], [1517, 1598], [1360, 1425]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Congressional auditors have uncovered widespread abuse of techniques used to restrain or discipline special-education students in U.S. schools , with some deaths linked to the practices , a top congressman says . Investigators in Utah say a teacher left Garrett Peck in an isolation cubicle for at least two and a half hours . The findings are among those expected from a Government Accountability Office report scheduled to be released Tuesday . The report documented serious problems with the way children with disabilities are being treated in public schools , including cases of children being held face-down on the ground . The GAO report was prepared for the House Education and Labor Committee , which is considering new laws governing what actions teachers can take to rein in disruptive special-needs students . `` I think what we 're going to hear from the GAO is that very often , special-need children are subjected to the policies of seclusion and policies of restraint that have turned out to be lethal in a number of circumstances , '' said Rep. George Miller , D-California , the committee 's chairman . In other cases , children as young as 6 have been locked away `` for hours at a time , '' Miller said . `` What the GAO is telling us is that that policy is fairly widespread , '' he said . `` The state regulations about how to handle these incidents do n't exist in about half the states , and in other states you have kind of a patchwork of regulations . '' The GAO , the investigative arm of Congress , found that state laws governing the treatment of the more than 6 million children classified as having `` special needs '' -- conditions including autism and Down syndrome -- are patchy at best . Teachers and school staff frequently lack training in correct restraint methods , and in some cases , where improper restraints led to injuries , teachers often kept their jobs . Only five states keep track of incidents where special-needs students are separated or restrained . Parents contacted by CNN commonly said they were not told their child was being disciplined until he or she began to behave badly at home -- a sign of trouble at school . When confronted with complaints , school systems sometimes sought to minimize or deny the allegations , even after public investigations found the charges to be true . And parents told CNN that when they got into a dispute with the teacher , their child was made to suffer as retribution . Some of the most disturbing reports concerned the use of seclusion rooms . Experts have long recommended that children should only be isolated when they pose an immediate threat to themselves or others . But CNN found that isolation was often used as a punishment by teachers to compel the students to follow instructions . State investigators in Utah found a teacher left 7-year-old Garrett Peck in an isolation cubicle for at least two and a half hours after the teacher said he told her to `` shut up . '' While the boy was in the cubicle , the teacher taunted him by playing his favorite video and telling him what he was missing . His parents , Joshua and Becca Peck , said the child has an attention span of about 10 minutes , and they believe that after the first few minutes , he had no idea why he was in the cubicle . `` It was so sad . We felt it was a form of torture for him but he , being autistic , he had no way to express it , '' Joshua Peck said . `` He could n't tell . '' And Becca Peck said her son had been left in the cubicle with nothing but a magic marker -- which he used to scrawl all over himself . When she came to school to pick him up , `` He was covered in marker -- on his eyelids , on his hair , face , clothes , arms , eyelids -- everywhere . '' `` I started thinking , ` What was he thinking ? ' Was he thinking , ` Why is my mom letting this person do this to me ? Why am I here ? I trust no one now . ' '' In Garrett 's case , like others cited by the GAO , the teacher remains on the job . And what frustrates experts is that efforts to force unruly children to comply do n't actually work . At one school in Pennsylvania , however , teachers appear to have better results using sharply different methods . The Centennial School at Lehigh University serves severely emotionally disturbed children that have been passed from school to school , and even from juvenile justice centers . When school director Michael George came to Centennial in 1999 , the school had documented more than 1,000 cases of restraint and seclusion that year . After the school revamped its approach , no such incidents were reported . When they get to Centennial , students can be violent and aggressive . But instead of trying to force a change in behavior , the school teaches the children new skills to get what they need . Children who might be violent because they are desperate to escape an uncomfortable task or environment learn to communicate their discomfort in nonviolent ways . Children who need to move frequently -- a common trait with conditions such as autism -- are permitted to do so , then re-directed to the task at hand . Staff are forbidden from saying anything negative about the children , parents or other teachers , even among themselves . And when a child acts violently , the staff is trained to step aside , rather than immediately attempt a potentially dangerous restraint . On a recent visit to the school , all students appeared to be calm and receptive to teachers . The school 's philosophy can be summed up in a question George likes to ask teachers interviewing for jobs there : Which teacher you remember most from your own childhood ? `` No one ever mentions the person who yelled at them , who screamed at them , who told them to write a phrase a hundred times , who slammed them into closets , who was abrupt , who made them feel stupid . No one ever mentions those people , '' said George . `` Our job is to teach . Sometimes the children we are teaching here present extraordinary challenges ; it can be very , very difficult . But that 's the job we chose to do . '' | GAO report uncovers abuse of techniques used to restrain or discipline children . Some deaths of special-needs kids have been linked to the practices , report says . Investigators : Utah boy with autism left in cubicle for at least two and a half hours . Only five states keep track of incidents ; many states have no regulations . | [[0, 15], [19, 87], [77, 180], [389, 465], [856, 1001], [169, 204], [232, 345], [258, 345], [2805, 2935], [1329, 1427], [1920, 1960]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Woody Allen 's lawsuit against American Apparel for unauthorized use of his image on billboards ended Monday with a $ 5 million settlement to be paid to the actor-director by the clothing company . Woody Allen received $ 5 million to settle a suit with American Apparel . Allen said the case should discourage advertisers from using celebrities ' images without permission , but American Apparel 's head said he still thinks his company had a good defense . The settlement , announced just moments before jury selection was to begin in New York , interrupted a trial that lawyers had hinted could include a parade of witnesses testifying about Allen 's sex scandals . `` Threats and press leaks by American Apparel designed to smear me did not work , and a scheme to call a long list of witnesses who had nothing to do with the case was disallowed by the court , '' Allen said . `` I hope this very large settlement will discourage American Apparel and others from doing this type of thing to myself or others in the future . '' Dov Charney , founder and CEO of American Apparel , issued a statement published by London 's Guardian newspaper saying lawyers for his insurance company -- which will pay the money to Allen -- made the decision to settle the case . `` For the record , I personally think we had a good case , '' Charney said . Allen filed his suit , asking for $ 10 million , against American Apparel in March 2008 after the company placed several billboards and online ads using an image of Allen dressed as a Hasidic Jew in his 1977 movie `` Annie Hall . '' `` I sued American Apparel because they calculatingly took my name , my likeness and image and used them publicly to promote their business , '' Allen said Monday . `` Testimony revealed that American Apparel believed that fear of publicity would keep me from ever taking action , and so they put my face on billboards , on the Internet , and my image on their building , '' he said . Charney , who said he finally could talk about the case , said the ad was a `` an attempt to at least make a joke about '' sexual harassment lawsuits filed against him and his company in recent years . `` Today , two years later , all the claims in the lawsuits have been completely disproven and yet at the time , some writers characterized me as a rapist and abuser of women , others asserted that I was a bad Jew , and some even stated that I was not fit to run my company . '' Charney said it was `` ironic that I have to explain this to Woody Allen when he has expressed similar frustrations in the past . '' American Apparel lawyers wanted to call as witnesses Allen 's former companion Mia Farrow and Soon-Yi Previn , Farrow 's adopted daughter and Allen 's wife . Allen 's relationship with -- and eventual marriage to -- Previn was scandal material for tabloids beginning in 1992 , when she was 21 . Allen said the company 's lawyers may have been persuaded to settle because the judge made it `` clear that the court considered their phony First Amendment ranting and claims of parody , sheer nonsense . '' | Woody Allen 's image was used by American Apparel without his authorization . Allen sued ; insurance company made decision to settle , CEO says . American Apparel had used image of Allen from `` Annie Hall '' to promote products . | [[1495, 1529], [1242, 1280], [1495, 1529]] |
UNITED NATIONS -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former U.S. President Clinton has been tapped as a United Nations special envoy to Haiti , a senior U.N. official said Monday . Former President Clinton has been chosen to serve as a United Nations special envoy to Haiti . An official announcement will be made Tuesday , the official said . The two-term president has traveled to Haiti on several occasions , most recently in March with his wife , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon . At the time , the Clintons voiced optimism at Haiti 's potential because of political stability and economic growth after decades of chaos . The Caribbean country is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere . | Official announcement is coming Tuesday . Clinton visited nation in March with his wife and U.N. chief . It is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere . | [[257, 302], [651, 722]] |
CLAXTON , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chrysler LLC 's decision last week to close nearly 800 dealerships may just be business , but for the people who work and trade in those showrooms and service bays , it 's personal . Claxton Chrysler Dodge Jeep is at the literal and figurative heart of Claxton , Georgia . `` They 're not terminating a building or a franchise , they 're terminating people that need jobs . And it 's not right . It 's just not right , '' said Daniel Womack , owner of Claxton Chrysler Dodge Jeep in tiny Claxton , Georgia . Womack received a hand-delivered letter from Chrysler on Thursday . `` When I got to ` We regret ... ' I stopped , '' Womack said . The bankrupt automaker was terminating its agreement with Claxton , the only Chrysler dealer within 25 miles , and a profitable one at that . `` It was like standing out in the road and having a bus run over the top of us , '' he said . The agreement ends June 9 , but the effect is already being felt . All of the dealer 's major lending banks called and said they would no longer work with Claxton , general manager Doug Shontz said . Watch the owner 's heart break for his employees '' `` Since the thing happened , we have n't had a soul in here for service , '' he said . `` We have n't turned one wrench . We have nothing for next week . When they brought that list out , that was the kiss of death . '' The dealership , its employees and their customers are intertwined like dashboard wires . `` There 's only 11 of us here , but we 're family , '' said Shontz , who just started there in December . `` We all know each other , we see each other every day . I spend more time with this group here than I do with my own family . '' Townsfolk tend to wander in off the street , just to shoot the breeze over a cup of coffee . Take Gary Sapp , for example . The military veteran , wounded in Vietnam , stopped in Saturday , as he does just about every day , to say hello and maybe talk about cars a little bit . He said he might come back Monday and make a deal , just as he 's done there three times in the past 10 years . But it 's not really about the cars and pickup trucks . `` These are good folks here , '' Sapp said . Claxton , a town of about 2,300 hard by the Canoochee River about 50 miles west of Savannah in southern Georgia , is famous for its namesake fruitcakes , which are sold with pride at Mrs. Rogers ' Restaurant and seemingly half the other businesses in town . On East Main Street , a whitewashed brick building still bears an S&H Green Stamps sign and Stella 's Phase III serves up $ 6.95 mountains of soul food , which you can top off with a slice of fluffy sweet potato pie for $ 1.25 . A couple of blocks away , across from the Krispy Chic , a jolly white-haired man sells baseball-sized tomatoes and boiled peanuts out of the back of a pickup under a rainbow-colored umbrella . At opposite ends of Duval Street are a prison surrounded by high fences topped with coils of razor wire and the new elementary school with its gleaming blue metal roof . At the center of it all , literally and figuratively , is Claxton Chrysler Dodge , sporting colorful helium-filled balloons and blue paint bleached pale by the scorching Southern sun . `` We 've been on this corner for 40 years , '' Shontz said inside his small office , looking out toward Duval Street . `` We could stand out there and have 50 or 60 people wave at us before the day is out that know us -- ` Hey man ! How y' all doin ' ? Hang in there ! ' '' In a small town , everybody knows you and knows what you 're up to , Shontz said . `` Everybody goes by here . I do n't care who you are , everybody goes by here at least once a day , '' he said . And people in Claxton know whom they can count on for help with their causes and events and fundraisers . Over the years , Claxton Chrysler has sponsored Little League baseball and Pee Wee football , supported beauty pageants and donated to local charities , Shontz said . `` We 've bought more chicken dinners , and junk , and stuff ... rodeos ... parades ... there 's always something , '' Womack said with a chuckle . `` Everything 's a big deal here . '' `` I 've never seen so many ` Misses , ' '' Shontz added as they both laughed the kind of laugh you hear toward the end of the third day at the funeral home . Chrysler LLC does n't understand its market , said loyal customer Jerry Akins , 64 , who has bought three vehicles from Claxton Chrysler . `` How the hell they gon ' sell to those people in small towns ? '' he said . `` They 're a different breed . They 're not gon na go no damn hundred miles to buy a car . '' Akins ' loyalty extends to his sons , both of whom have bought cars from Claxton Chrysler . But that 's not unusual around here . Salesman Paul Michel said he 's sold 11 vehicles to one family since December 2005 . `` That 's that generational thing I was talking about , '' Shontz said . Watch what happened to Michigan 's oldest Dodge dealer '' Womack intends to stay in business as a used car dealer after the agreement with Chrysler ends June 9 , but it will be a very different operation . With no warranty work , the service and parts departments will be closed , Shontz said . `` I just hired a new parts guy three weeks ago , '' he said . `` He left a great job to come here . And now I told him I 'm probably going to have to let him go . Great guy , real smart , knows Chrysler like the back of his hand . And I feel bad that I 've put him in that kind of predicament . '' Almost as an afterthought , Shontz mentioned that he 'll probably lose his own job , as will 800 of his counterparts across the corporation . `` There 's going to be a lot of me 's out there looking for work . General managers will be a dime a dozen . '' The change will have a ripple effect on other businesses , Shontz said . The dealer 's subcontractors who handle body work , upholstery , dings , glass , used tires , scrap metal and signs all are losing a significant customer , he said . `` It 's just a cryin ' damn shame , is what it is , '' he said . | Axed Chrysler dealership holds central place in tiny Georgia crossroads . Generations of families have purchased vehicles from Claxton Chrysler Dodge . Folks walk in off the street just to shoot the breeze over a cup of coffee . Dealer has supported youth sports , festivals , parades , charities , other businesses . | [[4682, 4735], [1715, 1757], [1715, 1724], [1765, 1807], [3714, 3819]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his concern over the potential of a nuclear-armed Iran during meetings with top congressional leaders Tuesday . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walks Tuesday with Reps. John Boehner , left , and Nancy Pelosi . He met with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee first , followed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader John Boehner . An Iranian regime armed with nuclear weapons `` is a great danger to all of us , to Israel specifically and to the moderate Arab regimes , -LSB- and -RSB- to America , '' Netanyahu said after his meeting with Pelosi and Boehner . `` Especially if this regime were to arm itself or arm terrorists with nuclear weapons , the consequences could be unimaginable . '' Netanyahu also reiterated his call for normalizing relations between Israel and the `` broader Arab world '' while moving forward on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process . Watch where Mideast flash points could be '' `` We have to do this in tandem , '' he said . `` That 's going to be our policy . ... If we do it together , we 'll get a lot further , a lot faster . '' Pelosi said she endorsed a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians , but emphasized that it `` must be a solution that provides for a democratic Jewish state of Israel living side by side with her Palestinian neighbors . '' `` The question of Iran is one that is of concern to us in Congress , '' she said . '' ... It is an issue for the world . It is important for all of us to work together to be sure that Iran does not develop a weapon of mass destruction . '' Netanyahu is on his first visit to Washington since becoming prime minister earlier this year -- his second time as head of Israel 's government . He met Monday with President Obama at the White House and dined with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Obama offered the hawkish Israeli leader a small diplomatic victory , warning that he would not allow Iran to drag out talks as a way of buying time while it develops nuclear weapons . Speaking at an Oval Office news conference , Obama again refused to commit to an `` artificial deadline '' for Iranian negotiations . But he also warned that he would not allow such talks , which he expects to accelerate after the Iranian presidential election in June , to be used as an excuse for delay . Watch Obama start the clock on Iran '' `` We 're not going to have talks forever . We 're not going to create a situation in which the talks become an excuse for inaction while Iran proceeds with developing ... and deploying a nuclear weapon , '' he said . He said the United States is not `` foreclosing a range of steps , including much stronger international sanctions , in assuring that Iran understands that we are serious . '' The issue of Iran 's nuclear ambitions has become increasingly urgent in recent months . Netanyahu wanted a time limit for negotiations relating to such ambitions , with the threat of military action if no resolution is reached . Both Israel and the United States believe Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program ; Tehran denies the accusation . Israeli leaders have pointed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish state , and argue that quick action is needed . Clinton and Netanyahu also talked about Iran , among other issues , during a 90-minute working dinner Monday night , according to a senior State Department official . `` Clinton 's messages were entirely consistent with President Obama 's , '' the official said . `` She reiterated our support for a two-state solution , and explained our strategy for direct engagement as a means to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability . '' In his appearance at the White House , Netanyahu emphasized that while `` the common goal is peace ... the common threat we face are terrorist threats and organizations that seek to undermine -LSB- that -RSB- peace and threaten both our peoples . '' The prime minister called Iran the biggest threat to peace in the region . `` If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons , it could