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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities are asking for the public 's help in finding an eighth suspect accused of being a member of a North Carolina group that allegedly plotted `` violent jihad '' overseas . Authorities are searching for North Carolina resident Jude Kenan Mohammed . `` The Raleigh Joint Terrorism Task Force is seeking any information the public may have regarding the whereabouts of Jude Kenan Mohammad , '' the FBI said in a statement . Federal authorities had said earlier that they believed Mohammad , 20 , was in Pakistan . Seven other suspects are in custody . All eight are accused of plotting `` violent jihad '' overseas , according to the indictment , and are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder , kidnap , maim and injure people . The indictment identifies Mohammad as a U.S. citizen and a North Carolina resident . It says he traveled to Pakistan in October 2008 to `` engage in violent jihad . '' No further details are offered . A federal judge denied bail last week for six of the men , but expressed skepticism about the charges against them . Magistrate Judge William Webb said the defendants had made a number of statements espousing holy war , and said the statements could be interpreted in isolation as braggadocio . But because some group members had amassed a large arsenal and ammunition and had engaged in firearms training , Webb found there was reason to believe that they harbored criminal intent and presented a flight risk or a possible danger to the community . Bail was denied for the seventh man , Anes Subasic , on Monday , CNN affiliate WTVD reported . Five surreptitiously recorded audiotapes were played in a court hearing last week , along with a cell phone video showing someone firing an AK-47 . On a tape made in May 2009 , one of the suspects , Daniel Patrick Boyd , talks about getting the money needed to wage jihad and hitting Wells Fargo trucks and banks . He makes reference to how he had robbed a bank in Pakistan . Boyd 's sons , Dylan Boyd , 22 , also known as `` Mohammed , '' and Zakariya Boyd , 20 , also are among the eight charged . Federal agents discovered in the Boyd house , among other items : several weapons , thousands of rounds of ammunition , $ 13,000 cash , gas masks , and a document described as a fatwa -LRB- Muslim religious edict -RRB- of jihad -LRB- holy war -RRB- , the FBI said . They also found a trench under the deck of the house , which a witness told the FBI was a bunker to store and conceal weapons , and a plywood plank placed in a tree so that someone sitting there could see anyone approaching the house , FBI special agent Michael Sutton said . Sabrina Boyd -- the wife of Daniel Patrick Boyd and the mother of the two younger Boyds -- has said the allegations against her family are false . | Authorities looking for whereabouts of 20-year old Jude Kenan Mohammad . Mohammad accused of being a member of group that allegedly plotted `` violent jihad '' Federal authorities said earlier they believed Mohammad was in Pakistan . Seven others in custody facing conspiracy to commit terrorism , murder charges . | [[200, 275], [279, 404], [123, 145], [151, 199], [577, 639], [449, 538], [539, 576], [577, 586], [670, 703], [704, 806]] |
WEST POINT , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A community that seemed on the road to becoming a ghost town has taken a turn toward prosperity despite the recession , thanks to an automaker . A roadside sign in West Point , Georgia , expresses support for Kia 's new factory . Korean car manufacturer Kia plans to open a sprawling automobile factory in tiny West Point , Georgia , by the end of the year . The boon has already spurred economic growth -- and just plain excitement -- among residents , said Mayor Drew Ferguson . `` We jokingly call it Kia-ville , '' said Ferguson , a 42-year-old dentist helping to oversee expansion of West Point , population 3,500 . The announcement is drawing workers and businesses to the community about 80 miles south of Atlanta . `` The revitalization of the community is touching every aspect , '' Ferguson said . `` We have infrastructure projects , new subdivisions going up , hotel professional services that are all needed to support the massive manufacturing . '' The plant , which will make Kia 's Sorento sport utility vehicle , has hired 500 workers . By the time the factory opens , Kia hopes to hire 2,000 more . A smattering of Kia supply companies will eventually employ 7,500 additional workers . Watch the town 's excitement about the new factory '' `` A lot of people feel that we are the savior for this area , which I hope we will be , '' said Randy Jackson , director of human resources for the manufacturing plant . `` We got 43,013 applications ; 75 percent of those applications came from Georgia , and about 20 percent came from our neighboring state of Alabama . '' Some of those applications are coming from auto workers around the country , including Detroit , Michigan , Jackson said . Overall , West Point stands to gain 20,000 jobs as a result of the factory during the next five years , Ferguson said . Georgia 's 9.7 percent unemployment rate reported in May is about the same as the June national average of 9.5 percent , according to federal statistics . The U.S. Department of Labor reported unemployment in a five-county region including West Point at 8.6 percent . To secure the $ 1.2 billion Kia plant , state and local officials helped assemble land from a former cattle farm to create a 2,200-acre industrial park . They also locked in about $ 400 million in tax breaks and other economic incentives . `` We think the investment will pay off big time , '' Ferguson said . `` We 're already seeing it . But it 's not only in the dollars , but in the hope and opportunity , and the ability to create new jobs . '' Ruthann Williams invested her life savings to buy and open the Irish Bred Pub on West Point 's Main Street . Now she commutes to work 45 minutes a day from her North Georgia home . `` I came here because of Kia , '' Williams said . `` We jumped in with both feet and have not looked back one time . '' ` My little town was gon na die ' Plans for the new factory have transformed a community that during the past ten years has been becoming a ghost town . Textile mills that once defined West Point shut down in the 1990s , leaving many out of work . Debbie Williams , co-owner of the popular Roger 's Bar-B-Que , was worried her business would go under . `` We 'd go downtown and there was nothing there , '' Williams said . `` I thought my little town was gon na die . '' Margaret McManus was laid off last year when the textile mill she worked for closed . The 52-year-old went back to school to study information technology . In April she landed a job as a trainer with Daehan Solutions Georgia , a parts supplier for Kia . McManus said she did n't think in a million years she 'd be making car parts . `` The job that I used to do for a long time , we thought we 'd retire there , '' McManus said . `` It feels good to go to work everyday and have something to do . '' The signs of transformation in West Point are everywhere . There 's new construction , including the city 's first new subdivision in 25 years . And businesses that once struggled are feeling the uptick . Williams recently replaced her restaurant floor because of all the new foot traffic . `` We see a lot of people we do n't know now . They want to see where the Kia site 's gon na be built , '' Williams said . `` We always say if we can get them in here one time , we can get them back , and they come . They 're coming back . '' Tom Oswald , owner of West Point Shoe Outlet , said last year was his best year ever . `` Once Kia announced they were opening we 've sold mostly steel-toed shoes for construction workers , '' he said . `` Now we 're selling wingtips for men and heels for ladies . '' And Malcolm Malone , who runs M&M Car Wash , said business is booming . `` It 's been up at least 70 percent , '' said the 44-year-old West Point native . `` It 's like Christmas . '' Or perhaps a little divine intervention deserves credit , as a West Point sign pointed out : `` Thank You Jesus For Bringing Kia to Our Town . '' New flavors . On Main Street , residents are sampling new flavors that have come to West Point since the announcement . Asian restaurants and businesses are popping up . The old Pizza Hut has transformed into a Korean Bar-B-Que , and the southern staple KFC is now a popular Korean eatery called Young 's Garden . Resident Christy Magbee said West Point is starting to feel like a melting pot . `` You got the culture coming in . You do n't have to travel to Atlanta anymore . It 's starting to come here , '' she said . `` The old downtown is new again . It 's an exciting time , '' Ferguson said . `` For us there 's a light at the end of the tunnel . '' CNN 's Alina Cho contributed to this report . | Mayor : West Point , Georgia , could get 20,000 jobs resulting from Kia car plant . Before Kia announcement , business owner thought town was `` gon na die '' News spurs construction of West Point 's first new subdivision in 25 years . Auto workers from Detroit , elsewhere applying for jobs at plant , mayor says . | [[270, 391], [1746, 1753], [1756, 1847], [3134, 3149], [3197, 3238], [3312, 3353], [3916, 4001], [3916, 3941], [3944, 4001], [1623, 1697]] |
Editor 's note : Rudy Ruiz founded RedBrownandBlue.com , a site featuring multicultural political commentary . He is host of a nationally syndicated Spanish-language radio show and wrote a guide to success for immigrants -LRB- '' ¡ Adelante ! '' published by Random House -RRB- . He is co-founder and president of Interlex , an advocacy marketing agency based in San Antonio , Texas . Rudy Ruiz says the lives of U.S. presidents can make them positive role models for students . SAN ANTONIO , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Perhaps we got too used to living in a nation where the president inevitably becomes persona non grata . Maybe after the Clinton and Bush years , we forgot how to give a president a chance to serve not just as a punching bag but also as a role model . Have we become so disenchanted and polarized we ca n't give our own president a chance to teach our children something about what it takes to succeed ? As a small-town boy , I drew inspiration from presidential biographies . As I got lost in the adventures of Teddy Roosevelt , the spirit of George Washington and the ideals of Thomas Jefferson , I found kernels of America 's greatness . In those pages , I unearthed a yearning to dream beyond my surroundings , to strive for more , to seek a way to contribute to our nation . Many of the leaders , including Abraham Lincoln , born in a log cabin in Kentucky , ascended from humble beginnings on the wings of education to guide America forward . Devouring their stories , it ceased to matter where I was from or how far removed I was from the centers of power . With an education and a dream -- in America -- anything was possible . Whenever President Obama addresses our youth , he embodies the power of education . Education is the cornerstone of our democracy , the key to upward mobility , a linchpin to transforming whimsical dreams into actionable goals . Ask Bill Clinton . Raised by his widowed mother in Arkansas , he became a Rhodes Scholar . Look at Barack Obama . Emerging from a broken family , he built on degrees from Columbia and Harvard in his odyssey to the White House . Remember Dwight Eisenhower . Hailing from Kansas , he attended West Point on his way to heroism . From both sides of the aisle , education has propelled the career trajectories of our nation 's leaders . Even if we disagree with a president 's policies , we should accept he can serve as a role model in a broader way . For example , Thomas Jefferson owned slaves . Nobody would argue this was admirable . But Jefferson was also a great thinker , diplomat and strategist . He co-authored the Declaration of Independence and helped America become a global power by engaging Europe and transacting the Louisiana Purchase . Was he perfect ? Of course not . Would we want our children to emulate his every action . No way . But has he been an inspirational role model over time ? As a parent , I understand people 's concerns about the concepts to which their children are exposed . But the content of the president 's speech to students should assuage any worries regarding his motives . Clearly , his agenda is to inspire kids to make the most of education in building a better life , not to brainwash a generation to do his bidding . Pointing to his own experiences , as well as those of others from diverse and modest origins , his remarks convey the importance of personal responsibility , perseverance and education in fulfilling one 's potential while contributing to our nation 's future . The only way to argue with that is by confusing the issues , twisting the situation into something it was never intended to be . It 's gotten so bad , some folks do n't want their kids exposed to the president because they 're afraid he 'll teach them socialism . My answer is that even if he did plan to discuss socialism , they should let their child listen . Of course , the president would n't do that , but why is that my answer ? Because , as another role model -- President Reagan -- once said : `` All great change in America begins at the dinner table . '' In that light , the president 's speech is n't a threat but an opportunity for families to engage their children on the issues . If parents disagree with the president 's views , they can sit down at the dinner table with their kids and explain their divergence . They may even find , when it comes to the value of education , President Obama might say something worth hearing . In the process , parents will teach their children : . • That we should listen respectfully to others . Doing so , we might realize that we can appreciate certain aspects of a person while disagreeing with others , and that partial differences of opinion need n't always spur absolute rejection . • That we should respect the president because , even if we did n't vote for him , we 're still one nation . • That we should give our president an opportunity to lead by example . Obama 's presidency is still young . We do n't know what shape his legacy will take . But given his resume , regardless of politics , he 's an excellent role model on the value of education . Why not give him a chance to serve in that capacity ? iReport.com : Share your thoughts on Obama 's speech . Just as I found inspiration in those biographies during my childhood , our youth might be moved by the president 's words and stories to cherish knowledge and learning , harnessing the power of education to grow into productive , exemplary Americans in their own right . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rudy Ruiz . | Rudy Ruiz : After Clinton , Bush years , presidents are n't viewed as role models . He says he drew inspiration from the lives of American presidents . He says Obama and others show the power of education to improve society . He says letting students hear Obama 's speech can give them a positive message . | [[623, 661], [664, 769], [385, 478], [395, 478], [944, 994]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Taliban official Hakeemullah Mehsud has been selected the new head of the Pakistani Taliban , a local Taliban commander in Pakistan 's federally administered tribal areas told CNN Saturday . Baitullah Mehsud , right , former leader of the Pakistani Taliban , and a bodyguard in Pakistan , in 2004 . Mehsud was selected Friday by a 42-member Taliban council , or shura , according to Taliban commander Qari Haris . Another Taliban official -- Maulvi Faqir Mohammad -- had been tapped as Mehsud 's deputy , Haris said . Mohammad had named himself acting head of the Pakistani Taliban on Wednesday . A third official -- Hazem Tariq -- was named the group 's new spokesman , Haris added . The announced selection underscored the contention by Pakistani and U.S. officials that the group 's former leader , Baitullah Mehsud , was killed in an August 5 drone attack in Waziristan . Both Mohammad and Haris claim Mehsud is alive but ill . Pakistani officials announced Tuesday that two top figures in the Pakistani Taliban had been arrested . Saif Ullah is believed to have been Baitullah Mehsud 's right-hand man , and Maulvi Umar is the well-known spokesman for the militant group . Umar recently declared that Mehsud had not been killed in a drone strike on his father-in-law 's house , but a senior Pakistani official said that Umar had admitted under questioning that Mehsud was dead . The top U.S. envoy to the region , Richard Holbrooke , told CNN that the Pakistani Taliban had not confirmed Mehsud 's death because of an ongoing power struggle over his successor . Journalists Janullah Hamizshada and Nazar ur Islam contributed to this report . | Taliban official Hakeemullah Mehsud was selected Friday by 42-member panel . Taliban officials say former leader Baitullah Mehsud is alive but ill . Taliban official Maulvi Faqir Mohammad tapped as new leader 's deputy . | [[0, 15], [19, 110], [318, 344], [895, 950], [433, 457], [474, 521]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British man Gary McKinnon appeared in court Tuesday to try to prevent his extradition to the United States , where he is wanted for allegedly hacking into U.S. government computers at the Pentagon and NASA . Briton Gary McKinnon is accused of carrying out the biggest ever U.S. military hacking operation . McKinnon , who has admitted breaking the law and intentionally gaining unauthorized access to computer systems , wants to be tried in Britain rather than the United States . He is asking judges at the High Court to review a decision by the director of public prosecutions not to pursue legal action in Britain , a spokeswoman at the prosecutor 's office told CNN . The prosecutor 's decision effectively cleared the way for McKinnon 's extradition , and McKinnon is hoping it will be overturned . It is not clear when the judges will make a decision on McKinnon 's request . Prosecutors made their decision in February despite saying there was sufficient evidence to prosecute McKinnon . But they said their evidence did not reflect the level of criminality alleged by U.S. authorities , so they would allow him to be tried in America . The U.S. government says McKinnon carried out the biggest military computer hacking of all time , accessing 97 computers from his home in London for a year starting in March 2001 and costing the government about $ 1 million . McKinnon , currently free on bail in England , has said he was simply doing research to find out whether the U.S. government was covering up the existence of UFOs . Prosecutors in the United States and Britain disagree . `` These were not random experiments in computer hacking , but a deliberate effort to breach U.S. defense systems at a critical time which caused well-documented damage , '' Alison Saunders of the Crown Prosecution Service said in February . `` They may have been conducted from Mr. McKinnon 's home computer -- and in that sense there is a UK link -- but the target and the damage were trans-Atlantic . '' U.S. federal prosecutors accuse McKinnon of breaking into military , NASA and civilian networks and accessing computers at the Pentagon ; Fort Benning , Georgia ; Fort Meade , Maryland ; the Earle Naval Weapons Station in Colts Neck , New Jersey ; and the Johnson Space Center in Houston , Texas , among others . In one case , McKinnon allegedly crashed computers belonging to the Military District of Washington . McKinnon is believed to have acted alone , with no known connection to any terrorist organization , said Paul McNulty , the former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia . A U.S. federal grand jury indicted McKinnon on seven counts of computer fraud and related activity . If convicted , he would face a maximum of 10 years in prison on each count and a $ 250,000 fine . McKinnon 's lawyer , Karen Todner , has complained that the United States has never provided evidence to prosecutors or McKinnon 's legal team to support their extradition request -- and in fact , under Britain 's Extradition Act of 2003 , U.S. prosecutors are not required to . McKinnon has previously said it was easy for him to access the secret files . `` I did occasionally leave messages in system administrators ' machines saying , ` This is ridiculous , ' '' McKinnon has said . '' -LRB- I left -RRB- some political diatribes as well , but also a pointer to say , you know , this is ridiculous . '' McKinnon was on the brink of extradition in August 2008 , when the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg , France , refused to reconsider the decision to send him to the United States , effectively clearing the way for his transfer . Shortly after that decision , however , McKinnon was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome , and he claims that diagnosis changed the case for extradition . It was on that basis that McKinnon made his appeals in Britain . Asperger syndrome is a form of autism that affects a person 's social communication and interaction , according to Britain 's National Autistic Society . Those affected often are of above-average intelligence and have fewer problems speaking than do those with autism . They sometimes have difficulty knowing when to start or end a conversation and can be very literal in what they say , with difficulty understanding jokes , metaphors and sarcasm . In addition , some people with Asperger syndrome develop an intense , sometimes obsessive interest in a hobby or subject , the National Autistic Society said . `` He says what he thinks to his own detriment , '' a friend of McKinnon 's told CNN in January . He said McKinnon fears that his compulsion to say what he thinks would land him in trouble in an American prison . | Briton in court in bid to prevent extradition to U.S. for allegedly hacking computers . Gary McKinnon admits intentionally gaining access to government systems . Briton accused of carrying out biggest ever U.S. military computer hacking . He says he was researching whether U.S. was covering up existence of UFOs . | [[9, 32], [62, 142], [343, 353], [358, 453], [125, 135], [145, 243], [244, 342], [244, 264], [276, 342], [1180, 1275], [1406, 1414], [1453, 1570]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Richard M. Nixon and his Brazilian counterpart , Emilio Medici , in 1971 discussed ways their countries could work together to overthrow the socialist government of Salvador Allende in Chile , according to a newly declassified document . President Richard M. Nixon , right , and his Brazilian counterpart , Emilio Medici . During a meeting of the two leaders at the White House on December 9 of that year , Medici was discussing the possibility of a coup by the Chilean military with assistance from Brazilian military officers when Nixon said that it was `` very important that Brazil and the United States work closely in this field , '' according to the document . Nixon offered money or other discreet aid for the effort if it could be made available , the document shows . `` We must try and prevent new Allendes and Castros , and try where possible to reverse these trends , '' Nixon said . Medici said he was `` happy to see that the Brazilian and American positions and views '' were so close . The declassified document , a previously top secret memorandum for Nixon 's file written by National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger , was published by the National Security Archive , a nongovernmental research institute in Washington . The memorandum , along with other documents , were declassified in July as part of the State Department 's Foreign Relations of the United States series . `` This is an explosive document that details collusion between the colossus of the North -LSB- the United States -RSB- and the colossus of the South -LSB- Brazil -RSB- , '' said Peter Kornbluh , the director of a Chile and Brazil Documentation Project for the National Security Archive . He called it `` a smoking gun of confirmation of Brazil 's effort to engage in operations to overthrow the government of Chile and a discussion of collusion with the United States . '' The two leaders also discussed the creation of a back channel for direct communication outside normal diplomatic protocols , according to the document . Each designated personal aides to carry handwritten communications back and forth to keep discussions out of official records . `` I think there is precedent , but we 've never seen it detailed in a document this way , in which two presidents set up the utmost secret of back-channel communications so they can discuss the most sensitive aspects of collusion and collaboration in efforts to challenge the left in Latin America and change the futures of select Latin American governments , '' Kornbluh said . He added that `` there 's a significant paper trail of evidence of what that collusion was that remains secret , and we 're going to have to press Brazil and Washington to recover those documents . '' Despite the leaders ' effort to keep the subject of their talks secret , word got out . A declassified CIA memorandum written some time after the Nixon-Medici meeting in Washington said that word of the secret talks between the two leaders about shaping Brazilian foreign policy filtered down to Brazilian military officers by a `` Cabinet leak . '' Gen. Vicente Dale Coutinho , commander of Brazil 's 4th Army , reacted to this by saying that the United States obviously wanted Brazil `` to do the dirty work , '' it said . A declassified CIA national intelligence estimate written in 1972 concluded , `` Brazil will be playing a bigger role in hemispheric affairs and seeking to fill whatever vacuum the U.S. leaves behind . It is unlikely that Brazil will intervene openly in its neighbors ' internal affairs , but the regime will not be above using the threat of intervention or tools of diplomacy and covert action to oppose leftist regimes , to keep friendly governments in office , or to help place them there . '' The newly published documents do not offer any conclusive proof of Brazilian involvement in the Chilean coup of 1973 , which the Nixon administration supported . Kornbluh said that with the passage of time and change in governments in all of the countries involved , the real story of diplomatic and covert collusion between the United States and Brazil in Chile can finally be told . The National Security Archive will push for the declassification and publication of more top-secret documents from the Nixon library , he said , and will approach Brazilian government officials to ask for their cooperation in getting documents released in Washington and Brasilia , the capital of Brazil . Kornbluh said he also hopes that surviving Chilean government and military officers from the era who knew of any arrangements with the Brazilian government will come forward and tell their stories . `` This is history for history 's sake , but history will not find closure until it 's fully aired , '' he said . | Document shows Richard M. Nixon , Emilio Medici had like-minded goals . It says two leaders met at White House , Nixon offered money or other discreet aid . CIA memo says Brazilian general thought U.S. wanted Brazil `` to do the dirty work '' Memo , other documents were declassified in July of this year as part of project . | [[708, 764], [1910, 1925], [2035, 2062], [3122, 3148], [3201, 3281], [1281, 1324], [1327, 1435]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong brought a Scottish town center to a standstill on Tuesday when hundreds of people joined him for a group bike ride . Lance Armstrong 's appearance in Paisley , Scotland , saw around 200 people joining him on a bike ride . The seven-times Tour de France winner used social networking site Twitter to invite fans to take part in the event in Paisley , Scotland and -- as a result -- around 200 people gathered in the town 's High Street . Fans took photographs and asked for autographs from the American and the watching crowd applauded and cheered as the group set off on their ride . Asked whether he was surprised to see so many people turn out , Armstrong told reporters before climbing on to his bike : `` Yes . It 's a chance to meet lots of people . We made up our mind to come and see a show two nights ago and I said hey let 's have a bike ride , '' he added . Watch the chaos as Armstrong starts to ride '' Asked whether he knew much about cycling around Paisley , he smiled and said : `` I know nothing about it . '' In the Twitter messages before the gathering , Armstrong wrote : `` Hey Glasgow , Scotland !! I 'm coming your way . Who wants to go for a bike ride with me ?? '' Followed by : `` Hey Glasgow -- ride is at 12 noon . Stay tuned and yes , I have my rain coat ! '' iReport : Did you see Lance ? Send pics , video . Cyclists and fans started to gather before 11am ahead of Armstrong 's arrival at around 12.20 pm . After the group cycle , Armstrong told fans through Twitter : `` Thanks to everyone who turned up to ride in Paisley ! I figured we 'd have a nice ride for a dozen or so . But 100 's came . Haha ! Awesome ! '' | Lance Armstrong brought a Scottish town center to a standstill on Tuesday . The American announced on Twitter that he wanted people to join him on ride . A group of 200 people gathered in Paisley High Street to ride with Armstrong . | [[0, 15], [69, 178], [291, 446], [1212, 1253], [1506, 1527], [1530, 1565], [0, 15], [69, 178], [132, 185], [186, 226], [240, 290], [450, 505]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Cape Verde on Friday , the final stop on her seven-nation Africa tour in which she emphasized good governance and urged officials to implement reforms . Hillary Clinton was in Cape Verde on Friday on the final leg of her Africa tour . Clinton is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Maria Neves before returning to the United States . The Obama administration describes the island nation on the western coast as an African success story . `` Cape Verde enjoys a stable democratic system , high transparency and low corruption , '' said Marianne M. Myles , the U.S. ambassador to Cape Verde . The relationship between the two countries is based on a long history of partnership , which started in 1818 when the first U.S. consulate in sub-Saharan Africa was established in the country , Myles said . Clinton 's 11-day trip started in Kenya , and has included stops in South Africa , Angola , the Democratic Republic of Congo , Nigeria and Liberia . She arrived at Cape Verde from Liberia , where she applauded the work of pro-American president , Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf , the first woman elected head of state in Africa . `` Today , -LRB- Liberia -RRB- is a model of successful transition from conflict to post-conflict , from lawlessness to democracy , from despair to hope , '' Clinton said . `` For the last three years , the people of this country have been working to promote reform , reconstruction and reconciliation . Liberia has adopted sound fiscal policy and seen strong economic growth . '' Clinton 's trip comes after President Obama 's visit to Ghana in July , where he urged African leaders to improve government stability . During her visit , Clinton echoed Obama 's sentiment on government reform . Like Obama , Clinton made it clear that America is willing to help , but from the background . African leaders must take the lead in reforming their own countries , she said . Clinton 's message was a mix of praise and criticism . She also addressed other issues including democracy , trade and sexual abuse . Hours before her arrival in Kenya , Prime Minister Raila Odinga said that Africa did not need another lecture on good governance . But Clinton said she was delivering a `` tough but lovingly presented '' message to the East African nation . `` As President Obama pointed out in his speech in Ghana , Kenya has not fulfilled its economic promise because it has n't yet realized fully what it means to have a functioning , dynamic democracy , and a free press and an independent judiciary , '' she said . She urged Angolan officials to adopt a new constitution and hold a proper presidential election . However , she also lauded the nation 's commitment to fighting HIV as the two countries signed a partnership to combat the epidemic . At a town hall meeting in the Nigerian capital , Abuja , Clinton talked about the importance of democracy and warned that though Nigeria produces 2 million barrels of oil a day , its poverty rate has gone up over the past 13 years . She blamed the lack of progress on corruption . `` The most immediate source of the disconnect between Nigeria 's wealth and its poverty is a failure of governance at the local , state , and federal level , '' she said . Watch Clinton compare election to 2000 U.S. presidential election '' During a visit to Congo , Clinton denounced sexual attacks on women and announced $ 17 million in funding to help fight abuse in the country . `` In the face of such evil , people of good will everywhere must respond , '' she said . `` The United States is already a leading donor to efforts aimed at addressing these problems . '' Clinton also met with the leaders of Somalia 's transitional government in neighboring Nairobi . The country has been waging a bloody battle against al Qaeda-linked militants with help from the United States . The State Department notes it is the earliest trip by a secretary of state and a president to Africa of any previous U.S. administration . | Secretary of State Hillary Clinton winds up 11-day Africa trip with Cape Verde visit . Clinton 's visit has included stops in Kenya , Liberia and Nigeria . Clinton has urged African leaders to continue government reforms . | [[218, 299], [871, 893], [911, 1019], [871, 910], [871, 893], [911, 1019], [106, 129], [144, 147], [179, 217]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Richard M. Nixon and his Brazilian counterpart , Emilio Medici , in 1971 discussed ways their countries could work together to overthrow the socialist government of Salvador Allende in Chile , according to a newly declassified document . President Richard M. Nixon , right , and his Brazilian counterpart , Emilio Medici . During a meeting of the two leaders at the White House on December 9 of that year , Medici was discussing the possibility of a coup by the Chilean military with assistance from Brazilian military officers when Nixon said that it was `` very important that Brazil and the United States work closely in this field , '' according to the document . Nixon offered money or other discreet aid for the effort if it could be made available , the document shows . `` We must try and prevent new Allendes and Castros , and try where possible to reverse these trends , '' Nixon said . Medici said he was `` happy to see that the Brazilian and American positions and views '' were so close . The declassified document , a previously top secret memorandum for Nixon 's file written by National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger , was published by the National Security Archive , a nongovernmental research institute in Washington . The memorandum , along with other documents , were declassified in July as part of the State Department 's Foreign Relations of the United States series . `` This is an explosive document that details collusion between the colossus of the North -LSB- the United States -RSB- and the colossus of the South -LSB- Brazil -RSB- , '' said Peter Kornbluh , the director of a Chile and Brazil Documentation Project for the National Security Archive . He called it `` a smoking gun of confirmation of Brazil 's effort to engage in operations to overthrow the government of Chile and a discussion of collusion with the United States . '' The two leaders also discussed the creation of a back channel for direct communication outside normal diplomatic protocols , according to the document . Each designated personal aides to carry handwritten communications back and forth to keep discussions out of official records . `` I think there is precedent , but we 've never seen it detailed in a document this way , in which two presidents set up the utmost secret of back-channel communications so they can discuss the most sensitive aspects of collusion and collaboration in efforts to challenge the left in Latin America and change the futures of select Latin American governments , '' Kornbluh said . He added that `` there 's a significant paper trail of evidence of what that collusion was that remains secret , and we 're going to have to press Brazil and Washington to recover those documents . '' Despite the leaders ' effort to keep the subject of their talks secret , word got out . A declassified CIA memorandum written some time after the Nixon-Medici meeting in Washington said that word of the secret talks between the two leaders about shaping Brazilian foreign policy filtered down to Brazilian military officers by a `` Cabinet leak . '' Gen. Vicente Dale Coutinho , commander of Brazil 's 4th Army , reacted to this by saying that the United States obviously wanted Brazil `` to do the dirty work , '' it said . A declassified CIA national intelligence estimate written in 1972 concluded , `` Brazil will be playing a bigger role in hemispheric affairs and seeking to fill whatever vacuum the U.S. leaves behind . It is unlikely that Brazil will intervene openly in its neighbors ' internal affairs , but the regime will not be above using the threat of intervention or tools of diplomacy and covert action to oppose leftist regimes , to keep friendly governments in office , or to help place them there . '' The newly published documents do not offer any conclusive proof of Brazilian involvement in the Chilean coup of 1973 , which the Nixon administration supported . Kornbluh said that with the passage of time and change in governments in all of the countries involved , the real story of diplomatic and covert collusion between the United States and Brazil in Chile can finally be told . The National Security Archive will push for the declassification and publication of more top-secret documents from the Nixon library , he said , and will approach Brazilian government officials to ask for their cooperation in getting documents released in Washington and Brasilia , the capital of Brazil . Kornbluh said he also hopes that surviving Chilean government and military officers from the era who knew of any arrangements with the Brazilian government will come forward and tell their stories . `` This is history for history 's sake , but history will not find closure until it 's fully aired , '' he said . | Document shows Richard M. Nixon , Emilio Medici had like-minded goals . It says two leaders met at White House , Nixon offered money or other discreet aid . CIA memo says Brazilian general thought U.S. wanted Brazil `` to do the dirty work '' Memo , other documents were declassified in July of this year as part of project . | [[708, 764], [1910, 1925], [2035, 2062], [3122, 3148], [3201, 3281], [1281, 1324], [1327, 1435]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nelson Piquet Jr admitted he will have to wait until the dust has settled on the `` crashgate '' scandal before he can attempt a return to Formula One . Nelson Piquet Jr has not ruled out a return to Formula One . The 24-year-old Brazilian attended a Motor Sport Council hearing on Monday over the conspiracy which saw him crash his Renault in the Singapore Grand Prix last year , where he subsequently revealed he is keen on a F1 comeback . Piquet , who was granted immunity by motorsport 's world governing body -LRB- FIA -RRB- for his testimony , believes his talent was not appreciated by former team boss Flavio Briatore . Despite the furor surrounding the affair the Brazilian hopes he can return to F1 , but added there may be other options too . `` I am aware that because of this -LRB- scandal -RRB- it will be difficult , '' Piquet told Germany 's Auto Motor und Sport . `` Some people will be afraid that the same thing will happen . But it was a unique case and I have learned from it . `` If I ca n't find a place in F1 , perhaps for one year I will go to America and try to do a good job there until the waves have calmed down a bit . `` I was there in August for a week and spoke with some teams . '' Renault have confirmed that they intend to continue racing in F1 for the future and also have appointed Bob Bell as the acting team principal for the remainder of the season . A statement on the Renault Web site said : `` Following the unfortunate recent events , the Renault F1 Team has reacted swiftly by implementing a new temporary management team structure , which will be in place from today until the end of the 2009 season . `` Bob Bell , currently technical director , takes on the duty of team principal and chief technical office . Bell will attend all the remaining races of the season and will be the team 's spokesperson on all sporting and technical matters . `` The Renault F1 Team is now ready to concentrate on the future . '' | Nelson Piquet Jr is keen to make a comeback to Formula One in the future . The Brazilian 's reputation is tarnished after his part in the `` crashgate '' scandal . Renault confirmed Bob Bell will be acting team principal for rest of the season . | [[172, 232], [406, 460], [688, 727], [1263, 1314], [1235, 1242], [1263, 1267], [1319, 1410]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Demand for the world 's largest , most expensive yachts