give a nuclear umbrella to terrorists , or worse , could actually give -LSB- them -RSB- nuclear weapons . And that would put us all in great peril , '' he said . Obama is considered to have a more conciliatory approach to the Arab and Muslim world than Netanyahu . Obama supports the idea of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel . Netanyahu has not endorsed the idea , arguing that Israel first needs security guarantees and a clear Palestinian partner for peace talks . The Palestinians issued a statement after the meeting criticizing Netanyahu for failing to more explicitly endorse a two-state solution . Netanyahu `` missed yet another opportunity to show himself to be a genuine partner for peace , '' said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat . `` Calling for negotiations without a clearly defined end goal offers only the promise of more process , not progress . '' Watch how hard-liners have driven breakthroughs for peace '' Despite their differences , Obama and Netanyahu agree on numerous key issues , such as U.S. military and financial support for Israel . Obama also supports funding for Palestinian entities not controlled by Hamas , which controls Gaza and which the United States labels a terrorist organization . Before making his trip to Washington , Netanyahu met with leaders of Jordan and Egypt , viewed as potential partners in the effort to bring peace to the region . Obama will host Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on May 26 and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on May 28 . CNN 's Paula Hancocks contributed to this report . | Israeli PM meets with Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Minority Leader John Boehner . Iranian regime with nuclear weapons `` is a great danger to all of us , '' Netanyahu says . He calls for normalized relations with Arab world , peace process with Palestinians . U.S. leaders also express concern over Iran 's nuclear intentions . | [[0, 26], [30, 184], [303, 305], [315, 353], [362, 441], [610, 671], [0, 26], [30, 184], [442, 596], [4082, 4156], [4317, 4357], [805, 814], [820, 891], [920, 977], [4373, 4378], [4393, 4475]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Contrary to a report in a British newspaper , Michael Jackson does not have skin cancer , says Randy Phillips , president and CEO of AEG Live , the promoter of the King of Pop 's upcoming concerts at London 's 02 Arena . Michael Jackson gestures to the crowd at the March announcement for his series of London concerts . `` He 's as healthy as he can be -- no health problems whatsoever , '' the executive told CNN . Phillips said he asked Jackson point-blank about the skin cancer rumor yesterday , and the entertainer just brushed it off and laughed . `` He 's used to rumors like this . He 's been famous ever since he was 5 . He does n't read the newspapers or watch news reports , '' Phillips explained . He also had an answer for an item in the British tabloid The Sun that said Jackson had been `` making regular trips to a dermatologist in Beverly Hills wearing a mask and surgical cap . '' `` Michael is very close friends with his dermatologist . It 's as simple as that , '' said Phillips . According to Phillips , the 50-year-old pop star had passed a stringent physical exam before he and AEG inked their deal for Jackson to headline a 50-show residency at 02 beginning July 8 . `` And he 'll have to take another before the shows start , '' he offered . Phillips also told CNN a tour with sister Janet Jackson and other performing members of the Jackson family was `` never in the works , at least from Michael Jackson 's side . '' He added , `` Never say never , but right now , he 's focusing on his own show . It 's not about his family . '' `` He 's working out every day with his choreographers and his dancers . He 's in better shape at 50 than I was at 30 , '' Phillips laughed . Phillips took the opportunity to knock down a couple of other rumors . `` For now , he has no plans for his kids to be in the show . And there are no elephants . No elephants in the show , and he 's not dying of cancer . '' Phillips said the London shows were the first step in a multi-phase package with Jackson that he called `` more than a 360-degree deal . '' He said there are also plans for recorded music and movies , including a 3-D live concert film and a 3-D movie based on Jackson 's 1983 `` Thriller '' music video . Phillips did n't rule out a tour or a concert residency in another city , stating it would most likely start in Europe , then roll out to Asia , North America and South America . | U.K. tabloid reported that Michael Jackson has skin cancer . Jackson has `` no health problems whatsoever , '' says concert promoter . Jackson is scheduled to perform 50 shows at London arena starting July 8 . | [[240, 339], [1114, 1210]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pirates captured a Belgian ship and said they were taking it to the coast of Somalia after the vessel was reported missing early Saturday , NATO and pirate sources told CNN . The Dutch frigate De Zeven Provincien tracked seven pirates Saturday back to their mother ship . The Pompei , a Belgian-registered ship believed to have a mostly Belgian and Croatian crew , was one of two vessels that came under attack near the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles on Saturday , the sources said . The second ship escaped the attack after a brief exchange of gunfire with pirate vessels , the pirate source added . Meanwhile , Dutch naval forces captured seven pirates and freed 20 captive fishermen after tracking the pirates to their `` mother ship '' in the western Gulf of Aden on Saturday , a NATO maritime spokesman said . The Belgian government tried to communicate with the Pompei `` without success '' before the ship was confirmed to have been hijacked , according to an official . See an interactive map of 2009 pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa '' `` This morning we received two different channels , a silent alert , that there was a problem on the boat , which is a Belgian boat on its way to Seychelles , '' Belgium Government Crisis Center spokesman Peter Martens told reporters . `` We tried to have a contact with the ship but without success until now . '' The archipelago where the attack occurred is roughly 800 miles off the Somali coastline . `` Somali pirates are getting wilder and out of control , '' pirate spokesman Ali Sugulle said on April 11 . `` They go too far away from the Somali -LSB- coast -RSB- and go to the Kenyan coast even . '' The European Union , NATO and the United States have been patrolling the waters off Somalia since an upsurge in piracy in the region last year . No NATO vessels were in the region at the time of the attack , said Cmdr. Chris Davies from NATO 's Maritime Component Command Headquarters in Northwood , England . Meanwhile , the Dutch rescue operation happened after pirates launched an unsuccessful attack on petroleum tanker MT Handytankers Magic , NATO Cmdr. Chris Davies told CNN . The Dutch frigate De Zeven Provincien was with the NATO fleet patrolling the region . After the Dutch disarmed the pirates , they released them , Shona Lowe , a spokeswoman from the maritime headquarters , told CNN . Because the crew was on a NATO mission , they lacked the jurisdiction to hold them , according to reports . The MT Handytankers Magic is part of a fleet belonging to Handytankers , a company that distributes petroleum products in Europe , the Mediterranean , and the United States , according to the company 's Web site . Last week pirates attacked a U.S.-flagged ship , the Maersk Alabama , off the Somali coast . The crew regained control of the ship but the captain was taken hostage and held for five days on a lifeboat . The crisis ended when U.S. Navy sharpshooters shot and killed three of the pirates who were holding the captain . Journalist Mohammed Amiin contributed to this report . | NEW : The Pompei , a Belgian-registered ship , was one of two vessels attacked . NEW : Islands where attack occurred are roughly 800 miles off Somali coast . Dutch naval forces captured seven pirates and freed 20 captive fishermen . Pirates were disarmed and freed because crew lacked jurisdiction to hold them . | [[291, 301], [304, 324], [330, 363], [291, 301], [304, 329], [339, 381], [291, 301], [384, 406], [395, 406], [412, 491], [1177, 1185], [1194, 1236], [1395, 1410], [1417, 1484], [194, 290], [630, 639], [642, 683], [630, 639], [642, 660], [688, 760], [2258, 2294], [2297, 2328], [2430, 2471]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was the hottest ticket in town . Colin Farrell was there . So were Michelle Branch , Josh Groban and Chris Isaak -- the latter accompanied by his manager 's dog , Rodney . Yusuf , formerly known as Cat Stevens , believes he can help bridge gaps between cultures . No , we 're not talking about a Britney Spears or U2 concert . We 're talking about a star-studded , invitation-only club show by Yusuf -- the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens . It was the legendary folk singer 's first L.A. show in 33 years , and the audience gave him a heartfelt `` welcome back . '' He played for just over an hour : half a dozen songs from his new album , `` Roadsinger , '' plus a few gems from the '60s and '70s . It was `` Peace Train '' that elicited a singalong , with the entire room participating in the song 's signature hand claps . Branch , who sings backup on Yusuf 's new album , admitted to getting teary-eyed . `` You do n't understand , '' she said . `` I learned how to play guitar with the Cat Stevens songbook ! '' Watch Yusuf talk about his songbook -- and his life '' The whole evening seemed awash in good vibes . Concertgoers did n't even mind having a security guard electronically wand them on the way in . It was perhaps an extra security measure given some of the lingering controversy surrounding the headliner 's conversion to Islam at the height of his popularity in 1977 , during which time he changed his name from Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam . In 2004 , he was famously denied entry into the United States after his name appeared on a no-fly list . He maintained that it was a case of mistaken identity with another man named Yousuf Islam . However , there was no mistaking the artist on stage at the El Rey Theater last week . At 60 , he may look more like a hip college professor than the dark-haired , sensitive sex symbol he was in the '70s , but the message and the music remained the same . The following is an edited version of his interview with CNN . CNN : For a lot of people , it 's not only the music but what the music represents . Hearing the old Cat Stevens songs makes people feel warm and fuzzy , a throwback to a simpler time . Yusuf : That 's true , and that 's why we gave a sprinkling of those songs . When I want to see Paul McCartney , I 'd expect to hear `` Eleanor Rigby '' -- something from the past -- because there 's something about that that we connect with , and a person becomes part of our life . And I am a part of a lot of people 's lives , and my words have resounded in a lot of people 's philosophies and the way they look at things , and that 's great . Somehow , that 's one of the reasons I took life and songwriting very seriously . CNN : But you gave it up for a while . Yusuf : At a certain point I said , `` I 've got more living to do , '' and I stopped making music , and I started living . CNN : Many people do n't think they start living until they HAVE the fame and fortune . But you did n't start living until you gave it up . Yusuf : It 's true . I was very normal -- in some sense , a very shy person . I had to become a persona . I had to kind of put it on a little bit , and therefore I retreated a little bit at a certain point in my career because I thought , `` I ca n't do this . '' So I just became withdrawn , and then people say , `` Well , the guy 's a bit of a recluse , you know . '' The fact was , I was just a little bit scared of being out there ! And I wanted to be sincere , as well . It was n't easy to be sincere in the music business . CNN : I think a lot of people were surprised when you converted to Islam in the '70s . People did n't understand it . Even today , I think there are those who still do n't understand it . Yusuf : It 's true . I used to be prejudiced -- as prejudiced as anyone about Islam . ... And then I was given the opportunity of reading the actual source , the Quran itself , without anybody forcing me or looking over my shoulder and saying , `` What do you think ? '' It was just me in my space . And the more I read the Quran , the more I realized that it was like an incredible matrix of connection with Christianity and Judaism . I mean Jesus , Moses , the religion of Abraham in this book ! And I said , `` Wow , how come I did n't know this before ? '' It was kind of like a secret . So that was kind of my discovery , and a lot of people , I do n't think , have gone through that process because they 've seen Islam as a headline -- and you never learn anything about a headline . Because headlines , you know -- people make things up , to be honest . CNN : In 2004 , you were put on a no-fly list and denied entry into the United States . How did you view that ? Yusuf : I felt chosen ! I felt suddenly , I was given a halo . `` This guy stands for peace , and they wo n't let him in . '' And so I turned it from a no-fly list to a no-song list , and I wrote a song about it -LRB- `` Boots and Sand '' -RRB- , and I decided to take it lightly . It was really kind of a joke , in a way , because the person I am and the kind of things they were kind of insinuating by putting me on this list with other people who were very dangerous -- . CNN : You mean you 're not dangerous ? Yusuf : No ! Touch me ! -LRB- laughs -RRB- It was upsetting for a lot more people than myself . And you know , I 'm here now -LRB- in the United States -RRB- , so things are kind of working themselves out . But there 's a new administration , a new president , and it 's a great new day . CNN : Obama seems to be reaching out to people of all faiths around the world . Yusuf : I think a person like Obama has some kind of faith in his special role that he has to perform . And that role -- if not prophetic -- it 's a divine role . It 's helping humanity and people get together and live together and prosper . That 's a big demand on one person , so it can not happen with him alone . There 's going to have to be a lot of changes around the world . But it is happening . CNN : There are people who have said you 've been associated with groups funneling money to Hamas . Yusuf : Yup . Yeah . So the biggest thing in my life is ... why do I have to defend being charitable ? Oh , because somehow , somewhere , somebody got a bit of that money , and he 's on a list , and somebody else is on a list -- God almighty ! That has nothing to do with me . I 'm just trying to be charitable ! I think if everybody followed every penny that they ever gave , they would find some very interesting stories behind what has happened to their money . Possibly a lot of it would have gone to waste in administration , as well as other places . It 's unfortunate that people have to associate someone because he 's got a different faith -- or because he 's a Muslim -- with something bad . CNN : Do you believe that will get better ? Yusuf : Oh , yeah . I 'm very much an optimist . And I believe in the hereafter , as well . And that 's a big thing ! CNN : Do you believe that you have a role and that your role is to reach out and touch people through song ? Yusuf : Very much . I think I 've been given a position and place in this world which is quite unique . The fact that I 'm a Westerner by birth and I 'm a Muslim at the same time -- and living in this time where there seems to be such a gravitational split in polarities -- there need to be bridges , and I think music is one of the best ways to bridge all those gaps . | Yusuf , formerly Cat Stevens , has new album : `` Roadsinger '' After big success in '70s , he converted to Islam , shut down career for a time . `` I 'm very much an optimist , '' Yusuf says . | [[219, 224], [227, 256], [450, 492], [1322, 1436], [3590, 3662]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The driver of a truck that collided with a bus in northeast Mexico , killing 12 people including 11 passengers from the United States and Canada , was intoxicated , a Mexican official said Tuesday . Emergency workers wheel a crash victim on a gurney after Monday 's bus crash in Mexico . The tractor-trailer 's 21-year-old driver was among those hospitalized after Monday 's crash near Monterrey , Mexico , said Segismundo Doguin Martinez , a police official in the Mexican state of Coahuila . The driver of the bus was among those killed , and 15 bus passengers were injured . The Senda Express bus , operated by Grupo Senda , had been traveling from McAllen , Texas , carrying tourists to Zacatecas in central Mexico . Eight of those who died were from the United States , three were from Canada and one , the bus driver , was from Mexico , Doguin said . Watch rescuers work at scene of deadly crash '' The survivors , most of them in grave condition , were taken to the Christus Muguerza Hospital and the Clinica La Concepcion , the Mexican official said . `` They are in a delicate state but out of danger , '' Doguin said . El Milenio newspaper reported on its Web site that eight of the injured are from the United States , four are from Canada and three from Mexico . Seven of the injured Americans are from Texas and one is from Iowa , the newspaper said . El Norte newspaper 's Web site and El Porvenir said the dead and injured included tourists . Among those killed in the crash was 73-year-old Ronald Christy , said his daughter , Pam Fordyce . Christy 's wife , Margaret Christy , was in critical condition in a Mexican hospital , Fordyce said . `` He was doing exactly what he loved -- traveling , '' Fordyce , of Altoona , Iowa , told CNN by telephone Tuesday . `` He was right where he would want to be , on a bus . '' She said the couple wintered in Texas and lived in West Liberty , Iowa , in the summer . The U.S. consulate called her at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to tell her that her father had been killed , Fordyce said , and then followed up with an e-mail with photographs of the crash . `` I did n't even know he was on a bus , '' she said . `` I guess I could believe -LSB- the consulate -RSB- when I talked to my brother '' who knew the couple was traveling , she said . `` Until then you do n't want to believe anything . '' Doguin , the Mexican official , said the accident occurred when a truck driver went off the road and then overcorrected and swerved into oncoming traffic , hitting the bus . Video of the scene from CNN affiliate TV Azteca 13 showed the left side of the bus sheared off and the semi 's cab completely flattened . Rescue efforts took five hours , TV Azteca 13 reported . The U.S. consulate in Monterrey will not release the names of the dead or injured until all family members have been notified , said consulate spokesman Todd Huizinga . `` On Monday evening , staff from the consulate in Monterrey went to the Christus Muguerza Hospital to offer assistance to some of the injured who were brought there after the crash , '' Huizinga said . `` The consulate expects to have more detail in the coming hours . '' The truck driver was injured and is being held by authorities at a hospital , Doguin said . The Web site for Grupo Senda says the company started in Linares , Mexico , more than 75 years ago . It provides bus service to 15 Mexican states and the Texas Valley , the site says . Elizabeth Suarez , director of the McAllen Central Bus Station , where the bus trip originated , issued a statement saying , `` We are very saddened by the news this morning . We offer our condolences to the families . The city of McAllen is the landlord of the bus terminal facility in McAllen . Grupo Senda is our tenant . '' CNN 's Melanie Whitley , Taylor Gandossy , Tess Eastment and Monica Trevino contributed to this report from Atlanta , Georgia . | NEW : Tractor-trailer driver , 21 , was intoxicated , official says . 18-wheeler swerved into oncoming traffic , official says ; side of bus sheared off . Death toll at 12 : Eight from U.S. , three from Canada , and bus driver , from Mexico . Victim 's daughter in Iowa says consulate called at 1:30 a.m. with word of crash . | [[0, 36], [187, 202], [328, 385], [54, 61], [67, 106], [2385, 2391], [2417, 2538], [2559, 2673], [0, 11], [14, 36], [109, 184], [534, 578], [770, 775], [780, 812], [815, 845], [1169, 1267], [1270, 1314], [1964, 2058]] |