is on the rise ahead of the Monaco Yacht Show this week . Ships moored at the Moncao Yacht Show . `` We 've gotten the strongest forward order book that we 've ever had . It 's the best outlook we 've ever had since we 've started the company , '' said Toby Allies , Sales and Marketing Director for Pendennis , a leading British manufacturer and re-fitter of superyachts . Amid the global recession , the worldwide market for luxury goods has plummeted over the last year , expected to shrink 10 percent for 2009 according to global business consultants Bain & Company . A few sectors , though , have shown surprising strength and even growth amid the downturn , including British-made superyachts . The British market for superyachts grew more than 15 percent during the fiscal year ending June 1 , 2009 , according to a new survey . Overall revenue increased to a record $ 663 million -LRB- # 410 million -RRB- and jobs across the industry increased five percent , according to Superyacht UK , the trade group who conducted the survey . Since last September , yacht sales tanked in many parts of the world , particularly as cash dried up among clients from Russia and the Middle East . `` It was a difficult year , many manufacturers had to cut down on production numbers and give larger discounts , '' said Georges Tchoumak , Head of Sales and Marketing for Numarine , a manufacturer of superyachts based in Turkey . In France three of the four publicly-traded yacht companies who make yachts that cost more than $ 40 million took advantage of the country 's bankruptcy laws to stave off collapse , including Rodriguez Group , the company who built Bernard Madoff 's yacht `` Bull . '' Though affected by the recession , the UK industry managed to buck that trend , buoyed by a decline in the pound . `` In the last quarter of 2008 through the end of first quarter 2009 there was virtually zero activity in the large yacht sector , '' said Tim Wiltshire , Director of Burgess Yachts , a UK-based high-end boat manufacturer . Wiltshire said that at their worst , transactions were down 60 percent compared with the previous year , but that volume had recently returned , particularly in brokerage sales of used yachts . Heading into Monaco , manufacturers around the world including the UK now appear poised for a robust rebound . `` There have been a dozen significant sales in the past quarter ... enough of our customers think it 's unlikely to get much worse . '' But whiles sales have picked up , Wiltshire predicted it could take years for sale prices to reach the premiums of only a few years ago : `` Since early summer -LSB- business -RSB- has picked up significantly ... We are back on par with 2007 , albeit at reduced values , '' he said . Manufacturers across the UK share Wiltshire 's optimism , according to the survey . Ninety-five percent of UK companies questioned rated their prospects for the year ahead either `` good or excellent '' -LRB- 56 percent -RRB- or `` OK '' -LRB- 39 percent -RRB- . At Numarine `` things are looking better for the last three months , '' Tchomak told CNN . `` We 've had more sales in the past three months than in the previous 12 months , '' he wrote in an email . At Pendennis , directors have changed their business strategy to accommodate the anticipated growth . `` We 've increased our investment in infrastructure for large yachts , '' said Ailes . `` Improving facilities and looking to recruit more people to work on boats up to 70 or 80 meters . '' One of the reasons cited for the strength in Britain 's superyacht business compared with manufacturers in other European countries has been the declining value of Sterling against the Euro . Hugo Andreae , Editor-in-Chief of Superyachtworld magazine said that the exchange rate helped , but the high quality of British boats and sustained demand among the world 's wealthiest had helped hold up sales . Andreae also explained that one of the effects of the recession has been to shift demand from new builds to the used boat brokerage and chartering markets . `` There are signs that things are picking up ... Monaco is the premiere big yacht show and it 's the real acid test of whether -LSB- the rebound -RSB- is the odd sale being picked up at a good price , or if the market has reignited properly , '' explained Tom Chant , International Commercial Manager for Superyacht UK . If interest in the Monaco Yacht Show is any indicator , then sales can be expected to meet bullish expectations . The annual end-of-summer yachting industry and yacht owners ' conference is fully booked this week . The number of double-decker pavilions has doubled since last year , but in spite of the event 's increased provision of these more expensive , higher visibility exhibition spaces supply still fell short of demand . In the United States yacht manufacturers also say they 've seen a recent surge in interest in new construction of yachts over 150 feet . `` Over the last 45 days , all of a sudden , the inquires have started coming along really strong . That bodes well for the Monaco Yacht Show , '' said William Smith , V.P. of Sales and Marketing for Trinity Yachts . `` It 's fair to say sales came to a shuddering halt after the Monaco show last year . '' In another sign that interest in the top-end of the yacht market is back , Luxury retailer Hermes recently announced plans to team up with Wally , the Monaco superyacht company , to build a $ 145 million -LRB- $ 100 million -RRB- yacht . Sales to Russia , the Middle East and other developing countries have rebounded more quickly than sales to Europe and the U.S. , according to Smith , as uncertainty about the markets has subsided and boosted consumer confidence . In the past six months , Trinity had only had one inquiry from an American , which came in the last few weeks . Trinity , the largest U.S. retailer of megayachts , has had two projects out of 17 builds stall due to the recession , both about 164 feet long . Smith said the owners can either come back and pay for them to finish the work or let Trinity sell them . Throughout the downturn Trinity was able to continue to deliver ships at a record pace , thanks to a hearty backlog of orders placed during the markets peaks . | The British market for superyachts grew more than 15 percent last year . After a year of steep declines , sales for new yacht constructions are picking up . The Monaco Yacht Show is fully-booked this week , showing renewed interest . Hermes teams up with Wally to build $ 145 million ultra luxury yacht . | [[793, 897], [3610, 3678], [4916, 4956], [4962, 5052], [9, 26], [70, 149], [150, 189], [4489, 4539], [4600, 4700], [5360, 5417], [5435, 5536], [5539, 5597]] |
JOHANNESBURG , South Africa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An undersea cable plugging east Africa into high speed Internet access went live Thursday , providing an alternative to expensive satellite connections . The cable links southern Africa to Europe and Asia . SEACOM , the cable provider company , opened its 17,000 kilometer submarine cable , capable of 1.28 terabytes per second , allowing the region true connectivity . Most Africans rely on expensive and slow satellite connections , which make the use of applications such as YouTube and Facebook extremely trying . `` This is going to reduce the cost of doing business in Africa , within Africa and with international parties '' said Suveer Ramdhani , SEACOM spokesman in South Africa . `` The cable is as thin as a hair strand , and in one second it can download the same amount of data that 160 people use in a month . '' SEACOM , privately funded and 75 percent African owned , will provide retail carriers with open source access to inexpensive bandwidth . It has taken less than three years to complete the mammoth project , providing landing stations at South Africa , Kenya , Madagascar and other points along the east coast of Africa . But telecoms analyst James Hodge said that some of the more ambitious hopes for the system -- such as impacting the continent 's socioeconomic problems -- will be long-term , and that initially it will be those already connected who will see the benefits . The launch was delayed by a month because of increased activity by pirates along parts of the African coast . Security teams were beefed up to protect the slow moving cable layers . Neotel , a South African communications network operator , is the largest SEACOM customer in South Africa and is the country 's landing partner , providing both the coastal landing station and Johannesburg data center for the submarine cable . Neotel managing director Ajay Pandey is excited about the opportunities for growth presented by the SEACOM cable . `` With this cable coming in , the pipe size opens up , so more and more people are able to get faster and better connectivity , hopefully at a lower price . It ca n't be more expensive than what it is today . '' SEACOM Chief Executive Officer Brian Herlihy added : `` Turning the switch ` on ' creates a huge anticipation , but ultimately , SEACOM will be judged on the changes that take place on the continent over the coming years . '' South Africa has been hobbled by high costs and extremely slow bandwidth , effectively keeping the country on an information back road rather then the superhighway . There is much anticipation and hope that the cable will ensure Africa keeps up with the developed world in Internet connectivity , providing greater speed , flexibility and , potentially , a complete socioeconomic transformation . Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said in his opening address : `` It 's the ultimate embodiment of modernity . '' His speech was beamed via SEACOM from a launch in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania , to the simultaneous launch in Johannesburg , South Africa . | Undersea SEACOM cable links southern and east Africa to Europe , Asia . System provides cheaper alternative to satellite connections . 17,000 km cable capable of 1.28 terabytes per second . SEACOM spokesman : This is going to reduce the cost of doing business . | [[47, 117], [201, 253], [15, 43], [139, 200], [565, 628]] |
-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- Students will investigate the contributions of Hispanic Americans to U.S. culture , and what it means to be an Hispanic in America today . Procedure . Point out to students that Hispanic Heritage Month -LRB- September 15 - October 15 -RRB- celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain , Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America , South America and the Caribbean . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , `` September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries : Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras and Nicaragua . In addition , Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18 , respectively . '' In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month , send student groups on a multimedia scavenger hunt to investigate how Hispanic Americans have contributed to U.S. culture , and the opportunities and challenges that exist for Hispanics in America today . Pose the following questions to guide students ' research : . 1 . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , what is the estimated Hispanic population of the United States ? What percent of the total U.S. population does this number represent ? 2 . What aspects of Hispanic culture can be found in the U.S ? 3 . Who are some Hispanic Americans who have had an impact in U.S. politics and government ? 4 . Who are some famous Hispanic-American musicians , artists , writers and actors ? How have they impacted U.S. culture ? 5 . What Hispanic businesses exist in your community and other parts of the U.S. ? How have these businesses contributed to the U.S. economy ? 6 . What issues have you seen or heard about in recent news that are of interest to the Hispanic community ? Have groups share and discuss their findings with the class . Extension . Instruct each student to interview several Hispanic-American teens and adults to get their responses to the following question : What would you like other Americans to know about what it means to be Hispanic in America today ? Have students summarize the interviewees ' responses and share them with the class . Correlated Standards . Social Studies . I. Culture . Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity . V. Individuals , Groups and Institutions . Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals , groups , and institutions . The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies -LRB- http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/ are published by the National Council for Social Studies -LRB- http://www.socialstudies.org -RRB- . | Students will investigate how Hispanic Americans have contributed to U.S. culture . Students will identify opportunities and challenges that exist for Hispanics in America . | [[32, 113], [1546, 1583], [988, 1020], [1026, 1064]] |
Editor 's note : Myron Lowery is mayor of Memphis , Tennessee . Memphis Mayor Myron Lowery fist bumps the Dalai Lama on his arrival in the Tennessee city . MEMPHIS , Tennessee -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Hello Dalai , . Well , hello ... Dalai ! '' It seemed like a good idea at the time . And with hindsight being 20/20 ; it still does . How often do you get to meet an international figure as captivating as the Dalai Lama ? I wanted to make an impression , and break the ice , in my Southern hospitality sort of way . So enter the lyric from the song and the fist bump now heard round the world . I had been told by his representatives that the Dalai Lama had a wonderful sense of humor , and would enjoy the exchange . Indeed , he did . His Holiness laughed , returned the gesture , and gave me his blessings . And in our brief time together , I saw in his eyes the sparkle of kindness , love and good humor . It 's unfortunate that not everyone could allow themselves to enjoy the moment , as we did . Barely an hour passed before reporters began calling to say my fist bump with the Dalai Lama was `` disrespectful , '' unusual and perhaps inappropriate . Why would I do that , they asked ? Well to answer that , I would have to go back a couple of weeks or so . One of my assistants in the mayor 's office began feeling ill . After a couple of days off work , she was diagnosed with the H1N1 flu . She sits 10 feet away from me . The swine flu story was hitting close to home in a major way . As the leader of a major city , I had to step forward and deal with fears about a virus that has never been known to man . Watch the Dalai Lama 's fist bump '' So I rolled up my sleeves and took a shot for the seasonal flu . I encouraged everyone to get the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it becomes available . I urged people to cough politely into a napkin or their sleeve . I had hand sanitizer installed in the common areas at city hall . I greeted the Chairman of the City Council with a fist bump and it made the local news . It became a running theme in City Hall . The mayor would greet you with a fist bump . A day before His Holiness came to the city , I spoke to the Dalai Lama 's protocol team and they said he would not be upset or offended being greeted this way . In fact it has happened in the past . So , armed with this information I decided to greet him when he arrived Tuesday in a similar fashion . Not because of any concern about H1N1 . I greeted him this way because I 'm a down to earth guy , who was raised by a single mother with four sons in public housing . I still tell everyone to call me Myron . I am now living a dream as the mayor of Memphis . And Wednesday , as I sat and watched His Holiness accept an award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis , the gravity of the moment was in no way lost on me . An international crusader for peace was here on the hallowed ground where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took his last breath . He offered his blessings , walked into the crowd , touched people . He carried himself humbly , not as one to be feared , but as a man , sharing his humanity , making us all better for it . So in the final analysis , I know His Holiness is always happy to participate in local customs , however obscure . He is about peace and harmony , and a fist bump is just another expression of warm friendship that he again returned to me before he left . And the `` Hello , Dalai ? '' Well , that was just a bonus . He knew it was coming and we all laughed together . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Myron Lowery . | Myron Lowery : I greeted the Dalai Lama with a fist bump and a pun . He says H1N1 virus led to fears about spread of the new disease . He says he 's been encouraging people to use fist bump to reduce spread . Lowery : `` A fist bump is just another expression of warm friendship '' | [[64, 155], [1029, 1092], [3308, 3365]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 43-year-old woman convicted in the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Wednesday ended her hunger strike after authorities agreed to review her demand for early release . Nalini Sriharan received a death sentence in 1991 for plotting to murder former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi . Nalini Sriharan , who has been in jail for 18 years , went on a fast Monday , said Jaya Bharathi , superintendent of Vellore prison in southern India . Convicted of plotting the murder of Gandhi in a suicide bomb attack in 1991 , she received a death sentence along with her husband and two others . Sriharan 's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on a mercy petition by Sonia Gandhi , the Italian-born widow of the slain former prime minister . The other three remain on death row . In India , a lifer becomes eligible for early release after serving 14 years , Bharathi said . Authorities would consider setting up an advisory board on Sriharan 's demand , Bharathi added . `` She ended her fast today and had her breakfast and lunch , '' Bharathi told CNN . India accused Sri Lanka 's Tamil rebels of ordering the killing of Rajiv Gandhi , who had sent Indian peacekeepers to the restive island nation while in power . | Authorities have agreed to review case of 43-year-old prisoner Nalini Sriharan . Sriharan started a hunger strike on Monday to seek early release from jail . She has been in jail for 18 years , convicted of plotting murder of Rajiv Gandhi . Former Indian PM Gandhi was killed in a suicide bomb attack in 1991 . | [[0, 33], [146, 235], [353, 368], [407, 428], [37, 132], [236, 343], [236, 242], [286, 352], [353, 370], [375, 404], [505, 580], [37, 132], [505, 580]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Schools of robotic fish could one day map the ocean floor , detect pollution or inspect and survey submerged boats or oil and gas pipelines , researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say . MIT researcher Pablo Valdivia Alvarado works in his lab on a robotic fish he co-created . MIT engineers are showing off the latest generation of so-called robofish 15 years after they built the first one . The latest incarnation is sleeker , more streamlined and capable of mimicking the movements of a real fish . And it 's capable of exploring underwater terrain submersibles ca n't , said Pablo Valdivia Alvarado , a mechanical engineer at the school . `` Some of our sponsors were thinking of using them for inspection and surveillance , '' Alvarado said . `` Since these prototypes are very cheap , the idea was to build hundreds -- 200 , 500 -- and then just release them in a bay or at a port , and they would be roaming around taking measurements . '' MIT researchers built their first robotic fish , `` Robotuna , '' in 1994 . But Robotuna has gone the way of the dinosaur . Alvarado said the new generation -- modeled after bass and trout -- cost only a few hundred dollars and have only 10 parts instead of the thousands used in Robotuna . At five to 18 inches , the new fish is much smaller than Robotuna and built from a single , soft polymer . And unlike Robotuna , the fish is able to be released in the oceans . `` Most of the brains , the electronics , are embedded inside , '' said Alvarado , who designed the robofish with fellow MIT engineer Kamal Youcef-Toumi . `` We have built prototypes with the battery inside , but for my experiments , for simplicity . We have a lot of prototypes that are simply tethered . We have a cable that runs out from the body and connects to a power supply . '' The new generation has withstood harsh conditions in the lab , including two years of testing inside tanks filled with tap water , which is corrosive to standard robots , according to Alvarado , who says the Robotuna inspired him to take the technology to the next level . The oil exploration company Schlumberger helped fund the research , but Alvarado says the U.S. Navy has also expressed interest in the robofish . MIT 's mechanical engineers are now turning their attention to new challenges : A robotic manta ray and a terrestrial robot in the form of a salamander . CNN 's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report . | Engineers at MIT have created a new generation of robotic fish . ` Robofish ' could be used to map the ocean floor , inspect submerged boats or pipes . MIT researchers built their first robotic fish , `` Robotuna , '' in 1994 . New robofish are modeled after bass and trout and cost only a few hundred dollars . | [[314, 396], [0, 15], [43, 158], [984, 1030], [1050, 1059], [1108, 1255]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A top Baha'i official has criticized Iran 's claim that the six imprisoned leaders of the religious minority were held for security reasons and not because of their faith . President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's government has been accused of trying to eliminate the Baha'i community . Bani Dugal , the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations , called Iran 's assertion `` utterly baseless . '' `` The allegations are not new , and the Iranian government knows well that they are untrue , '' Dugal said on Wednesday , quoted in a news release issued by the Baha'i movement . `` The documented plan of the Iranian government has always been to destroy the Baha'i community , and these latest arrests represent an intensification of this plan . '' Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said the people were detained for `` security issues '' and not their faith , Iran 's Islamic Republic News Agency said . Elham said on Tuesday that the Baha'is were members of a group working together `` against national interest . '' `` The group is an organized establishment linked to foreigners , the Zionists in particular , '' he said . The arrests of the six last week and another Baha'i leader in March sparked sharp condemnation by the Baha'is , the United States , Canada , the European Union and humanitarian groups . The Baha'is say the latest arrests are part of a pattern of religious persecution since 1979 , when the monarchy of the Shah of Iran was toppled and an Islamic republic was created in the predominantly Shiite nation . The Baha'is say they have been killed , jailed and `` otherwise oppressed '' only because of their religion . `` The best proof of this is the fact that , time and again , Baha'is have been offered their freedom if they recant their Baha'i beliefs and convert to Islam , an option few have taken , '' Dugal said . Dugal said Iran 's practice of connecting the group to Zionism , the underlying political philosophy of the Jewish state , was a `` distortion '' and an attempt to `` stir animosity '' among the Iranian public . The Baha'i World Center , which the movement refers to as its `` spiritual and administrative heart , '' is in the Acre/Haifa area in northern Israel -- a location that predates the founding of the state of Israel since it was formed during the Ottoman Empire 's rule of Palestine . The Baha'is explain that their founder , Baha'u ` llah , `` after a series of successive banishments from his native Persia , was exiled , with members of his family and a small band of his followers , to the Turkish penal colony of Acre in 1868 . '' Dugal said the Iranian actions were the `` most recent iteration in a long history of attempts to foment hatred by casting the Baha'is as agents of foreign powers , whether of Russia , the United Kingdom , or the United States and now Israel all of which are completely baseless . '' Dugal said the government 's philosophies are based largely on the idea that there can be `` no prophet following Mohammed '' and that the faith `` poses a theological challenge to this belief . '' They say Baha'u ` llah is regarded by Baha'is as `` the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham , Moses , Buddha , Krishna , Zoroaster , Christ and Mohammed . '' The Baha'is -- regarded as the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran -- say they have 5 million members across the globe , and about 300,000 in Iran . | Baha'i official denies Iran claim that six of its leaders held for security reasons . The religious minority 's leaders were arrested at their homes last week . Baha'i representative to U.N. says Iran 's claim is `` utterly baseless '' Bani Dugal says Muslim-run government is trying to destroy Baha'i community . | [[0, 24], [28, 200], [0, 24], [28, 200], [308, 318], [412, 436], [2920, 2951], [201, 307], [201, 244], [262, 307], [642, 701], [707, 738], [642, 690], [695, 738]] |
PITTSBURGH , Pennsylvania -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Lined up next to Pittsburgh police officers protecting a downtown office building Thursday morning were officers who traveled a little farther to get to work . Police officers from Tucson , Arizona , left , talk with a Pittsburgh officer Thursday outside the G-20 summit . About 2,000 miles farther . Thirty-six officers from the Tucson , Arizona , Police Department are in Pittsburgh as part of the G-20 security force . They were asked to assist by Pittsburgh officials as part of a Department of Homeland Security rapid response team . Officers from departments in several cities , including Cleveland , Ohio ; Miami Metro Dade , Florida ; Baltimore , Maryland ; and Chicago , Illinois , were sworn in as part of the massive security effort , but Tucson wins the prize for the greatest distance traveled . Watch how Pittsburgh has prepared for protests '' `` There 's a standardization in training , '' Tucson Lt. Paul Sayre said . Departments brought in to assist have undergone similar preparations in techniques and crowd control . The Arizona officers were asked to come to Pittsburgh after taking part in the protection effort at the Republican National Convention in 2008 in St. Paul , Minnesota . The downtown Pittsburgh street on a morning with temperatures in the 50s was nothing like a typical day for the officers . `` It 's a different environment , '' Sayre said -- but the job was the same . `` We 're excited to be here . It 's a lot of fun . '' `` Our role is to support Pittsburgh , '' said Capt. Perry Tarrant , commanding the Tucson team . The additional help protecting downtown locations `` gives Pittsburgh the flexibility to send its officers where needed , '' Sayre said . | Police officers from around country join G-20 security effort in Pittsburgh . Departments involved include Miami , Florida , and Baltimore , Maryland . Cops from Tucson , Arizona , find chilly temps a change , but say `` It 's a lot of fun '' | [[394, 466], [1485, 1505]] |
KABUL , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The number of people killed in a car bombing in Afghanistan 's capital rose to 26 , including six Italian soldiers , Afghan authorities said Saturday . The coffins of six Italian soldiers killed in a suicide attack in Kabul return to Rome . Sixteen people died in the blast Thursday , and at least 55 Afghan civilians were wounded . Ten have died from their injuries since the bombing . The explosion Thursday targeted a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul , a witness said . The bodies of the Italian soldiers killed in the blast returned to Italy Sunday , their coffins draped in the red , green and white Italian flag . Dignitaries , relatives and row upon row of uniformed troops stood on the airport tarmac as the coffins were carried off the plane , television pictures from the scene showed . Watch more about Italy in mourning '' Italy 's President Giorgio Napolitano gently touched the caskets perched on the shoulders of grim-faced soldiers at Rome 's Ciampino military airport . Nearby , a woman shook uncontrollably as a baby sported a maroon beret -- the kind worn by the paratroopers killed in the Kabul attack . The six deaths marked largest number of Italians killed in a single day in Afghanistan . Watch more about Italy 's Afghan mission '' Before the remains left for Rome , the Italian military , international troops and dignitaries held a service in the Afghan capital . `` It 's a tragedy for us , '' Lt. Col. Renato Vaira of the Italian military said at the Kabul service . `` But this is a point to continue our mission . '' `` We 'll miss them . They 're not the first . I hope it will be the last , '' said Maj. Gen. Tommaso Ferro of the Italian military . The arrival of the soldiers ' remains was televised nationally in Italy . The bodies were taken for an autopsy . A day of mourning is scheduled in Italy on Monday , the same day as the burial service . After the attack , Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said it would be `` best '' for the country 's troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible . Berlusconi gave no timeline for a withdrawal , but said any pullout would have to be coordinated with allies . The 500 troops Italy sent to Afghanistan this summer will be home by Christmas , Ignazio La Russa , Italy 's defense minister said . The troops were sent ahead of the Afghan presidential election August 20 . The rest of Italy 's 2,800 troops in Afghanistan will withdraw only when NATO calls for it , La Russa said . | Explosion targeted a mostly residential area near the Supreme Court in Kabul . Bodies of six Italian soldiers who died returned to Italy Sunday . Italian Prime Minister says it would be `` best '' for country 's troops to leave Afghanistan . Deaths were the highest single-day death toll for Italy in the Afghan mission . | [[426, 515], [191, 262], [535, 569], [590, 614], [1946, 1962], [1965, 2059], [2038, 2102], [1186, 1234], [1208, 1274]] |
BERLIN , Germany -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. officials urged American citizens in Germany to keep a low profile and remain wary of their surroundings after the terrorist organization al Qaeda posted a video message threatening attacks in the country . German special police patrol in Berlin last month during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu . A State Department travel alert , issued Wednesday , remains in effect until November 11 -- two weeks after Germany holds its federal elections on Sunday . Al Qaeda posted its video threat on the Internet on September 18 , vowing attacks if the elections do not come out the way it wants . The same day , the German government reacted to the video by raising its own alert level and heightening security . The British Foreign Office has also issued an advisory to its citizens living and traveling to Germany . The State Department travel alert asks Americans to keep abreast of news reports and consider the security procedures in place when they visit public places or pick hotels and restaurants . Germany 's interior ministry said earlier this month that the country has noted an increase in threats by al Qaeda and other Islamist groups since the beginning of the year . In the nearly 26-minute video statement , a man identified as Bekay Harrach , using the pseudonym Abu Talha and speaking in German , said that , if the September 27 elections vote into power parties that do not pledge to pull German troops from Afghanistan , there will be a `` rude awakening . '' The speaker called on Muslims living in Germany to stay away from public life during the first two weeks after the elections , implying that any attacks would take place then . The speaker repeatedly criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . He also criticized Merkel 's rivals , the Social Democrats , but offered the possibility of a `` peace offer . '' `` If the German people vote for peace , then the Mujahedeen will choose peace with Germany as well , '' he said . `` And with the withdrawal of the last German soldier from Afghanistan , the last Mujahed will also leave Germany . Al Qaeda gives you their word . '' | Al Qaeda terror group posts video message threatening attacks in Germany . U.S. officials urge their citizens in Germany to keep low profile and be wary . Germany 's interior ministry report increase in threats by al Qaeda this year . Message criticizes Chancellor Merkel over wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . | [[152, 247], [516, 580], [516, 524], [583, 597], [9, 32], [36, 181], [1061, 1235], [1114, 1235], [1711, 1830]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sodden and crumbling , the Pin Oak levee was the only thing standing between Winfield , Missouri , and the flood-swollen Mississippi River on Wednesday . James Burt sits on an embankment near a neighborhood inundated with floodwaters in Winfield , Missouri . `` The currents are already doing enough to our levees , but a 2-inch wake can cause an entire levee to break , '' said Andy Binder , public information officer for Lincoln County Emergency Operations Command . `` Right now , we are using the Missouri State Water Patrol to keep people from using their boats around the levees . '' On Tuesday , the 2 1/2 - mile levee was hit by a `` down slide '' along a 160-foot section of its northern wall . The Army Corps of Engineers rushed in with sandbags and extra dirt for the base to keep the soil from slipping further . The Army Corps of Engineers and Army National Guard announced Wednesday that the troubled section had been fixed , but a 100-foot-long slide west of the original was starting to crumble . Watch the Mississippi 's waters rise '' For the 5,000 residents of Lincoln County , it is now a matter of waiting and hoping the levee holds until the Mississippi crests and begins to fall . The river level stood just above 37 feet Wednesday on its secondary crest , 11 feet above flood stage , and is expected to crest again Saturday afternoon at 37.5 feet , The Associated Press reported . At Winfield High School , halls normally dominated by teens are being shared with volunteer workers and evacuated families in the school 's gymnasium , which has served as an American Red Cross rescue shelter since June 16 . Floodwaters have damaged 692 homes . `` Right now , I 'm feeling pretty desperate and in need , '' said Sam Payne , who is staying at the high school with his wife and two children . Payne , who left his home June 17 , watched as water rose to the roof after one of the first levee breaches . `` It 's positive that my family is still together , '' he said . `` We 're trying to hold back -LSB- our emotions -RSB- . The hard part -- the working part -- is going to be after the water finally recedes . '' About 20 Lincoln County residents are completely dependent on the emergency center at the high school , according to the American Red Cross . `` What we have been doing is feeding people three times a day , even those who are n't sleeping in the gym , and giving others food and snacks to take home with them , '' said Dan Flippen , the shelter 's manager . `` Luckily , the turnout of the businesses have been outstanding up here , and the school 's principal and staff have been gems for us . '' iReport.com : Take a flood tour of Lincoln County , MO . The administration and staff memberse have been cleaning , cooking and making space inside the school for people who have been displaced by the flooding . Students have also been taking time to help . `` The students here are constantly trying to help out in the gym , '' Flippen said . `` We have to turn anyone who is n't 18 away , but most of those kids just go outside and sandbag . '' While the gym has been turned into a makeshift headquarters for the Red Cross and Salvation Army , the Army Corps of Engineers has created a loading depot for levee sandbags behind the school . Rescue officials were rushing to fill to 50,000 sandbags to fortify the levee . They brought in 200 tons of sand and called on anyone who wants to volunteer in the sandbagging effort to report to the high school . Their efforts have been vital to keeping the Pin Oak levee intact and protecting the southern end of Winfield . But with the river approaching its cresting level , sandbagging activities at the high school will stop Sunday afternoon , according to Binder . While they wait , officials watch the water levels and keep boats away from the levee . The Missouri State Water Patrol is also looking out for potential looters and people breaking into unattended cars . Only a few incidents have been reported , and law enforcement released a statement saying those caught looting flood victims would be prosecuted `` with the utmost prejudice . '' Evacuations are still being scheduled for people in areas close to the rising water , and the Red Cross and Salvation Army are stocking up on supplies from individual donors , local businesses and the St. Louis Red Cross chapter . Pending the rains , the weather service said the river would n't begin to recede at St. Louis -- where there is flooding , but it is not significant -- until Thursday night . Forecasters said the last point on the river to finish cresting would be near Chester , Illinois , about 80 miles south of St. Louis , on Friday . On Wednesday , the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for Lincoln County . Early Tuesday , water broke through one of the main levees in neighboring St. Charles County . Officials working around the levee are required to wear life jackets , with the levee now able to `` go at any time , '' according to Binder . Meanwhile , President Bush declared 22 Missouri counties to be disaster areas on Wednesday . The declaration makes federal funding available to state and local governments for disaster-related damages . Even with the approaching water , residents are trying to remain optimistic . `` There have certainly been some tears shed here , '' Flippen said . `` But people here are used to getting flooded , and they 'll try to do the best they can . `` Just the other day , we had a a couple of guys who were driving from Oklahoma just to sandbag . It shows the type of effort people are putting in to help us out . '' | Town of Winfield , Missouri , hopes crumbling Pin Oak levee holds until river crests . Mississippi expected to crest Saturday at more than 11 feet above flood stage . Winfield High School becomes staging ground for relief efforts , temporary shelters . Floodwaters have damaged 692 homes in Winfield . | [[1117, 1119], [1151, 1202], [1224, 1239], [1326, 1367], [1224, 1239], [1344, 1390], [1548, 1576], [1583, 1649], [3106, 3196], [211, 264], [1650, 1686]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For Dr. Lisa Newman , a 16-hour trip over two days from Michigan to Ghana in Africa is just part of the journey in uncovering clues about a rare form of breast cancer . Dr. Lisa Newman hopes to uncover clues in Ghana about an aggressive and rare form of breast cancer . Newman , a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at the University of Michigan , collaborates with doctors in Kumasi , Ghana , in hopes of discovering the origins of an aggressive and difficult to treat form of breast cancer that disproportionately affects black women . It is called triple negative breast cancer or TNBC . `` The women that are most likely to be afflicted with the triple negative breast cancers are younger aged women , women in the pre-menopausal age range , and women with African ancestry , '' says Newman . According to the American Cancer Society , 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States in 2009 . Triple negative breast cancer represents approximately 15 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States . As an African-American female surgeon , Lisa Newman is a rarity in the United States . African-Americans make up less than 5 percent of physicians in this country , according to the American Medical Association . Newman , who is also the director of the Breast Care Center for the University of Michigan , recalls her early days during the ' 90 's as a general surgeon in Brooklyn , New York . `` It was just heartbreaking every day in the clinic to continuously be seeing African-American women that seemed to be disproportionately afflicted with breast cancers at younger ages , and more advanced stages of disease . '' Little is known about what causes TNBC . But statistics show that black women are twice as likely as white women to get it . When diagnosing breast cancer , doctors look for three markers : estrogen receptors , progesterone receptors and the HER2/neu receptor . These markers show where the cancer is most vulnerable and help determine how best to treat it . The most successful treatments for breast cancer are drugs that specifically target these markers . Doctor travels to Ghana for cancer clues '' However , triple negative breast cancer is negative for all three markers , hence the name , making it very difficult to treat and more likely to recur . With the devastating statistics and grim reality of this disease , Newman began her journey about five years ago to learn more about it . Triple negative breast cancer survivor finds life 's purpose . `` We are very interested in looking at whether or not African ancestry in and of itself might actually predispose women to a biologically more aggressive form of breast cancer , such as the triple negative breast cancer . '' Sixty percent of Ghanaian women who have breast cancer have triple negative breast cancer , according to Newman . `` Western sub-Saharan Africa is an important geographic location to focus on because that 's where many of the slave colonies were located several hundred years ago , '' says Newman . To test her theory , Newman sets off for Ghana . Three flights and two days later , she arrives at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in the city of Kumasi . Newman is convinced there 's a profound link between Ghanaian women and African-American women afflicted with TNBC . She hopes her trips each year to the African country could lead to clues about the origins of TNBC or perhaps pave the way to finding a cure . On each trip Newman gathers genetic evidence and tissue samples for her study . But she also believes there 's a cultural and educational benefit for herself and her colleagues through this exchange . `` We bring medical students and trainees with us to Ghana and they get to see what the health care system is like in a medically underserved part of the world , '' she says . `` And our colleagues from Ghana have opportunities to visit with us at the University of Michigan , and to learn more about westernized practices in terms of multidisciplinary care of breast cancer patients . So , it allows trainees and cancer specialists on both sides of the ocean to learn more about each other and about what 's available in different parts of the world . '' Working with her Ghanaian colleagues , Newman sees a wide range of patients . Some women need biopsies on undiagnosed breast abnormalities , while others have diagnosed tumors that have gone untreated for some time . In addition , Newman and her Ghanaian counterparts discuss the day 's cases , a critical step to establishing individualized courses of treatment . Dr. Newman has her own scare with breast cancer '' `` It 's heartbreaking that we see many advanced stage of cancers in the women of Ghana , but it 's a tremendous opportunity to make a difference and to be able to share what we have in the United States with the women here , with our family , our extended family , '' says Newman . Back in the United States , Newman gathers samples at a local Detroit , Michigan , hospital and at events held by the Sisters Network , an organization for black breast cancer survivors . She runs DNA comparisons to the samples gathered in Ghana and one day hopes to correlate African ancestry with the risk of being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in African-Americans . If this happens , according to Newman , it will open doors to new treatments . | Dr. Lisa Newman travels 16 hours from Michigan to Ghana in search of cancer clues . She collaborates with doctors to find origins of triple negative breast cancer . Newman : Women most affected are younger , pre-menopausal with African ancestry . She believes there 's a link between Ghanaian , African-American women with TNBC . | [[188, 288], [2172, 2206], [3117, 3144], [289, 295], [382, 419], [512, 525], [531, 571], [625, 637], [680, 779], [1538, 1669], [3326, 3370], [3254, 3348], [3326, 3370], [5220, 5223], [5228, 5354]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 24 people have been killed and hundreds rendered homeless in the worst floods to hit land-locked Mongolia in 40 years , emergency officials said Tuesday . The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was working with local authorities to distribute emergency goods to the flood-ravaged victims . Workers fear that without adequate food and shelter , the situation would worsen when winter arrives in three months , said Francis Markus of the Red Cross . The floods struck last week in the Asian nation 's capital , Ulaanbaatar , and a province in the west . It was the worst to hit the country since 1966 , Markus said . See images of flood victims '' The government issued televised broadcasts ahead of the rainstorms but many children and elderly could not be evacuated in time , Markus said . | Red Cross working with local authorities to distribute aid to flood victims . Relief workers say winter poses major threat unless food and shelter in place . Government warned of floods but many people could not be evacuated in time . | [[183, 338], [257, 355], [356, 513], [374, 399], [408, 513], [783, 839]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A day before the United Nations held a climate change summit , New York City was blanketed with 100,000 fake copies of the New York Post tabloid , filled with content related to climate change . The Yes Men activist group says everything in the bogus edition of the tabloid is `` 100 percent '' true . But the Post , owned by Rupert Murdoch 's News Corp. , was n't impressed , calling the effort by perennial pranksters the Yes Men a `` Witless Spoof in Flawless Format '' in a statement released Tuesday , a day after the faux Post hit the streets . The overall endeavor , the Post said , was a `` limp effort , '' and the fraudulent newspaper `` has none of the wit and insight New Yorkers expect from their favorite paper . The Post will not be hiring any of their headline writers . '' A phony `` Early City Special '' edition of the popular tabloid greeted millions of New York City commuters early Monday with a blaring `` WE 'RE SCREWED '' headline . The headline and everything else in the 32-page publication , including some bogus advertisements and comics , revolved around climate change . Even the Post 's notorious `` Page Six '' gossip and `` Best Sports in Town '' sections were spoofed with various true celebrity and sports articles connected to the green movement and climate change awareness . A statement released by the Yes Men , an activist group whose members have posed as officials and spokesmen of various organizations , companies and agencies , said that although their version of the New York Post is a fake , `` everything in it is 100 percent true , with all facts carefully checked by a team of editors and climate change experts . '' Watch protesters don `` SurvivaBalls '' near U.N. '' The Post parody appeared a day before Tuesday 's U.N. climate change summit , `` where Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will push 100 world leaders to make serious commitments to reduce carbon emissions in the lead-up to the Copenhagen climate conference in December , '' the group said . The United Nations said that 54 presidents , 35 prime ministers and one prince were attending Tuesday 's events . Former Vice President Al Gore and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also were involved . Yes Men spokeswoman Natalie Johns said the aim of the stunt was to `` report really important and relevant issues that have not been in the press a day before a U.N. climate meeting . '' Johns said the fake New York Post printing cost between $ 30,000 and $ 40,000 , and was funded by numerous private donations of various amounts . On November 12 , 2008 , New Yorkers awoke to the organization 's first prank-in-print , finding strategically located `` special editions '' of The New York Times around the city . The counterfeit Times , dated July 4 , 2009 , centered on the fictitious conclusion of the Iraq war , as well as other matters connected with the end of the Bush administration . The Yes Men also have posed as spokesmen for organizations including the World Trade Organization and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development . Their activities were documented in the 2003 film `` The Yes Men . '' | Fake edition of New York Post has ads , `` Page Six '' column related to climate change . 10,000 copies blanket city a day before United Nations climate change summit . Activist group Yes Men says aim of the stunt is to reveal underreported issues . News Corp. , owner of the real New York Post , calls endeavor a `` limp effort '' | [[187, 222], [986, 1094], [1097, 1129], [0, 24], [41, 88], [1749, 1824], [2245, 2308], [2284, 2358], [334, 342], [345, 382], [602, 615], [618, 638], [579, 599], [602, 610], [618, 638]] |
MINNEAPOLIS , Minnesota -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Abayte Ahmed and her husband learned of their son 's death in the most heinous fashion . A family acquaintance called and told them to click on an Internet site . There on the screen were photographs of their 20-year-old son -- the boy with the movie-star looks -- shot through the head thousands of miles away in Somalia . Jamal Bana died in Somalia . Several missing Somali-Americans are believed to have fought there . `` He must have been somewhat disillusioned and indoctrinated , because he did n't have any clue about Somalia at all , '' his mother said , fighting back tears and barely able to speak about her eldest son . Jamal Bana had been missing for months from his Minneapolis home . His family is still grappling with the circumstances surrounding his death in a land they had fled -- an African nation wracked by chaos and violence . The FBI said Bana 's death is part of a sweeping federal investigation into a recruiting effort in the United States by a Somali terrorist group called Al-Shabaab , which has ties to al Qaeda . More than a dozen young men of Somali descent have disappeared from the Minneapolis area in recent months . At least three , including Bana , have ended up dead in Somalia , community leaders say . Watch the harrowing saga of Jamal Bana '' Bana was the kind of son a modest immigrant family pins its hopes on . He was the eldest of seven and studying engineering at local colleges . But last fall , his family said , he disappeared without any warning . A few days later , the phone rang . All that could be heard was a quick sentence . `` I 'm in Somalia , '' his mother quoted him as saying . He then hung up . Communication from then on was scarce . In calls or text messages , the family said , Bana was guarded , as though someone was watching or listening to him . On July 11 , the family received the call telling them to look on the Internet . Bana 's father broke down in tears when he saw the photos . One image was a close-up of his son 's face , a bullet wound on one side of his head . Another showed the body being carried through the streets of Mogadishu on a stretcher . His parents said they believe their son was brainwashed and recruited to fight in the civil war between Somalia 's unstable transitional government and Al-Shabaab . Al-Shabaab remains entrenched in northeast Somalia and in sections south of Somalia 's capital , Mogadishu , after fighting that has uprooted more than 200,000 people since early May , according to the United Nations . The question immigrants in the United States want answered is : How have their youth ended up so far away ? One of the missing youth , Shirwa Ahmed , 27 , blew up himself and 29 others last fall in Somalia in what is believed to be the first suicide bombing carried out by a naturalized U.S. citizen . Ahmed had traveled from Minneapolis . The attack raised red flags throughout the U.S. intelligence community and sparked an investigation by the FBI . Just weeks ago , community activist Abdirizak Bihi lost his 17-year-old nephew , Burhan Hassan , in Somalia . Asked if his nephew had been kidnapped from Minneapolis , Bihi said , `` They kidnap them in the sense of mental kidnapping , not physically . But they play a male role of mentor . '' Bihi and community leader Omar Jamal said they hold one place at least loosely responsible : the Abubakar as-Saddique Islamic Center , the largest mosque in Minneapolis . `` All these kids missing , they all have one thing in common : They all participated in youth programs in that mosque , '' said Jamal . Jamal and Bihi said leaders of the mosque , at the very least , allowed people to come around their facility and recruit young men to fight in Somalia -- a charge the head imam denies . CNN was not allowed inside the mosque , but was granted an interview with the imam at a different location . `` This is the baseless accusation really , '' said Sheikh Abdirahman Sheikh Omar Ahmed . `` The mosque -- the mission of the mosque -- is to worship . And people come to worship and go . We do n't have any control over what comes through everybody 's mind or ideology . '' Sheikh Ahmed said at least two of the young men who died in Somalia did worship at his mosque . But he said no recruiters came around the mosque to pull them away , and said his mosque does not support Al-Shabaab . He added that he has encouraged local families to keep their young sons from going to Somalia . Federal authorities recently made their first arrests in the case , charging two Minnesota men , Salah Osman Ahmed and Abdifatah Yusuf Isse , with one count each of providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill , kidnap , maim or injure people overseas , according to the indictment . CNN could not reach Salah Osman Ahmed 's attorney for comment . Published reports indicate he planned to plead not guilty . Isse has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with federal authorities , officials said . In court papers obtained by CNN , Isse 's attorney said , `` Mr. Isse will not be the last defendant indicted . '' A local attorney involved in the case said at least seven Somali-Americans have been questioned by a grand jury . An FBI official said the bureau can not rule out the possibility that some of the young men involved could be trained to carry out terrorist attacks on U.S. soil . Meanwhile , CNN has learned more about how Shirwa Ahmed and Burhan Hassan made their way overseas . A travel agent in Minneapolis , who spoke on condition of anonymity , said the two men paid about $ 1,800 in cash for tickets to Nairobi , Kenya , or to Dubai , U.A.E. . The travel agent said he thinks the two men then made their way to Mogadishu from those cities on a Somali carrier . For Bana 's family , it 's all too much to bear . Omar Boley is a close friend who grew up in the same tribe as Bana 's family . He said Bana 's mother is having difficulty coping with everything that has happened in recent months . `` She does n't want to hear the story again , '' he said . `` She told me , ` Whenever I see someone talking about my son , I feel bad . I ca n't sleep . I feel sick . So this happened , nothing I can do . We pray for him . ' That 's what she said , and that 's what I believe . '' | Jamal Bana had been missing for months ; family learns of his death via Internet . Death is part of wider federal inquiry of terror recruiting by Somali group in U.S. Imam of Minneapolis mosque says terror recruiters are not at his mosque . Two men charged in U.S. with providing material support to terrorists . | [[674, 740], [893, 1037], [4493, 4512], [4561, 4632], [4650, 4713]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson feared his father so much he would faint or vomit sometimes when his father entered the room -- even when the pop singer was an adult , according to a book written by a former Jackson confidant . Rabbi Shmuley Boteach , Michael Jackson 's confidant , sat down with the King of Pop and taped 30 hours of interviews . `` The Michael Jackson Tapes '' includes Jackson talking about his fear of growing old , his relationship with children , his friendships with Madonna and Brooke Shields , and his remarkable shyness around people that made his surround himself with mannequins . Jackson opened up to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach for 30 hours of interviews , which were taped nine years ago and intended for a book Jackson wanted written , Boteach said . `` He was trying to reclaim his life , '' Boteach said Friday in an NBC `` Today Show '' interview . Jackson , who died on June 25 of what the coroner found to be a deadly combination of drugs , `` lost the will to live , I think he was just going through the motions of life toward the end , '' Boteach told NBC . CNN has not independently confirmed Jackson 's quotes in the book , but Boteach was known to be a spiritual adviser to Jackson for several years beginning about 1999 . Ken Sunshine , spokesman for the family , including the singer 's father , Joe , issued a statement on the book . `` We are not going to dignify this with a comment , '' he said . The book was not published during Jackson 's lifetime because of the pop star 's child molestation trial , which ended with an acquittal in 2005 , the author said . The author said Jackson 's arrest ended any interest in a book about him . `` I do n't want to grow old , '' Jackson is quoted as saying in one interview with Boteach . `` When the body breaks down and you start to wrinkle , I think it 's so bad , '' Jackson said . Jackson talked to Boteach about why he was drawn to children , especially those who were sick . `` I love them . I love them , '' he said . Helping children enjoy their childhood is his mission , Jackson said . `` I feel that this is something really , really in my heart that I am supposed to do , and I feel so loved by giving my love , and I know that 's what they need , '' he said . Jackson said that while adults `` appreciate me artistically as a singer and a songwriter and a dancer and a performer , '' children `` just want to have some fun and to give love and have love and they just want to be loved and held . '' Boteach , in an interview about two years before Jackson 's November 2003 arrest , asked Jackson about the young cancer patient who would later become his main accuser . `` He 's special , '' Jackson said . Boteach asked Jackson whether by speaking to people like the boy `` part of the pain goes away for them . '' `` Absolutely , '' Jackson said . `` Because every time I talk to him he is in better spirits . When I spoke to him last night he said , ' I need you . When are you coming home ? ' I said , ' I do n't know . ' He said , ' I need you , Michael . ' Then he calls me ` Dad . ' '' Michael Jackson 's taped statements about his father 's treatment of him as a child echoed what he has said previously . `` He was rough , the way he would beat you , you know , was hard , '' Jackson said . `` He would make you strip nude first . He would oil you down . It would be a whole ritual . He would oil you down so when the flip of an ironing cord hit you , you know , and , it was just like me dying , and you had whips all over your face , your back , everywhere . And I always hear my mother like , ` No , Joe , you 're gon na kill him . You 're gon na kill him . No . ' And I would just give up , like there was nothing I could do . And I hated him for it . Hated him . '' Joe Jackson has denied physically abusing his son . `` Now , Michael was never beaten by me , I 've never beaten at all , '' he told CNN 's Larry King in July . He did suggest he used spankings for disciplining his children . Another Michael Jackson quote from the book alleged emotional abuse by Joe Jackson : . `` God bless my father because he did some wonderful things and he was brilliant , he was a genius , but one day he said , ` If you guys ever stop singing I will drop you like a hot potato . ' It hurt me . You would think he would think , ` These kids have a heart and feelings . ' Would n't he think that would hurt us ? If I said something like that to Prince and Paris , that would hurt . You do n't say something like that to children and I never forgot it . It affects my relationship with him today . '' Jackson told Boteach he was still `` scared of my father to this day . '' `` My father walked in the room -- and God knows I am telling the truth -- I have fainted in his presence many times . I have fainted once to be honest . I have thrown up in his presence because when he comes in the room and this aura comes and my stomach starts hurting and I know I am in trouble . He is so different now . Time and age has changed him and he sees his grandchildren and he wants to be a better father . It is almost like the ship has sailed its course , and it is so hard for me to accept this other guy that is not the guy I was raised with . I just wished he had learned that earlier . '' In the excerpts provided to CNN by the book 's publisher , there were no quotes from Jackson discussing his drug use , but Boteach does write about what he saw during the several years he was Jackson 's spiritual adviser , starting in 1999 . While Boteach said he never personally saw Jackson use drugs , he did suspect it . `` In the time that I knew him , he always seemed intent on me having a positive view of him and nothing untoward was ever done in my presence , '' he wrote . While their close relationship ended around the time of the molestation charges , Boteach said Jackson 's parents reached out to him later for help in convincing him to enter drug rehab . `` Perhaps I could inspire Michael to make that decision , and his parents thought I could at least help , '' Boteach said . `` But I knew they were wrong . Michael had long since ceased taking my counsel . He found my advice too demanding . I was an irritant and was treated as such . '' He said he told Joe and Katherine Jackson that `` it was imperative for them to save their son 's life by becoming available parents in his greatest hour of need . '' Sometimes those closest to Jackson were not people -- but mannequins , the book said . Jackson said he was so shy at times he surrounded himself with dummies . `` Because I felt I needed people , someone , and I did n't have , '' he said . `` I was too shy to be around real people . '' Boteach , in the NBC interview Friday , said it made his skin crawl to hear that . `` His celebrity had created a degree of isolation where he could not simply feel comfortable around other people , '' Boteach said . `` He thought that everybody wanted something from him . He felt that he was trapped in this cocoon of fame and that there was some exploitative relationship with virtually everyone that he met . '' The book does offer insight into Jackson 's dating of celebrity women , including actress Brooke Shields . `` That was one of the loves of my life , '' Jackson said . `` I just wished she loved me as much as I loved her , you know . '' He told Boteach one problem he had with women was their jealousy of his fame . `` They admire you and know you 're wonderful and great , but just they 're jealous because they wish they were in your place , with they were in your shoes . And 'M ' is one of them -- Madonna . Hate to say that on tape . '' CNN asked Madonna 's publicist Liz Rosenberg for a response : . `` Madonna was very fond of Michael Jackson -LRB- as she clearly expressed in her tribute to him at the VMA 's -RRB- and I doubt anything in the book will change her mind , '' Rosenberg said . CNN 's Marc Balinsky contributed to this report . | Former confidant 's book based on 30 hours of interviews with Michael Jackson . Jackson told Rabbi Shmuley Boteach he was still `` scared of my father to this day '' Jackson said Brooke Shields `` was one of the loves of my life '' King of Pop said father would strip him naked and beat him , according to book . | [[209, 255], [256, 277], [311, 375], [638, 707], [44, 119], [1740, 1802], [4630, 4700], [4651, 4663], [4667, 4700], [7254, 7290], [196, 215]] |
-LRB- OPRAH.com -RRB- -- At 13 he was selling crack . By 30 he was a hip-hop legend -- having gone , in his words , `` from grams to Grammys . '' Jay-Z tells Oprah Winfrey a conversation with his father freed him `` one hundred percent . '' Now Jay-Z charts his escape from the hard-knock life , describes the reunion that healed the wounds of his childhood -- and even reveals his personal creed . The rapper , now 39 , was born Shawn Carter in Brooklyn , New York . His albums include `` Reasonable Doubt , '' `` The Black Album '' and the just-released `` The Blueprint 3 . '' Jay-Z also owns a portion of the NBA 's New Jersey Nets and founded , with Damon Dash , the clothing line Rocawear . Jay-Z spoke with Oprah Winfrey about his father , his anger and his old life . The following is an edited version of the interview . Oprah Winfrey : When you were 5 , your family moved to the Marcy projects -- and then your father left when you were 11 . When you look back at that , what did your 11-year-old self feel ? Jay-Z : Anger . At the whole situation . Because when you 're growing up , your dad is your superhero . Once you 've let yourself fall that in love with someone , once you put him on such a high pedestal and he lets you down , you never want to experience that pain again . So I remember just being really quiet and really cold . Never wanting to let myself get close to someone like that again . I carried that feeling throughout my life , until my father and I met up before he died . Oprah : Wow . I 've never heard a man phrase it that way . You know , I 've done many shows about divorce , and the real crime is when the kids are n't told . They just wake up one day and their dad is gone . Did that happen to you ? Jay-Z : We were told our parents would separate , but the reasons were n't explained . My mom prepared us more than he did . I do n't think he was ready for that level of discussion and emotion . He was a guy who was pretty detached from his feelings . Oprah : Did you wonder why he left ? Jay-Z : I summed it up that they were n't getting along . There was a lot of arguing . Oprah : And did you know you were angry ? Jay-Z : Yeah . I also felt protective of my mom . I remember telling her , `` Do n't worry , when I get big , I 'm going to take care of this . '' I felt like I had to step up . I was 11 years old , right ? But I felt I had to make the situation better . Oprah : How did that change you ? Jay-Z : It made me not express my feelings as much . I was already a shy kid , and it made me a little reclusive . But it also made me independent . And stronger . It was a weird juxtaposition . Oprah : I 've read that when you were 12 , you shot your brother in the shoulder . Did your father 's leaving have anything to do with that ? Did it turn you into the kind of angry kid who would end up shooting his brother ? Jay-Z : Yes -- and my brother was dealing with a lot of demons . Oprah : How old was he ? Jay-Z : About 16 . He was doing a lot of drugs . He was taking stuff from our family . I was the youngest , but I felt like I needed to protect everybody . Oprah : So how did you get back in touch with your father ? Jay-Z : My mom set up a meeting . And now I realize why -- it makes all the sense in the world . I remember very distinctly that I had a conversation with her in my kitchen . I was saying , `` You know , Ma , I 've really been trying to look inward , and maybe I 'm just not meant to fall in love like other people do . '' She just looked at me like , `` Hush up , boy . '' Oprah : Wow . Jay-Z : And I guess from that point , she figured out what was wrong with me , and she planned a meeting between me and my father . I was like , `` Ma , I 'm a grown man . I do n't need a dad now . '' Oprah : You did n't feel a hole in your soul ? Jay-Z : I never looked at that . I guess I did n't want to deal with it . Because , you know , once I looked , I 'd have to do something about it . And I guess I still had too much resentment and anger . Oprah : In one of your songs , you wrote that you were n't sure if your father even remembered your birthday is in December . Jay-Z : I believed that . When I was a kid , I once waited for him on a bench . He never showed up . Even as an adult , that affected me . So when my mom set up this meeting , I told her he would n't come -- and the first time , he did n't . At that point , I was really done , but Mom pushed for another meeting , because she 's just a beautiful soul . Oprah : The second time , your father showed up . Jay-Z : He showed up . And I gave him the real conversation . I told him how I felt the day he left . He was saying stuff like `` Man , you knew where I was . '' I 'm like , `` I was a kid ! Do you realize how wrong you were ? It was your responsibility to see me . '' He finally accepted that . Oprah : Where had he been ? Jay-Z : At his mom 's house 10 minutes away from me . That was the sad part . Oprah : Was there any explanation he could have offered that would have satisfied you ? Jay-Z : Yes -- and that 's why we were able to mend our relationship . Oprah : What was his reason ? Jay-Z : When I was 9 , my dad 's brother got stabbed , and my dad went looking for the guy who did it . People would call in the middle of the night and tell him , `` So-and-so is out here . '' So my dad would get up , get his gun , and go outside to look for the guy . After a while , my mom was like , `` Hey , this is your family now . You ca n't do that . '' But this was my dad 's baby brother . And my dad was in so much pain that he started using drugs and became a different person . So I understand that the trauma of the event , coupled with the drugs , caused him to lose his soul . Oprah : When you saw him again , had he come back to himself ? Jay-Z : He was broken . He had a bad liver , and he knew that if he continued drinking , it would kill him . But he did n't stop . Oprah : How soon after you saw him did he die ? Jay-Z : A couple of months . I got him an apartment , I was buying furniture . And he passed away . Oprah : Did you instantly make peace with him during that conversation ? Jay-Z : Pretty much . I felt lighter . Oprah : The conversation freed you in ways that you had n't been free before ? Jay-Z : One hundred percent . Oprah : Did it open the door for you to have a life with love in it ? Jay-Z : Absolutely . Oprah : So what 's your personal creed ? Jay-Z : Be true to yourself -- and keep things simple . People complicate things . Oprah : My creed is that intention creates reality . Jay-Z : Now I 'm having an aha moment ! That 's true . OPRAH.com : The top 20 things Oprah knows for sure . Oprah : What 's the basis of your spiritual belief ? Jay-Z : I believe in karma : What you do to others comes back to you . Oprah : But do n't you think we 're responsible only for what we know ? Otherwise , you 'd be facing karma for every person you sold drugs to . Jay-Z : As a kid , I did n't know any better . But now , if I were to act as if what I did was n't bad , that would be irresponsible . And I 'd have to bear the weight of that . Oprah : Maya Angelou always says , `` When you know better , you do better . '' Do you still think back on that time in your life ? Jay-Z : All the time . When you make music , you 're constantly on the psychiatrist 's couch , so to speak . That 's an outlet for me . Because I 'm not normally a talkative person . I do n't have conversations like this for no reason . OPRAH.com : Read the entire exclusive interview from O , The Oprah Magazine . By Oprah Winfrey from O , The Oprah Magazine , September 2009 © 2009 Harpo Productions , Inc. . 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 . | Jay-Z rose from a life of hardship to superstardom . The rapper discusses how he reunited with his estranged father . Says he believes in karma . | [[6729, 6747]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Just as there are many choices of drivers , putters , balls , and other equipment , there are just as many choices of golf instructors . The process of how you choose your golf instructor is as unique as your finger prints . However , just like there are certain things you want to know before choosing your doctor , there are certain items you should inquire of your instructor . Compatibility - It is your responsibility to insure that there is a fit between you and your instructor on all levels , personality type , mutual goals , similar outlooks on the game , and your instructor 's ability to relate to your individual needs . Before throwing a dart in the phone book under `` golf instruction '' , research the professionals in your area . One way is to ask friends and playing partners for referrals of good instructors in your area . Ask them about pricing , reputation , location , and their improvement under the instructor 's tutelage . If you get along with your playing partners and the instructor does too , odds are you have found a fit . Then , call the instructor and ask if they have time to talk to you about your game and improvement goals . A good instructor will be happy to talk to you about your game , and get to know you as an individual , prior to helping you with your golf game . Accreditation and Experience - Does your golf instructor have the education and experience to take your game to any level you desire ? Many individuals claim to be golf instructors . Many of these individuals are self-proclaimed `` experts , '' or had enough money to take a one to two week course on how to teach golf and make more money . In seeking a golf professional to help you with your game , insure that the individual has an active accreditation with the PGA or LPGA , or , has demonstrated an inarguable ability to help players of many levels improve through many years of practice . Other associations claim they produce golf instructors . However , these organizations have one focus , to make money , not to produce solid golf instructors . Inquire of your instructor their accreditation , as well as their education both on and off the golf course . Check with the LPGA or PGA websites to confirm your potential golf instructor 's accreditation with that organization , and , how much experience the instructor possesses . Inquire of the instructor 's philosophy and past success stories . If needed , ask for references of students from all skill levels that you can contact . Video - Video swing analysis has become a staple for all golf instruction . It is no longer an option . If you are paying for instruction that does not include video review of your game , you should reconsider why you are paying for golf instruction . Video , when used correctly , is a third pair of eyes -LRB- you and your instructor are first and second -RRB- . This is similar to a doctor using an X-Ray or M.R.I , to diagnosis a health issue . Your golf instructor should be using video in the same manner . Video should confirm the diagnosis to you , not the instructor . A good golf instructor has the ability to see the flaw first , and use his or her knowledge of that flaw to diagnose a cure or drill for you to practice to realize improvement . If your golf instructor is relying solely on video to tell what is happening in your swing , you will eventually lose trust in the instructor 's ability to help you . You would second guess a doctor 's ability to help you if he or she did not use their ability first and confirm their thoughts with tests . Then why would you rely on an instructor who is not `` practicing '' golf instruction in the same manner ? Follow-up Communication - Your golf instructor should have a program available for you to utilize to ask questions , give feedback , receive follow-up instructions , schedule lessons , or make other inquiries after your lesson . Some instructors offer their phone numbers after hours . Others utilize the internet for follow-up and communication purposes . Regardless of what form of communication is available to you after the lesson , your instructor should be available , at no extra charge , within a reasonable amount of time , to answer your questions and take interest in your concerns . | Handy hints from the PGA to help secure the right golf coach for your game . Personality type and mutual goals are crucial to get the best from a coach . Check your instructor has the education and experience to improve your game . Your instructor should be available , at no extra charge , to answer concerns . | [[1671, 1728], [422, 426], [442, 615], [1330, 1451], [3406, 3420], [3432, 3445], [3693, 3901], [4128, 4165], [4130, 4134], [4226, 4250], [4130, 4145], [4255, 4287]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Doctors gave Anna Nicole Smith a long list of dangerous drugs over the three years before her death , including while she was pregnant , according to sworn statements by investigators from state agencies . Dosages prescribed to Anna Nicole Smith were `` dangerously high , '' a drug expert says in an affidavit . Two doctors charged in connection with Smith 's death allegedly also crossed professional lines by having personal relationships with their patient , the court documents released Tuesday said . Smith died in a Hollywood , Florida , hotel on February 8 , 2007 , of what was later ruled to be `` acute combined drug intoxication . '' One affidavit quoted a pharmacist who refused to fill a prescription written for Smith as saying he warned one doctor he would not give her the drug `` unless you want your picture on the front page of the National Enquirer . '' One investigator described the former Playboy model and reality show TV star as a `` drug seeker . '' Her boyfriend , Howard K. Stern , and two doctors -- Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor -- were charged with several felonies , including conspiring to furnish controlled substances , unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and obtaining fraudulent prescriptions from June 2004 through January 2007 . All three defendants entered not-guilty pleas in May . A preliminary hearing is set for next month in the case . Smith , whose real name was Vickie Lynn Marshall , `` was given drugs in excessive amounts , '' according to a medical expert consulted and quoted by a state medical board investigator . Dr. Jill Klessig also told an investigator that `` in addition to the prescribing issues , there appears to have been a personal relationship '' between Smith and the two doctors that crossed the boundaries of professionalism . The affidavit references a video clip of Kapoor `` kissing and snuggling '' with Smith `` in a reclined position in a nightclub setting . '' Eroshevich traveled to the Bahamas to visit Smith and was with her for four days in Hollywood , Florida , four days before her death , an investigator said in an affidavit . The doctor personally visited a Burbank , California , pharmacy in September 2006 to get a sleep aid -- chloral hydrate -- for Smith to use in the Bahamas . It was just four days after Smith gave birth to a daughter in Nassau . `` I would n't give her chloral hydrate unless you want your picture on the front page of the National Enquirer , '' pharmacist Steve Mazlin told Eroshevich , according to the affidavit . The affidavit from Jon Genens , a senior investigator with the California medical board , detailed dozens of prescriptions written for Smith -- under several aliases -- for a long list of narcotics and sleep aids . Genens said even during the time she was pregnant -- starting in January 2006 -- Kapoor prescribed an average of 10 tablets of Methadone per day for Smith . He noted that Kapoor lowered the dosage in the last three months of her pregnancy . The volume of dangerous drugs being ordered by doctors spurred the chief pharmacist at the store where most of the prescriptions were filled to call a drug expert for advice in late 2006 , according to a sworn statement by California Department of Justice Special Agent Jennifer Doss . Dr. Greg Thompson told Doss he recalled the dosages were `` dangerously high . '' `` Dr. Thompson stated they might work for a drug addict under supervised care , or with a dying cancer patient in a hospital , or ` if you were going to kill someone , ' '' Doss said . Thompson told Doss he later `` admonished Dr. Eroshevich '' about the drugs she was requesting for Smith . `` Dr. Thompson stated Dr. Eroshevich was obviously not familiar with a lot of medications she was prescribing for ... Smith , '' Doss said in her affidavit . The Doss affidavit said the doctor used Smith 's boyfriend as a cover to get the prescriptions filled . `` Of the 12 medications found in Anna Nicole Smith 's hotel room at the time of her death , seven medications were prescribed the name of Howard K. Stearn -LSB- believed to be Howard K. Stern -RSB- by Dr. Eroshevich , '' Agent Doss said . The drugs were apparently personally delivered to Smith in the Bahamas and Florida by her doctor , Doss said . `` It is reasonable to believe that Dr. Eroshevich provided Anna Nicole Smith prescription medications and controlled substances by transporting them from California to Nassau , Bahamas with her on her travels to visit Anna Nicole Smith , '' Doss said . | NEW : Doctors ' relationships with Smith crossed professional lines , affidavits say . Investigator says Anna Nicole Smith was `` drug seeker , '' court documents say . Former Playboy model died of drug intoxication in 2007 . Pharmacist refused to fill one prescription , warned doctor , affidavit says . | [[357, 368], [396, 452], [1731, 1818], [1803, 1818], [1824, 1867], [507, 526], [536, 550], [2144, 2182], [689, 757], [710, 722], [727, 806], [770, 839], [786, 840], [2144, 2182]] |