PARIS , France -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Opposition lawmakers Tuesday ridiculed President Nicolas Sarkozy for taking France back into NATO 's military command after more than 40 years , but were unable to stop the move when it came to a vote . French troops on patrol with the Afghan army as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan . The National Assembly voted in favor of Sarkozy 's plan , 329-238 . Socialist Laurent Fabius , a former prime minister , told Prime Minister Francois Fillon : `` You tell us this would mean more independence and more influence . It would probably mean less independence and less influence . '' The move did not technically require parliamentary approval , but the president 's party scheduled the debate to give opponents a chance to voice their opinions -- and to show a majority backed it . Asking the National Assembly to vote on the issue also showed how sensitive the matter is in France . France was a founding member of the NATO alliance in 1949 but it left the military structure in 1966 amid friction with the United States . `` To cooperate is to lose your independence , '' French President Charles de Gaulle said at the time . For the next 43 years , even though France selectively participated in NATO military operations , de Gaulle 's principle remained the governing cornerstone of French foreign policy . If Paris took orders from NATO military commanders , it was reasoned , the nation would no longer have complete control of its destiny . Sarkozy , however , believes the opposite -- that cooperation in NATO is a guarantee of French independence . Rejoining NATO 's military command , he argued , will give France a seat at the table for decision-making . From its earliest years , the organization 's trans-Atlantic ties were strained because U.S. analysts warned that if the European allies failed to increase their contributions to the alliance , they risked losing the support of the United States , according to NATO . Meanwhile , the European nations felt the United States was trying to dominate the organization , according to NATO . De Gaulle 's 1966 decision meant no French forces could be under permanent allied command and that France would have no participation in defense planning . In 1995 , France rejoined NATO 's military committee , which advises NATO 's political authorities on military policy and strategy and provides guidance on military matters to NATO 's strategic commanders . While France was still not a part of the military command , it contributed troops and funding to NATO activities , including actions in Kosovo and Afghanistan . Half of all French troops outside the country are assigned to NATO military operations . Opponents of Sarkozy 's move -- who include some members of his party -- believe de Gaulle , not Sarkozy , had it right . They started a last-minute petition drive to stop his march back into NATO . `` With this decision , France will return as a subordinate country and will lose its ability to represent another image in the world , '' said Nicolas Dupont-Aignan , a member of the French National Assembly . The president 's allies calculate Sarkozy 's move will strengthen Europe 's hand on defense issues . `` There will be more European weight in the way decisions will be made , '' said Louis Giscard d'Estaing , a member of the National Assembly 's U.S. Friendship Committee . `` Therefore , the balance of power between the USA and Europe will be re-established within this French move . '' CNN 's Sunaina Karkarey and Jim Bittermann contributed to this report . | French National Assembly backs president 's plan to rejoin NATO . President Nicolas Sarkozy 's plan is politically sensitive . France was a founding member of NATO but left in 1966 . President Charles de Gaulle said in 1966 membership meant losing independence . | [[327, 394], [820, 869], [875, 921], [922, 979], [984, 1061], [1062, 1106], [1109, 1165]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With outrage mounting over AIG 's $ 165 million in bonuses to executives , the president 's chief economic adviser offered a new line of defense for the White House in an exclusive interview with CNN . Larry Summers said an AIG meltdown was too risky for the economy to push too hard on executive bonuses . Larry Summers suggested that if Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had pushed the insurance giant too hard on the bonuses , AIG could have collapsed just like Lehman Brothers and sparked an even bigger crisis . `` Secretary Geithner has used all the legal authorities that are open to him to contain and limit the payment of bonuses , '' said Summers , chairman of the National Economic Council . `` What he did not do , and what would have been irresponsible to do , as outrageous as these payments are , would have been to put at risk the stability of the financial system . `` To have courted the kind of disaster that followed the decision to let Lehman Brothers simply collapse might have felt good briefly , but it would have touched the lives of a huge number of Americans who would have unnecessarily become unemployed or seen destruction of their lifetime savings . '' The collapse of the 158-year-old investment bank in September turned the U.S. crisis , based on the subprime loan debacle , into a global one , leading to credit freezes and plummeting markets nearly everywhere . Summers said Geithner was notified about the AIG bonuses last week . The secretary tried to stop them , Summers said , but ran up against a legal contract . `` Secretary Geithner courageously has gone after these bonuses and will continue to go after these bonuses in a very aggressive way , but we ca n't suspend the rule of law and we ca n't put the whole economy at risk , '' said Summers . Asked whether AIG could get more bailout funds down the road , Summers suggested the door is open to more taxpayer money , despite the bonus controversy . Watch senators ' plan to retrieve money '' `` It is wrong to govern out of anger , '' said Summers . `` We have to recognize what we are angry about , do something about it . That 's why we are focused on a new resolution regime as part of a sweeping overhaul of the financial system . '' ... But we ca n't let anger stop us from taking the steps that are necessary to maintain the stability of the financial system , keep credit flowing . '' Watch tempers rise over bonuses '' Summers said President Obama 's entire economic team is working hard to mitigate the problems caused by bank failures , bailouts and credit freezes and boost the country 's economy . `` There 's one lesson of the history of financial crisis that no one can argue with , and that is that they all end , and this one will , too , '' he said . `` And if we are able to maintain the right policies , we 'll bring forward the day when it ends , and -- probably even more important -- we 'll have a sounder stronger economic expansion at the end of it . '' The former treasury secretary is not quite as bullish about a turnaround , however , as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke , who predicted the recession may be over by the end of 2009 . Asked about Bernanke 's prediction , Summers said he was upbeat about some aspects of the economy -- such as a 22 percent spike in housing starts and recent upticks in the stock market -- but said he was cautious about making any grand pronouncements . Summers told CNN that while he 's confident of a turnaround , `` just what day the turn will come is n't something that I would dare to forecast . '' `` Something that the president has made clear to us is his approach and the approach he wants us to take is a recognition that we do n't panic when there 's a bad number , bad day on the markets , and we do n't become euphoric when there 's a good day in the markets , or a good number , '' Summers said . Asked specifically about Bernanke 's prediction on CBS ' `` 60 Minutes '' about the recession ending this year and 2010 potentially being a year of recovery , Summers demurred . `` We always are at pains to recognize when we talk to the president that economic forecasting is the most imperfect of sciences , '' said Summers . `` Many people would say it was n't a science at all . We stress the uncertainties in this situation . '' | Larry Summers is President Obama 's chief economic adviser . He says contracts legally tied hands of Treasury secretary to deal with AIG bonuses . Summers : Pushing AIG too hard could have led to Lehman Brothers-style collapse . `` We ca n't put the whole economy at risk '' because we 're angry , he cautions . | [[105, 231], [1533, 1540], [1552, 1585], [232, 296], [337, 548], [366, 377], [460, 512], [232, 296], [1763, 1802]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two photographs of Madonna set to appear in a Christie 's auction next month will probably sell for at least $ 10,000 each , according to estimates posted on the company 's Web site . Christie 's will auction a nude photo of Madonna -LRB- partially shown above -RRB- taken by Lee Friedlander . One , a full-frontal nude black-and-white photograph of the singer , was taken in 1979 by celebrated American photographer Lee Friedlander for a series of nudes he was working on , said Milena Sales , a spokeswoman for the auction house . Madonna was about 20 when the photograph , one of several , was taken . A handful from the shoot appeared in Playboy magazine in 1985 , Sales said . Christie 's put price estimates for the photograph at $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 . The second photograph of Madonna was taken in the 1980s by Helmut Newton . In the Newton photograph , which is in color , Madonna is wearing a short dress and black stockings with garters . The circumstances behind the photo shoot were not immediately clear . The auction will take place in New York on February 12 . | Christie 's to auction Madonna photos . One is full-frontal nude shot taken by Lee Friedlander . Nude photo expected to sell for $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 . | [[0, 15], [19, 95], [203, 257], [280, 312], [0, 15], [96, 141]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On Monday 's night edition of `` Larry King Live , '' guest host Ali Velshi talked with TV cooking host Rachael Ray . Rachael Ray visits `` Larry King Live '' on Monday night to give tips on stretching a family 's food dollar to the max . CNN 's chief business correspondent asked Ray how you can make your meal-time dollars stretch in these tough economic times without sacrificing nutrition or taste . The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity : . Ali Velshi : How do we keep from packing on the recession pounds ? Tonight , help is on the way . Joining me in New York is Rachael Ray , host of `` The Rachael Ray Show . '' ... We 're all kind of stressed right now . We 're trying to sort of do more with less and certainly eating in a hurry . You 've got some great advice on that . Ray : We need to go back to the way our grandparents prepared food . Instead of buying pieces of chicken , buy a whole chicken . You make that on Sunday , take the leftovers , roll that into fajitas , soups , stews , make your own stock . You 've got to start thinking in bigger increments . ... Stock up on lean meats and proteins , on veggies that you know your family likes and turn yourself into your own frozen food factory . Every time that chicken breast goes on sale , stock up . Go home , put it in individual storage bags , pound it out nice and thin . It 's a quick defrost . Watch Rachael Ray 's appearance on `` Larry King Live '' '' Velshi : All right . So you freeze ; I like that . You make yourself into your own frozen food factory . Ray : Even with vegetables . ... You know , if broccoli is on a great price this week , buy a ton of it , go home , blanch it a little bit of salted water , cold shock it , put it in a plastic food storage bag , done . Velshi : What 's the better deal : Buying your vegetables canned , buying them fresh ? Ray : Buying them at a local food market . You know , whether you 're in a big city or a small town , farmers markets are your best bargain . You can buy direct from the small producer . And , you know , it 's a great way to not only get organic , but get a great price on it . Velshi : Let 's talk about takeout food . Parents are trying to save time and money . In many cases , that leads us to fast food , because it 's cheap and fast . ... Ray : The food that we can get most readily and at the best bargain is n't good for us . It 's processed . I mean all things in moderation . Everybody can have a burger once in a while . Velshi : What do you recommend to our viewers -LSB- for fast food -RSB- ? Ray : Hey , I love a veggie sub at Subway . You know , I think that there is affordable fast food . If you 're on the go , fine . Everybody needs to pick up a salad or a burger once in a while . There are healthy choices there . ... . If the kids really love fries , tell them they can have a few as long as they eat the veggies , too . And , there are a lot of great strategies you can take with kids in getting them to eat healthier -- little things like switching to whole wheat macaroni , whole wheat pastas . Velshi : It sounds like it 's a lot like dealing with the rest of your financial life -- if there 's a little bit of planning ahead of time , you can actually save a lot of money . Ray : Absolutely . I think you 've got to go into the store armed with a good attitude ... and with coupons . And another really simple thing : When you go grocery shopping , do not look at the price on the product . Look at the unit price . Right there on the shelf , it will tell you the price per ounce or unit of measurement . And that 's how you find your truest bargains . Velshi : Let 's talk about planning for shopping . When people are trying to trim their bills , what are the biggest mistakes they make ? Ray : They go shopping hungry . They make a lot of impulse buys . They shop too many times during the week . ... Try and make that one master list , really think it out and try and plan one day of the week where you can do a big cook . Velshi : Are you a big leftover fan ? Ray : Absolutely . But I do n't think they should taste like the first time . You know , I 'm all for cooking a big chicken and then making chicken chili , chicken pasta . Velshi : Not having roast chicken for four days ? Ray : Exactly . Velshi : How do you make that switch if your kids are addicted to processed and fast food ? Ray : Children love good food , and they love being involved . They love feeling like they 're helping . If you give children ownership of the meal , if you involve them in the process , they feel like they 're problem-solving and it becomes a great self-esteem builder . And for the transition , it can be as simple as taking things that they like , such as macaroni and cheese , and using a whole wheat pasta instead of a plain pasta . Velshi : Do you tell them that you 're doing it ? Ray : No . I do n't think so . Just let them enjoy it . Velshi : What I have n't graduated to is coupons . I get them in the newspaper every week . Is this something we should be looking at now ? Ray : This is the perfect time to be using coupons . Whether you 're somebody that has -LSB- money -RSB- or somebody who lives on a very limited budget , it 's always fun to get more for your money . Velshi : One of the things in your magazine that I really enjoy is the Supermarket 101 column , just sort of factoids about supermarkets . Ray : Yes . And it gives people neat tips on how to save money when they go shopping . Velshi : Yes . And one of them was about buying in bulk , particularly with nuts . Is that the case for everything ? Ray : Everything . When you buy in bulk or you buy a generic name , you have to read the label and make sure that the quality is the same . But , yes , I think it 's truly a bargain . | Rachael Ray says we need to go back to way our grandparents prepared food . Plan ahead , make large meals and freeze leftovers for later incarnations , Ray says . Another Ray tip : clip coupons before you head to grocery and buy in bulk . Ray says eat fast food in moderation , pick healthy items such as veggies , salads . | [[834, 896]] |
Editor 's note : CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com , which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com . Although this is a challenging market for new grads , remember : Attitude can be the key to your success . Nate Torvik has mixed feelings about his upcoming graduation from Purdue University . While there 's relief that classes are over , exams have been taken and term papers turned in , what lies ahead is an extremely challenging and competitive job market . `` I feel like the wind has been taken out of my sails , '' says Torvik , who received a bachelor 's degree in mass communication . `` There is so much pride and happiness that comes with graduation , but as soon as I step off that stage at graduation , I become another statistic of the current miserable economy . '' Torvik is one of thousands of soon-to-be college graduates thinking about relocating for work this spring . While choosing the best place to settle down can be a daunting decision , the current economic climate has raised the stakes . `` I have been looking just about everywhere throughout the Midwest for a job because I do not want to be too far away from my family , but things are looking more bleak everywhere I turn , '' Torvik says . For now , he 's working in retail and hopes it might open other doors to a job as an account executive at a marketing or advertising firm . Allison Lackey is one of the lucky ones ... for now . She is graduating with a communications degree from Millikin University and starts a ten-month stint as a traveling field consultant for Delta Delta Delta women 's fraternity . After that , she hopes to find a position as a marketing or PR specialist for a nonprofit organization . `` In a way , I am grateful to be searching for a job in this tough economy , '' Lackey says . `` It has forced me to become comfortable with being able to articulate why I am the best candidate for the job and it has also forced me to learn how to network well with people in my field . '' Top cities for new grads . While many new grads tend to look for jobs near their college or hometowns , scores of them are considering locations they might not have when they entered school four or five years ago . `` Given the current economy , new grads looking to relocate are becoming increasingly concerned with the cost of living as they are faced with more competition for jobs than seen in previous years , '' said Tammy Kotula , public relations and promotions manager at Apartments.com . `` With these very real concerns weighing on the minds of many , two leading online resources for apartments and jobs have come together to paint a realistic landscape of both the job market and cost of living in the most popular cities for young adults after college . '' For new grads who plan to expand their job searches beyond their college or hometowns , Apartments.com and CBcampus.com just released the `` Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates . '' The list is based on the ranking of the top U.S. cities with the highest concentration of young adults -LRB- age 20 -- 24 -RRB- from the U.S. Census Bureau -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , inventory of jobs requiring less than one year of experience from CBcampus.com -LRB- 2009 -RRB- and the average cost of rent for a one bedroom apartment from Apartments.com -LRB- 2009 -RRB- . According to Apartments.com and CBcampus.com , the top 10 cities for new grads are : . 1 . Indianapolis Average rent : * $ 625 Popular entry-level categories : ** sales , customer service , health care . 2 . Philadelphia Average rent : $ 1,034 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , management . 3 . Baltimore Average rent : $ 1,130 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , health care . 4 . Cincinnati Average rent : $ 691 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , health care . 5 . Cleveland Average rent : $ 686 Popular entry-level categories : sales , marketing , customer service . 6 . New York Average rent : $ 1,548 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , admin-clerical . 7 . Phoenix Average rent : $ 747 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , marketing . 8 . Denver Average rent : $ 877 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , health care . 9 . Chicago Average rent : $ 1,133 Popular entry-level categories : sales , marketing , customer service . 10 . San Antonio Average rent : $ 696 Popular entry-level categories : sales , customer service , management . Looking beyond your hometown . If you are considering expanding your job search to other cities , here are some tips : . • Contact an alumnus from your college who lives in that city and join your alumni chapter if there is one . • Get an insider 's perspective by familiarizing yourself with the local media and other resources . Read up on the city 's business and community news . • Develop a list of companies within the area and learn about their businesses and company cultures . • Register with a national recruitment agency ; interview with a recruiter in your local office and have that person put the word out to other offices in your target cities . • Consider spending a few days in your desired city to learn more , network and set up informational interviews . In your applications and cover letters , tell hiring managers the dates you 'll be in the city and available to interview . Although this is a challenging market for new grads , remember : Attitude can be the key to your success . The reality is that the job search will take longer for these new grads thrust into the `` real world '' but the right mind-set can make you resilient . Consider the words from Elaine Goodwin , who plans to graduate this fall from Northern Illinois University : `` There is always something . I love the Japanese proverb that says ` Fall down seven , get up eight . ' I understand that it is going to be a tough economy to graduate in , but I will take the challenge and show companies how I can be an asset to them . You ca n't get discouraged because the world is not going to give you a break . '' * Average rent of one bedroom apartment ** Using search term `` entry level '' in that city . Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2009 . All rights reserved . The information contained in this article may not be published , broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority . | Current economic climate has raised the stakes in choosing a place to settle down . Apartments.com , CBcampus.com release list of best cities for recent college grads . Indianapolis , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Cincinnati , Cleveland top the list . Tip : Consider spending a few days in your desired city to learn more and network . | [[947, 1073], [2264, 2291], [2611, 2815], [2819, 2826], [2907, 3009], [3380, 3424], [5228, 5307], [5262, 5341]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rudolpho Marquez , Richard Reyes and Cesar Cruz make for a most unlikely car pool . They are all former gang rivals who have spent hard time in prison . But they 've put the past behind them for common goals : jobs and their families . Rudolpho Marquez , Richard Reyes and Cesar Cruz are ex-gang members working together now . `` It 's a lesson in that you do n't have to kill your neighbors , '' said Reyes , who spent the last decade in and out of prison for an array of drug offenses . `` It do n't matter where you come from , what background you come from . We are all humans , and we should learn to live together . '' Marquez chimed in , `` We treat each other like normal human beings now . We get along great . We socialize . '' The three men are part of a solar-installation program paid for by Homeboy Industries , a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that works with former gang members and others who have spent time in prison to put them to work . Watch Homeboy help ex-gang members '' The latest project is aimed at green jobs , offering former gang members and parolees a chance to break ground in alternative energy programs while the issue is being pushed by President Obama and the nation 's lawmakers . Homeboy is the brainchild of the Rev. Gregory Boyle , known simply as Father Greg by everyone here . Boyle first started a small program in 1988 to offer alternatives to gang violence in one of Los Angeles ' toughest neighborhoods . `` I started burying young kids who were killed in our community , '' he told CNN . `` I buried my first in 1988 and just buried my 165th two months ago . So we as a community started to say , ` We have to do something . ' '' Over the last two decades , Homeboy has reached out to the 1,100 gangs in metro LA , helping provide a second chance to those who want it . The organization provides much-needed job training , hires ex-gang members for transitional jobs and helps give other free programs to people who otherwise struggle in the outside world . Boyle said it 's a simple philosophy : Offer gang members hope through gainful employment , and they 'll want to `` leave behind all of their gang past . '' `` This population really ca n't afford to just go to school . They are not living at home with their parents . They have no one there , really , '' he said . Reyes calls the Catholic priest a saint . `` If there were more people like him , there 'd be less people like me , '' he said . In Reyes ' case , he missed the births of his daughters -- Valerie , 9 , and Vanessa , 7 -- because he was behind bars . `` I feel I wasted my life , '' he said . `` I thought being a father was making babies , but being a father is taking an interest in your kids . '' Since his release from prison in May 2008 , he has graduated at the top his class in the Homeboy-sponsored solar program . He is now working on a $ 2.5 million project for Lite Solar to install 1,500 solar panels on an apartment building . As he watched his daughters play on a recent afternoon , he said , `` It feels good knowing you can provide for them . '' On Tuesday , Reyes got another reward : He welcomed his first son into the world . His wife , Susana Reyes , said the Homeboy program completely changed her husband . `` Before , it was all about his gang , '' she said . `` Now , I know he loves his daughters . '' Albert Ortega , now 34 , spent seven years in prison , beginning when he was just 19 . He was hired by Homeboy and is now the coordinator of the solar program . `` This program totally changed my life , '' he said . A father of three children , Ortega said he kept making poor choices to make quick money . After his most recent release from prison , he said he approached Boyle to help him clean up his life . `` I was willing to try anything , '' Ortega said . `` I just did n't want to go back to prison , and I did n't want to disappoint my daughters . '' That 's a sentiment echoed by the car pool trio . `` Seeing everybody I grew up with going to jail . I did n't want to live that life , '' said Cruz . Added Reyes , `` If you want to change your life around , anything is possible . '' CNN 's Traci Tamura and Gregg Canes contributed to this report . | Homeboy Industries started in 1988 to help ease tensions among gangs . A new program funded by Homeboy trains ex-gang members on green jobs . `` It 's a lesson in that you do n't have to kill your neighbors , '' says Richard Reyes . Ex-gang member says friends all went to jail : `` I did n't want to live that life '' | [[1050, 1068], [1094, 1191], [372, 435], [128, 196], [137, 159], [164, 196], [949, 959], [964, 1004], [4063, 4095]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 23-year-old woman suffocated her son and then buried his body beneath the sand of a playground , police in Albuquerque , New Mexico , said Thursday . Tiffany Toribio , 23 , was arrested and charged with killing her son . Police arrested Tiffany Toribio about 4 a.m. , just hours after they said they wanted to speak to her about her missing 3-year-old son , Ty . Family members had contacted authorities , saying her son matched the description of a boy found Friday at an Albuquerque playground . Police Chief Ray Schultz said she confessed to killing the boy soon after being apprehended . `` She placed her hand over her son 's mouth and nose and suffocated him . She had second thoughts about what she did . She performed CPR on her son , brought him back to life and then decided to go forward with that original act she had started to commit , '' Schultz said . Watch Schultz describe the alleged killing '' `` What makes this story especially sad is , when asked the reason why she took Ty 's life , Tiffany said that she did not want him to grow up with no one caring about him , the same way that she had grown up where nobody had cared about her . '' An emotional Schultz added that Toribio has tried to kill herself since her arrest . She was being held in isolation at a detention facility and kept under observation , he said . He added , `` As you can see , this case has been very emotional for everybody in the department . '' Toribio was charged with first-degree murder and an array of other charges , including abuse of a child under 12 that caused death . The discovery of the body at Alvarado Park on Friday shocked the community , which dubbed the boy `` Baby Justice '' and `` Baby Angel '' as they rallied around his case . Police released a composite image of the boy Tuesday , hoping to garner more leads in the case . They were n't able to release a photo of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand 's heat . Schultz said that after killing her son , Toribio dug a hole under gym equipment at the playground , moved the body and buried him in the shallow grave . `` Since that time , she 's been walking the streets of the city of Albuquerque , '' he said . The boy was wearing Arizona brand clothing , size 3T : nylon black running pants with red stripes , a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black , gray and lime green Skechers sneakers . Toribio did not comment Thursday morning after her arrest as she was put in a police car . Schultz said there had been no reports of child abuse filed against Toribio . But he said family members indicated that she did not express the typical love of a mother for her child . `` She did not show the normal relationship that you would see with a mother , son , '' he said . This week , police had gone to residences where she had lived previously , but she was n't there , Schultz said . Police had gone there after family members expressed concern because `` they did not like the way Ty was being treated , '' the police chief said . CNN 's Mallory Simon contributed to this report . | NEW : New Mexico mom , 23 , faces charges including murder . NEW : Police say she suffocated son , revived him and then killed him . NEW : Mom told cops `` she did not want him to grow up with no one caring about him '' The boy was found at playground Friday ; case dubbed `` Baby Justice '' | [[171, 186], [211, 241], [19, 57], [171, 186], [211, 241], [616, 619], [671, 687], [733, 736], [764, 788], [1985, 2011], [1028, 1106], [469, 518], [1597, 1734], [1658, 1671], [1680, 1725], [1735, 1768]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama on Thursday sent a civil nuclear agreement with the United Arab Emirates to the Senate for ratification , but its passage remains uncertain , thanks to a recently disclosed video . Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan allegedly tortured a business associate on videotape . Senior U.S. officials said lawmakers critical of the deal could use the video , which shows a member of the UAE government 's royal family torturing a man , to argue the United States should not have such nuclear cooperation with a country where the rule of law is not respected and human rights violations are tolerated . The senior officials said the Obama administration deliberately held off sending the deal to Congress for ratification because of fears some lawmakers would try to use the video to undermine the agreement . But the administration felt comfortable sending the agreement to Congress at this time , officials said , given that there has been little reaction to the release of the video except for a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this month from U.S. Rep. James McGovern -- the Massachusetts Democrat who co-chairs the congressional Human Rights Commission . Watch how the video came to light '' McGovern expressed `` outrage and concern '' and asked Clinton to `` place a temporary hold on further U.S. expenditures of funds , training , sales or transfers of equipment or technology , including nuclear , until a full review of this matter and its policy implications can be completed . '' He issued a statement Wednesday after Obama signed the agreement , saying he would not support the deal until the UAE addresses his `` very grave concerns '' about its human rights record . In the video , an Afghan grain dealer is seen being tortured by Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan , a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi , one of the UAE 's seven emirates , whose leaders also run the federal government . The government has since arrested the sheikh , pending a full investigation . The video emerged in a federal civil lawsuit filed in Houston , Texas , by Bassam Nabulsi , a U.S. citizen , against the sheikh . The men , former business partners , had a falling out , in part over the video . In a statement to CNN , the sheikh 's U.S. attorney said Nabulsi is using the videotape to influence the court over a business dispute . The U.S.-UAE pact is similar to one the United States signed last year with India . Under it , Washington would share nuclear technology , expertise and fuel . In exchange , the UAE would commit to abide by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency inspection safeguards . The small oil-rich Gulf nation promises not to enrich uranium or to reprocess spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium , which can be used to make nuclear bombs . A statement issued Thursday by the State Department said the deal will `` serve as a model for responsible nuclear energy development '' in the Middle East . `` The UAE agreement contains the strongest nonproliferation conditions of any negotiated by the United States , '' the statement said . Of special note , it said , is the UAE 's commitment to obtain nuclear fuel from reliable and responsible suppliers rather than pursue indigenous uranium enrichment and reprocessing , fuel cycle activities that pose the most serious proliferation risks . This commitment `` is reflected within the agreement as a legally binding obligation on the part of the UAE , '' the State Department said . The civil nuclear agreement was signed in January by the Bush administration , but had to be recertified because it was not approved before Obama took office . The deal is part of a major UAE investment in nuclear energy , and the government has already signed deals to build several nuclear power plants . UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said his country will `` seriously consider '' U.S. companies to implement the program . The United States already has similar nuclear cooperation agreements with Egypt and Morocco , and U.S. officials said Washington is working on similar pacts with Saudi Arabia , Bahrain and Jordan . The United States has praised the UAE 's development of nuclear energy , a stark contrast to criticism of Iran , which is suspected of attempting to enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb . But UAE 's ties to Iran have caused concern . Iran is among the UAE 's largest trading partners . In the past , the port city of Dubai has been used as a transit point for sensitive technology bound for Iran . Dubai also was one of the major hubs for the nuclear trafficking network run by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan , who admitted spreading nuclear technology to Iran , North Korea and Libya up until the year 2000 . He was eventually pardoned by the Pakistani government . Such ties contributed to stiff opposition in Congress to the failed deal for Dubai Ports World to manage U.S. ports . Some in Congress have expressed concern that the new deal could fuel an arms race and proliferation in the region . Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen , R-Florida , the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee , has said she was `` deeply disappointed '' the United States signed a `` flawed agreement . '' `` Transferring nuclear technology and know-how to this unproven partner is inconsistent with the administration 's expressed commitment to the pursuit of stronger nonproliferation controls , '' Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement after Obama signed the agreement . `` The UAE 's long history as a conduit for Iran 's nuclear weapons program , its failure to fully implement effective export controls , and the danger of expanding nuclear facilities and expertise in the Middle East make this agreement a dangerous precedent . '' She introduced legislation earlier this year that would prevent the agreement from going into effect until the president certifies that the UAE has met a number of conditions regarding export controls and terrorist financing . | Obama sends nuclear agreement with the United Arab Emirates to the Senate . Recently released video shows member of UAE royal family torturing a man . Co-chair of congressional Human Rights Commission opposes deal . | [[0, 26], [58, 132], [198, 226], [227, 313], [341, 468], [1738, 1750], [1753, 1833]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick left a federal prison in Leavenworth , Kansas , early Wednesday , according to his publicist and the Federal Bureau of Prisons . Michael Vick , left , arrives at federal court with attorney Billy Martin in Richmond , Viriginia , in 2007 . He will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in Virginia , his publicist Judy Smith said . He is a native of Newport News , Virginia . Vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in August 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in Virginia . He will return to professional football as soon as September if reinstated by the NFL , according to the sports agent who negotiated Vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the Falcons . Meanwhile , Vick 's attorneys have said he will work at a Newport News construction firm following his release , and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $ 600,000 . Last month , a federal bankruptcy judge denied a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by Vick , urging him to offer the court another plan to emerge from bankruptcy . The plan called for Vick to come up with $ 750,000 to $ 1 million in cash to be paid to creditors , U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro said , but added he saw no evidence Vick could come up with that much . Santoro suggested Vick 's next plan not call for him to keep two houses and three cars , as did the rejected proposal . In testimony , Vick acknowledged committing a `` heinous '' act and said he should have acted more maturely . He said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . His Falcons salary , he said , was between $ 10 million and $ 12 million . He acknowledged failing to handle his money well . Watch a panel discuss his release '' Vick plans to work with the Humane Society of the United States on anti-dogfighting campaigns , Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle told CNN on Tuesday . Vick will work on programs aimed at preventing youths from getting involved in dogfighting , and also on programs to assist young people who have already been involved in the blood sport . Pacelle said the Humane Society was approached by Vick 's representatives . He said he has traveled to Kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback , and during the second visit , the two discussed how Vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting , as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it . Watch more about Vick 's dogs '' Details have not yet been hammered out , Pacelle said , but will be in the next couple of days . iReport.com : Does Vick deserve a second chance ? More attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of Vick 's case , Pacelle said . The Humane Society , which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting , has recently paid out $ 40,000 in five different cases , he said . | Prisons official says ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback left facility early Wednesday . He 'll serve last two months of sentence in home confinement , most likely in Virginia . Vick 's attorneys have said he 'll work at construction firm ; Vick has OK 'd documentary . Vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in 2007 to bankrolling a dogfighting operation in Virginia . | [[306, 396], [802, 811], [814, 912], [919, 985], [475, 479], [487, 551], [475, 479], [487, 504], [520, 585]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama will address the future of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , Thursday morning in a speech at the National Archives . The Guantanamo facility houses terror suspects , and lawmakers do n't want them in the U.S. . In a speech that is being billed as a major address , Obama is also slated to discuss issues of state secrets , transparency and protecting national security , White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said . Former Vice President Dick Cheney , one of the most outspoken critics of Obama 's policies , is scheduled to give an opposing argument Thursday morning . Cheney has charged that Obama 's national security decisions have left the United States more vulnerable to attack . Obama 's address is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET at the National Archives . Cheney will speak before the conservative American Enterprise Institute at 10:45 a.m. Obama is hoping to rally support behind his national security measures after angering some with his decision to resume the Bush administration practice of military tribunals and by reversing course on his decision to release photos of alleged inmate abuse at Guantanamo . On Wednesday , Obama was dealt another blow when the U.S. Senate passed a measure that would prevent detainees at Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to the United States for now . The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in a 90-6 vote . A similar amendment has already passed the House . It was attached to a supplemental war funding bill . Following in the steps of House Democrats , Senate Democrats rejected on Tuesday the administration 's request for $ 80 million to close the Guantanamo facility . They instead asked that President Obama first submit a plan spelling out what the administration will do with the prisoners when it closes the prison . Obama , in one of his first official duties as president , announced that he would close the prison by January 22 , 2010 . Congressional Democrats , however , are now attempting to avoid an onslaught of criticism from Republicans , who argue it would be reckless to shutter the prison before deciding where to transfer the detainees . FBI Director Robert Mueller told members of Congress earlier Wednesday that he is concerned about the potential dangers that may result from the release of detainees in the United States . In response to a question from Texas