BERLIN , Germany -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As voting was taking place in the German general election Sunday , attention was already turning to what coalition will rule the country . Social Democrats handing out flowers hope their party will stay in the ruling coalition . Few doubt that Angela Merkel 's Christian Democratic Union , CDU , will win most votes . So , will Merkel continue the current center right-center left `` grand coalition '' with the Social Democrats or will the votes suffice for a coalition with the business liberal but centrist Liberal Democrats or the FDP , a constellation Germans refer to as `` Black-Yellow . '' At a press conference ostensibly to outline Germany 's position at this week 's G-20 summit Merkel apparently let the cat out of the bag . `` We are in a time of crisis , '' she said , `` and I believe we can pull out of the crisis faster with a Black-Yellow government . '' But some political analysts believe she would prefer to keep the Social Democrats as the junior coalition partner . Polls indicate the CDU and FDP could gain a razor thin majority to form a governing coalition . Recent polls put their combined tally at around 48 percent . That is not exactly a large majority , but it 's two percent more than the left of center parties , the Social Democrats , the Green Party , and the left wing `` Die Linke , '' who would reach about 46 percent if polls are accurate . The Liberal Democrats have been in opposition since 1998 and at a rally in Berlin , their leader Guido Westerwelle was sure his time has come . `` I think the voters wo n't allow a coalition of the left to be in power . I think they want a conservative government and they will vote to put us in power , '' he said . Westerwelle is eyeing the post of foreign minister under a future Merkel government . What 's at stake in the German election '' A government of CDU and FDP , conservatives and liberal would probably be more business friendly than the current grand coalition . Both the CDU and FDP want to cut taxes to further jumpstart Europe 's largest economy which emerged from its deepest recession only a few months ago . But even optimistic economists believe cutting taxes will be all but impossible for a government which will inherit the largest public deficit in German history after the current government was forced to ruin in its public finances to bail out banks and industrial companies in the wake of the international financial crisis . And it appears more trouble lies ahead . `` After the economic crisis we will see a social crisis , '' says Henrik Enderlein an economics professor at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin . Enderlein believes a coalition with the liberals would put Merkel under pressure to implement wider ranging tax breaks than she feels are sustainable . That is why some believe Merkel would not mind continuing her coalition with the Social Democrats who oppose tax cuts and call them irresponsible in a time of disastrous public deficits . The Social Democratic contender running against Merkel , Frank Walter Steinmeier , however , has all but given up any hopes of winning . `` We want to prevent a `` black -- yellow '' coalition , '' he keeps repeating at rallies . Confidence sounds different . Polls currently have the Social Democrats at around 26 percent of the vote , a disastrous figure for a party that in 1998 gained more than 40 percent . But the Social Democrat ranks were decimated in the seven years they ruled the country under Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder . Many traditional left wing SPD voters felt Schroeder betrayed the powerful labor wing of the party by cutting social benefits while making it easier for companies to fire employees in times of crisis . The SPD was further hit when many loyal members splintered off and joined the left wing party die Linke which also incorporates remnants of the former communist party that rules East Germany . Now Steinmeier is trying to lead the Social Democrats out of the impasse and he realizes his real chance to stay in power would be as the junior partner to Merkel . Steinmeier would keep his post as foreign minister and many political experts in Berlin think this might be what both Merkel and Steinmeier are really striving for . `` They worked very well together , '' said Gero Neugebauer of the Freie Universitat Berlin . `` The atmosphere was very good and that is very important for such a coalition . '' For Germans it seems like the two choices are realistic : A coalition of CDU and FDP , or a grand coalition of CDU and SPD , like the one that is currently governing the country . Those options have n't exactly fired up the election campaigns . Both Merkel and Steinmeier were loath to attacking each other and both of them cancelled several scheduled TV appearances which would have seen them go head to head . `` This election seems kind of lame , '' one young summed it up when I asked him near Berlin 's technical university . International experts have a similar opinion . One issue they feel has gotten short shrift was the war in Afghanistan . Germans have the third largest troop contingent in the country with about 4,200 soldiers stationed in the north . But Afghanistan played only a minor role in the election campaigns and in their only televised debate , Merkel and Steinmeier devoted less than three minutes to the issue , less than a week after a German ground commander had called an air strike that killed almost 100 Afghans and possibly also civilians . `` It is simply not high on the political agenda , '' says Jan Techau of the German Council on Foreign Relations. , `` Most Germans are against the war in Afghanistan and having German troops there , but they do n't care about it enough for it to influence the way they vote . '' So Merkel and Steinmeier were careful to keep Afghanistan off the campaign agenda as best they could because they agree German troops need to stay in Afghanistan like they agree on so many topics . That did not make for an exciting campaign , but it could make for a good continuation of the grand coalition . | Angela Merkel 's CDU are favorites to win the election . But they will need a coalition partner to rule . Merkel has publicly named the Liberal Democrats as her preferred choice . But the current partner , the Social Democrats , may be the end result . | [[280, 323], [326, 353]] |
WEST PARK , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` We are an army , '' says Andrea Ivory of the group gathered with her early on a Saturday morning . Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is on a mission to educate Florida communities about the disease , one door at a time . Armed with clipboards , leaflets and high spirits , the energetic Ivory leads them into the neighborhood , where they start knocking on doors . The mood is lighthearted , but their mission is serious : to save lives , one house at a time . They 're volunteers from the Florida Breast Health Initiative , or FBHI , and they are waging war against breast cancer . It 's an effort started by Ivory , 50 , herself a survivor of the disease . Every weekend in the spring and fall , she and her volunteers -- who include college students , senior citizens and suburban moms , all wearing matching T-shirts -- fan out across low-income communities in southern Florida , educating women about breast health . They especially seek out uninsured women age 35 and older , who statistics show are twice as likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer , and thus more likely to die from the disease . For Ivory , comparing this work to a battle is n't overblown . `` The only thing that we have to fight this disease and lower the mortality rate is early detection , '' she says . `` We are the troops on the front lines . '' Since 2006 , Ivory has helped provide more than 500 mammograms to eligible women . Ivory herself had always been diligent about getting annual mammograms , but when the breast cancer diagnosis came in 2004 , she took it in stride . `` I just knew that it was for a higher purpose , '' she recalls . Ivory says that purpose became clear during her cancer treatment . Reflecting on how lucky she was to have health insurance and to have gotten annual mammograms , she realized that thousands of women without health care were likely falling through the cracks and putting themselves at risk . `` Those women do n't even have a fighting chance , '' she says . `` The mission became reach -LSB- ing -RSB- those women . '' Ivory started FBHI to do just that . Her mantra : `` Early detection is the best protection . '' Do you know someone who should be a CNN Hero ? Nominations are open at CNN.com / Heroes . The operation runs like clockwork . The first three Saturdays of each month are devoted to outreach -- distributing educational materials and signing up women for free mammograms . She and her volunteers have visited nearly 18,000 homes . `` I love knocking on doors , '' Ivory says with a smile . `` I like to think of us as little pixies spreading breast cancer awareness . '' On the last Saturday of each month , a large mobile mammography van from a partner hospital rolls into the neighborhood , bringing screening technology directly to women who need it . As they line up around the van , the excitement is palpable . Since many have never had a mammogram , Ivory and her team try to make the experience fun -- providing refreshments , smiles and support . One mammogram recipient said the `` convenience factor '' of the free screenings made the offer too hard to refuse . `` Ultimately this is the reason we do the work that we do , '' says Ivory , `` because we want to screen women who would not ordinarily have -LSB- the -RSB- opportunity . '' Watch Ivory and her army in action '' Telmilda Ariza , 62 , always had health insurance , but after losing her job , her annual mammogram became a financial burden . She smiles when recalling the volunteers ' first visit to her home . `` They knocked on my door and , wow ! It was -LSB- a -RSB- miracle , coming from the sky , '' she says . `` It 's something I really needed . '' Ariza was so grateful that she started volunteering and knocking on doors herself . Watch Ariza describe how she went from recipient to volunteer '' Charlene Thomas , another of Ivory 's regular volunteers , considers herself living proof of the program 's impact . Uninsured , she 'd paid for her mammogram out of her own pocket , but when she needed a follow-up , she kept putting it off because it was so expensive . `` I had other priorities . It seems stupid now , '' she admits . `` But I did n't think anything was wrong with me . '' She finally asked Ivory for help and FBHI paid for the screening . It led Thomas to a cancer diagnosis and ultimately a mastectomy . `` The fact that I was diagnosed and am cancer free -- there 's no way I would 've done it without the Florida Breast Health Initiative , '' says Thomas , who was back knocking on doors three weeks after surgery . `` Now I feel more of a sense of urgency . I 'm knocking on doors trying to find myself . '' Stories like this only deepen Ivory 's commitment to her cause . For her , every day is a chance to educate women about fighting the disease and Ivory says she 's determined to expand her efforts around Florida and far beyond the boundaries of her state . Watch Ivory 's group bring mobile mammography to the neighborhoods '' `` In the future , we want a fleet of mammogram vans . We 'd love to do outreaches all over the country , '' she says . `` No woman needs to die from breast cancer . I ca n't be a doctor , but I know I can save a life . Every time I knock on the door , it 's a chance to do that . '' Want to get involved ? Check out The Florida Breast Health Initiative and see how to help . | Breast cancer survivor founds group to educate women about the disease . Andrea Ivory , 50 , and her volunteers have visited nearly 18,000 homes . Since ' 06 , Ivory has helped provide more than 500 mammograms . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open at CNN.com / Heroes . | [[742, 764], [928, 965], [627, 664], [2472, 2529], [1386, 1396], [1399, 1468], [2201, 2247], [2201, 2203], [2208, 2247], [2248, 2290]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Democrats continue to splinter over President Obama 's proposed health care reform plan , Republicans are taking the opportunity to home in on a key argument : A good bill deserves more time and deliberation . Sen. James Inhofe , R-Oklahoma , says his party may have enough votes to stall Democratic health care reform . Rep. Nathan Deal , R-Georgia , said Friday that Obama 's rush to put a bill together is `` totally irresponsible . '' `` Most of us believe that the decision as to major reform of how Americans get their health care in this country deserves at least as much time and deliberation as it would take to select a puppy to live in the White House , '' he said . `` It took the president six months to decide how long and which puppy he was going to have . ... To expect Congress to do something on major health care reform in six days is totally irresponsible . '' Sen. James Inhofe , R-Oklahoma , speaking on conservative Hugh Hewitt 's radio show recently , was asked about whether his party had enough votes to block health care from going forward . His answer : `` I think so . I really do . '' `` If he is unsuccessful , which I anticipate and will predict he is , on getting a vote prior to the August recess , then I would say there 's no way in the world they 're going to get this done this year , '' he added . Obama 's fight to get health care reform through Congress hit a major snag this week -- facing opposition from Republicans and fiscally conservative `` Blue Dog '' Democrats worried over the costs -- estimated to be around $ 1 trillion . On Thursday , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nevada , announced that the Senate would not take up a vote before August recess -- a deadline that Obama had originally wanted . Watch a GOP senator lash out at Obama 's plan '' Rep. Joe Barton , R-Texas responded to Democratic criticism that the GOP has failed to present a viable plan . `` When the Democrats say we do n't have a plan ... where 's their plan ? If they ca n't get a bill out of committee , where 's their plan ? '' he said . Rep. Roy Blunt , R-Missouri , said it 's hard to combat the Democrats ' proposed legislation when it changes `` by 100 pages every time you walk into the room . '' The GOP 's fight is also getting political , namely looking ahead to the upcoming midterm election . `` I just hope the president keeps talking about it , keeps trying to rush it through . We can stall it . And that 's going to be a huge gain for those of us who want to turn this thing over in the 2010 election , '' Inhofe said . Last week , Sen. Jim DeMint , R-South Carolina , was quoted as telling the group Conservatives for Patients ' Rights , which opposes Obama 's health care plan , that `` if we 're able to stop Obama on this , it will be his Waterloo . It will break him . '' Obama debunked DeMint 's claim during a live prime time news conference Wednesday night at the White House . `` I 've heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise , it 's better politics to ` go for the kill . ' Another Republican senator said that defeating health reform is about ` breaking ' me , '' he said . `` Let me be clear : This is n't about me , '' Obama said , noting that he and every member of Congress -- including those trying to scuttle health care reform legislation -- `` have great health insurance . '' Obama 's chief-of-staff , Rahm Emanuel , took a swipe at the GOP 's political maneuvering . `` At least they 're honest about their motivation , '' Emanuel told National Public Radio Friday . `` Their view about health care is about defeating President Obama . Politically , I actually appreciate what they said . '' | GOP Rep. Deal : Obama spent more time picking a dog than health care plan . Obama 's health care fight hit a major snag this week . Sen. Inhofe , R-Oklahoma , says it 's unlikely the president will get a bill this year . Inhofe says stalling health care reform could be good for GOP in 2010 . | [[914, 944], [1009, 1101], [243, 260], [276, 353]] |
Editor 's note : Rich Roll , one of Men 's Fitness magazine 's `` 25 Fittest Guys in the World '' in 2009 , was the first athlete to compete in the Ultraman World Championships on an entirely plant-based diet . He 's sharing insights today as part of Dr. Sanjay Gupta 's `` Four Months to Fitness '' effort . Before : At 40 years old , Rich Roll called himself `` fat , unhappy and fed up . '' -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I can still remember it , vivid as yesterday . It was the eve of my 40th birthday , and I walked upstairs to take a shower . And I was winded . I mean very winded . As I was trying to catch my breath , I took off my shirt , looked in the mirror and tried to convince myself that I was still that fit guy I had always thought I was . Somehow , I had been able to skate by on this delusion for all too many years . But the denial had finally caught up to me . I saw my true reflection , and I could n't lie to myself anymore . I was in the worst shape of my life . I was fat , unhappy and fed up . It 's the typical story . First it 's the career . Then comes marriage , followed by kids . Your time is no longer your own , and you resign yourself to `` maturity , '' `` filling out '' or whatever euphemism for middle age that soothes that idea that you are simply overweight , unfit and unhealthy . I 'm here to say that it does n't have to be that way . I do n't care how busy you are . I do n't care how old you are , how many kids you have or how little time you think you have . The power rests within yourself to enact any change in your life you desire . And I can say this because I have seen it happen in myself and countless others . After that fateful day of clarity , I made a decision to change my life . Not a vague , wishy-washy notion that I should `` get in shape , '' maybe `` eat better '' or possibly `` go on a diet , '' but rather a specific long-term plan to enhance my wellness in a way that would not only stick , but fit within the parameters of my busy life as a full-time lawyer , husband and father of four small children . In my case , it began with a well-researched and supervised seven-day fruit and vegetable juice cleanse -LRB- during which time I weaned myself off caffeine -RRB- , followed by an entirely plant-based nutrition program -- an animal-product-free regimen I have adhered to ever since . The immediate result was a rather surprising and unexpected increase in my energy levels , leading to a very gradual return to exercise , building up slowly over an extended period of time . The results were hardly overnight . But two years later , I had lost well over 30 pounds . And not only did I keep the weight off , I was the most fit I had ever been in my life . At 42 years old , I competed in the Ultraman World Championships , a grueling three-day uber-endurance triathlon circumnavigating the Big Island of Hawaii that involves 6.2 miles of swimming , 260 miles of cycling and culminates with a 52.4-mile double marathon run . I placed 11th overall and was the third-fastest American . To top it off , Men 's Fitness magazine recently named me one of the `` 25 Fittest Guys in the World . '' -LRB- Not that I actually believe I deserve such an honor ! -RRB- . Quite an extreme contrast from that day I looked in the mirror . I 'm not advocating that everyone should test himself or herself so severely . But my point is that change starts with a decision followed by baby steps along a new , consistent trajectory that , over time , can lead to dramatic results . I 'm nothing special . I 'm not a professional athlete . I 'm just a normal family guy . But if I could experience such a vast transformation in my own life , I know with certainty that everybody has within himself the power to enact his own well-balanced transformation . Change is never easy . And despite what you may see advertised , I 'm sorry to say there is no secret diet , mystery pill or overnight miracle that will do it for you . But there is a solution . Here are some helpful tools I employed along the way that can help you get started : . Set a goal : Vague , nonspecific notions of `` getting fit , '' `` going to the gym , '' or `` eating better '' are all fine , but they are not true `` goals '' and all too typically devolve , paving the way for relapse to old habits . Instead , establish something very concrete you would like to achieve on a future date . The more specific , the better . Then create a solid plan with reasonable interim `` steppingstone '' milestones along the way to achieving the larger goal . Chart your progress , as meeting interim milestones will boost your confidence and invest you more deeply in the ultimate goal . Create community and accountability : If you go public with your quest , then you are on the hook . A good support network is a key to success . But beware of the negative dream crushers . Be selective , surrounding yourself with people who encourage your success . Do what you love : When it comes to exercise , it should n't be too painful . Ideally , it should be fun . If you absolutely hate running , find something else you enjoy . Otherwise , you set yourself up to fail . And do n't be too rigid -- mix it up with a variety of activities you like to keep it interesting and fresh . Do n't diet : Instead , get honest about your habits and embark on implementing healthy , lasting changes in your nutrition . I feel quite strongly that a nutrition program built entirely around plant-based foods and completely devoid of animal products is optimal . Conventional wisdom would say that an athlete can not perform on plants alone . But I am living proof that this is false , and I have ample research to support this position . Personally , I can not overemphasize the difference this has made in my own life , a secret weapon for enhanced athletic performance and overall long-term wellness . -LRB- In the last two years , I have not gotten sick or even suffered a cold . -RRB- . I realize , of course , that not everyone is ready to go 100 percent vegan , but a program built on a strong foundation of fresh organic vegetables , fruits and grains should be the focus . Do n't skip meals , but reduce your portions slightly . Read the labels and educate yourself . Avoid saturated fats , processed foods and soft drinks , all of which are entirely devoid of nutritional value . Eating whole fresh foods high in nutritional content will also stave off those unhealthy urges to binge . One day at a time : Large goals can seem insurmountable . The idea that you can never eat a cupcake or sleep in again is daunting at best . Instead , just focus on what is happening today , even if it 's hour to hour , and do n't worry about tomorrow . `` Today , I 'm not going to eat that cupcake . Maybe I 'll eat it tomorrow , just not today . '' And if you miss a beat , do n't flog yourself ; it only leads to discouragement and quitting altogether . The important thing is to make sure you get right back on it the next day -- do n't let another day go by . Prioritize : Take an honest look at your average week , identify your inefficient uses of time and eliminate the things that do n't serve your goals . No matter how busy you are , if you are truly honest about this inquiry , I guarantee you can make some cuts and carve out some time . Remember : Nothing changes if nothing changes . Be consistent : It 's not about how much you do in a given workout or how hard it is . Ten minutes of core exercises four to five times per week is far better than one long run a week . Establishing a consistent rhythm of repetition is key , and another reason that your choice of exercise should be something you truly enjoy . Let 's join together to shift the world 's perspective on long-term health and wellness . No matter how old , overweight or out of shape you are , you have the power to make a decision , set a goal and create a plan . Positive change is always within your grasp , and today still remains the first day of the rest of your life . Make it count ! The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of Rich Roll . | Rich Roll : Approaching 40 , `` I was in the worst shape of my life '' Two years later , he was the most fit he 'd ever been . This year , Men 's Fitness named Roll one of the `` 25 Fittest Guys in the World '' To become fit , set a specific goal , be consistent and take it one day at a time , he says . | [[309, 315], [318, 333], [336, 385], [309, 315], [318, 333], [336, 345], [382, 390], [938, 975], [2672, 2719], [3063, 3149], [3405, 3474], [3445, 3474], [3494, 3524], [4080, 4090], [4316, 4323], [4326, 4404], [7381, 7394], [7856, 7859], [7911, 7926]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday to try to recoup bonuses paid to Wall Street executives with taxpayer money . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House members Wednesday announce tax proposals affecting bonuses . The measure passed , 328-93 ; most Democrats supported the measure , while Republicans were sharply divided . A two-thirds majority among all members voting was required for passage . The measure would tax individuals on any bonuses received in 2009 from companies getting $ 5 billion or more in money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program , or TARP . Bonuses for people with incomes over $ 250,000 would be taxed at a 90 percent rate . `` Today 's vote rightly reflects the outrage that so many feel over the lavish bonuses that AIG provided its employees at the expense of the taxpayers who have kept this failed company afloat , '' President Obama said . `` I look forward to receiving a final product that will serve as a strong signal to the executives who run these firms that such compensation will not be tolerated . '' The measure now moves to the Senate , which is considering a bill to tax retention bonuses paid to executives of companies that received federal bailout money . Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday failed to get that bill passed by unanimous consent when Republican Whip Jon Kyl objected . Kyl wants `` to understand the root and cause of what happened here before we haphazardly rush and approve what we think is the remedy , '' his spokesman Ryan Patmintra said . House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel , D-New York , told reporters Wednesday , `` We ca n't have any concept of we 're getting even , but we must have a concept that we 're trying to show that Congress ... can not tolerate that . '' The vote comes one day after AIG chief executive Edward Liddy testified before Congress that he has asked employees of the bailed-out insurer who took home more than $ 100,000 in bonuses to return at least half . Liddy , saying he knew that the public 's patience is `` wearing thin , '' said some employees have decided on their own to return their entire bonuses to the company . More than $ 165 million has been slated for bonuses to AIG 's senior executives ; the federal government rescued the company from financial ruin with more than $ 170 billion in taxpayer assistance . Referring to the AIG executives who received bonuses , Rangel said , `` I do n't think these are the type of people to -LSB- whom you can -RSB- make an appeal to equity and justice . I do n't think they really know the difference . I do n't really think they 've had life experience to allow them to believe the pain that they 've caused for millions of Americans . '' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-California , said the bill was necessitated by the poor judgment shown by firms receiving bailout money . `` We must stabilize the financial system in order to strengthen our economy and create jobs , '' she said . `` We must also protect the American taxpayer from executives who would use their companies ' second chances as opportunities for private gain . `` Because they could not use sound judgment in the use of taxpayer funds , these AIG executives will pay the Treasury in the form of this tax . '' A similar proposal in the Senate would attempt to recoup bonuses by taxing both individuals and companies , but Rangel said House leaders decided against penalizing companies because they could simply ask for more taxpayer money . Earlier Wednesday , President Obama also lashed out at the bonuses given to AIG executives , calling them `` outrageous . '' `` People are right to be angry . I am angry . ... People are rightly outraged about these particular bonuses , '' he said . `` But just as outrageous is the culture that these bonuses are a symptom of , that -LSB- has -RSB- existed for far too long ; a situation where excess greed , excess compensation , excess risk-taking have all made us vulnerable and left us holding the bag . '' CNN 's Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report . | NEW : House passes measure to recoup bonuses with a vote of 328-93 . Bill would tax bonuses of people in firms that received at least $ 5 billion in bailout . People with incomes over $ 250,000 who received bonuses would be taxed at 90 % . A similar Senate bill aims to recoup bonuses by taxing individuals and companies . | [[0, 26], [59, 164], [447, 495], [518, 615], [1117, 1127], [1136, 1182], [616, 700], [0, 26], [59, 164], [447, 495], [1117, 1127], [1136, 1182], [3307, 3412]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson may soon return to the stage , at least for a `` special announcement . '' Pop star Michael Jackson has been the subject of recent rumors about his health and about a comeback . The pop star has scheduled a news conference Thursday at London 's O2 arena , the same venue where Prince sold out 21 nights in 2007 , according to London 's Outside Organisation . Although the short statement announcing Jackson 's news conference did not reveal any details , Britain 's Sky News reported Wednesday that the 50-year-old King of Pop has agreed to a series of summer concerts at the O2 . Rumors have circulated for years about a possible Jackson concert comeback , just as speculation has abounded about his physical and financial health . Jackson 's reclusive lifestyle -- and a photo last year of him being pushed in a wheelchair -- created fertile ground for health rumors . When a London tabloid reported in December that Jackson was battling a potentially fatal disease that required a life-saving lung transplant , his publicist responded that he was `` in fine health '' and that the story was `` a total fabrication . '' Jackson 's financial troubles in the past year have included the near-foreclosure of his Neverland Ranch in California , which he later sold . Jackson has not lived at Neverland since June 2005 , after a Santa Barbara County jury found him not guilty of child molestation charges . | Musician schedules news conference for Thursday at O2 arena . One news outlet says he will hold series of summer concerts . Jackson 's physical and financial health have been subject of rumors . | [[230, 305], [507, 632], [127, 229], [718, 784]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Boris Kodjoe owns a mansion in Atlanta . But when he goes to answer his door , the black actor knows what it 's like to be an outcast . Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct . `` When I 'm opening the door of my own house , someone will ask me where the man of the house is , implying that I 'm staff , '' said Kodjoe , best known for starring in Showtime 's `` Soul Food . '' It 's a feeling some African-Americans say is all too common , even to this day in America : No matter your status or prominence in society , you 're still typecast . That 's why the recent arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. , one of the nation 's most prominent African-American scholars , has stirred outrage and debate . Jelani Cobb , an author and professor at Spelman College in Atlanta , says it 's troubling on many levels when `` one of the most recognizable African-Americans in the country can be arrested in his own home and have to justify being in his own home . '' Watch arrest of a Harvard scholar '' `` It 's really kind of unfathomable , '' Cobb said . `` If it can happen to him , yeah , it can happen to any of us . '' That 's a sentiment echoed by Jimi Izrael . `` If a mild-mannered , bespectacled Ivy League professor who walks with a cane can be pulled from his own home and arrested on a minor charge , the rest of us do n't stand a chance , '' Izrael wrote Tuesday on The Root , an online magazine with commentary from a variety of black perspectives that 's co-founded by Gates . `` We all fit a description . We are all suspects . '' In an interview with The Root , Gates said he was outraged by the incident and hopes to use the experience as a teaching tool , including a possible PBS special on racial profiling . `` I ca n't believe that an individual policeman on the Cambridge police force would treat any African-American male this way , and I am astonished that this happened to me ; and more importantly I 'm astonished that it could happen to any citizen of the United States , no matter what their race , '' Gates said . `` And I 'm deeply resolved to do and say the right things so that this can not happen again . '' Voices of black America : What it 's like being black in America . Gates was arrested last Thursday in broad daylight at his Cambridge , Massachusetts , home for disorderly conduct -- what the arresting officer described as `` loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space . '' The charge was dropped Tuesday on the recommendation of police , and the city of Cambridge issued a statement calling the incident `` regrettable and unfortunate . '' Gates had just returned from a trip to China when a police officer responded to a call about a potential break-in at his home that was phoned in by a white woman . According to the police report , Gates was in the foyer when the officer arrived . The officer asked Gates to `` step out onto the porch and speak with me , '' the report says . '' -LSB- Gates -RSB- replied , ` No , I will not . ' He then demanded to know who I was . I told him that I was ` Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police ' and that I was ` investigating a report of a break in progress ' at the residence . `` While I was making this statement , Gates opened the front door and exclaimed , ` Why , because I 'm a black man in America ? ' '' Have race relations improved since the election of President Barack Obama ? According to the report , Gates initially refused to show the officer his identification , instead asking for the officer 's ID . But Gates eventually did show the officer his identification that included his home address . `` The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior . That 's a joke , '' Gates told The Root . `` It escalated as follows : I kept saying to him , ` What is your name , and what is your badge number ? ' and he refused to respond . I asked him three times , and he refused to respond . And then I said , ` You 're not responding because I 'm a black man , and you 're a white officer . ' '' Known as Skip by friends and colleagues , Gates is the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard University , and an acclaimed PBS documentarian . While Gates ' arrest lit up talk radio and blogs , it prompted others to defend the police against charges of racial profiling . `` I 'd be glad if somebody called the police if somebody was breaking into my house , '' neighbor Michael Schaffer told CNN affiliate WHDH . For others , the incident symbolized something more . Seeing the police mugshot of Gates brought some African-Americans to near tears . Kim Coleman , a Washington radio host , cultural commentator and blogger , said she grew numb when she saw the mugshot . `` I was not prepared for that , '' she said . `` To see one of my heroes in a mugshot was not something that I was expecting . ... It just tells me we 're not in a post-racial society . '' She said there 's a reason why you do n't hear about prominent white people arrested in their homes : `` because it does n't happen . '' It 's time for America to have a long overdue national conversation about race , Coleman said . `` When are we going to have that , '' she said . `` When are we really going to sit down and strip down and say , ` This is what I feel about you and this is what you feel about me . Now , how are we going to get over that ? ' '' Rebecca Walker , an award-winning author , said the arrest was devastating to scholars , writers , and artists `` who work so hard to keep a free flow of information . '' `` It seems eerily ironic Mr. Gates was returning from China , where surveillance is so high and freedom of speech and ideas so curtailed , '' Walker said . `` To see the mugshot of Skip was a blow to all of us who feel some sense of safety based on our work to try to mend all of these broken fences in America -- to make ourselves into people who refuse to be limited by race and class and gender and everything else . '' `` To end up , at the end of the day , treated like a criminal , unjustly stripped of our accomplishments and contributions even if only for a moment , is profoundly disturbing . We must ask ourselves what it means , and to allow ourselves to face various scenarios regarding power and freedom and how these will intersect in the coming years . '' Last week , President Obama spoke at the 100th anniversary of the NAACP , saying that while minorities have made great strides `` the pain of discrimination is still felt in America . '' `` Even as we inherit extraordinary progress that can not be denied ; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folks -- we know that too many barriers still remain , '' the president said . Kodjoe , the actor , said Obama `` has affected a change in people 's consciousness regarding such issues as racism and prejudice . '' But he said the arrest of Gates underscores that there 's more work ahead . `` I think we 're moving in the right direction . But no doubt , there still is a lot of work to be done , '' Kodjoe said . `` It 's not just a problem here . It 's a problem worldwide . Racism is universal . '' Gates said he has a newfound understanding of exactly what that means . `` There 's been a very important symbolic change and that is the election of Barack Obama , '' he told The Root . `` But the only black people who truly live in a post-racial world in America all live in a very nice house on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue . '' | Boris Kodjoe : Arrest of Harvard prof underscores how blacks are typecast . Actor Kodjoe says deliverymen often think he 's hired staff at his house . `` If it can happen to him , yeah , it can happen to any of us , '' scholar says . Cultural commentator says it was shocking `` to see one of my heroes in a mugshot '' | [[1031, 1064], [328, 348], [354, 439], [1125, 1148], [1156, 1186], [4855, 4894], [4855, 4860], [4865, 4935], [5790, 5819]] |
LAGOS , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police and soldiers killed at least 133 people during two days of riots between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria last year , Human Rights Watch alleged Monday . Anti-riot policemen patrol the streets in Jos , Nigeria , following riots between Christians and Muslims . Most of the victims of violence by security forces were young Muslim men , often unarmed , the group charged in testimony before a state commission examining the riots and in a separate report . More than 700 people died in the violence last November , the group said , citing local religious authorities on both sides of the divide . A 26-year-old mechanic described seeing anti-riot police known as MOPOLs hunting down people near where he worked . `` I saw them enter one house just across the street from us , '' the unnamed witness said . `` We heard shots and later we saw five bodies there . Anyone they found hiding in the garage , they shot them . They combed the garage hunting for people . This went on for about 10 minutes or so . Then they returned to their truck and left . '' Another witness described police units going from house to house , summarily executing unarmed men and boys . A third said he saw an unarmed shopkeeper plead for his life . Police ordered him to lie down on the ground , the witness said . `` He kept saying , ` Please God , allow me to live . ' ... One of them said , ` Today you go die , ' and then he shot him in the side . Then the same MOPOL shot him again . As he was going to shoot him a third time , the other MOPOL said ... ` Leave it , he 's already dead . ' '' The shopkeeper managed to drag himself to a neighbor 's house , where the neighbor tried to stop the bleeding from wounds to the back and abdomen . Police then returned and shot tear gas into the neighbor 's house , he testified . The shopkeeper `` died a short time later , '' the neighbor said . In the report , released Monday , Human Rights Watch says it `` documented 133 of these killings but believes that the actual number of arbitrary killings by security forces may be substantially higher than these figures . '' James Manook , a spokesman for Plateau State where the violence occurred , said the Human Rights Watch claims are `` one of the issues that the commission has under inquiry , and given that - I do not want to comment while it 's under investigation . '' However , he added , '' I assure you that we remain respectful of the rule of law . '' The clashes followed a dispute over an election that pitted a Christian candidate against a Muslim one in late November 2008 . Police and soldiers responded to the riots with deadly force , on the same day the governor of the state issued a `` shoot-on-sight '' order , Human Rights Watch said . The group based its allegations on 151 interviews in the city of Jos in Nigeria 's Plateau State , it says in the report . It withheld the names of many of the people it interviewed over the course of 18 days in December 2008 and February 2009 . The report includes photographs of burned-out mosques , Christian boarding schools , and homes and businesses . The rights group said the state commission examining the riots should investigate and call for the prosecution of security forces involved . `` At least 130 men were killed by members of the very institutions charged with protecting them , '' said Corinne Dufka , senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch . `` These investigative bodies owe it to the victims and their families to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into these extremely serious allegations . '' Eric Guttschuss , a Human Rights Watch researcher , testified before the commission Monday . There is a history of religious violence in central Nigeria , where majority-Muslim north Africa meets largely Christian sub-Saharan Africa . Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 1,000 people were killed in riots in 2001 . Local religious leaders in Jos have been trying to bridge the differences , including setting up a soccer league with teams on which Christians and Muslims play side-by-side . CNN 's Christian Purefoy contributed to this report . | Nigerian police , soldiers accused of killing 133 during riots in November 2008 . U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says main victims were young Muslim men . Witnesses say police units summarily executed unarmed men and boys . HRW says death toll could be `` substantially higher '' than documented cases suggest . | [[8, 158], [2608, 2668], [3276, 3343], [304, 392], [304, 392], [1095, 1110], [1162, 1204], [3276, 3343], [161, 196], [1914, 1927], [1948, 2108], [1914, 1927], [1948, 1966], [2015, 2136], [2751, 2776]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pakistani forces in the last month foiled a planned attack on the parliament building , the intelligence agency and other federal institutions , the country 's interior minister told CNN Sunday . Pakistan 's parliament building was one target of a planned attack , an official says . In the last four weeks , authorities arrested three men with suicide vests who were plotting to carry out the attacks , said Interior Minister Rehman Malik . Malik would not say exactly when the men were caught . Pakistan is in the midst of an intense military offensive against Taliban militants . The militants are suspected of launching attacks inside Pakistan and in neighboring Afghanistan from their haven in the mountainous tribal region along the northwestern border . On Sunday , a suicide bomber in volatile northwestern Pakistan killed at three people and wounded 15 others , police said . The bombing rocked the Pakistani city of Peshawar , capital of North West Frontier Province . The incident took place when police approached a man acting suspiciously . The man ran away , police chased him and a gunfight ensued . The man ran out of bullets and blew himself up . Two women and seven children were among the injured . Remains of the alleged attacker were found , police said . Five houses were destroyed . The incident follows a car bombing on Saturday in Peshawar that killed two people , including the spokesman for an extremist group called Ansar ul Islam . Two suspects are in custody . Malik said Sunday the government 's anti-Taliban operations will continue during Ramadan , the Muslim holy month considered to be a time of peace . Militants in North Waziristan , part of the tribal region , have said they will observe a unilateral ceasefire throughout the month . `` There will not be a ceasefire during Ramadan . We are not interested in a ceasefire , '' Malik said . `` They have n't kept their commitment in the past . We will continue targeted actions against the Taliban . '' Malik also said the Taliban killed the father-in-law of its leader Baitullah Mehsud and several other relatives , accusing them of leaking information about his whereabouts . Pakistan and U.S. officials contend Mehsud was killed in an August 5 drone attack in Waziristan at his father-in-law 's house . The Taliban claims Mehsud is alive but ill . | NEW : Suicide bomber in northwestern Pakistan kills at least three , authorities say . NEW : Suspect blew himself up after running out of bullets in gunfight , police say . Pakistani authorities say they stopped plot on government buildings . Three men plotted to carry out attacks , says Interior Minister Rehman Malik . | [[801, 810], [813, 886], [801, 810], [813, 863], [891, 908], [1155, 1181], [1155, 1162], [1186, 1198], [12, 36], [75, 125], [185, 235]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A passenger plane skidded off an airport runway and burst into flames in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad on Friday , killing at least 17 people and injuring about 20 , according to government-backed Press TV . Aryan Airlines Flight 1625 skidded off the runway and burst into flames Friday in Mashhad , Iran . There were 150 passengers on board Aryan Airlines Flight 1625 , according to the Islamic Republic News Agency , or IRNA . There was no immediate information on the number of crew . An Iranian official said those aboard had been evacuated . Ghahraman Rashid , deputy governor-general of Khorasan province , said the plane had flown from Tehran , IRNA reported . `` All those killed and injured and the rest of the passengers had been evacuated from the plane and the fire on board had been brought under control , '' IRNA quoted the official as saying . He said the plane was a Russian-made Ilyushin . Watch video of the plane '' This is the second deadly plane crash in Iran this month . On July 15 , a Caspian Airlines passenger plane carrying 168 people crashed in northwestern Iran , killing everyone on board , including 10 members of the country 's youth judo team : eight athletes and two coaches . | Passenger plane skids off runway and catches fire in Mashhad . 150 passengers on board Aryan Airlines Flight 1625 , according to news reports . Flight had originated in Tehran , official says . On July 15 , a passenger plane crashed in northwest Iran , killing all 168 aboard . | [[0, 15], [37, 76], [0, 15], [71, 142], [238, 327], [337, 398], [577, 593], [643, 679], [850, 889], [1082, 1121], [1025, 1035], [1038, 1092], [1124, 1151]] |
SEOUL , South Korea -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Some families long separated by the Korean War saw their loved ones Saturday for the first time in years near the border between North and South Korea . South Korean Yoon Ki-Dal , right , meets the children he left behind as babies during the Korean War . Yoon Ki-Dal , 88 , of South Korea thought such a moment would never come . After leaving his son and daughters when they were babies during the Korean War , he was able to hold the hands of his North Korean children on Saturday . `` Father , we thought you were dead , '' his daughter , now in her 60s , told him , her face trembling . Their family was one of 97 reunited Saturday on Mount Keumgang , a North Korean resort near the eastern part of the border , after decades of separation by war and ideology . And soon these families will be separated again . They are allowed to be together for a few days . Then the South Koreans must return home . The reunions -- the first in nearly two years -- are taking place through October 1 . Millions of families were separated by the Korean War , which ended in 1953 with a cease-fire and no formal peace treaty . No mail , telephone or e-mail exchanges exist between ordinary citizens across the Korean border . The agreement to hold the reunions came after North and South Korea held three days of talks , mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross , last month , South Korea 's Yonhap news agency reported at the time . About 10,000 people applied to take part in the reunion , but fewer than 200 families were allowed to participate . In addition to the 97 families who met Saturday , another 99 families are expected to meet next week , authorities said . Watch families share hugs , tears '' Participants are selected randomly , and there is no date set for a further reunion , which means the tens of thousands of others who were separated by the Korean War have no idea when they may get a chance to see their loved ones -- if ever . For the many separated family members who are elderly , a reunion may never be possible . Reunions between North and South have been taking place off and on since 2000 after an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang , Yonhap says . The last reunion took place in October 2007 . Rapprochement talks between the two Koreas have hit a wall since conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in early 2008 with a tougher stance toward the North than his liberal predecessor , Roh Moo-Hyun . The two Koreas have remained in conflict since the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953 . Last month , officials from both sides had the first high-level , cross-border contact in nearly two years when South Korean Unification Minister Hyun In Taek met with North Korean unity leader Kim Yang Gon . The meetings and reunions are in stark contrast to the tense public statements each side made about each other earlier this year . Tensions between the two were heightened in July when North Korea launched seven short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan , also referred to as the East Sea . The launches came after North Korea conducted a nuclear test on May 25 and threatened U.S. and South Korean ships near its territorial waters . South Korea condemned the action , calling the launches `` unwise . '' Journalist Sohn Jie-Ae contributed to this report . | Families have reunion meeting at resort in North Korea , near border . The South Koreans must return home in a few days . Millions of Koreans were separated following Korean War cease-fire in 1953 . About 10,000 people applied to participate ; fewer than 200 families approved . | [[8, 19], [86, 191], [905, 946], [1033, 1086], [1072, 1086], [1095, 1108], [1874, 1883], [1888, 1920], [1479, 1534], [1541, 1594]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A videotape on a Russian Web site allegedly showing a State Department employee having sex with a prostitute is a `` smear campaign '' meant to discredit the man , a State Department spokesman said Thursday . The State Department has said the tape allegedly showing an employee having sex with a prostitute is a fake . The employee , Brendan Kyle Hatcher , denied any encounter with a prostitute to his superiors at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow , another State Department official said . State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the U.S. ambassador to Russia , John Beyrle , `` supports '' Hatcher , who remains at his job at the embassy . Hatcher had previously worked in the sensitive area of religious and human rights in Russia , the spokesman said . `` Mr. Hatcher ... enjoys the full confidence of Ambassador Beyrle and fully intends to serve out the rest of his tour in Moscow , '' Kelly said at an afternoon briefing at the State Department . The United States `` deplores this type of campaign and use of the Internet to smear a foreign service officer of good standing , '' he added . Watch why the U.S. says the tape is doctored '' Beyrle was unequivocal in expressing his support in an interview with ABC News . `` Kyle Hatcher has done nothing wrong , '' he said . `` Clearly , the video we saw was a montage of lot of different clips , some of them which are clearly fabricated . '' A senior State Department official said , `` It 's a doctored tape and a set-up designed to implicate someone working as a liaison with religious and human rights groups in Russia . '' The official said Hatcher , who is married , `` was approached by Russians ; they tried to blackmail him , but he did everything correctly , '' reporting the incident to his supervisors at the Embassy . The tape then appeared on the tabloid newspaper Web site Compromat.ru and was picked up by other outlets . Diplomatic sources who declined to be named said Compromat.ru has a history of ties to Russia 's security services . Russia 's Foreign Ministry had no comment when asked about the video . Another senior State Department official , who has seen the video , said `` it 's clear to me that it 's him , '' referring to portions showing Hatcher alone in the hotel room . `` But then the lights go down , '' and the footage from there on is faked , that official said . The video of Hatcher in the hotel room was taken last year , `` somewhere in Siberia , '' said the senior State Department official who watched the video . It was shot in a hotel that Hatcher visited , the official said . When questioned about the possible motivation for creating the video , the official said it 's presumed `` it was done because of his human rights work , '' in Russia . The official doubted the incident will have any effect on U.S.-Russian relations and noted that the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry have both been `` very cooperative '' in the months since the footage came to light . `` The vast majority of people there are working toward better relations , '' the official said . Another official said Hatcher is a `` great officer '' who , until last summer , was a political reporting officer focusing on religious freedom issues in Russia . The assignment lasts two years : one year in that specialty and a year on the visa-issuing line at the embassy . Last year , this official said , Hatcher was the lead officer compiling the State Department 's Religious Freedom report and was given an award for his work by the ambassador . Another official confirmed that Hatcher received a meritorious honor award in 2009 and a group award in 2008 . Hatcher , one official said , worked with religious groups that are considered `` outside the mainstream '' in Russia , such as Protestants and non-Christians . Such faiths often face official and unofficial discrimination in the largely Russian-Orthodox society . Another senior State Department official said , `` there is a lot of inertia '' among some special security services in Russia . `` They are pretty much unreconstructed , '' he said . The security services may have wanted to compromise Hatcher 's ability to work with religious groups , he says , `` or they may have wanted to throw a stick into the spokes '' of the U.S.-Russia relationship . `` Some in Moscow , '' he said , `` are looking to integrate with the West , and others are trying to stop that . '' The officials asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter . CNN 's Matthew Chance in Moscow and Paul Courson in Washington contributed to this report . | NEW : Russian officials are being `` very cooperative , '' U.S. official says . Russian site allegedly shows State Department employee having sex with prostitute . U.S. ambassador says video clips `` clearly fabricated '' Official : Tape meant to discredit employee working in religious and human rights . | [[2765, 2777], [2850, 2991], [0, 15], [34, 98], [71, 127], [228, 337], [258, 325], [1113, 1157], [1123, 1160], [131, 180], [1415, 1454], [1458, 1584], [1486, 1596], [3655, 3662], [3665, 3682], [3685, 3713]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Images of a blazing car at the entrance of the terminal building at Glasgow airport were splashed across the front pages of Britain 's Sunday papers , with many warning that Britain is under attack from a new wave of terrorism . How the British press reported the Glasgow attack . The Sunday Mirror published dramatic pictures of a burning man trying to ignite explosives in the vehicle while being sprayed with water by an off-duty policeman . The News of the World had a picture of a `` hero '' police officer pinning down a smoldering bomber . The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said Britain was feared to be under terrorist attack for the third time in 36 hours after the attack , and following the discovery of two cars packed with explosive material and nails in London . In an editorial , The Sunday Times newspaper says London and Glasgow appeared to have had a lucky escape . `` The people behind these attempted atrocities clearly have twisted minds . How else to explain an attack directed at `` ladies night '' at the Tiger Tiger nightclub ? `` For Islamists -- and there seems little doubt that Muslim extremists were behind the plot -- young women drinking , dancing and enjoying themselves embodies everything they find repulsive about western society . `` There will be other weekends when we fear we will be commenting not on close shaves but on completed terrorist attacks . '' The Observer newspaper said Friday 's aborted London bomb attack was `` al Qaeda inspired '' and may have been linked to five terrorism suspects who have escaped Home Office control orders and are on the run . The newspaper also reports that former British prime minister Tony Blair had launched a powerful attack on `` absurd '' British Islamists who have nurtured a false `` sense of grievance '' that they are being oppressed by Britain and the United States . Blair warns that Britain is in danger of losing the battle against terrorists unless mainstream society confronts the threat . `` The idea that as a Muslim in this country that you do n't have the freedom to express your religion ... I mean you 've got far more freedom in this country than you do in most Muslim countries , '' Blair told Observer columnist Will Hutton . In an editorial , the newspaper says : `` Some believe that the solution to terrorism is to resolve the myriad grievances the terrorists broadcast so violently . This is a mistake . Many such grievances are imagined -- the West does not want to ` dominate the lands of Islam , ' for example . `` Many more are simply not Britain 's fault ; we are not to blame for the parlous economic state of many Islamic countries . Instead , we should remember that it is our way of life , and the attraction it holds , that remains our best weapon . `` The truth is that our democratic structures , our economy , our values and the society we have built upon them are much stronger than we often think . '' E-mail to a friend . | Photos of burning cars and burned bombers splashed across UK press . Newspapers say they fear a `` new wave '' of car bombings and terrorism . Former British prime minister Tony Blair attacks `` absurd '' British Islamists . | [[0, 6], [9, 184], [265, 316], [561, 582], [210, 264], [583, 756], [1638, 1651], [1657, 1775]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A high-speed passenger train left its tracks on the outskirts of Split , Croatia , Friday , killing at least six people and injuring 45 , according to Croatian police . The high-speed train derailed on the outskirts of Split , Croatia , about noon on Friday . The train was on its way from the Croatian capital , Zagreb , when it derailed about 20 kilometers -LRB- 12 miles -RRB- from it 's destination of Split about noon , said Marina Kraljevic-Gudelj , a spokeswoman for police in Split . `` This is a huge tragedy , so there is no place for speculation , '' she said . Police had launched an investigation into the cause of the crash . CNN 's Per Nyberg contributed to this report . | High-speed passenger train leaves its tracks on the outskirts of Split , Croatia . At least six people killed and 45 injured , according to police . The train was on its way from the Croatian capital , Zagreb , to Split . | [[0, 15], [48, 89], [188, 278], [0, 15], [111, 154], [0, 15], [157, 187], [279, 329]] |
-LRB- The Frisky -RRB- -- You do n't have to be Jennifer Aniston to think that the four women who Krazy-Glued a cheater 's penis to his stomach were way harsh and beyond psycho . If your ex 's loved ones ask why you broke up , it 's OK to admit he cheated on you , writer says . But in our less scrupulous/mature moments , many of us want to punish a particularly nasty ex , especially if he was a cheater . Ladies , let 's keep it legal -LRB- and Krazy Glue-free -RRB- , OK ? Here are 10 ideas : . 1 . Email his crappiest crap e-mail to Jezebel.com 's Crap E-mail From A Dude and when they publish it , discreetly post the link as your GChat away message . 2 . Call up your hottest platonic male friend , grab your digital camera and go do something adorable together . Now it 's time to create a Facebook photo album full of pics of you looking smiley . -LRB- Bonus points if your ex was slightly paranoid that this guy had a thing for you -RRB- . The Frisky : Possible to remain friends with an ex ? 3 . Permanently adopt that comfy sweatshirt he left at your place . Especially if he 's the one who caused the breakup , he probably does n't have the cojones to ask for it back now . 4 . Gain that extra 10 lbs that fills you out nicely , like Joan Holloway on `` Mad Men '' ... 5 . ... or lose that extra 10 lbs so you can fit into your sexy jeans again . Either way , this also requires a Facebook photo album . The Frisky : How Joan Holloway gives me confidence . 6 . You might hear from his mom , sisters , or other family members you were close to after the breakup , especially if you dated for a long time . Airing too much of your dirty laundry to them will make you look like a psycho . But if he did cheat on you -LRB- and you did n't cheat back -RRB- , it could n't hurt to mention how his bad behavior led to the split . The Frisky : 10 rules on way men and women eat . Dude sure as hell did n't tell them the truth about why you broke up ! And any mom or sister worth her salt will tear your ex a new one when they learn that 's why he lost a great girl like you . The Frisky : Continue relationships with an ex 's loved ones ? 7 . Ignore every single text , Tweet , Facebook poke and email from here on out . But kept posting stuff on your social networking sites on the regular . 8 . If you 're a songwriter or a poet , well , you know what to do . The creep who caused Ani Di Franco 's song `` Untouchable Face '' probably has n't forgotten what he did . 9 . Penning aggressive-aggressive emails -LRB- as opposed to passive-aggressive ones -RRB- is always therapeutic . The Frisky : Passive aggressive notes Web site . 10 . Spend a few months feeling down . Indulge in some therapy . Do some fun things single women do . Work extra-hard at your job and get a promotion . Go take a trip or buy some new clothes . Whenever you 're ready , go meet a new guy . Fall in love . Have tons of great sex . Laugh a lot . Talk about baby names and where you want your honeymoon to be . The next time you run into your ex , mention all the great things that have happened in your life since you broke up ... or just smile . The Frisky : Happy to be single . TM & © 2009 TMV , Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | If your ex cheated on you , there are legal ways to get even . Do whatever it takes to look your best , post pix on Facebook with male friend . If his mom or sister ask about breakup , tell them he cheated on you . Ignore all social media contact from him . But post a song about his cheating ways . | [[182, 224], [227, 262], [2148, 2219]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iran tested a missile-launching system and several types of short - and medium-range missiles Sunday , the state-run Press TV said . A short-range missile is test-launched during war games in Qom , Iran , south of Tehran , on Sunday . Earlier , the country 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had said it would stage missile exercises beginning Sunday to promote the armed forces ' defense capabilities . The tests , which are expected to last until Monday , are code-named `` Payghambar-e Azam 4 '' or `` The Great Prophet 4 , '' Press TV said . The missiles , fired at targets around the country Sunday , included the Fateh-110 , a short-range ground-to-ground missile , and Tondar-69 , a short-range naval missile , the station said . Several models of medium-range Shahab missiles were tested at night , Press TV reported . Watch Iranian missile tests '' The final stage of the tests will be held Monday morning , when Iran plans to test the long-range Shahab missile , the station said . In May , Iran said it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe . At the time , a White House official said actions in Iran were noteworthy . `` Of course , this is just a test , and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed . But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran 's capacity to deliver weapons , '' said Gary Samore , special assistant to the president on nonproliferation . The latest test follows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's disclosure Friday that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility . Watch analyst 's view on missile tests , nuclear tensions '' The United States and Israel believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program . Iran has denied the allegation . | NEW : Iran test-fires several types of short - and medium-range missiles . NEW : Tests are code-named `` The Great Prophet 4 , '' state-run Press TV says . Missile tests come days after Iran admits existence of second nuclear facility . In May , Iran tested surface-to-surface missile capable of reaching parts of Europe . | [[19, 119], [152, 253], [758, 825], [122, 151], [425, 476], [479, 545], [548, 566], [1484, 1566], [1013, 1019], [1022, 1070], [1032, 1116]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- All five members of a family found slain inside a Beason , Illinois , home early this week were beaten to death , police said Thursday . Police officers stand patrol outside the Gee household late Monday evening . A pathologist determined that the five -- Raymond Gee , 46 ; Ruth Gee , 39 ; and three children -- had been beaten , Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols told reporters . `` All the injuries at the scene were from blunt-force trauma . '' The three children were identified as Justina Constant , 16 , Dillen Constant , 14 , and Austin Gee , 11 . A 3-year-old girl remained in critical but stable condition Thursday at a hospital , Nichols said . He said he would not divulge or speculate what the family was beaten with , and remained tight-lipped about many aspects of the deaths , including when authorities believe they occurred . Beason is in central Illinois , about 45 miles northeast of Springfield , the state capital . A task force has been formed with officers from several different agencies to investigate the homicides , the sheriff said . Processing of the crime scene concluded Wednesday afternoon , and `` hundreds of seized items '' are being processed , he said . `` Forensic evidence in this case is significant . '' The sheriff has said authorities received a 911 call about a possible shooting at the home shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday . Nichols said authorities are looking for a gray-primer-painted pickup truck that was seen in the area Sunday night . `` We 'll take any tip that anybody has , '' he said . A tip line has been set up at 217-732-3000 , Nichols said . | Two adults , three children died of blunt force trauma , pathologist finds . Killings occurred in Beason , Illinois , about 45 miles northeast of Springfield . One survivor , a 3-year-old girl , hospitalized in critical condition . | [[233, 307], [310, 328], [332, 347], [350, 362], [576, 658]] |
CHATTANOOGA , Tennessee -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An annual family fishing trip to the Florida keys took a bloody and life-changing turn for Jordan Thomas . Noah Parton , 6 , got prosthetics from foundation started by Jordan Thomas , right . `` It was a beautiful day and we were going to go out spear fishing that night , '' said Thomas , who was 16 during the 2005 trip . But when he jumped into the water , the boat 's wake dragged Thomas hard into its sharp , whirling propellers . He immediately knew what was about to happen . `` I looked down -- my black fins were gone and all I saw was red just everywhere , '' said Thomas , an athletic teen who was captain of his high school 's golf team . `` But I had this unbelievable calmness over my body . '' Watch video of Thomas telling his story '' His father and mother , both doctors from Chattanooga , Tennessee , jumped into action . `` All of a sudden , my 16-year old , happy-go-lucky captain of the golf team was potentially dying , '' said Dr. Liz Kennedy-Thomas . She worked to stanch the blood flow from her son 's legs while his father rushed the boat to shore and fetched paramedics . Thomas was rushed to a hospital where he spent the next two weeks -- undergoing several surgeries on what was left of his legs and , along the way , discovering what would become his life 's work . While there , Thomas visited other amputees . `` I just remember seeing so many kids who did n't have parents , did n't have health care , '' he said . `` I just knew that the future was grim for them . '' The top-of-the-line prosthetics Thomas was fitted with -- the ones that helped him return to the golf links -- cost about $ 22,000 . He learned that many insurance plans only cover about $ 5,000 . That 's especially tough on child amputees , who will outgrow several limbs before adulthood . `` I had no clue , '' he said . `` It 's one of those things , unless you 're affected by it , you just do n't know . '' Thomas knew he was lucky . With a financially stable family , he 'll always be able to afford good legs . He asked his family to give a donation to help others , but ultimately they decided to launch a fundraising foundation together . `` By the time we got home , we had bracelets -- all kinds of stuff , '' Kennedy-Thomas said . `` The foundation was just sort of started by the time we got home . '' The Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised $ 350,000 through bracelets , charity golf tournaments and cookouts . Some of that is paying for prosthetics for three children until they reach age 18 . One of them is Noah Parton . The precocious 6-year-old born with a congenital heart defect had a complication with a tube inserted in his right leg , leading to an amputation above his knee . His family 's insurance would only pay for what 's called a `` stubby '' -- a wooden artificial leg without a bendable knee . `` His first bendable knee ... did n't have a certain number or something that would apply and they refused to pay for it , '' said Noah 's mother , Nancy Parton , who lives with her son about an hour north of Chattanooga , in Evensville , Tennessee . Noah could n't run and play with other children . And even day-to-day activities were tough . `` It was hard to put him in the car because his leg stuck out straight and I 'd have my seat up as far as it would go and it would still hit the back of the seat , '' she said . Thomas 's foundation stepped in , buying Noah several knee devices -- a new one for each new leg he needs as he grows . Now , his mom said , Noah is unstoppable . `` He loves to climb stairs now ; he tries to ride bicycles , '' she said . `` You name it , he does it . `` Take him to the park -LSB- with -RSB- any other kid ; he 'll just blow you away . '' As Congress debates overhauling the nation 's healthcare system , prosthetics are quietly getting some attention . In May , Rep. Robert Andrews , a New Jersey Democrat , introduced the Prosthetic and Orthotic Parity Act , which would require insurance companies to cover prosthetics at the same rate they do surgery . `` It 's pretty simple , '' Andrews said . `` Prosthetic devices are not cosmetic . You ca n't walk without one or you ca n't lift something without one and I think one of the reasons people are so upset about the health care system in this country is they had hassles like this . '' Seventeen states have passed similar laws , most recently Missouri . But amputee advocates say there needs to be a national law . Kendra Calhoun , president and CEO of the Amputee Coalition of America , says there are 1.8 million amputees in the United States and at least 25,000 of them are children . Calhoun said that with more sweeping healthcare legislation taking all the attention , `` our biggest hurdle -LSB- for a prosthetics law -RSB- right now is being heard . '' Some insurance companies have argued that premiums would go up for everyone if they 're forced to cover prosthetics to the extent advocates want . Advocates cite a study they say shows it would cost beneficiaries about five cents per month . Meanwhile Jordan , who 's now a junior in college , says he 'd like to become a voice for otherwise voiceless children . `` I 'd really like to move into advocacy , giving a voice to the amputee community and just helping as many people as possible , '' he said . `` Just making a difference and letting these kids live normal and happy , productive lives . '' CNN 's Doug Gross contributed to this report . | Fishing trip turned tragic for 16-year-old Jordan Thomas . Double amputee discovered others struggling to pay for prosthetic limbs . Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised $ 350k to help those struggling to pay . Legislation addresses payment gap , but more needed , say advocates . | [[316, 366], [2363, 2472], [3400, 3431]] |
SEOUL , South Korea -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former South Korean President and Nobel Laureate Kim Dae-jung , who struggled for democracy for decades and prodded communist North Korea toward rapprochement , died of heart failure on Tuesday , hospital officials said . As president of South Korea , Kim Dae-jung helped bridge differences with North Korea . He was either 83 or 85 , according to conflicting sources . The Nobel Prize Web site indicates he was born on December 3 , 1925 . The Kim presidential library lists his birth date as January 5 , 1924 . He served as president from 1998 to 2003 , and in 2000 , he won the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering better relations between North and South Korea . Kim was admitted to Seoul 's Severance Hospital more than a month ago for pneumonia . Before winning the presidency , Kim struggled for decades as an opposition leader . A former political prisoner , he endured a suspected assassination attempt , a kidnapping , repeated arrests , beatings , exile and a death sentence . Shortly after taking office , Kim vigorously met political leaders of Western countries in a bid to gain support for his `` Sunshine Policy '' to establish relations with the North . Kim 's policy of detente culminated when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in June 2000 , becoming the first South Korean leader to do so since the Korean War unofficially ended in 1953 . But Kim left a mixed legacy as president . Although he helped pull South Korea out of a financial downward spiral , many of his promised economic reforms failed to materialize . A series of corruption scandals , including the imprisonment of two sons on graft charges , also tainted his tenure . `` Broadly speaking , his place in history is going to be a positive one , '' said Brian Bridges , a political science professor at Hong Kong 's Lingnan University who specializes in politics and foreign policies of the two Koreas . `` While it is true that his presidency ended in a cloud of controversy ... he did have a very significant impact in two ways : He took over at a time when South Korea was on its knees and pulled it out from a tremendous economic downturn . And he helped in significantly changing public opinion and popular thinking of South Koreans toward North Korea . '' Kim was born to middle-class farmers on Ha Enido , a small island in South Cholla province , but the family moved to the nearby port of Mokpo so Kim could complete high school . He began dabbling in anti-establishment politics while working in the shipping industry . After his fifth try for political office , Kim was elected to the National Assembly in 1961 . One month later , Gen. Park Chung-hee seized control of the government in a military coup , launching Kim 's career as a key opposition figure . The tough , authoritarian Park proved the perfect foil for the fiery oratory of the charismatic Kim . The more Park persecuted Kim , the more Kim 's popularity grew . During the height of the Vietnam War in 1971 , Kim proclaimed his liberal views on the reunification of North and South Korea . The government branded him a communist , but in his first presidential race he won 46 percent of the vote against Park . Kim was headed to a rally in Seoul a month after the election when a truck turned directly into the path of his car , forcing him off the road . The truck hit another vehicle , killing two people . Kim was left with a permanent limp from the incident , which was widely considered an assassination attempt . Park tightened his hold in 1972 , scrapping the constitution and doing away with any pretense of democratic rule . Kim traveled to Japan for medical treatment and continued his anti-Park campaign . In August 1973 , South Korean agents kidnapped Kim from a Tokyo hotel and took him out to sea in a small boat , on which he spent several harrowing days . When then-U.S. Ambassador Philip Habib was informed of the abduction , he warned Park that he would face severe repercussions from the United States if Kim were killed . Kim was returned to his Seoul home , battered but alive , and spent the next nine years under house arrest , in jail or in exile . In 1979 Park was assassinated by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency . Another general , Chun Doo-hwan , imposed martial law as he moved to take over the presidency . Kim and other leading opposition figures were arrested as tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Kwangju , in South Cholla province . Troops used force to quell the demonstrations , killing at least 200 people , by some estimates . Kim was charged with sedition and nearly executed , but again the United States intervened . Under a deal with then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan 's administration , Kim boarded a plane to the United States in 1982 . When he returned to his homeland a few years later , however , the United States could not help him . As soon as he stepped off the plane in Seoul , Kim was knocked down by Korean security officers and dragged back into house arrest . Kim made two more failed bids for president -- in 1987 and 1992 -- before declaring that he was quitting politics . His retirement did not last long and he was elected president in 1997 , at the height of the Asian economic crisis . His inauguration marked the first peaceful transfer of power between rival parties in 50 years . At the time of his inauguration , Korea was plunging headlong into a financial crisis . He told CNN then that he felt as though he was handed an empty vault . Kim called on global investors to have faith in his country 's future -- and on his people to forge their own recovery . Thousands answered , trading in gold rings for cash as a symbol of their desire to revive their country . The watershed moment of Kim 's presidency came in June 2000 when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong Il , grasping hands and beaming . But rapprochement talks between the countries hit a wall after conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in early 2008 , with a tougher stance toward the North than Kim and his successor , Roh Moo-hyun . In an interview with CNN in 2006 , Kim looked back on his long political life , secure in the belief that -- despite setbacks -- his convictions were worth fighting for . `` After I was sentenced to death , people from the military regime came up to me and said , ` If you cooperate with us , we will let you live . If you do n't cooperate , you will die . ' `` I said , ` If I compromise with you , I 'll live temporarily , but I will die forever . If I do not cooperate with you , my body will be dead , but I will live in my people 's heart and history forever . I rather choose to live in history forever . ' '' CNN 's Sohn Jie-Ae and Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report . | Kim 's `` Sunshine Policy '' with North culminated in 2000 meeting with Kim Jong Il . Kim was president from 1998 to 2003 . He was hospitalized more than a month ago for pneumonia . Despite Nobel Peace Prize , he failed to achieve economic reforms that he promised . | [[1204, 1296], [5755, 5889], [5820, 5858], [551, 591], [700, 785], [1513, 1574]] |
MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An underemployed Spanish matador is breaking tradition and carrying advertising on his capes in the bullring -- promoting a soft drink aimed at gays . Matador Joselito Ortega in an exhibition fight on Sept. 23 in the southern Spanish city of Malaga . While fighting bulls , matador Joselito Ortega will use capes embroidered with the words `` Gay Up , '' the name of the energy drink . The move has many in the macho-steeped world of bullfighting seeing red . But Ortega , 29 , told CNN , `` I 'm glad to be the first person -LRB- in bullfighting -RRB- whom the gay community will take as an icon . '' `` People think the bullfighter is very tough , very rude and they only like women , '' Ortega added . `` But we are in 2009 . Everything must change . '' Industry experts said it would be the first time advertising will appear on bullfighter 's capes -- the large one used when the bull rushes into the ring , and a smaller one used later as the matador moves in for the kill . In the 1980s , matador Luis Reina had a contract showing the brand name of Japanese electronics giant Akai on parts of his shiny `` suit of lights , '' while fighting . `` But that lasted just one or two fights , '' recalls Curro Vazquez , a former bullfighter who now manages one of Spain 's top-tier matadors , Cayetano Rivero Ordonez . Rivero Ordonez has declined offers to carry publicity on his bullfighter 's suit and capes while in the ring , Vazquez said , out of respect for `` the ritual of bullfighting . '' `` The cape is a sacred thing , '' said Vazquez , adding that it 's fine for premier bullfighters -- who are treated like rock stars -- to have lucrative endorsement deals for products , but only outside of the ring . This is the first endorsement deal of any kind for Ortega . He became a full matador in 2006 , facing the biggest bulls , but said he 's fought only six or seven fights since then . Yet a bullfighter in demand can have dozens of fights in just a single season . `` Ortega is a new bullfighter and he might see this as a way to get known , '' Vazquez said . If so , it appears to be working . Ortega and his drinks company have been flooded with media queries since they made the announcement this week . Pedro Suarez , the CEO at Grupo Banus Pi , the firm that makes Gay Up and took over management of Ortega 's career just two weeks ago , said they plan to organize an exhibition fight for Ortega soon , and sell the TV rights exclusively . Gay Up is a non-alcoholic energy drink made in Spain , drawn from a formula originally from Colombia . Suarez said the company tried to sponsor a Spanish football -LRB- soccer -RRB- team but was turned down because of the Gay Up brand . Then they found Ortega , who says he 's not gay . He 's been gored six or seven times in his career , which started 13 years ago as a junior bullfighter . `` All sports teams have advertising on their uniforms , '' Ortega said , insisting he 'd continue to fight bulls the same way , even with ads on his capes . Bull breeder Juan Pedro Domecq Morenes welcomed the change , saying it might help revive Spain 's billion-dollar bullfighting industry , which he said in recent years has seen a 45 percent decline in the number of fights , especially in smaller village bullrings . `` Only God is sacred , '' said Domecq , who also publishes a bullfighting Web site . `` The rest of the traditions have to advance , modernize . '' | Matador Joselito Ortega will use capes embroidered with the words `` Gay Up '' `` Gay Up '' is the name of a non-alcoholic energy drink in Spain . Industry experts : First time advertising will appear on bullfighter 's capes . Ortega , who says he 's not gay , has been gored six or seven times . | [[285, 305], [308, 358], [341, 373], [2494, 2569], [0, 6], [9, 142], [791, 887], [2731, 2780], [2747, 2753], [2760, 2780], [2781, 2830]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hundreds of thousands of children worldwide are thought to be working full-time on tobacco farms , suffering from toxic levels of nicotine exposure and abusive labor conditions . Children as young as five-years-old work on tobacco farms in Malawi , according to Plan International . In Malawi alone there are an estimated 78,000 boys and girls employed in tobacco harvesting . On average they earn 17 cents for a 12-hour day of back-breaking , bare-handed work , according to a recent report from Plan International . Handling burley tobacco leaves without gloves , in unwashed clothes and rarely bathing , these children can absorb the same amount of nicotine in one day of harvesting that they would from smoking 50 cigarettes . `` Sometimes it feels like you do n't have enough breath ... You reach a point where you can not breathe because of the pain in your chest . Then the blood comes when you vomit . At the end , most of this dies and then you remain with a headache , '' the report quoted one child describing how he felt at the end of the day . See pictures of Malawi 's child tobacco farmers '' `` Nicotine is water soluble and can enter via the skin , so if it has recently rained , or there is heavy dew , the nicotine migrates into the water on the leaf . If that water gets on to your shirt it essentially becomes a giant nicotine patch , '' explained Henry Spiller of the Kentucky Regional Poison Center . After reading the Plan report , Spiller , who has researched Green Tobacco Sickness -LRB- GTS -RRB- in children working on tobacco farms in the U.S. , told CNN that the Malawi children 's symptoms were `` absolutely '' consistent with GTS . The Minister of Labor for Malawi , Yunnus Mussa , has denied the findings of the Plan report and told CNN their figures were `` absolute trash . '' According to Mussa , the government has been hard at work with UNICEF for the past two years to eliminate child labor and has made substantial progress . `` No estate-owner has ever employed children age five to 14 , '' he added . In 2007 UNICEF estimated that 29 percent of children ages five to 14-years-old in Malawi worked , and that the majority of those children worked in agriculture . There are more than 30,000 smallholder farmers in tobacco production and the crop contributes 70 percent of foreign exchange and 30 percent of GDP , according to the government Web site . Figures aside , the pictures speak for themselves , showing that the danger of nicotine poisoning is real and that better regulation and monitoring is needed . `` There are a couple of things that could prevent this , like you should wash or change shirts , '' Spiller said , citing a study in which sweat rung out from tobacco workers ' shirts contained up to 98mcg/mL of nicotine . As well as exploitative conditions , the children described repeated physical and sexual abuse from their supervisors . Many of the kids also complained of `` sticky stuff '' from the stalks that they could not wash off their hands because they had no access to soap or water , according to Glynis Clacherty , who interviewed the children first-hand for the Plan report . `` We are busy working and we do n't have time to go for bathing , so we develop those sores , '' one 15-year-old girl told Clacherty . The 44 children she interviewed were working full-time on both large estates and small family farms , but none were working for their own families , and 36 of them were orphans . The main reason the children gave for working was poverty : lack of food , clothing or money to go to school were frequently cited . `` A lot think it 's fine for children to work . They do n't see the dangers of the pesticides or the opportunity cost of not going to school , '' said Susan Gunn , an expert in hazardous child labor at the International Labor Organization -LRB- ILO -RRB- , referring to farmers in East Africa . `` The new globalization of agriculture has a tendency to increase the demand for child labor , '' explained Gunn . When you have growers that are working under contract to larger companies , in industries such as tobacco , sugar or flowers , the contract is made with the adults , who in turn use their families to reach a quota or get a livable income . '' In recent years multinational tobacco corporations have been rapidly shifting farming production away from rich countries like the United States . Nearly 75 percent of tobacco production is now done in developing countries such as Malawi , Tanzania , Zimbabwe , China , Brazil and India . Re-location to poorer states by multinational firms increases the demand for all types of labor their , not just that of children , according to Professor Margaret McMillan of Tufts University . If anything , she argues , increased investment can actually bring higher salaries and improved monitoring of abuse . `` If children are working in the tobacco fields , they are probably very poor and the alternatives could be even worse , '' she said . `` I firmly believe that engagement by international corporations in African agriculture must happen , but they should be monitored on all fronts . '' Today UNICEF , the ILO , Plan and others all remain active in Malawi , working with the government to develop links between the ministries of labor and agriculture to end child labor on tobacco farms . Since the report came out in August , Plan International told CNN in an email that `` the government has been constructive in their response and are discussing/looking to work with Plan to conduct a national survey to gauge the true scale of the issue and better enforcement of existing child labor laws . '' | Children can absorb up to 50 cigarettes worth of nicotine on wet days . Wearing gloves , washing clothes or bathing would all reduce exposure and risk . Green Tobacco Sickness ` feels like death , ' induces headaches , nausea . Report reveals widespread abuse of child workers , withheld wages , violence . | [[2653, 2685], [2851, 2933]] |
Editor 's note : Peter Bergen , CNN 's national security analyst , is a fellow at the New America Foundation , a Washington-based think tank that promotes innovative thought from across the ideological spectrum , and at New York University 's Center on Law and Security . He 's the author of `` The Osama bin Laden I Know : An Oral History of al Qaeda 's Leader . '' Peter Bergen says Osama bin Laden is still alive and still significant eight years after September 11 . HELMAND , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Eight years after September 11 , the `` war on terror '' has gone the way of the dodo . And President Obama talks instead about a war against al Qaeda and its allies . What , then , of al Qaeda 's enigmatic leader , Osama bin Laden , who has vanished like a wisp of smoke ? And does he even matter now ? The U.S. government had n't had a solid lead on al Qaeda 's leader since the battle of Tora Bora in winter 2001 . Although there are informed hypotheses that today he is in Pakistan 's North West Frontier Province on the Afghan border , perhaps in one of the more northerly areas such as Bajaur , these are essentially guesses , not `` actionable '' intelligence . A longtime American counterterrorism analyst explained to me , `` There is very limited collection on him personally . '' That 's intelligence community shorthand for the fact that the usual avenues of `` collection '' on a target such as bin Laden are yielding little or no information about him . Those avenues typically include signal intercepts of phone calls and e-mails , as well as human intelligence from spies . Given the hundreds of billions of dollars that the `` war on terror '' has consumed , the failure to capture or kill al Qaeda 's leader is one of its signal failures . Does it even matter whether bin Laden is found ? Yes , it does . First , there is the matter of justice for the almost 3,000 people who died in the September 11 attacks and for the thousands of other victims of al Qaeda 's attacks around the world . Second , every day that bin Laden remains at liberty is a propaganda victory for al Qaeda . Third , although bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri are n't managing al Qaeda 's operations on a daily basis they guide the overall direction of the jihadist movement around the world , even while they are in hiding . Those messages from al Qaeda 's leaders have reached untold millions worldwide via television , the Internet and newspapers . The tapes have not only instructed al Qaeda 's followers to continue to kill Westerners and Jews , but some also carried specific instructions that militant cells then acted on . In March 2008 , for instance , the al Qaeda leader denounced the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper as a `` catastrophe '' for which punishment would soon be meted out . Three months later , an al Qaeda suicide attacker bombed the Danish Embassy in Islamabad , killing six . Some reading this may think : But what 's the proof that the al Qaeda leader is still alive ? Plenty . Since September 11 , bin Laden has released a slew of video and audiotapes , many of which discuss current events . After a nine-month silence , for instance , bin Laden released a 22-minute audiotape on March 14 , sharply condemning the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza . Are these tapes real ? Not one of the dozens of tapes released by bin Laden after 9/11 has been a fake . Indeed the U.S. government has authenticated many of them using bin Laden 's distinctive voiceprint . And what about the persistent reports that he is ill ? In 2002 , Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said bin Laden had kidney disease , for which he required a dialysis machine , and was therefore likely dead . But the stories of bin Laden 's life-threatening kidney problems are false , judging by his appearance in videos that he released in 2004 and again in 2007 , in which he showed no signs of illness . On the 2007 tape , the al Qaeda leader had even dyed his white-flecked beard black , suggesting that as the Saudi militant entered his fifth decade , he was not immune to a measure of vanity about his personal appearance . In fact , bin Laden looked much better in those videos than he did in the video he released shortly after the battle of Tora Bora in late 2001 , where he had narrowly escaped being killed in a massive American attack . The situation is further complicated by the fact that bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are almost certainly hiding out in the tribal areas of Pakistan , on the Afghan border . Arthur Keller , a CIA officer who ran a spy network in Pakistan 's tribal areas in 2006 , told me the problems of working in the region : `` It 's an incredibly remote area . They 're hiding in a sea of people that are very xenophobic of outsiders , so it 's a very , very tough nut to crack . '' An additional factor operating in bin Laden 's favor is the personal popularity he has long enjoyed in Pakistan . Three years after the September 11 attacks , for instance , a Pew poll found that al Qaeda 's leader had a 65 percent favorability rating among Pakistanis . However , it is clear from the videos of bin Laden and al-Zawahiri that aired in the years since the attacks that they are not living in caves . In those tapes , both men 's clothes were clean and well-pressed . Caves generally do n't have laundry facilities . And the videos that they have released are well-lit and well-shot productions , suggesting access either to electrical outlets or to generators to run lights . Al-Zawahiri is often filmed in a library setting , and on one of his videos from March 2006 , there are curtains clearly visible behind him , suggesting that the tape was shot in a house . By early 2008 , the Bush administration had tired of the Pakistani government 's unwillingness or inability to take out al Qaeda 's leaders , and in July , the president authorized Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults in the tribal regions without the permission of the Pakistani government . But in the face of the intense Pakistani opposition to American boots on the ground , the Bush administration chose to rely instead on drones to target suspected al Qaeda and Taliban leaders . Bush ordered the CIA to expand its attacks with Predator and Reaper drones . Between July 2008 and this month , U.S. drones have killed dozens of lower-ranking militants and at least 10 mid - and upper-level leaders within al Qaeda or the Taliban . This strategy seems to have worked , at least in terms of combating the ability of al Qaeda to plan or carry out attacks in the West . Law-enforcement authorities have uncovered no serious plots against U.S. or European targets that were traceable to militants who had received training in Pakistan 's tribal regions after the drone program had been dramatically ramped up there . The increased pace of the American drone attacks in Pakistani 's tribal areas was motivated in part by the hope that it would increase panicked communications among the militants , which might help pinpoint the locations of the top leaders in al Qaeda or the Taliban , but that approach has not paid off when it comes to bin Laden . If killing bin Laden with a drone has proved difficult , so too will be capturing him alive . His former bodyguard Abu Jandal told Al Quds al Arabi newspaper , `` Sheikh Osama gave me a pistol . ... The pistol had only two bullets , for me to kill Sheikh Osama with in case we were surrounded or he was about to fall into the enemy 's hands , so that he would not be caught alive '' Should bin Laden be captured or killed , that would probably trigger a succession battle within al Qaeda . While al-Zawahiri is the deputy leader of the terror group and therefore technically bin Laden 's successor , he is not regarded as a natural leader . Indeed , even among his fellow Egyptian militants , al-Zawahiri is seen as a divisive force , and so he is unlikely to be able to step into the role of leader of al Qaeda and of the world jihadist movement that is occupied by bin Laden . By the law of averages , eventually , bin Laden will be captured or killed . Yet the ideological movement that he helped spawn -- `` Binladenism '' -- will live on long after he is gone . That is bin Laden 's legacy . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter Bergen . | Peter Bergen : Osama bin Laden still inspires al Qaeda . He says 8 years after 9/11 , the `` war on terror '' has failed to capture him . He says law of averages suggests bin Laden will eventually be caught or killed . | [[367, 470], [367, 470], [7143, 7202], [8082, 8104], [8107, 8117], [8120, 8146], [8082, 8104], [8120, 8129], [8150, 8158]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities have identified both people who died after being swept away by fierce waves churned up by Hurricane Bill on the East Coast . Tourists watch waves crash ashore at Acadia National Park in Maine on Sunday . Clio Axlerod , 7 , of New York , died after a wave knocked her and six other people into the Atlantic at Maine 's Acadia National Park on Sunday , Park Chief Stuart West said . Of the other six who were swept from that park into the ocean , four made it back to shore on their own . Two -- Axlerod 's father , Peter Axlerod , 55 , and Simone Pelletier , 12 , of Belfast , Maine -- were rescued by the Coast Guard , he said . The victims were among several thousand people who were at the park late Sunday morning to watch the high waves that Bill -- then a Category 1 hurricane -- was producing . iReport.com : See photos shot before tragic wave incident . The people knocked into the water were on a rock cliff about 20 feet above the sea , West said . A wave struck at about 11 : 50 a.m. , pushing water onto the ankles of some of the people standing on `` top of what we think would be a safe area , '' West said . People started to turn back , but then they were hit by a larger wave , which sent the seven into the sea , West said . Some people were taken to a hospital with broken bones or other injuries , according to Sheridan Steele , the park 's superintendent . A witness , Mary Ellen Martel of Maine , said that before the seven were swept into the ocean , people were clapping and laughing when the wind would bring the spray over . `` It was a very festive atmosphere , '' Martel said in a telephone interview . `` It was a warm , sunny day and everyone was just enjoying the show that Mother Nature was offering , but not everybody knows to stay away from the edge -- or way , away from the edge . '' Martel , who had come to the park with her husband , said she feels `` pretty certain '' she had been on the same ledge as some of the victims who were swept to shore . Martel had stood far enough back that the first wave did not affect her much , but when she saw the second coming , she turned her back to protect a camera she had . She was doused from her shoulders down , and she went for the road that led away from the area , she said . `` When I looked -LSB- back -RSB- , everybody was scrambling to get off the ledge , '' she said . Angel Rosa , 54 , had come with family to Bethune Beach , one of Volusia County 's 40 miles of beaches , Petersohn said . Although lifeguards had warned people not to go in the water because the offshore wind built waves to between 10 and 13 feet tall , Petersohn said , he suspects that 's exactly why Rosa was in the water . `` I have a feeling he probably came over to body surf these huge waves , '' he said . He added that such waves come along only every few years . Rosa entered the water Saturday afternoon with a group , but was separated from them , Petersohn said . His fellow swimmers reported Rosa missing , he said , and as rescue teams were mobilizing , beach patrol received an emergency call that a man had been dragged to shore a half-mile away . Petersohn said Rosa might have suffered some kind of trauma that contributed to his drowning . Emergency personnel treated three spinal injuries during the weekend , Petersohn said , as the tough waves slammed swimmers into the bottom . An autopsy report on Rosa is expected in coming days . `` It 's very unfortunate that this happened , and everyone feels terrible about it , but it 's not something I 'm surprised about , '' Petersohn said . `` As big as the surf was , as treacherous as it was , it does n't surprise me . '' Bill was downgraded to a tropical storm and then to an unnamed storm Monday as it headed into the northern Atlantic . The storm was expected to be in the British Isles by midweek , according to a forecast map from the National Hurricane Center . CNN 's Khadijah Rentas contributed to this report . | Girl who died after being swept into Atlantic Ocean off Maine identified . Bill , a Category 1 hurricane Sunday , downgraded to unnamed storm Monday . Two other people rescued after being swept into ocean . Man died Saturday in surf off Florida . | [[235, 265], [268, 379], [683, 706], [748, 831], [3686, 3725]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The British government announced Friday that more than 4,000 former Gurkha soldiers are entitled to settle in Britain , but Gurkha supporters quickly denounced the measure as meaningless . Former Gurkha solider Tulbahadur Pun was awarded Britain 's highest honor for bravery , the Victoria Cross . Supporters have fought for years for more rights for the Gurkhas , Nepalese soldiers who have been part of the British Army for nearly 200 years . Gurkhas have fought alongside the British Armed Forces in every conflict in that period , including both world wars , and are known for their ferocity and pride . Despite their centuries of service , Gurkhas were not given the right to settle in the United Kingdom until 2004 . And even then the order applied only to those discharged after the British handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 , when the Gurkhas Brigade moved from Hong Kong to Britain . The government 's announcement Friday applies to all Gurkhas , including those who left the army before 1997 , if they meet one of five criteria . It also says around 6,000 of the Gurkhas ' dependents may be able to apply for settlement in Britain as well . `` The guidance honors the service , commitment , and gallantry of those who served with the Gurkhas Brigade , '' Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said in a written statement . The Gurkha Justice Campaign , however , said the government 's criteria for the Gurkhas ' resettlement are unrealistic and too difficult for many of the soldiers to meet . `` Only a tiny fraction of the Gurkhas who retired before 1997 will win settlement rights under the new policy , '' the campaign said . `` The campaign for full Gurkha justice will now be taken back into Parliament and the courts . The government needs to know they will have a huge campaign against them who will commit to righting this wrong . '' The High Court ruled last September that the 1997 cut-off date was fair , but added that caseworkers needed revised guidance on deciding the cases of Gurkhas discharged before that date . Under the guidance , Gurkhas discharged before 1997 must meet one of five criteria to be considered for resettlement in Britain : . • Have three years ' continuous residence in Britain , before or after service ; • Have close family settled in the United Kingdom ; • Have an award for gallantry , leadership , or bravery while in the brigade ; • Have a chronic medical condition attributable to or made worse by army service ; • Have served for 20 or more years . Actress Joanna Lumley , whose father served in the Gurkhas while she was a girl , has been an outspoken campaigner for their rights . She said the new criteria are harsher than she expected . `` They 've given five bullet points which virtually can not be met by the ordinary Gurkha soldier , '' Lumley told reporters Friday . `` This one page of criteria has taken the government four months to come up with . It has made me ashamed of our administration . '' She said most Gurkhas are allowed to stay in the United Kingdom for only two years , so three years of continuous residence is not possible . Most Gurkhas , she said , also have not been allowed to settle in Britain with their families . The requirement for having won an award discriminates against the ordinary soldier who has no award , she said . `` This sends out not only to the Gurkha soldiers , but to our own men fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq , the most appalling message : that unless you have been awarded a medal for gallantry , you 're not a real soldier , '' Lumley said . Only officers are allowed to serve 20 or more years , she said , so most riflemen will not qualify for the service requirement . And proving that an injury is related to army service will be nearly impossible for most , she said . `` How on earth are men who were injured in the 1940s , '50s , '60s going to be able to prove that their long-term chronic illness is attributable to injures received during their service ? '' she said . A Home Office spokesman said the government believes hundreds of Gurkhas will still be eligible to settle in Britain . `` We would not accept that , '' the spokesman said of Lumley 's criticisms . `` We would say that the criteria as we see it is fair and balanced . '' The Gurkha brigade originated in the 19th century with Nepalese soldiers who impressed British imperial troops with their ferocity and military ability . The first Gurkha units were formed in 1815 . They saw action in both world wars and were fundamental to the British military maintaining control of India in the 1800s . Today there are 3,400 troops in the Gurkha brigade , operating from bases in Great Britain . Most recently , Gurkha troops were used in the Persian Gulf War and the Balkan conflicts . | British government unveils moves to let more former Gurkha troops live in the UK . Gurkhas are part of British armed forces made up of Nepalese fighters . Campaigners say qualifying criteria mean most will not be able to settle in UK . First Gurkha units formed in 1815 and they fought in every campaign since . | [[9, 32], [36, 119], [1380, 1407], [1420, 1541], [3156, 3168], [3187, 3251], [481, 596], [4309, 4381], [4463, 4507]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Imagine taking the best characters and elements of your favorite fictional universe and weaving them into a new story that captures the imagination of fans . In the dark , cinematic `` Batman : Arkham Asylum , '' Batman must escape from a spooky psychiatric hospital . That 's what Emmy-winning TV writer Paul Dini did in creating `` Batman : Arkham Asylum , '' a video game coming out in late August . Buzz is building online for the dark , cinematic game , which reimagines a brooding Batman and his most notorious nemesis , the Joker , for an experience that 's reminiscent of `` The Dark Knight '' blockbuster movie . You want mayhem , insanity and brutality ? Get ready for all of it . `` This is the Batman movie I would have liked to have written , '' said Dini , who was scheduled to discuss the game during a panel Saturday at Comic-Con International , the huge celebration of comic-book culture in San Diego , California . `` This is him with all the good stuff . '' The atmospheric game pits Batman against Joker in a battle of wits and brawn after the Clown Prince of Crime traps the Caped Crusader inside Arkham Asylum , Gotham 's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane . After the trap is sprung , the Joker releases the inmates , including some of Batman 's most ferocious enemies : Bane , Harley Quinn , Mr. Zsasz , Poison Ivy and Killer Croc . Batman has appeared in video games since 1986 , but none as ambitious or complex as `` Arkham Asylum , '' which draws much of its inspiration from the character 's comic mythology . The game will be released for the Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , and Microsoft Windows . It 's being developed by Rocksteady Studios and will be published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. . Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics . -LRB- Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment is a division of Time Warner , which owns CNN . -RRB- . As the lead writer for the game , Dini said he was given a clean slate to work from . Because there was no movie , graphic novel or comic tie-in to follow , he was able to create an original story . Dini 's familiarity with the main character may help win the hearts and wallets of gamers . Winner of five Emmy awards , Dini has worked on Batman comic books and written episodes of `` Batman : The Animated Series '' and later , `` Batman Beyond . '' Dini , who has also written for the ABC-TV hit `` Lost , '' said he was influenced by Batman lore from character creator Bob Kane , the Batman comics of the 1960s and the Dark Knight graphic novels of Frank Miller . In creating his story 's look and tone , Dini said he chose his favorite elements from different incarnations of Batman . For example , the game emphasizes Batman 's intellect and use of technology by solving puzzles with the help of such tools as X-ray scanning and a pheromone tracker . `` Detective work is a crucial game element , '' Dini said . `` There are a lot of forensics aspects to the story . '' If you 're expecting a Heath Ledger-like Joker in `` Batman : Arkham Asylum , '' you may be disappointed . With his less-smudgy makeup , spiky green hair and maniacal cackle , Dini 's creation looks and acts more like earlier versions of the iconic villain . Kevin Conroy voices Batman in the game , while the Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill , known to millions as Luke Skywalker in the `` Star Wars '' movies . Conroy and Hamill were scheduled to join Dini at Comic-Con this weekend . Both actors also did the voices in `` Batman : The Animated Series , '' making the game feel very familiar . Sterling McGarvey , a senior editor for G4TV , said the game 's developers were smart to rely heavily on the animated TV series . `` An entire generation of Batman fans grew up with the animated Batman , '' he said . `` It is a beloved , storied franchise with very few good games . '' The Internet is full of videos showing glimpses of the game , including movie-like trailers , demo gameplay , characters and layouts of Arkham Asylum . Among Batman fans and gaming reviewers , early reviews have been strong . Brian Crecente , editor-in-chief of Kotaku.com , said he likes the way the developers combined elements to create the ultimate Batman from the fans ' perspective . `` Part dark , broody Batman , part serious crime fighter , but also part detective , '' Crecente said . `` Batman has this huge universe . Why not cherry-pick the best stuff and put it in the game ? '' A key character in the game is Arkham Asylum itself , with its spooky corridors and Gothic architecture . Dini loves its `` mix of dark , creepy , steam punk and Victorian '' and calls it the perfect location in Gotham City for the gameplay . `` It is a totally over the top mansion with gargoyles on the inside , '' added Crecente . `` Very cool . '' Dini heaped praise on how the developers made his story come to life . He hopes fans who know Batman will love how familiar it feels , while gamers will love the action . `` Fans of the canon will be happy , '' McGarvey agreed . `` But the game was designed more for the Batman fan than a hardcore gamer . '' Crecente describes the game 's combat as fluid and quick , with a martial arts feel . Acting as Batman , players will be able to hide in the shadows and stealthily take out their enemies . All the gaming mechanics in the world wo n't save Batman unless fans get drawn into the story . Remember Lego Batman ? But Dini seems confident that gamers will respond to his vision . `` Nobody loves a good Batman story more than I do , '' he said . | Online buzz is strong for upcoming `` Batman : Arkham Asylum '' video game . Lead writer Paul Dini and others discuss the game at Comic-Con this weekend . The game reunites a brooding Batman and his most notorious nemesis , the Joker . There 's no movie or comic tie-in to follow , so Dini could create an original story . | [[422, 475], [775, 878], [3409, 3482], [3409, 3426], [3442, 3482], [450, 475], [484, 543], [2080, 2121]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In just a few short weeks , Rabbi Shmuley Boteach could wake up at his home in Englewood , New Jersey , with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi camped a few feet from his front lawn . Gadhafi may be staying in a tent on the front lawn of a New Jersey house owned by the Libyan Mission . The authoritarian ruler of Libya is rumored to be planning to stay in an air-conditioned tent on the front lawn of a house owned by the Libyan Mission when he attends the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September . Members of the predominately Orthodox Jewish Englewood community are less than enthused about a visit from a leader who has made anti-Zionist statements in the past . The recent release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber to Libya has heightened the animosity . On Monday , Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg , D-New Jersey , called for the U.S. Department of State to restrict Gadhafi 's travel to the area around U.N. headquarters in New York City , saying in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he `` was particularly concerned by news reports indicating that -LSB- Gadhafi -RSB- plans to stay in New Jersey , where the families of many Pan Am 103 victims reside . '' A representative from the Libyan Mission in New York would not confirm Gadhafi will stay in Englewood , only that he is scheduled to come to New York . Gadhafi has a history of setting up his extensive tent when visiting other countries , including Russia and France . Media reports have said that his request to pitch his tent in Central Park had been denied , and the New Jersey property was a likely second choice . Boteach said he had previously been willing to approach Gadhafi 's rumored visit with an open mind , but he backtracked after the Lockerbie bomber 's release . `` Judging by his actions , he has n't changed one iota , '' Boteach said . `` He loves terrorists and welcomes them as heroes and speaks with a forked tongue . As soon as he had the opportunity he lionized people who committed murderous acts . Gadhafi is a fraud . I do n't want him or his security team near my home . '' Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes said he was not informed of plans to erect a tent on the property , and no special permissions were requested from the zoning department . Only through neighborhood residents and media coverage was he alerted to construction on the house that , according to Boteach , began around three months ago . The mayor said he was `` mortified as a Jew and embarrassed as an American that a financier of terrorism is on U.S. soil . -LSB- Gadhafi -RSB- is someone who has embraced terrorism and has not changed his spots . '' Wildes said the Libyan Mission has `` not paid a nickel '' on taxes for the property , and said he would only be `` willing to sit down with him if he brings a check to cover years of back taxes and overtime pay for the additional police forces needed for his stay , and apologizes to the Jewish residents and the Lockerbie victims ' families of New Jersey . '' Boteach , in a piece posted Thursday on The Huffington Post , where he is a regular contributor , said the residence had been left `` derelict and neglected '' for many years until the recent construction . In opposition to Gadhafi 's possible visit to Englewood , Boteach said he plans several steps , including legal action , which he said would be in response to construction workers knocking down his fence and cutting down his trees . `` My plan is to sue them , extract as much money as possible and use Libyan money for planting trees instead of buying bombs , '' he wrote in another Huffington Post piece Monday . Boteach and Wildes also are planning a protest at the construction site on Sunday . | Gadhafi travels with air-conditioned tent which he stays in . Rumored to be planning to pitch tent on front lawn of Libyan Mission house . Members of mostly Orthodox Jewish Englewood are less than enthused . Mayor `` embarrassed as an American that a financier of terrorism is on U.S. soil '' | [[301, 423], [198, 270], [301, 423], [517, 632], [2420, 2494], [2500, 2542]] |
HIGHLANDS COUNTY , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At the heart of Florida researchers ' high-tech efforts to protect black bears is a rather low-tech tool : day-old doughnuts . A young bear sits next to a pine tree after being snared by one of the traps set by researchers . Researchers use the doughnuts and other stale pastries to bait traps for the bears . Once snared , the bears are tranquilized and then fitted with a GPS collar . Using cell phone technology , every 15 minutes the collar sends a text message that tells researchers where the bear is located . Tracking the bears ' movements -- or lack thereof -- is important . Dr. John Cox , head of the South-Central Florida Bear Project , said the bear population , in order to stay healthy , must be able to travel to different locations throughout the state . They need to travel between different bear populations . But that mobility has been decreasing . There was a time , Cox said , when the bears were free to roam the entire state . As development increased , however , the black bear lost much of its habitat . And the habitat that remained has become more fragmented due to development , primarily roads . The result : The bears become more isolated , with inbreeding within that isolated population . `` This population of bears is actually losing genetic diversity , '' Cox said . `` You see that loss of healthy genes in the population over time . `` That is a sign of isolation . '' Having the bears wear the GPS collars is `` wonderful because the bears are telling us what habitat we need to protect , '' said Tricia Martin of The Nature Conservancy . As of now , 55 black bears in the area have been fitted with collars . Watch the researchers at work '' Researchers want to know whether the bears ' travels have them crossing a road , an orange grove , or somewhere else in order to get from place to place . Collecting data on the corridors the bears need to travel will help in pinpointing what land should be sought for conservation purposes . But first the bears must be snared -- and that 's where the doughnuts come in . `` The doughnuts are a good bait , they can smell and it 'll bring them in , '' said Wade Ulrey , one of the researchers with the South-Central Florida Bear Project . Recently a young female bear was found in a snare trap -- lured there by the doughnuts , or perhaps the brownie with whipped cream and a cherry that also had been placed there . Ulrey and fellow University of Kentucky research scientist Joe Guthrie slowly approached the trapped bear . The animal , with a cable around its paw , tried to climb a pine tree to escape . See photos of a snared bear '' The researchers waited for the bear to calm down , then they injected her with a tranquilizer that was at the end of an 8-foot-long pole . As they waited for the drug to take effect , Ulrey and Guthrie returned to their truck to gather the tools they needed to examine the bear . `` We have a couple of bags of ice here to help keep her cool , '' Ulrey said as he placed the bags under the legs and arms of the unconscious bear . The team scanned the 2 1/2 - year-old and realized she already had a microchip implanted under her skin . `` It 's similar to an ID system used for pets , '' said Ulrey . The chip tells the researchers that this bear was caught in 2007 , when she was a cub still roaming Florida with her mother . The researchers weighed and measured the bear . Then Ulrey used tweezers to pull out a bit of hair . `` We can get a DNA sample from this to see if she is related to any other bears we 've captured in the area , '' Ulrey said . This young black bear , however , wo n't be telling researchers where she will be traveling . She is too young to be outfitted with a GPS collar . Ninety minutes later , the tranquilizer wears off . The bear is awake and appears unharmed . `` Usually the things you 'll see is a little bit of an abrasion where they 've rubbed some of the fur off , or maybe a cut , '' Cox said when asked about the danger of using a snare trap . As this young cub wanders off , the research team can only hope she finds a road less traveled -- and stays off the highways . | Researchers in South Florida capture bears , outfit them with GPS collars . Collars help researchers track bears ' movements . Healthy bear population relies on animals ' free movement , breeding . Bears ' natural habitat has been reduced , fragmented by development . | [[356, 367], [370, 432], [1636, 1694], [1034, 1075], [1076, 1151]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Redmond O'Neal , the son of Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O'Neal and actress Farrah Fawcett , was arrested Sunday morning on drug charges , authorities said . Redmond O'Neal was stopped at a jail security checkpoint , and volunteered he had drugs , police said . The younger O'Neal was stopped during a routine search at a jail security checkpoint and he volunteered that he had drugs in his possession , said Steve Whitmore , a spokesman for the Los Angeles County sheriff 's office . O'Neal was arrested on charges of bringing narcotics to a jail facility and possessing a controlled substance , Whitmore said . He would not disclose what drugs O'Neal had , but said he was taken to a jail facility about 40 miles north of Los Angeles . It was not clear whether O'Neal posted bail , which was set at $ 25,000 . -- CNN 's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report . | Redmond O'Neal arrested Sunday at jail security checkpoint . O'Neal was arrested on charges of bringing narcotics to a jail facility . It was not clear whether O'Neal posted bail , which was set at $ 25,000 . | [[175, 231], [279, 363], [502, 611], [755, 798], [787, 800], [807, 828]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The `` vast right-wing conspiracy '' that attacked him during his presidency has been weakened , but continues to operate against President Obama , former President Clinton said Sunday . Former President Clinton said Republicans wo n't see a 1994-like surge at the polls in 2010 . On NBC 's `` Meet the Press , '' Clinton was asked about the term his wife Hillary Clinton , now secretary of state , famously coined . `` Is it still there ? '' host David Gregory asked . `` Oh , you bet . Sure it is . It 's not as strong as it was , because America 's changed demographically , but it 's as virulent as it was , '' the former president replied . `` I mean , they 're saying things about him -LSB- Obama -RSB- -- you know , it 's like when they accused me of murder and all that stuff they did , '' Clinton said , in an apparent reference to conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of White House deputy counsel Vince Foster . `` It 's not really good for the Republicans and the country , what 's going on now , '' Clinton said . `` I mean , they may be hurting President Obama . They can take his numbers down , they can run his opposition up . But fundamentally , he and his team have a positive agenda for America . '' The nation needs `` a credible debate about what 's the right balance between continuing to expand the economy through stimulus and beginning to move back to fiscal balance , '' Clinton said . `` We need a credible debate about what 's the best way to get to universal -LSB- health care -RSB- coverage . '' Clinton was asked whether he is concerned that the 2010 midterm elections could resemble those of 1994 , when Republicans took control of the House and Senate two years into his first term . `` There 's no way '' that could happen , Clinton said , adding that `` the country is more diverse and more interested in positive action . '' Also , he said , Republicans had control of Congress for several years under President George W. Bush , `` and they know the results were bad . '' And , he said , `` the Democrats have n't taken on the gun lobby like I did . '' `` Whatever happens , it 'll be manageable for our president , '' Clinton said . | Clinton : Right-wing `` conspiracy '' not as strong as it once was , but is as virulent . Obama 's popularity may take hit , but attacks not good for country , Clinton says . Clinton : `` No way '' that Republicans will enjoy 1994-level success in 2010 elections . | [[825, 840], [843, 890], [1076, 1113], [217, 310], [247, 310], [1563, 1665], [1755, 1793]] |