Rep. Lamar Smith , the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee , Mueller said he is concerned about the potential for fundraising to support terrorist groups and the radicalization of others , as well as the potential for attacks within the country . Mueller also said that while he is not concerned about dangerous terrorists escaping from maximum security federal prisons , he is concerned about the potential of activities being directed from within prison walls , and he cited such actions by dangerous gang members . Attorney General Eric Holder , the president 's point man overseeing the Guantanamo plan , sought to downplay the FBI director 's concerns and the Senate vote to bar funds . `` The concerns that have been expressed by the director and concerns expressed by other people will all be taken into account in formulating the plan that we will ultimately use , '' Holder told reporters late Wednesday . `` We 're not going to do anything that 's going to put the American people at risk , '' he said . The attorney general continued to express confidence that the Guantanamo Bay prison camp will be permanently closed by Obama 's deadline . iReport.com : Sound off on Obama , Cheney speeches . `` We will have conversations with Congress , and I 'm confident that as a result of those conversations , the necessary funds will come our way , '' Holder said . At the White House , press secretary Robert Gibbs echoed Holder 's promise . `` The president understands that his most important job is to keep the American people safe and that he is not going to make any decision or any judgment that imperils the safety of the American people . '' CNN 's Terry Frieden and Kristi Keck contributed to this report . | White House says Obama is not going to make any decision that imperils safety . Senate votes 90-6 on a measure to prevent Gitmo detainees from going to the U.S. A similar amendment has already passed the House . Obama announced that he would close the prison by January 22 , 2010 . | [[3354, 3434], [3883, 4087], [3985, 3987], [4001, 4087], [1184, 1196], [1199, 1265], [1233, 1366], [1367, 1439], [1440, 1471], [1479, 1490], [1440, 1490], [1859, 1864], [1867, 1902], [1918, 1981], [3508, 3588]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Perhaps Ryan Seacrest said it best at the top of the `` American Idol '' Tuesday night when describing Adam Lambert and Kris Allen , the show 's final two contestants . In this corner : Kris Allen , the guy next door . `` It is the battle of the acoustic rocker versus the glam rocker . Conway -LRB- Arkansas -RRB- versus California . The guy next door versus the guy-liner . '' After three performances apiece and plenty of judge feedback , it seems that the Southern California glam-rocker Adam Lambert has the edge -- but it did n't look that way early in Tuesday 's show . In the first round , where the contestants chose a song from a favorite past performance this season , Simon Cowell declared Kris Allen the winner after his rendition of `` Ai n't No Sunshine '' on piano . Watch Allen and Lambert talk after the show '' Lambert chose to sing `` Mad World '' while wearing a long black coat and walking around a stage filled with white smoke , all of which Cowell found `` over-theatrical . '' `` I think ` Mad World ' is kind of symbolic , '' Lambert told reporters after the show . `` It talks about people who do n't feel like they fit in . '' Round two featured a tune hand-picked by `` American Idol '' creator Simon Fuller , where Lambert ditched the black overcoat and belted out Sam Cooke 's `` A Change Is Gon na Come '' while sporting a shiny silver suit . Paula Abdul told Lambert `` it was the best I 've ever heard you sing , ever ! '' Allen 's feedback after singing Marvin Gaye 's classic `` What 's Goin ' On '' in the second round was much less flattering . See the best and worst performances from season eight '' `` I thought it was too laid back for a night like this , '' said Cowell . He then gave round two to Lambert . Round three featured a bit of a twist -- both contestants had to sing a song co-written by judge Kara DioGuardi called `` No Boundaries . '' Lambert went first and had little difficulty with the ballad . Cowell told the 27-year-old afterward that `` you have been one of the best , most original contestants we 've ever had on the show . '' Allen , however , struggled to stay in tune during the entire performance ... but the judges were less harsh this time . `` You have thoroughly , thoroughly deserved to be standing on that stage tonight , congratulations , '' said Cowell . Watch anchors debate `` Idol '' finalists '' After the show , Lambert told reporters that they did not have a lot of time to work on `` No Boundaries '' and it was kind of a `` rush job . '' `` There was a lot of lyric , and it was a big song , '' said Lambert . `` But it 's a beautiful song . '' It almost seems appropriate that these two are facing off in the finale . According to Allen , he and Lambert were once roommates during the competition . They even critique each other 's rehearsals . `` He 's always giving me stuff to change about mine ... to make it better , '' Allen told reporters . iReport.com : Who should win : Kris or Adam ? A little over an hour before the show began , a magnitude 4.0 quake aftershock hit 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles . Tuesday night 's telecast was held at the Nokia Theater , which is in downtown Los Angeles . A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck the area shortly before 8:40 p.m. Sunday . But , to Allen 's disappointment , neither of the contestants felt the jolt Tuesday . `` I was totally upset , too , because I 've never been to California -LRB- except for ` American Idol ' -RRB- , and I was like , ' I want to feel an earthquake . ' '' Allen and Lambert will return to the stage Wednesday night and find out , along with the rest of the world , who will be crowned the next `` American Idol '' at the two-hour finale . | Final two `` American Idol '' contestants battle it out in song for the title Tuesday . Californian Adam Lambert has developed a glam-rock persona . Arkansas resident Kris Allen has a guy-next-door appeal . Who will America choose ? Results show starts at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday . | [[423, 483], [486, 620]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A top Mexican drug cartel suspect has been arrested along with 12 accomplices , including five women , federal authorities said . Police guard suspected members of the Beltran Leyva cartel after they were arrested in a 2008 raid . Rodolfo Lopez Ibarra , known as El Nito and believed to be a top lieutenant in the Beltran Leyva cartel , was arrested Monday at an airport in Nuevo Leon state , said the Mexican National Defense secretary . Along with the suspects , officials said they also confiscated a Cessna 550 airplane , two cars , a large quantity of drugs and cash , firearms and a hand grenade . Soldiers acting on an anonymous tip arrested the eight men and five women , including one minor , National Defense said in a release Tuesday . Authorities said they confiscated 40,680 pesos -LRB- U.S. $ 3,150 -RRB- , $ 29,385 -LRB- 379,507 pesos -RRB- , 13 packages of marijuana weighing 13 kilograms -LRB- 29 pounds -RRB- , three computers and 28 cell phones . The Beltran Leyva cartel is one of the top drug organizations in Mexico , allied with the Gulf cartel in its battle against the Sinaloa organized crime syndicate . The Beltran Leyva group was formerly allied with the Sinaloa cartel , considered the largest drug-trafficking organization in the nation . The two other major drug organizations in Mexico are the Juarez and Tijuana cartels . According to media reports , someone alerted authorities when a tipster noticed heavily armed men waiting at the airport in northern Mexico . Ibarra was on a flight back from a baptism in Acapulco at which drug cartel chief Arturo Beltran Leyva had anointed him with the top post in Nuevo Leon , the news reports said . A published photo of Ibarra after his arrest shows him wearing a long-sleeved printed shirt and blue jeans , a forlorn look on his face as he gazes off to the side . Ibarra , 33 , was the second top suspect from the Beltran Leyva cartel arrested in recent weeks . In March , authorities announced the arrest of Hector Huerta Rios , also known as `` La Burra '' or `` El Junior . '' Like Ibarra , he was arrested in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia in Nuevo Leon state , along Mexico 's border with the United States . Mexican officials also have recently announced the arrests of several other high-ranking cartel suspects as President Felipe Calderon wages a battle against a drug trade he says killed 6,500 people last year . About 2,000 more Mexicans are believed to have been killed this year . In April , authorities announced the arrest of Vicente Carrillo Leyva , a suspected leader of the Carrillo Fuentes drug cartel . A couple of weeks earlier , officials said they had arrested Sigifredo Najera Talamantes , a drug-trafficking suspect accused of attacking a U.S. consulate and killing Mexican soldiers . Talamantes , also known as `` El Canicon , '' also is suspected in attacks on a television station in Monterrey in Nuevo Leon , the state-run Notimex agency said . That same week , the Mexican military also arrested the son of a top drug cartel lieutenant . | Suspected top Beltran Leyva cartel lieutenant arrested at airport in Nuevo Leon . 12 more suspects arrested ; airplane , cars , drugs , cash , guns confiscated . Rodolfo Lopez Ibarra , aka El Nito , arrested on his way back from a baptism . | [[271, 291], [315, 374], [271, 291], [377, 430], [0, 11], [14, 36], [59, 117], [505, 643], [2235, 2252], [2258, 2339], [271, 291], [294, 310], [1537, 1591]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Although many people think of a heart attack as a painful , sometimes fatal event , there are some heart attacks that go entirely unnoticed . Some people may have had heart attacks without knowing it , studies show . Undiagnosed , or `` silent , '' heart attacks affect nearly 200,000 people in the United States annually . As many as 40 to 60 percent of all heart attacks are unrecognized , studies show . By definition , a heart attack usually happens when a clot gets in the way of blood flow from a coronary artery to the heart . This may cause symptoms such as severe chest pain , shortness of breath , fainting and nausea . Anyone who believes that he or she is having a heart attack should seek emergency medical attention . But sometimes a heart attack is not painful , or the person experiencing it does not recognize the symptoms as heart-related , so he or she does not go to a hospital for treatment . Cardiologists have only recently become attuned to the prevalence of these silent heart attacks , and research on treatment is limited . The risk factors for silent heart attacks are the same as for regular heart attacks , experts say , and include smoking , diabetes , stress and family history . Watch CNN Health Files : Heart attacks '' A new study from Duke University Medical Center shows that these silent heart attacks may occur more frequently than physicians thought . Even if a heart attack occurred in the distant past , it may still leave a signature called a Q-wave on an electrocardiogram . But there are silent heart attacks that do not have associated Q-waves . Researchers used a relatively new technique called delayed-enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance and then followed up with patients after about two years . The study was done on 185 patients who had never had a diagnosed heart attack but were suspected of having coronary artery disease . The researchers found that 35 percent of patients had evidence of a heart attack and that silent heart attacks without Q-waves were three times more common than those that had Q-waves . Patients with non-Q-wave silent heart attacks also had 11 times higher risk of death from any cause and a 17-fold risk of death from heart problems compared with patients without any heart damage . But experts do not recommend that people generally be screened for silent heart attacks unless they have other heart-related problems . `` Currently , there has not been a study that has demonstrated that early identification and therapy changes how patients with unrecognized heart attacks do in the future , '' said Dr. Han Kim , a cardiologist at Duke University and lead author of the study . `` If you do n't know when an actual event occurred , it becomes difficult to prescribe therapy . '' Although the study was done on a relatively small sample of people at risk of coronary artery disease , meaning the results may not apply to the general population , other cardiologists say the study has merit in adding to the knowledge of silent heart attacks . `` Ultimately , we 're going to need trials to really establish what treatment works and what does n't , '' said Dr. Eric Schelbert , a cardiologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who was not involved in the study . Treatment for someone who has had a silent heart attack is usually the same for someone who came to the hospital immediately after a heart attack , Kim said . This may include beta blockers , statin drugs , aspirin or other medications , Schelbert said . Schelbert said he has seen plenty of patients who have had silent heart attacks ; in fact , he has treated some of his own colleagues who have experienced them . `` It 's an incredibly important thing that the physician scientist community needs to explore further , '' he said . Researchers noted that patients with non-Q-wave silent heart attacks were also generally older and were more likely to have diabetes . There needs to be more of a focus on prevention among these risk groups , said Dr. David Wiener , a cardiologist at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , who was not involved in the study . | Silent heart attacks affect nearly 200,000 people in the United States annually . Researchers studied 185 people at risk of coronary artery disease . Treatment for `` silent '' heart attacks is similar to that for regular attacks . More research is necessary to determine whether screening is useful . | [[265, 342], [1775, 1809]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Janelle Monae is a girl from another planet , and she 's invading your world . Janelle Monae creates `` cool , futuristic soul with a real '80s quality , '' says a DJ . Sightings of the singer-songwriter will include this week 's `` American Idol '' finale , the Hollywood Bowl and concert stages across America this summer and TV 's Sci Fi Channel this fall . Monae insists that her real identity is Cindi Mayweather , an android traveling through space and time to escape destruction ordered because she fell in love with a human , a fatal infraction of robots ' rules . Along the way , she 's making music that moves into the future while drawing from decades past . `` It is cool , futuristic soul with a real '80s quality , '' said Garth Trinidad , a disc jockey at Los Angeles , California , radio station KCRW . Trinidad spotted Monae three years ago , and he 's been watching her like an astronomer tracking the approach of a distant comet destined to light Earth 's sky . `` I believe she 's going to be a household name in the next year or two , '' said Trinidad , a self-described `` champion of the underdog '' who is credited with giving Jill Scott and Gnarls Barkley early radio airplay . Monae -- the human -- is a striking combination of voice , style , imagination and fearlessness that defies conventional description , making it easier to buy into the fantasy of Mayweather the android . When her song `` Many Moons '' was nominated for a Grammy in December , it was in the urban/alternative category . If Monae is an android from the future , her musical programming included the past . Trinidad compared her `` very fluid , very pleasing '' voice to Donna Summer , circa 1976 . At a Los Angeles show this month , she mixed 20th-century classics with her own futuristic songs . Monae delivered a sweet version of Nat King Cole 's `` Smile '' while standing atop a barstool . Senior citizens danced the `` Twist '' when her band broke out into the Beatles ' 1964 hit `` I Saw Her Standing There . '' She loves timeless music , Monae said after her show . `` We look to a lot of people whose bodies are dead and gone , but their spirit is still with us , '' Monae said . Her choreography borrows from James Brown , Michael Jackson and Devo , with dance moves from the future . Monae -- or Mayweather -- thinks she can fly . She jumped head-first into the audience , `` crowd surfing '' the unlikely mosh pit in UCLA 's Royce Hall . Search Monae 's name on YouTube and you 'll see her jumping into swimming pools to end her shows . She climbed a tree in New York -- after her swim . Unlike some performers , her talent matches Monae 's onstage antics , Trinidad said . `` It 's one thing for her to perform a certain way , but she backs with it up with talent , '' he said . Monae 's android-on-the-run theme , reminiscent of the 1982 movie `` Blade Runner , '' reminds Trinidad `` of all the great albums from the past that had a story and concept attached . '' `` She was just kind of like bored with everything else going on , and she wanted to transcend it and tell a story , '' he said . Monae said she is not following a formula , that she is `` being led by my maker . '' `` I 'm very similar to a terminal , '' she said . Monae will inevitably capture the world 's attention because she is `` outshining a lot of what 's happening in the mainstream , '' Trinidad said . That time may be near . Sean `` Diddy '' Combs signed her to his Bad Boy Records , giving her music distribution . Coca-Cola hired Monae to sing on its `` Open Happiness '' ad campaign . It airs on this week 's `` American Idol '' finale . Her tour stops next month include at least six shows in the northeastern United States , opening for Gwen Stefani 's reunited rock group No Doubt . Monae then plays the Hollywood Bowl with the legendary jazz singer Etta James . She plays herself in two episodes of the Sci Fi Channel 's `` Stargate Universe '' this fall . | Janelle Monae popping up on commercial , on tour , on TV . Singer has alter ego : Cindi Mayweather , futuristic android on the run . Observers praise talent : `` I believe she 's going to be a household name , '' says DJ . | [[213, 392], [405, 529], [198, 212], [1028, 1097]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Perhaps Ryan Seacrest said it best at the top of the `` American Idol '' Tuesday night when describing Adam Lambert and Kris Allen , the show 's final two contestants . In this corner : Kris Allen , the guy next door . `` It is the battle of the acoustic rocker versus the glam rocker . Conway -LRB- Arkansas -RRB- versus California . The guy next door versus the guy-liner . '' After three performances apiece and plenty of judge feedback , it seems that the Southern California glam-rocker Adam Lambert has the edge -- but it did n't look that way early in Tuesday 's show . In the first round , where the contestants chose a song from a favorite past performance this season , Simon Cowell declared Kris Allen the winner after his rendition of `` Ai n't No Sunshine '' on piano . Watch Allen and Lambert talk after the show '' Lambert chose to sing `` Mad World '' while wearing a long black coat and walking around a stage filled with white smoke , all of which Cowell found `` over-theatrical . '' `` I think ` Mad World ' is kind of symbolic , '' Lambert told reporters after the show . `` It talks about people who do n't feel like they fit in . '' Round two featured a tune hand-picked by `` American Idol '' creator Simon Fuller , where Lambert ditched the black overcoat and belted out Sam Cooke 's `` A Change Is Gon na Come '' while sporting a shiny silver suit . Paula Abdul told Lambert `` it was the best I 've ever heard you sing , ever ! '' Allen 's feedback after singing Marvin Gaye 's classic `` What 's Goin ' On '' in the second round was much less flattering . See the best and worst performances from season eight '' `` I thought it was too laid back for a night like this , '' said Cowell . He then gave round two to Lambert . Round three featured a bit of a twist -- both contestants had to sing a song co-written by judge Kara DioGuardi called `` No Boundaries . '' Lambert went first and had little difficulty with the ballad . Cowell told the 27-year-old afterward that `` you have been one of the best , most original contestants we 've ever had on the show . '' Allen , however , struggled to stay in tune during the entire performance ... but the judges were less harsh this time . `` You have thoroughly , thoroughly deserved to be standing on that stage tonight , congratulations , '' said Cowell . Watch anchors debate `` Idol '' finalists '' After the show , Lambert told reporters that they did not have a lot of time to work on `` No Boundaries '' and it was kind of a `` rush job . '' `` There was a lot of lyric , and it was a big song , '' said Lambert . `` But it 's a beautiful song . '' It almost seems appropriate that these two are facing off in the finale . According to Allen , he and Lambert were once roommates during the competition . They even critique each other 's rehearsals . `` He 's always giving me stuff to change about mine ... to make it better , '' Allen told