JERUSALEM -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in east Jerusalem stretched into Sunday evening after a visit by a Jewish group to one of the city 's holiest sites . Israeli border police charge towards Palestinian protesters during clashes in Jerusalem 's Old City . Street battles began in the Old City on Sunday morning , when Palestinians praying at the site -- known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif , or `` Noble Sanctuary , '' and to Jews as Temple Mount -- began to throw rocks at the visiting Jews , said Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld . Police responded with stun grenades and arrested eight demonstrators , he said . Rosenfeld also said two Palestinians and two police officers were wounded in the melee , but Sheikh Ikrima Sabri , a former grand mufti of Jerusalem , said nine Palestinians were hurt . Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat called the visit a deliberate provocation by hardliners opposed to a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , and criticized the police response to the protests . Erakat compared the visit to the 2000 trip by Ariel Sharon -- before he was elected prime minister -- to the al-Aqsa mosque that Palestinians blame for touching off three years of violence . `` We 've seen this before , and we know what the consequences are , '' Erakat said in a statement issued Sunday evening . He said the visit was `` deliberately timed '' on the eve of the anniversary of Sharon 's September 28 , 2000 visit . There was no immediate response from the Israeli government to Erakat 's statement . The demonstration was broken up about 1:30 p.m. , but Palestinians continued battling police with rocks and Molotov cocktails for several hours in other parts of east Jerusalem . Erakat said Israel was `` deliberately escalating tensions '' in Jerusalem at the same time that U.S. President Barack Obama is trying to coax the two sides into restarting talks aimed a permanent settlement of the decades-old conflict . `` Providing a police escort for settlers who are against peace at all costs , and whose presence is deliberately designed to provoke a reaction , are not the actions of someone who is committed to peace , but of someone who will go to extraordinary lengths to scuttle all hopes of peace , '' Erakat said . CNN 's Shira Medding contributed to this report . | Street battles began in Jerusalem 's Old City on Sunday morning . Police : Clashes begin when Palestinians praying there start to throw rocks at visitors . Police says 2 Palestinians , police officer hurt ; former mufti says 9 Palestinians hurt . Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat calls the visit a deliberate provocation . | [[501, 542], [369, 401], [767, 786], [825, 859], [860, 956], [2104, 2150]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Peter Gathungu walks more than a mile to a shopping center , where he pays a sizable sum to charge his cell phone . The solar phone is expected to be a great success in Kenya . That 's because electricity is nonexistent in Gathungu 's hometown of Njoro , in northwest Kenya . Landlines and other forms of communication are not as efficient , so Gathungu and millions of others in emerging nations rely on mobile phones . Charging the phones can be a headache in towns and villages where electricity is scarce . Gathungu 's troubles may soon be over , though . Kenya 's biggest mobile phone company , Safaricom Ltd. , launched the nation 's first solar-charged phone this month . The handset comes with a regular electrical charger and a solar panel that charges the phone using the sun 's rays , company CEO Michael Joseph told CNN by telephone . Retailing at about $ 35 , the phones were manufactured by Chinese telecommunications company ZTE Corp. . Safaricom plans to make an initial supply of 100,000 phones available . `` People are excited about these phones , '' Joseph said . `` I expect to be sold out in a week . '' Eco-friendly phones have been touted by several companies at global trade shows , but most have not been launched yet . Samsung unveiled a solar-powered phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona , Spain , earlier this year and introduced its first sun-powered phone in India in mid-June . The company expects its Solar Guru model to perform well in India , another country where electrical supply can be erratic . Unlike many technological innovations , the solar phone is making its big splash in developing nations , where the need is the greatest . After the Solar Guru is in circulation in India , Samsung said , it plans to launch similar phones in other Asian markets , Europe and Latin America . For the time being , Kenyans are happy to serve as early adopters . `` The power crisis here has been going on for ages , '' Joseph said , adding that the Safaricom phone 's solar panel is small and portable , unlike charging devices some Kenyans now use . Only about 1.3 million of Kenya 's 37 million people are connected to the national electrical grid , said Migwi Theuri , a spokesman for Kenya Power and Lighting Co. . The east African nation , which gets most of its energy from hydro-generation , has been undergoing power rationing after a three-year drought . Despite the limited availability of power , Kenya has one of the most vibrant cell phone markets in Africa , analysts say . An estimated 17 million Kenyans use mobile phones . Some charge phones on bicycle-run generators , Joseph said . Or like , Gathungu , they pay businesses in major cities to charge their phones , sometimes waiting an entire day . `` There 's an enormous need for a device like this , '' Joseph said of the solar phone , which can charge during talk time , as long as there are rays . `` They will continue to charge on natural light , even on cloudy days , '' he added . Gathungu plans to buy one of the new environmentally friendly phones . For him , it 's a matter of money and convenience . He earns 4,000 Kenya shillings -LRB- $ 53 dollars -RRB- a month as a waiter . Charging his phone for 50 shillings -LRB- 70 cents -RRB- a week adds up . The solar phone would pay for itself , Gathungu said . Until he buys one , he 'll keep making the trek to the shopping center every Sunday afternoon after church . He would n't go into further detail about his mobile phone woes , not wanting to waste his battery charge on the call . | Solar cell phone launched in Kenya this month , retailing at $ 35 per handset . Country has one of the most vibrant cell phone markets but has energy rationing . Safaricom expects its initial supply of 100,000 solar phones to sell out . Samsung launched its solar cell phone in India in June . | [[579, 616], [636, 697], [866, 889], [2279, 2302], [2359, 2423], [2468, 2530], [971, 1042], [579, 616], [636, 697], [1265, 1272], [1378, 1439]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Kentucky Chihuahua is expected to make a full recovery after a freak accident that left a large barbecue fork lodged in his head for days , according to the animal hospital where he was treated . During a family gathering two weeks ago , 12-week-old Smokey was waiting to be fed as his owner used the fork to shoo another dog away from Smokey 's food , Su Smith , vice president of Cumberland Valley Animal Hospital in London , Kentucky , wrote in an article on the hospital 's Web site . As owner Vickie Brumley of Manchester , Kentucky , waved the fork , the handle broke off and the fork end was flung through the air , embedding itself several inches into Smokey 's head . Smokey immediately ran into the woods , Smith wrote . For two days , his owner 's family searched for him despite bad weather and finally came to the conclusion that he had either died of his injury or been killed by wildlife . Brumley 's brother , Hughie Wagers , was visiting his sister and sitting on the porch when Smokey came up the driveway with the fork still sticking out of his head , Smith wrote . He rushed him to the animal hospital . `` They arrived at 6:59 p.m. , right as we were about to lock up , '' hospital staffer Michelle Duncum told CNN . `` Mr. Wagers walked into the hospital and asked if we could please help him . '' Staffers were shocked when they saw Smokey , she said . `` We had never dealt with anything like this before . '' Veterinarian Keaton Smith knew Smokey 's treatment might be expensive and spoke with Wagers about options , Smith wrote . Keaton Smith offered to treat Smokey at the hospital 's expense if Wagers allowed the hospital to call media outlets about the Chihuahua 's story . However , staffers wanted to make sure Smokey would live through the night first before calling anyone , Su Smith said . It only took the veterinarian about 30 seconds to remove the fork from Smokey 's head , Duncum said . And when the veterinarian arrived at the hospital the next morning , July 8 , he found Smokey `` recovering much better than expected , '' Su Smith wrote . Smokey has been advised to take it easy for a few weeks , but is expected to fully recover , Duncum said . The Chihuahua 's owner did not immediately return a call seeking comment from CNN . `` Dr. Smith asks everyone who believes this is a cruelty case to ` please back off ' and stop jumping to unfounded conclusions , '' Su Smith wrote . `` If you have never had an accident of any kind , you may cast the first stone , but there will be no criminal charges filed in this case . '' | Broken fork accidentally gets stuck in Chihuahua 's head . Smokey ran into the woods , owners could n't find him for two days . Pet is `` recovering much better than expected , '' vet says . | [[82, 98], [104, 158], [603, 615], [644, 697], [698, 735], [752, 764], [767, 823], [1948, 2014], [2026, 2081]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities have seized $ 1 billion worth of marijuana plants and have arrested 82 Mexican nationals with ties to drug cartels in the first week and half of an effort to eradicate marijuana fields from California 's Fresno County , the county sheriff 's office said Wednesday . The 82 suspects arrested so far have links to Mexican drug cartels . Operation Save Our Sierra began July 13 and involves local , state and federal agencies working together to remove marijuana growing operations , investigate and arrest drug traffickers , and remove infrastructure on public lands in Fresno County , a news release said . `` This is a high-intensity drug trafficking area , '' U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske said in a phone interview . `` I think what should be highlighted here is the local authorities ' work to reclaim the land from the drug traffickers . '' The 82 suspects arrested so far have links to Mexican drug cartels , local authorities said , though they did not release further details . Eastern Fresno County , where the seizures have been made , is mountainous and sparsely populated . Growers exploit the area 's streams , rivers and lakes to create elaborate drip lines for their plants . A mature plant can be worth $ 4,000 , said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims . `` Fresno County is roughly the size of Connecticut , and the drug traffickers target these areas because they know there is not that significant of a law-enforcement presence , '' Mims said . `` The chances of getting caught are slim . '' `` The bottom line is our public lands are being destroyed by foreign drug trafficking and heavily armed Mexican cartels , '' George Anderson of the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday at a news conference highlighting the seizures . The operation is the largest in Fresno County history and one of the largest in California , Mims said . `` What makes this operation unique is the approach : prevention , enforcement , eradication and reclamation , '' she said . Intelligence gathered for the operation began in February , with community presentations about prevention . The effort is now focused on shutting down the at least 70 marijuana farms identified by local authorities . The operation is expected to continue into November , when colder weather makes marijuana growing more difficult . At least 330,000 marijuana plants have been seized , Mims said . `` This shows what can be accomplished at the local level when agencies work together , '' Kerlikowske said . Kerlikowske , who flew to Fresno County on Wednesday and toured a marijuana farm , said his office is one of the primary sponsors of the operation . | The U.S. drug czar says it is a high-intensity drug trafficking area . Suspects have links to Mexican drug cartels , authorities says . At least 330,000 marijuana plants have been seized . Operation is expected to continue into November . | [[637, 686], [297, 365], [297, 312], [329, 365], [877, 943], [2345, 2395], [2398, 2409], [2230, 2281]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Spanish Primera Liga side Atletico Madrid have got one foot in the Champions League group stage after claiming a crucial 3-2 success at Greek side Panathinaikos in a tough qualifying round first leg encounter on Wednesday . Maxi Rodriguez celebrates scoring the opening goal in Atletico Madrid 's 3-2 win in Greece . The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute when Diego Forlan set up Maxi Rodriguez who took the ball around Panathinaikos goalkeeper Mario Galinovic to score . Panathinaikos levelled in the 47th minute when Dimitris Salpingidis , who had an earlier goal disallowed , flicked the ball over Atletico keeper Sergio Asenjo . However , Forlan restored the Spaniards ' lead in the 63rd minute when he followed-up Rodriguez 's blistering drive which had come back off the post . In-demand Argentine striker Sergio Aguero made it 3-1 in the 70th minute but Panathinaikos substitute Sebastian Leto closed the gap four minutes later to give the Greek side some hope . In the night 's other matches , French side Lyon stormed closer to a 10th successive group stage appearance with a tumping 5-1 victory over Anderlecht . The Ligue 1 outfit had the match sewn up before half-time with Miralem Pjanic , a Lisandro Lopez penalty , Michel Bastos and Bafetimbi Gomis giving them a four-goal cushion . Anderlecht , beaten in Champions League qualifying for the last two seasons , pulled one back through Matias Suarez in the 58th minute , but Claude Puel 's Lyon side restored their four-goal advantage inside five minutes with Gomis grabbing his second of the night . Swiss side FC Zurich took a giant step closer to playing in the competition for the first time in 28 years by claiming a 3-0 lead at Latvian side Ventspils . Goals from Johan Vonlathen , Sylvan Aegerter and Dusan Djuriuc look almost certain to put Zurich into the last 32 of the competition . Debrecen edged closer to becoming Hungary 's first Champions League group stage participants since 1996 when they claimed a 2-1 advantage at Levski Sofia in Bulgaria . Laszlo Bodnar gave the Hungarians the lead but Levski levelled at the start of the second period with a fine strike from Cedric Bardon . However , 14 minutes from time , Peter Czvitkovics claimed Debrecen 's winner . Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa were also winners on the road with a goal six minutes from time from substitute Shlomi Arbeitman earning a 2-1 win at Salzburg . Georgian striker Vladimer Dvalishvili headed Haifa in front before Alexander Zickler equalized on 57 minutes for the Austrians . | Atletico Madrid beat Panathinaikos 3-2 in Champions League qualifier first leg . Lyon look poised for a 10th year in competition after thumping Anderlecht 5-0 . Zurich , Debrecen and Maccabi Haifa also edge closer to reaching group stage . | [[0, 15], [45, 182], [0, 15], [115, 242], [243, 335], [999, 1028], [1031, 1151], [1887, 1990]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Strange lights in the sky , mysterious flashes , dozens of witnesses , a missing wind turbine blade and a tabloid splash featuring the pun : E.T. farm harm . The Sun tabloid newspaper 's UFO splash . Let 's hope there is n't intelligent life out there watching us . Britain 's tabloid Sun newspaper Thursday proclaimed from its front page that a wind turbine was ruined after a UFO hit one of its 20 meter-long blades in Conisholme , Lincolnshire . Dorothy Willows , who lives near the damaged turbine , told The Sun she was in her car when she saw strange lights in the sky . `` The lights were moving across the sky towards the wind farm . Then I saw a low flying object . It was skimming across the sky towards the turbines . '' Apparently , hours later , she and her husband were woken by a big bang ; one of the turbine 's three blades had gone . It , was , however , on the ground below . Other locals told the newspaper that the lights looked like `` balls of flames . '' Russ Kellett , a UFO expert , told the newspaper : `` Balls of light were seen in the sky and the MoD -LSB- Ministry of Defence -RSB- has no explanation . It must have taken a pretty massive object . We are very , very , very excited . '' However , The Guardian newspaper 's Web site content director Emily Bell had a simple explanation for all those `` balls of light '' in the sky . She told The Guardian the lights were fireworks her brother Tim had bought at the local garden center for the 80th birthday party of dad Peter Bell . `` It was a medium-sized fireworks display with absolutely no ballistics , and the fireworks were mostly dropping over my parents ' house . But we were laughing that we could have broken the wind turbine , '' Emily said . `` There we are in the middle of a scoop and we 're beaten to it by a red-top tabloid , '' Emily 's mother Bridget , 74 , told The Guardian . Later Thursday , the British Press Association reported the blade may have come off after a mechanical failure . Fraser McLachlan , chief executive of GCube , which insures more than 25,000 wind turbines worldwide , told PA that although it was unusual , this kind of incident happened up to six times a year . `` It does happen that a blade will sometimes just come off a machine for one reason or another , '' he said . `` The main reason is the blade may shear . `` We do n't normally see things like aircraft -- or UFOs -- hitting them . It 's usually a mechanical failure that causes the blade to separate from the main hub . '' He said the cold weather was another possible cause . Dr Peter Schubel , an expert in the design and manufacture of wind turbine blades at the University of Nottingham , agreed . He told the BBC that if the turbine blade was still , it would take a 10-tonne load to remove a blade , but if it was rotating the force could be a lot less . `` It 's definitely not a bird . It could be ice thrown from a neighbouring turbine that struck it . '' Aliens out of control or simple mechanical failure ? A case for Mulder and Scully ? What do you think ? | British tabloid blames UFO for destroying wind turbine blade . Newspaper quotes locals saying there were `` strange lights '' in the sky . Second newspaper says lights were fireworks from staff member 's family celebration . | [[302, 467], [842, 887], [1817, 1857], [1400, 1459]] |
SEATTLE , Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Raul Flores thought federal agents had barged with guns drawn into his home in Arivaca , Arizona , in the middle of the night . Shawna Forde , 41 , denies involvement in the shooting deaths of an Arizona man and his daughter . The woman and two men wore uniforms and identified themselves as U.S. Marshals . They claimed the house was surrounded . They said they were looking for an escaped prisoner , Flores ' wife told a 911 dispatcher . But there was no backup waiting outside , and no fugitive . The marshals were imposters . They had targeted Flores because they suspected he was a drug trafficker and they wanted to rob and kill him , according to the Pima County Sheriff 's Department . As the intruders searched his home , Flores asked one of the men why his handgun was taped . The man responded by shooting and killing Flores . `` Someone just came in and shot my daughter and husband , '' Flores ' wife frantically told 911 . She tells the police operator that she was shot and left for dead with her husband , Raul Flores , 29 , and daughter Brisenia , 9 , who were both shot in the head . Police are not releasing the woman 's name to protect her identity . But her 911 call , released to the media by the Pima County Sheriff 's Department , tells the story of a deadly home invasion by a rogue band of impostors . As she describes the initial attack , the intruders return to the house . The door can be heard opening . `` They are coming back in ! They are coming back in ! '' the caller screams . She has armed herself with her husband 's handgun . `` Get the f -- out , '' she barks . The order is followed by the explosive sound of gunfire traded as the wounded woman and her would-be killers fire on each other . A man -- one of the intruders -- is hit and groans loudly . The attackers retreat and leave the woman alive and alone with her slain family . Hear gunfire on the 911 call '' Twelve days later police have the `` marshals '' in custody on charges of first-degree murder , burglary and aggravated assault . Police identified the suspects as Shawna Forde , 41 , of Buena Vista , Arizona ; Jason Eugene Bush , 34 , of Kingman , Arizona ; and Albert Robert Gaxiola , 42 , of Tucson , Arizona . As police put her into a car , Forde told reporters , `` I did not do it . '' The Pima County public defender 's office , which represents Forde , Bush and Gaxiola , did not return CNN 's calls requesting comment . Authorities from five different police departments in three states are investigating crimes allegedly involving the trio . Forde 's arrest has had even greater reverberations across a community of private citizens who believe the government is not adequately protecting the nation 's borders . Forde was a one-time member of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps , a citizens group whose self-described mission is to secure the U.S. border , before she started her own smaller border enforcement organization . The accusations against her have given more fuel to Minutemen critics who say the groups dangerously blur the lines between law enforcement and vigilantism . Forde was well known in anti-immigration circles . She ran a failed campaign for City Council in her hometown of Everett , Washington , that touted her connections to the Minutemen . She posted videos on YouTube of her border patrols and was an outspoken fixture at Minutemen Washington meetings and rallies in Washington state . But even among this gung-ho group of self-styled border warriors , Forde was extreme , both Minutemen members and their critics agreed . Washington human rights advocate Luis Moscoso said he had a run-in with Forde during a protest he attended at a 2007 Minutemen conference in Bellingham , Washington . While other Minutemen engaged in a dialogue , Moscoso remembered Forde shouting insults at the protesters . Moscoso later was shocked , he said , to find his photograph and address on Forde 's Web site . `` It was n't a bull 's - eye but it was close enough , '' he said . The Web site was taken down after the arrests , so CNN can not independently confirm Moscoso 's account . Eventually , Forde 's tactics alienated even the most stalwart proponents of border security . `` The screaming , hollering , calling names , we do n't do that , '' said outgoing Washington state Minutemen president Joseph Ray . `` She broke standard operating procedure too many times , she was too damn unreliable . '' The Minutemen kicked Forde out of their ranks in 2007 , Ray said . Around the same time , police said , Forde became embroiled in several bizarre incidents that remain under investigation in Everett . Forde 's then-husband was shot in the abdomen by an unknown male assailant at their home . The couple later divorced . Forde next said she was the victim of a sexual assault . Later , Forde was found wounded in an alley where she told police she had been shot in the arm by an attacker . Speaking to the media about the attacks , Forde said she was being targeted by Mexican drug cartels for her work guarding the border . According To Sgt. Robert Goetz , spokesman for the Everett Police Department , Forde 's sister and mother told police something very different . They believed she invented or played a part in the violence against her and her family . Cast out from the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps , Forde formed her own organization called the Minutemen American Defense . Chuck Stonex was a member . Despite `` her cloudy reputation '' in Minutemen circles , Stonex said , he and Forde got along well . Still , he said he noticed during an operation monitoring the border in Arizona with her in 2008 that Forde was well funded for the leader of a tiny group on the fringe of the Minutemen movement . `` She always had a lot of cash , '' he said . Cash was what led Forde , Bush and Gaxiola to Raul Flores ' house on May 30 , 2009 , said Dawn Barkman , a spokeswoman for the Pima County Sheriff . Flores had a reputation for involvement in the narcotics trade along the border , Barkman said , and Forde devised a plan to bluff her way into his home and rob and kill him to finance her border patrol group . According to Barkman , it was Forde 's plan but Bush allegedly fired the fatal shots inside the Flores home . It was not Bush 's first slaying , police say . After his arrest in the shooting of Raul Flores , police in Wenatchee , Washington , charged Bush with the fatal stabbing of Hector Manuel Lopez Partida . Homeless and traveling through Wenatchee , Lopez Partida was killed in 1997 , stabbed seven times , apparently as he slept on the ground next to a grain silo . Police in Wenatchee found a blood-soaked shirt near where Lopez was killed . Eight years later , advances in forensics testing indicated that Bush 's DNA was on the shirt , a police affidavit said . Bush has `` long-standing ties to Aryan Nations groups , '' the affidavit said , and he allegedly bragged to an unidentified police informant about killing `` a Mexican , '' saying he and another man `` stomped '' and `` stabbed '' the man and `` left -LSB- him -RSB- to bleed out . '' After the shooting at Flores ' home , the crime wave continued , police said . A couple who are friends of Forde 's mother was robbed at gunpoint of their $ 12,000 inheritance by men pretending to be U.S. Marshals , said Sgt. John Hubbard of the Shasta County Sheriffs Department . The victims , Hubbard said , identified Bush as one of the gunmen . Hubbard said police believe Forde helped carry out the robbery . In the next town over , Hubbard said , the home belonging to Forde 's brother was robbed on the same day . The alleged crime spree leaves Forde 's former compatriots feeling exposed and under attack . Stonex said he last saw Forde and Bush right after the shootout at the Flores home . Stonex helped patch a bullet wound to Bush 's calf . `` They said they were jumped by border bandits , '' he said . He said had he known about their alleged killing of Flores and his daughter , Stonex would never have had anything to do with Forde . Now , he said , he and other Minutemen have been forced to cancel border patrol operations and wait for the scrutiny to die down . `` It 's given us a lot of grief , '' said Stonex , `` I 'd build her gallows if I could . '' | Woman , two men allegedly posed as federal agents in home invasion . Arizona man targeted because trio thought he was a drug dealer , police say . Raul Flores , daughter , 9 , shot dead ; wire calls 911 . Among trio of suspects are woman with ties to Minutemen groups . | [[267, 288], [307, 347], [1215, 1227], [1295, 1367], [7328, 7362], [570, 678], [6336, 6348], [977, 1093], [7966, 7968], [7974, 8041]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An 18-year-old suspect in Tuesday 's bus-stop shootings that wounded seven people in Detroit , Michigan , surrendered to authorities Wednesday , police said . Detroit 's deputy police chief called Tuesday 's shootings `` a travesty . '' Detroit Police Chief James Barren said Jamall Turner is one of two suspects in the shootings , which occurred at a bus stop near Cody High School after summer-school classes had ended for the day . Two men got out of a green minivan and `` fired multiple shots at a group of teens waiting on a bus , '' he said . Police were investigating rumors from witnesses that the shootings were gang-related . Officials said Tuesday that the gunmen asked for a person by name before shooting , getting back into their vehicle and fleeing . A third person was waiting in the minivan to aid in their escape , he said . Police have impounded two vehicles matching the van 's description but do not know whether either was actually involved in the crime , he said . On Tuesday , police took another person into custody in an arrest that was not related to the shootings , `` but we believe that the arrested individual may shed light on the bus-stop shooting , '' he said . Deputy Police Chief James W. Tolbert said three of the victims remained hospitalized Wednesday with wounds that were not life-threatening . He said police believe that semiautomatic handguns were used . `` Any time there is a shooting and we have young people shot , it 's a travesty , '' he said . `` We have to get our youth to understand that conflict resolution is n't picking up a gun . '' Tolbert added that the police are instituting a `` safe-routes-to-school program . '' | Jamall Turner is one of two suspects in the shootings . Seven people were injured ; three remain hospitalized . Shootings came as summer school classes let out . | [[256, 348], [56, 74], [80, 111], [1216, 1322], [402, 453]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police in San Mateo , California , said Monday that `` a potentially very drastic event '' at a high school was averted when school personnel subdued a former student who walked into the school armed with pipe bombs , a chainsaw and a 2-foot-long sword . At least 1,200 students and faculty were evacuated from the northern California school . `` It had the potential to be a catastrophic incident , '' said police Lt. Mike Brunicardi , describing the incident in which two pipe bombs exploded and at least 1,200 students and faculty were evacuated from the Northern California school . No one was injured in the incident , police said . Brunicardi said a 17-year-old former student wearing a nylon vest packed with 10 homemade pipe bombs entered Hillsdale High School in San Mateo about 8 a.m. Monday . He detonated two devices , with smoke setting off the school 's fire-alarm system , before two teachers confronted him . `` The suspect was quickly wrestled down by a teacher who , with the help of the principal and another teacher , were able to hold him down until police arrived minutes later , '' Brunicardi said . The suspect 's intentions were not clear , police said . `` He 's being interviewed right now , but we do n't have his specific motives at this time , '' Brunicardi said , adding that while the explosive power of the pipe bombs was not immediately known , the teachers who subdued the suspect put themselves in jeopardy . `` We are relieved that no one was injured and it 's fortunate that we were able to apprehend the student before he hurt himself or anyone else , '' said San Mateo School District Associate Superintendent Kirk Black said . Authorities said the suspect , whose name was not immediately released , had been a student at the school in 2008 . CNN 's Nick Valencia contributed to this report . | Police : Former student had pipe bombs , a chainsaw and a 2-foot-long sword . `` It had the potential to be a catastrophic incident , '' official says . After he sets off two devices , school personnel wrestle the student to the ground . Police in San Mateo , California , say they do not know suspect 's motive . | [[144, 273], [0, 15], [54, 126], [366, 416], [113, 185], [823, 847], [944, 997], [1142, 1182], [1242, 1290]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The skeletal remains of two infants were found underneath a rural Texas trailer , police said Monday , in the same area where another set of infant remains was found last year . The skeletal remains of two infants were found near a Texas trailer , police said Monday . Authorities were called about 3:30 p.m. Sunday to the trailer south of Kennedale , about 15 miles southeast of Fort Worth , Texas , in rural Tarrant County , said Terry Grisham , spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff 's Office . There is a group of about five mobile homes there , he said , that are leased by the property owner . One of the mobile homes had recently become vacant , and the owner was cleaning it up , Grisham said . The owner pulled back the metal `` skirt '' around the bottom of the mobile home and was `` digging around in there , '' and found a plastic bag , Grisham said . When the man opened it up , he found a box , and inside the box he found the `` bones of a very young infant , '' Grisham told CNN . He continued to look , and found another plastic container with more remains inside , of a `` similar-aged infant , '' before calling 911 , Grisham said . In 2008 , the same man called police to report that he had found a suitcase in the same area , in an overgrown field a distance away from the mobile homes , while dumping leaves . When he used a knife to cut into the suitcase , a set of infant bones were found , Grisham said . The medical examiner 's office was unable to determine a cause of death because the remains were skeletal , although no bones were broken , he said . `` We worked the thing as best we could , without any more to go on than we had , '' but the investigation stalled , Grisham said . Police have contacted the two people -- a brother and sister -- who recently moved out of the trailer , he said . The two have been cooperative with authorities , he said . They were interviewed separately , but both told police they had no idea the remains were there , Grisham said . Authorities and the medical examiner 's office remained at the scene Monday , Grisham said , and plan to use cadaver dogs at the site Monday afternoon in an effort to determine whether more remains were present . `` This ground is pretty brushy and overgrown , '' he said . A county work crew was brought in to carefully cut down the brush to aid the search , he said . CNN 's Ashley Hayes contributed to this report . | The skeletal remains of two infants found near Texas trailer police said Monday . Remains found in area where other infant remains were found last year . One mobile home recently become vacant , owner was cleaning it up . In 2008 , same man told police he found a suitcase that had infant remains . | [[0, 15], [43, 98], [101, 119], [197, 264], [267, 287], [1355, 1400], [1403, 1435], [125, 196], [197, 264], [622, 658], [666, 672], [622, 645], [650, 672], [679, 707], [936, 995], [1185, 1291], [1185, 1197], [1212, 1329]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A London court cleared singer Amy Winehouse of assault Friday after a two-day trial , her spokesman told CNN . Singer Amy Winehouse was accused of hitting a woman at a charity ball last year . Winehouse was accused of assaulting a woman at a London charity ball last year . She had pleaded not guilty to the charge of common assault . `` Amy would like to thank her family , friends , and her legal team for their support during this difficult time , '' said a statement issued by her spokesman . `` She has always maintained her innocence and is very happy to move on with her life and put this episode behind her . '' The verdict will be good news for the troubled singer , who returned to Britain this month after spending six months on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia . Winehouse has publicly battled drug addiction , and this month a judge granted Winehouse and her husband , Blake Fielder-Civil , a divorce . It is scheduled to be made final next month . The Grammy-winning artist arrived at court Friday wearing a white shirt , gray blazer , black skirt and pink ballet slippers . Her hair is back to her trademark black beehive with a blond streak , in contrast to the natural curls she sported while in the Caribbean . Winehouse is famous for her retro , soulful R&B sound and has had a string of hits including `` Rehab , '' `` Back to Black , '' and `` Tears Dry on Their Own . '' | Troubled singer found not guilty of hitting woman at charity ball in September . Amy Winehouse pleaded not guilty to the charge of common assault in March . Winehouse 's divorce from Blake Fielder-Civil should be made final next month . | [[147, 228], [147, 167], [180, 228], [229, 309], [229, 238], [251, 309], [310, 370], [953, 998], [953, 955], [969, 998]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Satirical TV anchorman Stephen Colbert may not have a dog in this fight , but his name alone may have helped a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix puppy beat a 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel . Stephen Colbert el dos rips the prize away from Mozart in the weekly competition . In the online doggie beauty pageant , the canine Steven Colbert el dos won the latest weekly semifinal , which enables him to compete for a $ 1 million grand prize . Colbert el dos from Georgia beat Mozart , or MoMo as he 's known to his family and friends in New Orleans , Louisiana , to win cutest dog of the week . `` While it certainly would have been a lot of fun for MoMo to win this past week , we 're excited for Stephen Colbert el dos and his owners . What a fun and entertaining ride it 's been so far . '' said piano teacher Cara McCool , MoMo 's owner . `` We 're just happy for the attention this has brought to our charities as well as others supported by so many cute dogs in this competition , '' McCool said . Her charities included : Redeemer Presbyterian Disaster Relief , Desire Street Ministries , Louisiana Teachers Save Our Students fund , Cavalier Rescue USA , Musical Arts Society of New Orleans , the Louisiana SPCA , and Teach for America . Colbert el dos ' winnings are pledged to attract a stork to his owners ' house . The owners , Bryan and his wife , Allyson , are newlyweds and are hoping to use the prize money for in vitro fertilization treatments to start a family . Colbert