reporters . iReport.com : Who should win : Kris or Adam ? A little over an hour before the show began , a magnitude 4.0 quake aftershock hit 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles . Tuesday night 's telecast was held at the Nokia Theater , which is in downtown Los Angeles . A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck the area shortly before 8:40 p.m. Sunday . But , to Allen 's disappointment , neither of the contestants felt the jolt Tuesday . `` I was totally upset , too , because I 've never been to California -LRB- except for ` American Idol ' -RRB- , and I was like , ' I want to feel an earthquake . ' '' Allen and Lambert will return to the stage Wednesday night and find out , along with the rest of the world , who will be crowned the next `` American Idol '' at the two-hour finale . | Final two `` American Idol '' contestants battle it out in song for the title Tuesday . Californian Adam Lambert has developed a glam-rock persona . Arkansas resident Kris Allen has a guy-next-door appeal . Who will America choose ? Results show starts at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday . | [[423, 483], [486, 620]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Singer Natalie Cole underwent kidney transplant surgery at a Los Angeles , California , hospital Tuesday , according to a statement from her publicist . Natalie Cole holds one of the Grammys she received in February for `` Still Unforgettable . '' Cole , daughter of legendary singer-actor Nat King Cole , has been receiving kidney dialysis three times a week since September , the statement said . Cole was `` resting comfortably '' at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles , it said . `` Ms. Cole 's physicians have advised her to postpone her summer tour dates as she recuperates for the next three to four months , '' it said . Rescheduled concert dates will be announced soon for Cole 's tour , which is in support of her current double-Grammy-winning CD , `` Still Unforgettable . '' | Natalie Cole underwent kidney transplant surgery Tuesday . Singer has been receiving kidney dialysis since September . Grammy-winning Cole scheduled a tour for CD `` Still Unforgettable '' | [[292, 296], [343, 419], [734, 746], [755, 808]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She had many plans for the future : to go to college , start a career , meet the man of her dreams , raise a family -- when the time was right . Expert : `` There 's a big disconnect between pregnancy rates and what Latina families want and value . '' It was all cut off by an unexpected pregnancy . The baby became her life , consuming her energy and forcing her dreams to the back burner of her life . She is 19 or younger and Latina , and has had her first baby . It 's not what she wanted . Nor did her parents , who are the greatest influence on her decisions about sex , according to a wide-ranging survey released Tuesday by experts on the Hispanic community in the United States . The survey also found that 84 percent of Latino teens and 91 percent of Latino parents believe that graduating from college or university or having a promising career is the most important goal for a teen 's future . Somewhere along the way , the aspirations fail to match up to reality . The survey attempts to examine some of the reasons for the disparity and why Latinas now have the highest teen birth rate among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States . `` There 's a big disconnect between pregnancy rates and what Latina families want and value , '' said Ruthie Flores , senior manager of the National Campaign 's Latino Initiative . According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy , 53 percent of Latinas get pregnant in their teens , about twice the national average . After a period of decline , the birth rate for U.S. teenagers 15 to 19 years rose in 2007 by about 1 percent , to 42.5 births per 1,000 , according to preliminary data in a March 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's National Center for Health Statistics . In 2007 , the birth rate among non-Hispanic whites ages 15 to 19 was 27.2 per 1,000 , and 64.3 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic black teens in the same age range . The teen birth rate among Hispanic teens ages 15 to 19 was 81.7 per 1,000 . Of the 759 Latino teens surveyed , 49 percent said their parents most influenced their decisions about sex , compared with 14 percent who cited friends . Three percent cited religious leaders , 2 percent teachers and 2 percent the media . Watch more on the survey results '' Three-quarters of Latino teens said their parents have talked to them about sex and relationships , but only half said their parents discussed contraception . The survey also found that : . • 74 percent of Latino teens believe that parents send one message about sex to their sons and a different message altogether to their daughters , possibly related to the Latino value of machismo . • Latino teens believe that the most common reason teens do not use contraception is that they are afraid their parents might find out . • 72 percent of sexually experienced teens say they wish they had waited . • 34 percent of Latino teens believe that being a teen parent would prevent them from reaching their goals , but 47 percent say being a teen parent would simply delay them from reaching their goals . • 76 percent said it is important to be married before starting a family . Flores said it is crucial to understand the beliefs and attitudes that influence teen behavior in order to reduce the high rates of Hispanic teen pregnancy . The survey , co-sponsored by the Hispanic advocacy group National Council of La Raza , was an attempt to to do just that . She said that despite a rich culture and the growing influence of Hispanics in America , the Latino community disproportionately suffers from troubling social indicators . Consider that fewer than six in 10 Latino adults in the United States have a high school diploma . Latino teens are more likely to drop out than their non-Hispanic counterparts , and of all the children living in poverty , 30 percent are Latino . `` Teen pregnancy is not an isolated issue , '' Flores said . `` It 's related to poverty , to dropout rates . That 's going to have an impact on our national as a whole . '' Flores said 69 percent of Latino teen moms drop out of high school , and the children of teen mothers are less likely to do well in school themselves and often repeat grades . `` That has a big economic impact , '' Flores said . It 's an impact that is sure to be noticed . The nation 's 45 million Latinos constitute the largest minority group in the United States with a growth rate twice that of the general population . That means by 2025 , one-quarter of all American teens will be Latinos . | 53 percent of Latinas are pregnant by their 20th birthday , survey finds . Survey : Most feel that college , career are key to their future . Most teens in study believe that parents give conflicting messages . | [[1436, 1485], [708, 718], [724, 924], [2506, 2703], [2704, 2840], [2732, 2840]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An estimated 1 million people turned out to hear Pope Benedict XVI preach a Mass in Angola on Sunday , the last major event of his first trip to Africa . Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass in Angola , where he told Angolans on Sunday to `` trust in God 's promises . '' He spoke of the need for reconciliation in a country that endured a brutal civil war lasting nearly three decades . `` Look to the future with hope , trust in God 's promises and live in his truth . In this way you will build something that will stand and endure ... a lasting heritage of reconciliation , justice and peace , '' Benedict said in English to polite applause . The service 's Bible reading 's `` vivid description of the destruction wrought by war echoes the personal experiences of so many people in this country amid the terrible ravages of the civil war , '' Benedict said in the Mass , which was broadcast by TPA , a CNN affiliate in Angola . `` How true it is that war can destroy everything of value : families , whole communities , the fruit of men 's labor . '' Benedict also expressed `` deep sorrow '' at the death of two women killed in a stampede at one of his events in Angola on Saturday , papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said . Cardinal Tarciso Bertone , the Vatican secretary of state , earlier led a Vatican delegation to the hospitals where the bodies of two dead women are being kept , Lombardi said . They prayed over the dead bodies and met with the family of the one victim who has been identified , a catechism teacher in a parish in Luanda whose last class was Saturday morning . Midway through the Mass , a long line of worshippers brought offerings to the pontiff , as an electric organ and guitar played a joyous tune over the sound of percussion instruments and a choir , members of which were wearing matching white baseball caps . Women carried local produce on their heads in wide baskets or tall jugs , many dancing to the music as they waited to meet the pope . The 81-year-old pontiff mopped his face with a white handkerchief several times during the outdoor service , while many worshippers sought shelter from the sun under umbrellas . The pope spoke in English and Portuguese , the language of Angola 's former colonial rulers , during the hour-long service , while local clergy read short passages in tribal languages . Benedict has been in Africa since Tuesday . He returns to Rome on Monday . Africa is the last continent that Benedict had left to visit , and one he could not avoid , said David Gibson , a biographer of the pope . `` He knows he has to do this . He knows Africa is the future of the -LSB- Roman Catholic -RSB- Church , as it is for all of Christianity , '' said Gibson . Christianity , like Islam , is on the rise in Africa and Latin America , even as the northern hemisphere tends to become more secular . One in five of the world 's Christians lives in Africa -- up from fewer than one in 50 in 1900 , said Brian Grim , an editor of the World Religion Database . So Benedict is making the visit , although travel `` is not his cup of tea , '' Gibson said , in contrast to his predecessor . `` John Paul II loved the travel and loved the different cultures . Benedict is a European through and through . '' But Benedict understands that travel has become an essential part of a pope 's duties , said Gibson , the author of `` The Rule of Benedict : Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World . '' The trip opened with controversy , with the pope reiterating the Vatican 's opposition to artificial birth control Tuesday while flying to Cameroon , the first stop on his journey . Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit harder by AIDS and HIV than any other region of the world , according to the United Nations and World Health Organization . There has been fierce debate between those who advocate the use of condoms to help stop the spread of the epidemic and those who oppose it . Gibson said this week 's visit may be Benedict 's only trip to Africa . `` Knowing that the pope is older , he can not travel as much -- he does not like to travel -- makes these trips more poignant . He may never come back to Africa again . '' CNN 's Hada Messia in Rome contributed to this report . | NEW : Pope expresses `` deep sorrow '' at deaths in stampede at his Saturday event . About 1 million gather in civil war-torn Angola to hear Pope Benedict XVI . Mass was in English and Portuguese , the language of former colonial rulers . Benedict , who has been in Africa since Tuesday , returns to Rome on Monday . | [[1072, 1080], [1086, 1139], [1130, 1203], [19, 99], [32, 119], [173, 216], [2184, 2224], [2370, 2413], [2414, 2444]] |
-LRB- OPRAH.com -RRB- -- Oprah Winfrey often says that moms have the hardest job in the world , but plenty of fathers carry the burden of raising a child all by themselves . In fact , 2.5 million single fathers in the United State are doing it all -- juggling schedules , putting food on the table and going to school plays or soccer games -- single-handedly . Larry Shine and his expanded family visited Oprah Winfrey on her show . Larry Shine and his wife , Kate , had their first son , Henry , 19 years ago . When Kate died of cancer only two-and-a-half years later , Larry says he was overwhelmed with grief . `` The year after she died , I was just so immersed in the tragedy of her death , '' he says . `` Then I thought : ' I ca n't live like this anymore . I ca n't have this be our life . ' '' He decided it was time for Henry to have a sibling . At the time , it was almost impossible for a single male to adopt in the United States , so Larry applied for both international adoption and surrogacy . Surprisingly , both applications went through , and soon Larry became a father of three . Still , he says he was ready for more . Today , Larry is raising nine children on his own ! `` I never thought I 'd be a father of nine . Actually , I never imagined I 'd be a father , '' he says . `` Maybe this all happened for a purpose . Because if Kate had n't died , I never would have done what I did and these kids would n't have had a home . '' Oprah.com : 8 things never to say to an adopted child . When it comes to raising nine kids -LRB- Henry , 19 ; Ari , 16 ; Halle , 15 ; Eli , 13 ; Lili , 12 ; Sofia , 10 ; Genevieve , 8 ; Simone , 5 ; and Lucia , 3 -RRB- , Larry says there is never a dull moment . His schedule is jam-packed , and it starts at 3 a.m. . As if being a single dad is n't enough work , Larry also works full time as a corporate attorney . `` When the second bus picks up the younger kids at quarter of nine , I leave and drop Lucia off at daycare . Then I go to work all day and come back and pick her up when daycare closes at 6 o'clock and then head home , '' he says . '' -LSB- I work at -RSB- a very warm and family-oriented firm , so they 're very supportive . '' Though Larry 's big family is thriving , he says there were a few small bumps along the way . Eli 's arm broke when he was an infant and had n't healed properly before he joined the Shine family , but Larry says extensive orthopedic surgery fixed the problem . Lili had failure to thrive syndrome , which caused her to have trouble connecting with others -- though Larry says she opened up after three months in his busy house and is doing great . And , Simone 's speech was delayed , he says . `` She had therapy for about six months , and now sometimes I wish I had n't given her speech therapy , '' he jokes . Is there room for any more kids in the Shine family ? Depends on whom you ask ! `` I thought five was it , and I thought six was it , '' Larry says . `` My sense is that nine is probably it ... because international adoption 's a lot more difficult , and I 'm older . ... -LSB- But -RSB- I 've been given a lot of opportunities , and if it happened again , I 'd have a hard time saying no . '' Henry , who is a sophomore at Notre Dame , says the family is at capacity . `` We 're at a pretty full limit right now , '' he says . `` Now that I 'm in school , I 'd like to be around if there 's going to be another sibling . '' Though he 's rooting for Lucia to be his youngest sibling , Henry says he 's incredibly proud of his dad . `` Just how selfless he is , '' he says . `` I do n't know of anybody else who puts people before themselves like he does . '' Though Larry did n't plan on being the single dad of such a huge family , he says it came naturally to him . `` I 'm more comfortable doing something for somebody else than myself , '' he says . `` Particularly with adopting the kids overseas , when I went to Paraguay for the first time to adopt Ari and saw all the kids who did n't have a home and or a place to go at night , I just thought , ` This is n't right . ' '' It may have been an unexpected path for Larry , but he says its one he 's grateful for . `` I love parenting , '' he says . `` I just felt , ` This is what I want to do . ' '' Oprah.com : Talks every parent should have . Matt 's blog . On March 25 , 2008 , Matt Logelin woke up to what should have been a perfect day . He and his wife , Liz , were proud new parents -- their daughter Madeline had been born the day before . But that afternoon , Liz died of a blood clot that no one knew she had . With a newborn in his care , Matt had no time for mourning . `` Right after Liz died , I had to go straight in and I had to feed her -LRB- Madeline -RRB- . I mean , she had to eat . I had to change her diapers . Life did n't stop when Liz died , '' he says . `` I did n't know what I was going to do . I literally did n't know if I was going to live through this . '' Matt and Maddy survived the tragedy , and Matt used the blog he 'd created to document Liz 's pregnancy as an outlet for his grief . `` If I write it , I can get it off my chest , '' he says . After Liz 's death , tens of thousand of people started reading Matt 's blog . The outpouring of support -- including notes , money and toys -- from the online community shocked him . `` To have total strangers giving us stuff and wanting to make sure we 're okay all the time was just incredible , '' he says . Matt says he 's determined to give back as much as he 's been given . `` We 've donated all of the clothes that no longer fit and the toys that we could n't use , '' he says . `` We 've been given a lot of money as well , and we 've tried to give that away as much as we can . '' Matt has also established the Liz Logelin Foundation , which helps widows and widowers with children . A year after Maddy was born , Matt 's still adjusting to life as a single parent . He 's even joined the neighborhood new moms group . `` They sort of adopted me , '' he says . `` They took me in and made sure I was n't screwing things up too terribly . '' Matt says one of the scariest things about Liz 's death is that she took all her parenting knowledge with her . `` Liz had read all the books . She had done everything that we needed to do to make sure that this baby was taken care of properly , '' he says . `` It 's not something I ever anticipated doing on my own . '' Matt says he 'd planned to be the free-spirited parent , while Liz would be the rigid one . Given the circumstance , Matt has struck a balance . `` I 've had to be a little more strict in the way that I do things , but I still let her eat sticks and leaves from time to time . '' Oprah.com : Meet more unforgettable fathers ! From The Oprah Winfrey Show © 2009 . Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . Subscribe now ! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions , Inc. . All Rights Reserved . | One man added eight kids to family after his wife died of cancer . Larry Shine started adopting so his son could have a sibling . He kept adopting because he could n't say no to kids in need . Another dad sets up blog , foundation to help widows , widowers raising kids . | [[1140, 1145], [1148, 1189], [803, 855], [830, 855], [5744, 5796], [5770, 5796], [5805, 5846]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Republican congressman Wednesday asked the head of the FBI to investigate allegations that the CIA lied to Congress about the Bush administration 's use of `` alternative '' interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists . Rep. Darrell Issa asked the FBI to investigate Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's claim that the CIA lied to Congress . Rep. Darrell Issa , a member of the House Judiciary Committee , asked FBI director Robert Mueller whether the bureau was investigating that allegation and whether he could request a probe as a member of Congress . He said the claim , leveled last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , left him doubting whether `` I can believe in the briefings I am receiving '' from intelligence agencies . `` If CIA is lying to any of us -- and I have been briefed many times by them on the Intelligence Committee -- it puts me in a position of not being able to do my job properly , '' said Issa , R-California . Pelosi made the charge in response to questions about what she was told about the use of the techniques , which critics say amounted to the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody . Her claim provoked a firestorm on Capitol Hill , with Republicans -- who generally defend the techniques -- blasting Pelosi and demanding she back up the allegation . Mueller said he would check into whether Issa 's request would be enough to launch an investigation . Watch more on the Pelosi-CIA controversy '' Justice Department documents released in April show Bush administration lawyers authorized the use of techniques such as sleep deprivation , slapping , stress positions and waterboarding , which produces the sensation of drowning . Waterboarding in particular has been considered a form of torture since the Spanish Inquisition , and U.S. authorities prosecuted Japanese officers who used the techniques against American prisoners during World War II . But Bush administration lawyers argued that the tactics did not violate U.S. laws against torture as long as interrogators had no intent to cause `` severe pain . '' Many Republicans , including former Vice President Dick Cheney , argue the tactics produced useful intelligence that saved American lives . Pelosi , D-California , has called for an investigation into whether the Bush administration authorized the torture of suspected al Qaeda figures , prompting Republicans to question what she knew about the tactics at the time they were approved . Watch Colin Powell 's former aide speak out on CIA 's history '' She told reporters last week that she was briefed by the CIA on such techniques once -- in September 2002 , when she was the ranking Democrat on the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee -- and that she was told at the time that techniques such as waterboarding were not being used . She said she learned that waterboarding had been used after other lawmakers were briefed in 2003 . CIA spokesman George Little said last week that the agency 's records indicate Pelosi was briefed on the interrogation methods being used . But Little said it was up to lawmakers `` to determine whether this information is an accurate summary of what actually happened . '' Rep. Pete Hoekstra , the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee , said Monday that Pelosi may be forced to resign if her claims are proven untrue . `` Either the CIA needs to be held accountable for their performance during this time , or the speaker needs to be held accountable and be responsible for the actions and the statements that she made last week , '' Hoekstra said . But Rep. Baron Hill , D-Indiana , said Republicans are trying to divert attention from the question of torture by attacking Pelosi . `` I think a lot of people have lost focus on the people who put those torture policies in place in the first place , '' Hill said . `` Nancy did n't do anything wrong , in terms of the legalities , that I 'm aware of . I do n't know what she was told . '' | Rep. Darrell Issa , R-California , is a member of the House Judiciary Committee . Issa calls on FBI director for a probe on CIA-Pelosi spat . `` If CIA is lying ... it puts me in a position of not being able to do my job , '' he says . Pelosi , D-California , has said the CIA did n't inform her about interrogation techniques . | [[0, 26], [30, 256], [257, 365], [281, 365], [366, 383], [430, 579], [868, 932], [281, 365], [580, 647]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Maria Sharapova returned to competitive singles after a near 10-month absence on Monday as she bids to prove her fitness for the forthcoming French Open in Paris . Maria Sharapova is hoping to prove her fitness ahead of the French Open in Paris starting on Sunday . The Russian defeated Italy 's Tathiana Garbin 6-1 6-7 6-3 to book her place in the second round of the Warsaw Open claycourt tournament . Sharapova 's world ranking has slumped from No. 1 to No. 126 during her absence from the court because of a shoulder problem that saw her miss three Grand Slam tournaments . The 22-year-old had to sit out last year 's Wimbledon and U.S. Open and also failed to recover in time for the 2009 Australian Open . She has had to shelve comeback attempts but did appear in one losing game in the doubles tournament at Indian Wells in March . Sharapova , who has three majors to her name , broke her Italian opponent four times in a row in the opener , dropping her own serve once en route to the set . Garbin offered stiffer resistance in the second set although Sharapova wasted four match points at 5-3 and 40-0 up in the ninth game -- a seventh double-fault in the subsequent tie-break giving her rival a set point that she converted . Sharapova , playing with a bandage on her right shoulder , hit back from 3-1 down in the decider to seal victory in two hours and 35 minutes . The French Open begins in Paris on May 24 . | Russian Maria Sharapova returns with win after near 10-month injury absence . She defeated Italy 's Tathiana Garbin 6-1 6-7 6-3 in Warsaw Open first round . Sharapova hopes to prove fitness for French Open which starts this Sunday . | [[19, 118], [285, 422], [858, 867], [905, 965], [110, 182], [183, 284], [183, 198], [209, 263], [239, 284], [1398, 1441]] |
-LRB- InStyle.com -RRB- -- The co-star of `` 27 Dresses '' discusses his personal style . `` I just feel dirty , '' says James Marsden . Not to be alarmed : There 's nothing indecent going on here . James Marsden talks about his favorite kind of clothes and how his style has changed over the years . The 34-year-old is explaining what it feels like to be sporting facial hair for a film he 's working on with Cameron Diaz . Yet even the newly grown whiskers ca n't hide the finely chiseled features of an actor who seems to have cornered the Hollywood market on hottie-who-loses-the-girl roles -LRB- `` Enchanted , '' `` Superman Returns '' and , of course , `` The Notebook . '' -RRB- . But the Oklahoma-bred star does n't mind his wholesome image . `` That 's really me , '' he says . `` I 'm a little dorky -- awkward . '' However , his onscreen luck could be changing with his latest film , `` 27 Dresses , '' a romantic comedy co-starring Katherine Heigl . Scruffy or not , we 'll be watching . You 've played a prince in `` Enchanted '' and the superhero Cyclops in the `` X-Men '' movies . Is that a big deal to your kids and their friends ? My daughter , Mary , is only 2 , and my son , Jack , is 7 . He has a Cyclops action figure , but he 's really into Spider-Man and Pixar movies -- Buzz Lightyear is his guy . No `` Superman , '' no `` X-Men . '' I think he just assumes that everyone at his school has a dad who 's a big superhero . You also played Corny Collins , the TV dance-show host in `` Hairspray . '' What were you like in high school ? That 's when I came out of my shell and became more social -- people thought I was funny . I got into a whole preppy thing -- Duck Head shorts and Dockers . How would you describe your style now ? Functional comfort . For a guy , it should n't ever look like you thought about it too much , like the clothes are wearing you . Whose clothes do you like ? Paul Smith off the rack -- it 's a slim cut , and I do n't need to have it tailored . I always feel like an 8-year-old when I dress up in a suit , like , when can I take this thing off ? But I wore a black Dolce & Gabbana suit to the première of `` Hairspray '' that was like , OK , now I know what a great suit is . Classic , clean lines -- sharp , sharp , sharp . Do you change your style from coast to coast ? In L.A. it 's too easy to throw on a pair of American Apparel sweats , a T-shirt and running shoes and just wear those for days . In New York , I actually like looking nice . Maybe I 'm just getting older , but young guys need to pull their pants up . Do you ever shop for your wife ? I love shopping for dresses , and I actually do a pretty good job . When I was in New York , I went into J. Crew in Soho and got her a cool fifties type dress with tiny polka dots . Style-wise I 'm good , but figuring out sizing is a different story . What do you find sexy on a woman ? I like spaghetti straps for my wife -- she has great shoulders and a great neck . I love when she puts her hair up , because I can see the back of her neck , so delicate and vulnerable . It 's the vampire in me . Or my obsession with cheerleaders -- their hair up in a ponytail . When I was young , I could never have that . Never got the cheerleader ? Eventually -- my wife was a cheerleader . What does your wife find sexy on you ? A button-front shirt with -LSB- baby -RSB- spit-up on the shoulder . That means a guy is taking care of the kids and is a good father -- that 's sexy to a woman . The adult version of rose petals and champagne is if I let my wife sleep in and I get up to change the baby 's diaper , feed the kids , and do the dishes . Who inspires you ? Paul Newman . My middle name is Paul , and my grandfather once said I was going to look like Paul Newman . That stuck with me . Beyond being a good-looking guy , Newman is a great actor with a long career , and he 's got a life . He 's married with kids and lives in Connecticut , sells popcorn and marinara sauce , and gives the money to charity . Anyone else ? George Clooney dresses like Gary Cooper might have . Cary Grant . `` A Streetcar Named Desire '' - era Marlon Brando . They all made it look effortless . Their clothes framed their personalities really well -- comfortable , classic , but sharp . These guys could pull off a great suit , or jeans and a T-shirt . Do n't you agree that guys have it easy -- they are considered `` distinguished '' as they grow older ? I do n't think it 's guy-specific . As women get older , they become more comfortable with themselves . Susan Sarandon is the poster woman for that . A lot of guys fantasize about being with women who are in their forties or fifties . So your advice is ... ? Act your age . Dress your age . Look your age . That does n't mean you ca n't have fun . And is n't it time you got the girl in one of your movies ? There are a couple of things I need to do -LSB- onscreen -RSB- : One , get the girl ; two , pack a gun . Do n't you love my career philosophy ? E-mail to a friend . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | In high school Marsden showed off his preppy side . While it 's easy for him to throw on sweats , Marsden likes to dress up . Actor says he is inspired by Paul Newman . Marsden : I can shop style for women , but size is a different issue . | [[2335, 2395], [2794, 2804], [2821, 2840], [2794, 2863]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Farrah Fawcett , whose public battle with anal cancer has brought new attention to a rarely discussed disease , has not been given a timetable from her doctor about how much time she has left , according to her friend Alana Stewart . Farrah Fawcett , seen here in 2006 , has waged a very public battle with anal cancer . `` No one has said to her you have two months to live , '' Stewart said Monday . `` So I 'm looking at that as a really good sign . '' Stewart talked with Lara Spencer , host of `` The Insider , '' who discussed her interview with Fawcett 's close friend on CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' Monday night . Spencer said Fawcett , her family and friends are clinging to hope for a recovery . `` She -LSB- Alana Stewart -RSB- does n't want to throw out a number . And neither does Farrah . ... They 're still hoping for that miracle , '' Spencer said . `` Farrah 's Story , '' a documentary-style program that has followed the course of her illness and showed her grueling treatment in graphic detail , aired on NBC Friday and was viewed by almost 9 million people . Fawcett and partner Ryan O'Neal watched the show together , Spencer confirmed . `` Alana said it was the ultimate in bittersweet , '' Spencer said . `` You know , they 're reliving two years of hell that they 've endured together . '' King asked Spencer whether Fawcett , who made her name a household word on the hit '70s TV series `` Charlie 's Angels , '' and O'Neal might marry . `` He said you never know . He was cagey about it , '' Spencer said . `` And , you know , I think he would in a second . He 's so madly in love with her . '' King also had a panel of medical experts on his show to discuss Fawcett 's cancer . Dr. Thomas Vogl , who at one time treated the actress in Germany , called her medical condition `` very , very serious . '' Dr. Allyson Ocean , a medical oncologist in New York , said only about 5,000 cases of anal cancer are diagnosed in the United States yearly . Unlike Fawcett 's case , it usually does n't spread , and only about 10 to 15 percent of cases are advanced , Ocean said . Fawcett 's cancer , however , is in Stage 4 and has spread to her liver . Ocean said there are various causes of anal cancer . `` One of the causes is a virus called the human papilloma virus , which is a sexually transmitted virus . It seems to be more common in women , in general , outside of any viral infections . Smoking is actually a risk factor , '' she said . King asked Dr. Paul Song , a radiation oncologist , if he had seen Stage 4 cancer cured . `` Not with anal cancer . I have seen it with other GI malignancies such as rectal cancer , '' Song said . `` But anal cancer is a little bit more difficult to treat . '' Despite the bleak outlook , Song had praise for Fawcett and her documentary . `` I think one of the most powerful things that Miss Fawcett did in this documentary was give patients a sense of hope and to just show how she 's handled this with such courage and dignity , '' Song said . CNN 's Dr. Sanjay Gupta told King that doctors have to strike a delicate balance when they are caring for patients such as Fawcett . `` You have to be absolutely honest with patients , but , you know , you do n't want to strip away their hope and optimism , either . There are people , Larry , as you know , who beat the odds , '' Gupta said . Vogl told King he developed a close relationship with Fawcett during the time he treated her in Germany and expressed admiration for his one-time patient . `` From a lot of treatments and contact and communication , I think she is extremely special , an extremely brave person , '' he said . | `` Insider '' host Lara Spencer says friends , family holding out for a miracle . Farrah Fawcett has been fighting Stage 4 anal cancer , which has spread . Doctor who once treated her calls condition `` very , very serious '' Another doctor said actress has handled illness with `` courage and dignity '' | [[665, 725], [827, 841], [849, 865], [827, 831], [836, 865], [253, 267], [283, 339], [2115, 2132], [2145, 2158], [2115, 2132], [2157, 2188], [2954, 3012]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are two of the modern era 's greatest tennis players . Between them , they have won a staggering 27 Grand Slam singles titles -- and yet , neither player has ever won the French Open . Tennis great Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slam tournaments but never managed a French Open victory . That legendary players like Sampras and Federer have somehow failed to win at Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros is just one of the reasons why this Grand Slam tournament holds such a special place on the tennis calendar . The French Open is notably the only Grand Slam event contested on clay -- a factor that separates it from the other three majors , and more than anything else defines the tournament . The layers of crushed brick that constitute the orange-red clay courts of Roland Garros are what brought Sampras -- and still bring Federer -- so much grief . Fellow greats John McEnroe , Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg also failed to win the coveted title . The reason clay may have affected the natural games of these players is because the surface slows the ball and produces a slightly higher , loopier bounce than grass or hard courts . This means the high-power serve of someone like Sampras is negated , opening the way for players with a different style of game . To this extent , the French Open helped create the legend of one of the finest players of all time -- Swedish star Bjorn Borg . Borg won a record six times at Roland Garros . He also won five Wimbledon titles -- but never managed an Australian or U.S. Open crown , both tournaments fought out on hard courts . Describing what makes the French Open so special in an rare one-on-one interview with Indian Web site Rediff.com in 2001 , Borg said : `` It is toughest to win on clay . It is easily the most draining , the toughest Slam . '' Offering advice to Sampras , who was at the time still playing for a French Open title , Borg added , `` I would advise him to concentrate on mental strength , to build it up , to hold that strength over the course of the fortnight . `` Along with that , you also need a great deal of physical strength . And most importantly , you have to believe that you can win on clay . '' It is not surprising therefore , that Spanish players -- who are generally well-accustomed to playing on clay -- have come to dominate the tournament in recent years . Nine of the last 12 French Open finals have featured at least one Spaniard . The tournament is still held in high regard by France 's population . A record crowd of more than 450,000 people came to watch the action at Roland Garros in 2008 , and according to the tournament organizers , it is the most-watched French event in the world . First played in 1891 as a national tournament , it became an international event in 1925 , and in 1928 moved to the Roland Garros facility at Porte d'Auteuil in Paris , where it remains today . Its chosen title , Roland Garros , was the name of a legendary World War One French aviator , who had frequented the tennis venue when he studied in Paris . The 2009 edition of what Borg called `` the toughest Slam '' promises to be just as entertaining and draining as those that have gone before . World number one Rafael Nadal is searching for his fifth consecutive title to usurp Borg 's record of four in a row , which he currently equals . Meanwhile , world number two Roger Federer is looking to avenge three consecutive final defeats at the hands of Nadal . In the women 's draw , the tournament appears wide open . Last year 's champion Ana Ivanovic has slipped to eighth in the world rankings , while the top four ranked players have only one French Open title between them . | Legendary players like Sampras and Federer have failed to win French Open title . Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tennis event held on clay courts . Four-time winner Bjorn Borg on the French Open : `` It is toughest to win on clay '' | [[200, 203], [206, 251], [252, 277], [312, 349], [350, 473], [611, 654], [1772, 1781], [1784, 1818], [3110, 3228]] |
SAN BERNARDINO , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three-year-old Briant Rodriguez remained in a hospital bed fatigued and malnourished Monday , 15 days after being kidnapped at gunpoint and then dumped on the streets of Mexico . Liberato Vega , 30 , left , and Israel Moreno , 28 , are suspects in the kidnapping of 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez . Police do n't know much about what happened to the boy , who was taken after gunmen tied his family and ransacked his California home on May 3 . They do n't know why the gunmen broke into the home , why they kidnapped the bubbly 3-year-old or how he ended up wandering the streets of Mexicali with a shaved head , rather than the long hair he had sported before the kidnapping . But police believe they do know who is responsible . In a news conference on Monday , the San Bernardino Sheriff 's Department and FBI identified the two suspect gunmen as Liberato Vega , 30 , and Israel Moreno , 28 . The two men , who authorities said were illegal immigrants with criminal records , are believed to have burst into the San Bernardino home , ransacked the house , tied up 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez 's family and snatched the child two weeks ago . The boy was returned to his family Saturday in the border town of Calexico . `` It was a very emotional and unforgettable experience , '' said San Bernardino County Sheriff 's Sgt. Doug Hubbard , who was with the boy 's mother when he was returned . `` Enough said there -- before I get emotional . '' Officials said the boy was still in the hospital Monday and was being treated for malnourishment and fatigue . `` We 're very happy that he 's alive , '' San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops said this weekend . `` A 3-year-old goes missing in this country for two weeks -- sometimes it has an unhappy ending . `` This one did not . '' Now , police are trying to piece together exactly what may have happened during the 13 days the boy was missing . Detectives from the San Bernardino Sheriff 's Department and Federal Bureau of Investigations agents were able to identify the alleged kidnappers based on unspecified physical evidence at the San Bernardino home and interviews with the boy 's family and neighbors . Hubbard said the family has adamantly denied knowing who may be responsible for the kidnapping or having any association with those responsible . FBI Supervisory Special Agent Don Roberts said it was , however , `` likely that this family was the target '' of the kidnappers . `` But why , we do n't know , '' Roberts said , adding that the kidnappers had clearly planned the crime . Officials said they believe Vega and Moreno are the two men they captured on video at a home-improvement store near the Rodriguez home before the crime buying tape like the kind that was used to bind the family . Hubbard said there are no-bail warrants issued for both men for home invasion robbery and kidnapping and Roberts said the FBI also obtained federal warrants for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution for both men . `` We will leave no stone unturned until these two are returned to San Bernardino to face justice , '' Roberts said . `` We will not take a break until that day happens . '' Authorities are hunting for both men , who have criminal records , in Mexico where they were both born . Roberts said both men have previously been deported from the United States , where they were living illegally . Their previous residences are empty , police said . Vega , who police said they considered to be the primary suspect , has had seven encounters with authorities in San Bernardino , according to court records , including four convictions in 2005 for a variety of charges , including driving under the influence . He also has a dismissed burglary case and two open cases against him for driving under the influence , providing false information to police and driving without a license . Police described Vega as a Hispanic male , 5 feet 9 inches weighing 130 pounds . Moreno was convicted in 2008 for driving under the influence and has another similar case open against him . Police described Moreno as a Hispanic male , 5 feet 6 inches weighing 150 pounds . Police have said they are also looking for 21-year-old Claudia Acosta , Vega 's girlfriend , who may be traveling with him . They are n't sure how she 's related to the kidnapping . | NEW : Liberato Vega , 30 , and Israel Moreno , 28 , suspects in kidnapping . NEW : Officials believe both men , illegal immigrants , have fled to Mexico . Briant Rodriguez found wandering streets in Mexicali , police say . Boy had been missing since May 3 , when armed men burst into his family 's home . | [[226, 271], [279, 342], [775, 805], [808, 939], [2592, 2651], [590, 654], [1707, 1762]] |
Editor 's note : Jack Cafferty is the author of a new book , `` Now or Never : Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream . '' He provides commentary on CNN 's `` The Situation Room '' daily from 4 to 7 p.m. ET . You can also visit Jack 's Cafferty File blog . CNN 's Jack Cafferty says `` the pain wo n't go away '' until Bush administration 's misdeeds are addressed . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It does n't go away by itself . Watergate `` went away '' when Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in disgrace and left town never to be heard from in an official capacity again . The Bush presidency is thankfully over ... but the damage he and Dick Cheney did continues to press on the nerve of the American people like an impacted wisdom tooth . And until the questions surrounding arguably the most arrogant and perhaps most corrupt administration in our history are addressed , the pain wo n't go away . From Nancy -LRB- `` Impeachment is off the table '' -RRB- Pelosi to President Barack -LRB- `` I want to look forward , not backward '' -RRB- Obama , the country is being poorly served by their Democratic government . And on this subject President Obama is dead wrong . George W. Bush and his accomplices damaged this country like it 's never been damaged before . And it 's not just the phony war in Iraq or the torture memos that justified waterboarding . It 's millions of missing emails and the constant use of executive privilege and signing statements . It 's the secretive meetings with Enron and other energy executives and the wholesale firing of federal prosecutors . It 's trying to get the president 's personal attorney seated on the Supreme Court and that despicable Alberto Gonzales sitting in front of congressional investigators whining , `` I do n't remember , I do n't know , I. . . etc. '' It 's the domestic eavesdropping in violation of the FISA Court , the rendition prisons , and the lying . It 's looking the other way while the City of New Orleans drowned and its people were left to fend for themselves . It 's the violations of the Geneva Conventions , the soiling of our international reputation and the shredding of the U.S. Constitution . It 's the handing over of $ 700 billion to the Wall Street fat cats last fall , no questions asked . Where is that money ? What was it used for ? It 's the no-bid contracts to firms like Halliburton and Blackwater and the shoddy construction and lack of oversight of reconstruction in Iraq that cost American taxpayers untold billions . If the Republicans were serious about restoring their reputation , they would join the call for a special prosecutor to be appointed so that at long last justice can be done . It 's too late for George W. Bush to resign the presidency . But it 's not too late to put the people responsible for this national disgrace in prison . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jack Cafferty . | Jack Cafferty : Bush administration left behind a trail of misdeeds . Cafferty : Obama is wrong to say he only wants to look forward , not back . Cafferty : Damage will last until Bush-Cheney deeds are addressed . Cafferty : A special prosecutor should be named to investigate . | [[276, 369], [1009, 1031], [1132, 1183], [276, 369], [303, 385], [755, 790], [800, 886], [759, 790], [889, 914], [2586, 2637], [2613, 2696]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This season on `` American Idol , '' there 's a huge question looming around Adam Lambert . Kris Allen , left , and Adam Lambert are battling it out to become the next `` American Idol . '' No , not that one . The one about whether this season would have been as exciting had he not been a part of the show . Love him or hate him , Lambert has added an element to the competition that has been woefully lacking in seasons past : a contestant so unique that you ca n't wait to see what he will pull next out of his bag of tricks . Regardless on how the season concludes , with Lambert being named `` American Idol '' or losing the title to competitor Kris Allen , it 's obvious that a star has been born , and we all got to watch . `` I do n't think there would be nearly the interest that there is if it were n't for Adam , '' said Brian Mansfield , who blogs about the show for USA Today . `` Really , all season long it 's been Adam and the rest of the field , and is there anybody in the rest of the field that can beat Adam . '' Read and watch the best `` Idol '' performances '' Indeed , the talent level for `` Idol 's '' 2009 edition has been fairly high . Once upon a time , the show plucked apparent unknowns from auditions and thrust them before millions of viewers for a ready-made career . Now , `` unknown '' has become a relative term as more contestants like Lambert , who toured with a production of `` Wicked , '' have shown the polish of veteran professionals . But not everything has worked at a high level . The show 's ratings have declined a bit from unbelievable to simply juggernaut . And then there 's the tried-and-true format , which producers attempted to mix up a bit this season . Among the changes : more semifinalists -- and fewer semifinal performance shows . That meant viewers did n't have the opportunity to see the contestants perform more than once . At least a few felt cheated . `` It 's a situation where they get who they want to get , and they pimp those people , which takes away from some of the really good singers , '' said `` Idol '' fan Ricky Hoggard Hollman , who gained fame during season six for correctly guessing the top 24 semifinalists . This season 's robust group of 36 contained some fine potential finalists , Hoggard said , but he believed it was n't a level playing field partly because producers chose to focus more on back stories than talent . There was also the addition of a fourth judge , Kara DioGuardi , to the longtime triumvirate of Simon Cowell , Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul , which in the end added nothing but time . Producers also added a `` judges ' save , '' which became a throwaway . Much of the criticism has fallen on DioGuardi , a Grammy-nominated songwriter who was supposed to bring a fresh and informed perspective . Instead , she brought uninspiring critiques , some crazy costumes based on the week 's theme and the magical ability to force Abdul into a few weeks of coherent comments . Even Cowell was n't acting like the Simon we have come to alternately adore and want to shake a finger at . He engaged in juvenile antics with Abdul -LRB- at one point drawing on her face -RRB- and at times stared into space with such complete boredom that you wondered whether Susan Boyle 's `` Britain 's Got Talent '' performance had forever altered his state of consciousness . `` Simon has shown a level of disinterest and a level disdain for the show that I think is kind of alarming , '' said Michael Slezak , who writes about the show for Entertainment Weekly . `` We sort of expect Simon to speak for us as viewers . We expect him to be up-front and honest and the voice of reason , and he 's just been completely disinterested . `` I think it 's disrespectful to the contestants , and I think even more so it 's disrespectful to us as viewers , '' Slezak added . `` For better or for worse , and crazy or not , we take this show and what 's happening up on that stage seriously . It 's our escape from reality for the week . '' And boy , do viewers take it seriously . iReport.com : Who do you want to win ? As CNN.com 's regular `` Idol '' blogger , I have never been more lambasted -- pardon the pun -- than on the weeks I have dared to give Adam Lambert anything less than a flawless critique on the `` American Idol '' blog . My sanity has been questioned . So has my nationality . -LRB- Hey , critics : My last name is `` France . '' It 's not the location of my blog posts . -RRB- Question Lambert 's ability , and the Lambs -- his devoted fans -- come out in force . I have n't been completely sold on Lambert . He can be over the top with the dramatics , and the way his tongue hangs out during certain notes is , frankly , bizarre to me . Yet , for all of his antics , Lambert is unbelievably interesting to watch . It took me a while to warm up to him , but with Lambert , I wanted to watch if for no other reason than I did n't want to be left out of the watercooler conversation the next day . He was the pathway that allowed me to also fall in love with Allen 's musicality , Allison Iraheta 's mature-for-her-years voice and Anoop Desai 's determination to be the first Indian R&B star . I was able to cheer Scott McIntyre 's persistence , jeer the lack of the use of the judges save for Alexis Grace and puzzle over Megan Joy 's quirky performances . Regardless of who takes the title Wednesday night , Kris Allen or Adam Lambert , I can at least say I was entertained . And is n't that what good television is all about ? | Adam Lambert has added spice to season eight of American Idol . Kris Allen and Lambert are vying to win `` American Idol '' Show 's producers tried new tactics this season to draw viewers . Addition of new judge and antics at the judges ' table have drawn fan ire . | [[328, 348], [351, 398], [131, 163], [168, 205], [1628, 1631], [1637, 1729], [2428, 2568]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A pea-sized seahorse , the world 's longest insect , a `` ghost slug '' and the world 's smallest snake were among the top 10 species discovered in 2008 , a committee of scientists said Friday . A tiny seahorse and the world 's longest insect were among the top 10 new species discovered in 2008 . These unusual critters were among thousands of species found last year , many in remote or tropical regions of the planet , that hint at the breadth of the Earth 's undiscovered biodiversity . `` Most people do not realize just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth 's species is , '' said Quentin Wheeler , director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University , which announced the top 10 new species list . `` We are surrounded by such an exuberance of species diversity that we too often take it for granted , '' Wheeler added . The ASU institute and an international committee of taxonomists -- scientists devoted to species exploration and classification -- compile the top 10 list of new species each year . Also on the 2008 list are a caffeine-free coffee plant , a snail whose shell twists around four axes , a palm that flowers itself to death and microscopic bacteria that live in hairspray . See photos of the new species '' Here 's the complete list : . 1 . Pygmy seahorse : Classified by its Latin name , Hippocampus satomiae , this species measures about half an inch long and was found near Derawan Island off Kalimantan , Indonesia . 2 . A plant that kills itself : Found in a small area of northwestern Madagascar , a rare genus of palm -- Tahina spectablilis -- produces huge , spectacular flowers and then dies and collapses . Fewer than 100 have been found . 3 . Decaf , please : Known as Coffea charrieriana , this plant found in Cameroon is the first record of a caffeine-free coffee species from Central Africa . 4 . Spray-on species : An extremophile bacteria , Microbacterium hatanonis , was discovered in hairspray by Japanese scientists . 5 . A stick that moves : The world 's longest insect , with a body length of 14 inches -LRB- 22.3 inches including legs -RRB- , Phobaeticus chani resembles a stick and was found in Borneo , Malaysia . 6 . The Barbados Threadsnake : Leptotyphlops carlae measures only 4.1 inches long and is believed to be the world 's smallest snake . 7 . A pale `` ghost slug '' : Selenochlamys ysbryda was a surprising find in the densely populated area of Cardiff , Wales . 8 . A very limber snail : This unique species , Opisthostoma vermiculum , is found on a limestone hill in Malaysia and has a shell that twists around four axes . 9 . Damsel in the deep blue sea : Chromis abyssus is a beautiful species of damselfish found in deep-reef habitat off the coast of Ngemelis Island , Palau . 10 . Fossil mama : A fossilized fish , Materpiscis attenboroughi , is an extremely rare find from Western Australia and shows a mother giving birth 380 million years ago . Scientists are still classifying species found around the globe in 2008 , so final data for that year are not available . But on Friday , the taxonomists issued a State of Observed Species report card that states 18,516 species new to science -- about half of them insects -- were discovered and described in 2007 . The vast majority of the 18,516 species named in 2007 were invertebrate animals -LRB- 75.6 percent -RRB- , vascular plants -LRB- 11.1 percent -RRB- and vertebrates -LRB- 6.7 percent -RRB- . The report was compiled by ASU 's International Institute for Species Exploration in partnership with other scientists . `` Charting the species of the world and their unique attributes are essential parts of understanding the history of life , '' Wheeler said . `` It is in our own self-interest as we face the challenges of living on a rapidly changing planet . '' According to Wheeler , a new generation of tools is coming online that will vastly accelerate the rate at which humans can discover and describe species . The annual release of the top 10 new species list and State of Observed Species report commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus , who initiated the modern system of plant and animal names and classifications . An estimated 1.8 million species have been described since Linnaeus initiated the modern systems for naming plants and animals in the 18th century . Scientists estimate that there are between 2 million and 100 million species on Earth , though most set the number closer to 10 million , according to ASU . `` It is estimated that the approximately 1.8 million species named since 1758 represent no more than a fraction of the world 's species , '' the report states . `` Rapid environmental changes around the world highlight the urgent need to accelerate our exploration of Earth 's species , '' the report says . `` Millions of species -- the majority not yet known to science -- face an uncertain future . Among these species are keys to understanding the history of the origin and diversification of life on our planet . '' | A committee of scientists named the top 10 species discovered in 2008 . Among them are an Indonesian seahorse that measures about half an inch long . The world 's longest insect has a body length of 14 inches and resembles a stick . A coffee plant from Cameroon is a rare caffeine-free coffee species . | [[134, 171], [174, 213], [273, 316], [692, 716], [725, 764], [888, 951], [1019, 1069], [214, 295], [1397, 1442], [214, 295], [2026, 2033], [2039, 2044], [2047, 2074], [2150, 2185], [1787, 1815], [1787, 1803], [1816, 1891]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Austrian officials are seeking to secure the release of two Austrian nationals who were kidnapped by an al Qaeda group while vacationing in North Africa ahead of a midnight Sunday deadline . Reinhard and Christine Lenz , right , the parents of kidnapped Austrian Andrea Kloiber . `` There are efforts in all areas , unrelenting efforts to secure the earliest possible release of our citizens , '' Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal told CNN . The team of high-ranking government officials met Sunday morning and planned to work throughout the day , he said . Wolfgang Ebner , 51 , and Andrea Kloiber , 44 , were last heard from on February 18 while on a vacation in southern Tunisia , foreign ministry spokesman Martin Gaertner said . Earlier this month , the Austrian government received an audio message via the Internet from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claiming to have kidnapped the pair . The kidnappers ' primary demand is the release of five prisoners in Algeria and Tunisia , Launsky-Tieffenthal said . While the kidnappers have set a midnight deadline , there are preliminary indications that it may be extended , he said . The government is in contact with authorities in Tunisia , Algeria , and Mali in an effort to find the missing duo , who are from the Austrian town of Hallein . A few weeks ago , the kidnappers released a set of written demands and six photographs that include images of the Austrians . Among the images was one that appeared to show the pair flanked by men holding assault rifles and a rocket launcher . Another appeared to show more than 15 group members -- several of them armed . Kloiber 's face is obscured in all of the photographs in which she appears . E-mail to a friend . | Officials battling a midnight deadline to secure release of kidnapped Austrians . Wolfgang Ebner , 51 , and Andrea Kloiber , 44 , captured on holiday in Tunisia . Al Qaeda contacted Austrian government to seek release of five prisoners . | [[0, 15], [19, 97], [0, 5], [144, 209], [72, 97], [102, 171], [605, 645], [663, 728]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hurricane Paloma continued to intensify Friday night as the Category 3 storm pounded Grand Cayman island with strong winds and heavy rain . As of 10 p.m. ET Friday , Paloma was moving northeast through the Cayman Islands . The National Hurricane Center said additional strengthening of the storm could occur through Saturday night as Paloma turned northeast and headed toward Cuba . A hurricane warning was in effect Friday throughout the Cayman islands , with residents being told that `` preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion , '' the center said . A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within 24 hours . Cuban officials also issued a hurricane warning for the provinces of Sancti Spiritus , Ciego de Avila , Camaguey and Las Tunas , the Miami , Florida-based hurricane center said in an advisory . As of 10 p.m. ET , Paloma 's winds were near 115 mph -LRB- 185 kph -RRB- with higher gusts . Paloma is forecast to approach Cuba as a Category 2 storm after weakening late Saturday , according to the hurricane center . Watch rainstorms beat the Cayman Islands '' Friday evening , the center of Paloma was about 25 miles -LRB- 40 kilometers -RRB- south of Grand Cayman Island and about 275 miles -LRB- 443 kilometers -RRB- southwest of Camaguey , Cuba . It was moving northeast at about 7 mph and was expected to pass near Grand Cayman Friday night and approach the coast of central Cuba late Saturday , the hurricane center said . The storm 's projected path would steer it away from the U.S. mainland and into the Atlantic . See where the hurricane could be headed '' J.B. Webb , a manager at a radio station on Grand Cayman , said Friday evening that some residents had gone to shelters and others were shutting themselves in downtown businesses rebuilt to withstand a Category 5 hurricane . He said the local government had advised people to be off the roads by 11 a.m. . The storm is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches over the Caymans and central and eastern Cuba , with isolated maximum totals of 15 inches possible . Flash floods and mudslides are possible , forecasters said . Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center , and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 120 miles , the hurricane center said . iReport.com : Are you in Paloma 's path ? Forecasters predicted storm-surge flooding of 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels , accompanied by dangerous battering waves , near the center of Paloma in the Cayman Islands . Near where Paloma is expected to make landfall , along Cuba 's southern coast , storm surge flooding of 8 to 12 feet is forecast , the hurricane center said . Cuban television was broadcasting advisories to viewers , telling them not to cross swollen rivers , to avoid fallen cables and to evacuate if told to do so by Civil Defense officials . In Las Tunas , students in boarding schools were sent home , because the schools will be used as shelters . Evacuations were under way in some coastal areas prone to flooding . Rice and cereal was being shipped to other parts of the country to keep it from spoiling , and no tourists were being allowed to enter many areas . CNN 's Morgan Neill and Rory Suchet contributed to this report . | NEW : Cayman Island residents flee homes for shelters , fortified buildings . Paloma has 115-mph winds ; storm-surge flooding expected in Caymans . Evacuations under way in parts of Cuba ; safety advisories issued . Projected path would steer hurricane away from U.S. mainland . | [[1651, 1660], [1710, 1875], [882, 898], [901, 974], [2397, 2479], [2575, 2621], [2655, 2703], [3028, 3096], [1513, 1607]] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.