el dos ' owners asked not to have their last names published to protect their privacy . There is some controversy over the weekly contest results . When the polls closed on Saturday at midnight Pacific time , Mozart was up by 131 votes . But on Monday the competition posted a message on its blog saying Mozart 's fans had cheated . `` Mozart obviously worked very hard to receive over 4,500 valid votes in Week 8 , but it 's unfortunate that the judges had to remove 428 votes due to excessive voter accounts . '' The Cutest Dog Competition Web site , run by the All American Pet Brands , also said , `` there is no evidence that Mozart 's owner had any part in the creation of these fraudulent accounts . Colbert 's votes showed no signs of cheating . '' More than 60,000 people have uploaded photos of their adorable dogs to the contest 's Web site . Voters have to register an e-mail account with the competition . The rules state only one vote per e-mail address per day . `` The fraudulent accounts , with e-mail addresses only one number apart , were all created on the same days , from the same computers , and all votes cast from these 70-plus accounts were received within one minute of each other from the same computers -LRB- which generally means the owner of these accounts simply logged off and logged back onto another account to vote again -RRB- , '' according to the competition Web site . Bryan said he was shocked when he found out on Monday his dog had won . `` On Saturday night , I went to bed and we were down 150 votes , '' he said . `` I know they announced the winners on the blog and I saw winner for Week 8 and I was expecting to see Mozart and I saw Stephen Colbert el dos and I just could n't believe it . '' He said it was a great day for the 7-month-old puppy and his owners . Their four-legged family includes three other dogs , all rescues , but they bought Colbert el dos from Puppies Galore in Lawrenceville , Georgia . When they met him , he was 2 months old , barely weighed a pound and would not eat . The manager of the store said the puppy was regressing after he was separated from his siblings . Now Stephen Colbert el dos is eating well and , `` He 's as hyper as any puppy you 'll see , '' Bryan said . Last week , they entered the competition and said they only told a few friends and family members . They posted a note on a Stephen Colbert fan site and support for the pooch went viral . A Web site said Colbert el dos had an invitation to appear on the `` Colbert Report '' if he made the top 12 . Bryan said the TV show has not contacted them . Renata Luczak , a spokesperson for Comedy Central , could not confirm or deny the pet 's booking , saying the `` Colbert Report '' `` refrains from commenting on upcoming guests appearing on the show . '' Colbert el dos ' owners denied having anything to do with the fraudulent votes for Mozart . `` We did not vote for Mozart a single time . And neither did anyone we know . Definitely no way , '' Bryan said . The human comedian Colbert has wreaked havoc in other online competitions , from a Hungarian bridge-naming contest to a NASA competition to name a room in the international space station . In both cases , Colbert won the popular vote . Hungary declined to name the bridge after Colbert . NASA , instead of naming the room in his honor , sent a treadmill to space with the Colbert honorific . In those contests , the competitions received heavy promotion during the show , with Colbert urging his viewers to participate . In the dog photo fight , Colbert had an impact without direct participation . MoMo was automatically re-entered in the competition for this week . Over the next four weeks , four more dogs will have a chance to be voted into the semifinals . After finishing in second place two weeks in a row , MoMo would appears to be the favorite to advance , where he could get another shot at Stephen Colbert el dos . | `` Stephen Colbert el dos '' beats Mozart in dog beauty pageant . Contest Web site says Mozart fans violated the voting rules . Mozart , a 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel , had been winning . | [[222, 304], [305, 340], [343, 470], [471, 520], [591, 622], [1758, 1812], [1804, 1848], [2881, 2923]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Veterans Administration 's handling of disability claims has seen improvements and setbacks , a congressional watchdog said Wednesday . Sen. Daniel Akaka says , `` Our goal is to provide veterans with accurate and timely resolution to their cases . '' `` Over the past several years , VA disability claims workloads at both the initial and appellate levels have improved in some areas and worsened in others , '' the Government Accountability Office said in a report . The Senate Veterans ' Affairs Committee asked the GAO to present its preliminary findings on the processing of disability claims , which were under discussion at a committee hearing . `` Our goal is to provide veterans with accurate and timely resolution to their cases , '' said Sen. Daniel Akaka , D-Hawaii , the committee 's chairman . Ranking member Sen. Richard Burr , R-North Carolina , said , `` For the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our nation , they deserve a system that meets their needs without hassles or delays . '' Along with a GAO representative , the hearing invited testimony from the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs , a professor and an official from the Disabled American Veterans . The GAO report said the number of initial claims the VA annually completes has increased from the 1999 to 2008 fiscal years . But it says the number of pending claims at year 's end has grown during the same time period . The review cites `` increases in disability claims received , growing complexity of claims , court decisions and changes in regulation . '' There have been mixed results for claims workloads at the appellate level . The number of resolved claims has increased from 2003 to 2008 , but it took an average 96 days longer to resolve appeals during that same time period . `` One factor that affects workloads at the appellate level is the submission of new evidence or claims that must be evaluated , '' the report said . The report said the VA has worked to improve the handling of claims but said the results of those efforts `` is not yet known . '' It mentions an increase in staff from 2005 to 2009 , `` which has helped to increase the total number of decisions VA issues annually . '' At the same time , training and staff integration challenges could cause a `` short-term '' decline in productivity . `` In addition , VA has established 15 resource centers to which it redistributes claims and appeals for processing from backlogged regional offices . Although VA has not collected data to evaluate the effect of its workload redistribution efforts , these efforts may ultimately increase the timeliness and consistency of VA 's decisions , '' the report said . The VA is starting a pilot program with the Pentagon `` to perform joint disability evaluations that has the potential to streamline the disability process for prospective veterans . '' The VA also is reviewing other potential programs -- `` targeting certain claims for fast-track processing and leveraging technology . '' | VA 's handling of disability claims has seen improvements , setbacks , review finds . Government Accountability Office presents findings at Senate panel hearing . Number of pending claims at year 's end has grown , GAO report says . Report : Larger staff has led to increase in number of decisions VA issues annually . | [[0, 26], [73, 125], [503, 631], [1992, 2048], [444, 502], [1371, 1422], [1379, 1462], [1241, 1366], [1283, 1366], [1679, 1740], [2165, 2167], [2174, 2247]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Punctuality was one of Debbie Hooper 's best traits . Authorities sort through the wreckage thought to be Debbie Hooper 's car . She went missing September 20 . The 44-year-old grandmother from Whitesburg , Georgia , was always on time for her play dates with her baby granddaughter . She was always on time picking up her 15-year-old son from school . So when Hooper , who juggled two jobs to support her family , did n't appear at her dispatch job for a transportation company last Monday morning , her daughter Jessica Bartke , 19 , knew something was wrong . Her mother 's cell phone went straight to voicemail . Co-workers had n't seen the bubbly , kindhearted woman with curly brown hair and a magnetic presence . `` She 's always at work , '' said Bartke , who lives in Winston , Georgia , about 10 minutes from her mother 's home . `` She was never lazy . I knew something had to be wrong . '' Nearly a week after the torrential downpours that left the metro Atlanta area drenched , authorities are still searching for Hooper 's body , which was last believed to have been in the Dog River in Douglas County , west of Atlanta . Late Monday afternoon , authorities discovered a female body in the Dog River Reservoir , said Brad Robinson , chief deputy of the Carroll County Sheriff 's Office . They are waiting for lab work to identify the body , which is expected to be released Tuesday afternoon . Six flood-related deaths already have been reported in Douglas County . Bartke believes her mother went missing Sunday , September 20 , the eve of her 44th birthday . Last Friday , when the water ebbed , a search crew of nearly 25 law enforcement officers from Carroll and Douglas counties uncovered Hooper 's vehicle , a Jeep Liberty , stuck in the water in the Dog River . The team also recovered Hooper 's purse . `` It was like putting an ant in front of the fire hose , '' said Sheriff Phil Miller of the Douglas County Sheriff 's Office . `` The little Jeep Liberty looked like it had been put in a crusher and beat into pieces . '' The following Saturday morning , more than two dozen authorities and four cadaver dogs continued to search the Dog River area . Miller said the water flow had been constant , which means the body could have drifted into the Chattahoochee River . Hooper remains the last missing flood victim in the Atlanta area , but in Tennessee , a man who disappeared after swimming in an overflowing ditch on a dare is still missing . This month 's storm has been one of the worst in Southeastern U.S. history . The death toll in Georgia and Alabama has risen to 10 . Gov. Sonny Perdue has declared a state of emergency in 17 flood-stricken counties , and State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine estimated that the flooding has caused $ 250 million in losses . Bartke , Hooper 's daughter , has taken her 15-year-old brother into her home . She says they are both distressed about not knowing where their mother may be . `` We talked every day , '' Bartke said . `` We spoke to each other even if we were busy , even if it was for two seconds just to say ` Mom , I love you . I 'm busy right now , but I will call you back . ' '' | Debbie Hooper , 44 , of Whitesburg , Georgia went missing September 20 . Authorities found her Jeep Liberty in Dog River in Douglas County , west of Atlanta . On Monday , authorities found a female body , but body is not yet identified . This month 's rainfall has caused deadly flooding in the Southeast . | [[166, 197], [1517, 1578], [1064, 1078], [1087, 1095], [1105, 1152], [1064, 1078], [1091, 1152], [1173, 1177], [1197, 1260], [1449, 1454], [1455, 1477], [2506, 2582]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Roman Polanski is regarded as one of the finest directors of his generation , winning an Oscar for `` The Pianist '' and nominations for `` Tess '' and `` Rosemary 's Baby , '' but he is probably as equally well known for his own tumultuous life . Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate are pictured together in London in the 1960s . Polanski , who was arrested Saturday in Switzerland on a U.S. arrest warrant stemming from a decades-old sex charge , had lived in France for decades to avoid being arrested if he enters the United States . The 76-year-old declined to collect his Academy Award for Best Director in person when he won it for `` The Pianist '' in 2003 . He was en route to the Zurich Film Festival , which is holding a tribute to him , when he was arrested by Swiss authorities , the festival said . Polanski was put in `` provisional detention '' and now faces the possibility of being extradited to the U.S. , where a warrant for his arrest was issued in 1978 . The director pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor , acknowledging he had sex with a 13-year-old girl , but fled the U.S. before he could be sentenced . Polanski was accused of plying the girl , then known as Samantha Gailey , 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 . He was 43 at the time . 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 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 . Watch as filmmakers rally round Polanski '' She added that 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 . '' Polanski was born in Paris in 1933 of Polish-Jewish parents . Aged three , he and his family returned to Krakow in his father 's native Poland . After the Nazis invaded his parents were sent to concentration camps : his mother was gassed at Auschwitz although his father survived the war . The young Polanski survived the Krakow ghetto and `` soared out of Poland on sheer personality , '' according to director Marina Zenovich , whose 2007 documentary `` Roman Polanski : Wanted and Desired , '' paints a sympathetic picture of the exiled movie legend . Growing up in war-torn Poland , the young Polanski found comfort in the cinema and in acting in radio dramas , on stage and in films . In 1962 , Polanski directed his first feature-length film , `` Knife in the Water . '' Poorly received in Poland it was a sensation in the West , and won an Academy Award nomination as Best Foreign Film . See images of Polanski 's life on cellulloid '' He later moved to England , co-starring with American actress Sharon Tate , whom he married in 1968 , in the Hammer horror parody , `` Dance of the Vampires/The Fearless Vampire Killers , or Pardon Me But Your Teeth Are in My Neck . '' Following his move to Hollywood , Polanski was at his peak : he was one of the hottest directors thanks to the critical and commercial hit Rosemary 's Baby and he was married to the beautiful Tate . `` At a certain point in his life , Roman Polanski had a lot of hope , '' Zenovich told TIME magazine in 2008 . `` He was living this great life . He was so talented and everyone wanted to work with him . '' But that hopeful period ended when Tate , eight months ' pregnant , was murdered by followers of Charles Manson in 1969 . According to TIME , Polanski spent the first years after her death on a kind of sexual spree , and began spending time with younger and younger women , like 15-year-old Nastassja Kinski . When Polanski was arrested for assaulting Gailey , his case drew the attention of Judge Laurence J. Rittenband , who had earlier presided over Elvis Presley 's divorce , Marlon Brando 's child-custody battle and a paternity suit against Cary Grant . Rittenband , in a manner reminiscent of the one-liner-dropping judge in the Anna Nicole Smith case , was obsessed with the media . He even had a bailiff maintain a scrapbook of his newspaper clippings , according court filings . The case proceeded in a strange manner . Rittenband , who is now dead , first sent the director to maximum-security prison for 42 days while he underwent psychological testing . Then , on the eve of his sentencing , the judge told attorneys he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days . The judge 's bizarre behavior might have continued had Polanski not fled to France , where he has lived for the last 30 years , ultimately marrying again and having two children . Polanski has continued to make critically acclaimed films , such as `` Tess , '' an adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel `` Tess of the d'Urbervilles '' which tells the story of a beautiful country girl -LRB- Nastassja Kinski -RRB- who is seduced by an older man . In 1981 , he returned to Poland to direct and star in a stage production of `` Amadeus . '' And 2002 's `` The Pianist , '' re-established Polanksi as a top-flight director . There have been repeated attempts to settle the sex case over the years , but the sticking point has always been Polanski 's refusal to return to attend hearings . Prosecutors have consistently argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow a man to go free who `` drugged and raped a 13-year-old child . '' Polanski 's lawyers tried earlier this year to have the charges thrown out , but a Los Angeles judge rejected the request . In doing so , Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza left the door open to reconsider his ruling if Polanski shows up in court . Espinoza also appeared to acknowledge problems with the way the director 's case was handled years ago . Polanski 's victim is among those calling for the case to be thrown out . Now married and known as Samantha Geimer , she filed court papers in January saying , `` I am no longer a 13-year-old child . I have dealt with the difficulties of being a victim , have surmounted and surpassed them with one exception . `` Every time this case is brought to the attention of the Court , great focus is made of me , my family , my mother and others . That attention is not pleasant to experience and is not worth maintaining over some irrelevant legal nicety , the continuation of the case . '' Geimer , now 45 , and a mother of three , 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 . Polanski was arrested two days after one of his wife 's killers died . By her own admission , Susan Atkins held Tate down as she pleaded for mercy , stabbing the 26-year-old actress 16 times . Polanski was filming in Europe at the time . Atkins , 61 , died Thursday . She had been suffering from terminal brain cancer . | Polanski born in France in 1933 . Moved to Poland and survived Holocaust . Critically acclaimed as actor and director : Married actress Sharon Tate in 1968 . Pregnant Tate later murdered by followers of Charles Manson . In 1977 Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with 13-year-old girl ; fled to France . | [[2085, 2146], [2375, 2420], [3073, 3101], [3112, 3127], [3424, 3462], [3680, 3792], [345, 353], [454, 460], [463, 518], [991, 1044], [991, 1003], [1045, 1095], [991, 1011], [1098, 1146], [4847, 4853], [4856, 4896], [5679, 5706]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A senior administration official said Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge , Massachusetts , Police Department will be visiting the White House Thursday . President Obama will meet Thursday with a Harvard professor and the officer who arrested him . The meeting among the three men will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday . Last week , Obama said he called Crowley and `` there was a discussion about he and I and Professor Gates having a beer here in the White House . '' Gibbs said : `` I think it was Sgt. Crowley 's suggestion about the beer , and I think the president thought it was a good idea . '' Obama said he hoped the incident in Cambridge , which quickly spiraled into a national and racially charged controversy , `` ends up being what 's called a teachable moment '' for the country . The president acknowledged that he had contributed to `` ratcheting it up '' by declaring the Police Department had `` acted stupidly '' even though he did n't know all the facts of the case and is a personal friend of Gates . Cambridge police called on Obama to apologize for the remark . Obama did not apologize , but in the phone call with Crowley he said his choice of words was `` unfortunate . '' Gates , a top African-American scholar , was arrested July 16 for disorderly conduct outside his home after police responded to a report of a possible burglary . The charge was later dropped . Gates called himself the victim of a `` rogue '' officer . But he said Friday he looks forward to meeting with Obama and Crowley , and to making the experience `` a teaching moment to improve racial relations in America . '' Crowley said Gates accused him of racism when he was at the home simply trying to do his job and assuring that Gates was safe and alone in the home . Cambridge police officials have praised Crowley , who in recent years had been selected by a black police officer to teach a police academy course on how to avoid racial profiling . Officials said they take pride in their relationship with the diverse community in the area . Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas said he `` deeply regrets '' the arrest , but stands by the procedures his department followed . iReport.com : Share stories , concerns on racial profiling . Meanwhile , authorities in Cambridge announced Monday that they have created a panel to advise police on racial issues . `` Today is the day to move forward , '' City Manager Robert Healy said at a news conference . The committee , led by `` nationally recognized experts , '' will not investigate the arrest of Gates , nor will it `` make any judgments '' on the officers involved , Healy said . The committee `` will identify lessons to be taken from the circumstances surrounding the incident '' and will advise the police department on how `` those lessons can be applied '' to its policies and practices . CNN 's Dan Lothian contributed to this report . | Arrest of black professor by white officer turned into racial incident . President Obama poured fuel on fire by saying police acted `` stupidly '' Cambridge officials create panel to advise police on racial issues . | [[692, 701], [710, 775], [850, 991], [2297, 2306], [2309, 2381], [2351, 2417]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While a government-run public health care option irks conservatives , and even some fiscally minded Democrats , the idea of health care cooperatives has emerged as an option in the reform debate . Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad , of North Dakota , says a public option plan might not make it through Congress . Small health care cooperatives have worked in a couple of markets . But whether the idea can be applied on a national scale is debatable . Sen. Kent Conrad , chairman of the Senate Budget Committee , is pushing the co-op idea as an alternative to a government-sponsored insurance program that would compete with private insurers . He does n't think a government option will pass in the Senate . Conrad , a North Dakota Democrat , told CNN 's `` American Morning '' on Tuesday that his model could attract 12 million members and `` be the third-largest insurer in the country and be a very effective competitor -LSB- with private insurance companies -RSB- . '' `` If you believe competition helps drive down costs , then they would certainly contribute to holding down costs , '' Conrad said . But Tim Jost , a professor at Washington and Lee University , said that Conrad is not offering concrete statistics on how the plan will help reform health care . `` I have not seen anything , other than Sen. Conrad 's statements to the press , explaining how this is going to work , '' he said . `` He put out a couple of one-pagers early on , but he is talking about this actuarial data . Let 's make it public , let 's find out who the actuaries are . '' Co-ops are nonprofit organizations that aim to provide better coverage at a lower cost for their members . They put profits back into the system , so any money that is earned is used on patients and other costs . In addition , patients elect a governing board . Cooperatives are already established in cities such as Minneapolis , Minnesota , and Seattle , Washington . In order for a co-op to have reduced costs , analysts say , it needs to have tens of thousands of members . That could be a hard slog for the nonprofits because start-up costs would probably be in the millions . That may be where the federal government steps in -- by adding seed money for the program . That government infusion of money probably would put Democrats at odds with Republicans , who are worried about the rising federal deficit and an expanded role of government in health care . Watch two members of the House discuss reform '' And the costs of a cooperative might not allow enough people to sign up , meaning that some of the nearly 46 million uninsured Americans would n't be able to buy into the program . Other health reform alternatives , such as the public option , cost less for participants . `` Let 's see how they -LSB- Conrad and others -RSB- explain that they are going to get to 10 to 12 million members . ... I ca n't see how that 's going to happen , '' Jost said . Probably the biggest barrier , Jost said , is entering a new market and trying to establish a network . `` You have to go out there , you have to contract with hospitals , doctors , other providers of care . Well , the private insurers have their networks in place , and they often have what they call ` most favored nations ' clauses , which provide that a provider can not -LSB- offer -RSB- a lower rate than it does to the dominant insurer . '' The idea of co-ops appears to have received some support from the Obama administration . A top White House aide told Bloomberg Television 's `` Conversations with Judy Woodruff '' that President Obama may accept nonprofit health insurance cooperatives in place of a new government-run plan . `` We would be interested in that '' if certain conditions are met , said Nancy-Ann DeParle , director of the White House Office of Health Reform . And the idea has gotten support from a key Republican senator . Sen. Richard Shelby , R-Alabama , said on `` Fox News Sunday '' that co-ops are `` a step in the right direction . '' `` I do n't know if it will do everything people want , but we ought to look at it . I think it 's a far cry from the original proposals . '' But not everyone is so sure that co-ops will work to reduce health care costs across the board . CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen , who spoke with top officials at both co-ops , said this type of model would not solve the problem of uninsured Americans . `` Will co-ops solve that ? No . That is according to two folks who run co-ops -LSB- one in Seattle and one in Minneapolis -RSB- . ... They said ` we are not charities . You have to spend money and pay premiums to join our co-ops . And we do n't take everyone . We sometimes say no to people with pre-existing conditions , ' '' she said . Co-ops also may not have the industry clout of the big insurance companies . Watch Obama discuss his plan for health care reform '' `` They -LSB- co-ops -RSB- would have some cost advantages over private plans -- they would n't have to make a profit -- but they are going to be running on a very small scale , at least initially , and therefore they are going to have very high administrative costs proportionate to claims , '' Jost said . `` But again , the big problem is how are they going to get providers to give them a better deal than the providers give the private insurers . They may not even be able to legally do that under their contracts with the commercial insurers , '' he added . CNN 's Dana Bash , Lesa Jansen and Chris Welch contributed to this report . | Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad favors health care cooperatives . Co-ops are run by nonprofits , and patients elect members to their boards . One key Republican senator seems to be on board with the idea . Skeptics question start-up costs , whether all the uninsured would be covered . | [[477, 493], [538, 625], [1588, 1694], [1815, 1849], [3843, 3906]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Supreme Court will decide whether it is cruel and unusual punishment for young criminal offenders to be sentenced to life in prison with parole . Joe Sullivan , now 33 , was convicted of burglary and rape when he was 13 . He is serving life without parole . The justices agreed without comment Monday to accept appeals from two Florida inmates convicted as teenagers of criminal offenses . Oral arguments will be heard in the fall . One of the men is Joe Sullivan , 33 , serving a life term without the possibility of parole in a Florida prison while confined to a wheelchair . He was sentenced for a rape committed when he was 13 . The man 's lawyers say he is one of only two people his age in the world who was tried as an adult and sentenced to `` die in prison '' for a non-homicide . The justices also accepted a case dealing with Terrance Graham , who was 17 when he took part in a violent home-invasion robbery while on parole for another felony . Outside a death-penalty context , the high court has offered little recent guidance on how to treat the youngest of underage criminal defendants . The appellate record for rapists younger than 15 is almost nonexistent , legal experts say . Child legal advocates say many states lack adequate resources to handle young inmates given long sentences , including a lack of proper jailhouse counseling . Few studies have been conducted on the psychological effects of young defendants facing life in prison at such a young age , said the Equal Justice Institute , which is representing Sullivan 's high court case . `` We have created a forgotten population with a lot of needs , '' said Bryan Stevenson , Sullivan 's lawyer . The crime happened in 1989 , when , Sullivan admitted , he and two friends ransacked a home on Seabrook Street in West Pensacola . But he denied the prosecutor 's claim that he returned with a knife and sexually assaulted the 72-year-old female homeowner . An older co-defendant claimed that Sullivan was the rapist . After a daylong trial , Escambia County Circuit Judge Nicholas Geeker sentenced Sullivan to life without parole . `` I am going to try to send him away for as long as I can . He is beyond help , '' the judge said . `` The juvenile system has been utterly incapable of doing anything with Mr. Sullivan . '' Sullivan , who had a lengthy juvenile record , continues to deny that he committed the attack . At the time , state prosecutor Larry Kaden -- who retired this year -- said , `` It was a brutal crime , and he had an extensive record . This was a bad , bad crime . '' The Florida attorney general 's office told the high court that prosecutors should have the discretion they have long been given to decide how harshly young criminals should be prosecuted . Sexual battery remains a crime punishable by life imprisonment in Florida . A study by the nonprofit Equal Justice Initiative found eight prisoners serving life terms for crimes committed at age 13 , all in the United States . Among them is another Florida inmate , Ian Manuel , who was 13 when convicted of attempted murder and robbery in 1990 . The Justice Department reports that no 13-year-old has been given life without parole for a non-homicide in a decade . And although about a thousand people under 15 are arrested for rape every year , none has been given life without parole since Sullivan . Only a handful of states -- including Alaska , Colorado , Kansas , New Mexico and Oregon -- prohibit sentencing minors to life without a chance for parole , according to the National Conference of State Legislatures . The Equal Justice Initiative says 19 states have laws allowing the possibility of life without parole for those younger than 14 . In 2005 , the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for underage killers . The justices cited evolving `` national standards '' as a reason to ban such executions . Sullivan is in deteriorating health from multiple sclerosis and is confined to `` close management '' for dangerous or trouble-prone inmates , state corrections officials say . His lawyers admit that he has had more than a 100 incidents of fighting and threatening inmates and guards , plus having contraband and weapons , but they say Sullivan is the victim of bullying by other prisoners and is mentally disabled . `` It 's important for the criminal justice system to recognize that inmates like Joe -LSB- Sullivan -RSB- are going to change biologically , psychologically and emotionally as they grow up in prison , '' Stevenson said . `` We should not assume it is a change for the worse . '' The thrust of their argument before the high court is not that Sullivan is innocent or that he seeks his freedom now but that he deserves to someday make his case before the state parole board . | Justices will hear appeals of two Florida inmates sentenced as teens . Joe Sullivan committed his crime at age 13 ; Terrance Graham was 17 . Attorneys say life without parole is too harsh a punishment for young offenders . | [[292, 377], [358, 423], [358, 423], [633, 666], [871, 886], [893, 989]] |
DAVIS , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- If every scientist hopes to make at least one important discovery in her career , then University of California-Davis professor Pamela Ronald and her colleagues may have hit the jackpot . Scientists have bred a new strain of flood-tolerant rice that could help feed millions . Ronald 's team works with rice , a grain most Americans take for granted , but which is a matter of life and death to much of the world . Thanks to their efforts to breed a new , hardier variety of rice , millions of people may not go hungry . About half the world 's population eats rice as a staple . Two-thirds of the diet of subsistence farmers in India and Bangladesh is made up entirely of rice . If rice crops suffer , it can mean starvation for millions . `` People -LSB- in the United States -RSB- think , well , if I do n't have enough rice , I 'll go to the store , '' said Ronald , a professor of plant pathology at UC-Davis . `` That 's not the situation in these villages . They 're mostly subsistence farmers . They do n't have cars . '' As sea levels rise and world weather patterns worsen , flooding has become a major cause of rice crop loss . Scientists estimate 4 million tons of rice are lost every year because of flooding . That 's enough rice to feed 30 million people . Rice is grown in flooded fields , usually to kill weeds . But rice plants do not like it when they are submerged in water for long periods , Ronald said . `` They do n't get enough carbon dioxide , they do n't get enough light and their entire metabolic processes are thrown off . The rice plant tries to grow out of the flood , but when it does , it depletes its sugar reserves . It starts to break down its chlorophyll , important for photosynthesis . It grows really quickly , and then when the flood recedes , it just dies . It 's out of gas . '' Normal rice dies after three days of complete flooding . Researchers know of at least one rice variety that can tolerate flooding for longer periods , but conventional breeding failed to create a strain that was acceptable to farmers . So Ronald and her colleagues -- David Mackill , senior scientist at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and Julia Bailey-Serres , professor of genetics at the University of California-Riverside -- spent the last decade working to find a rice strain that could survive flooding for longer periods . Mackill identified a flood-resistant gene 13 years ago in a low-yielding traditional Indian rice variety . He passed along the information to Ronald , who isolated the gene , called Sub1 , and introduced it into normal rice varieties , generating rice that could withstand being submerged in water for 17 days . The team relied on something called precision breeding , the ability to introduce very specific genes into plants without the associated baggage of other genes that might tag along in conventional breeding . `` This can be a problem for farmers , '' Ronald said . `` The varieties that were developed from conventional breeding were rejected by farmers because they did n't yield well or taste good . '' Using precision breeding , scientists introduced the Sub1 gene three years ago into test fields in Bangladesh and India . The subsequent rice harvests were a resounding success . `` The results were really terrific , '' said Ronald . `` The farmers found three - to five-fold increases in yield due to flood tolerance . They can plant the normal way . They can harvest the normal way and it tastes the same . Farmers had more food for their families and they also had additional rice they could sell to bring a little bit of money into the household . '' `` The potential for impact is huge , '' agreed Mackill in a statement on the IRRI Web site . `` In Bangladesh , for example , 20 percent of the rice land is flood prone and the country typically suffers several major floods each year . Submergence-tolerant varieties could make major inroads into Bangladesh 's annual rice shortfall . '' The researchers anticipate that the flood-tolerant rice plants will be available to farmers in Bangladesh and India within two years . Because the plants are the product of precision breeding , rather than genetic modification , they are not subject to the same regulatory testing that can delay release of genetically modified crops . The U.S. Department of Agriculture conferred one of its highest research awards last December on Ronald , Mackill and Bailey-Serres for their work on submergence-tolerant rice . But Ronald has no plans to rest on her laurels . `` I feel a great sense of gratitude that I was able to contribute in this way , '' she said . `` But the farmers have asked us , ` Can you develop varieties that are drought tolerant , salt tolerant ? Can you develop varieties that are insect resistant ? ' There are always more things to work on . '' CNN.com 's Brandon Griggs contributed to this story . | Scientists breed a new strain of flood-tolerant rice . Normal rice dies after three days of complete flooding ; this rice can survive 17 days . New rice was successfully field-tested by farmers in India and Bangladesh . About half of the world 's population eats rice as a staple of its diet . | [[226, 282], [260, 282], [288, 314], [1938, 1963], [1969, 2009], [2527, 2529], [2656, 2731], [1861, 1917], [1938, 1963], [1969, 2009], [2527, 2529], [2656, 2731], [3163, 3257], [559, 617]] |
The company that owns a cash depot targeted in a daring helicopter raid this week said Friday it is offering a reward of more than $ 1 million for information about the heist . A police Swat team enter a G4S cash depot in Vastberga , Stockholm . G4S said it is offering up to 7 million Swedish kronor -LRB- $ 1.01 million -RRB- for information leading directly to the arrest and conviction of the offenders or the recovery of the stolen money . G4S also said the circulation of cash in Stockholm would not be adversely affected by the heist , which occurred just days before Sweden 's monthly payday , when the depot would have been rife with cash . The company did not disclose how much money had been lost , but the thieves could have gotten as much as the equivalent of several millions of U.S. dollars , according to CNN affiliate TV4 . A group of heavily-armed thieves used a helicopter early Wednesday to land on the roof of the cash depot in Vastbarga , Stockholm , which serves automatic teller machines all across the capital , TV4 reported . They used explosives to get into the building , witness Bjorn Lockstrom told TV4 , and later hoisted bags of money to the waiting chopper . TV4 later reported that the blueprints of the building were public documents which anybody could request to see . G4S had never asked for the blueprints to be classified . The helicopter had been stolen earlier during the night , police said . The thieves had also placed a bag marked `` bomb '' outside the police heliport , meaning Swedish police could n't immediately pursue the thieves because they had to first deal with the bag . TV4 later reported that the bag never contained a bomb . The thieves had also blocked the roads around the cash depot with metal spikes , TV4 reported . No one was hurt during the heist , police said , even though several employees had been in the building when the robbers entered . Stockholm police said the heist had been elaborate . `` The robbery was very well planned . They brought a lot of firepower with them , among other things automatic weapons , '' Anders Bjargard from the Stockholm police , told TV4 . Two people have been questioned in relation to the heist , but no one has been arrested . Police are still hopeful they will find the perpetrators . `` We have a lot of traces after the perpetrators , both where the robbery took place and where we found the helicopter , '' Bjargard said . The investigation is the biggest operation the Swedish police have mounted since the murder of Sweden 's then-Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in 2003 . `` It 's an enormous piece of puzzle , and we do n't want to miss anything , '' Anders Buren , head of police operations , told TV4 . Since the heist , Swedish police have been criticized for storing their helicopters at an unguarded heliport in the Stockholm archipelago , which enabled the thieves easily to put the police helicopter out of commission . Swedish media also criticized police for not shooting at the thieves as they escaped in their helicopter . But Bengt Svensson , the head of Swedish police , defended the police officers ' actions . `` Just because we now have criminals who act like they do in the movies does n't mean that we can do it as well , '' Svensson told Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet . | Owners of Swedish cash depot offer # 1M reward for information on heist . Thieves believed to have stolen the equivalent of several million dollars . Armed thieves used a stolen helicopter during the raid . | [[0, 34], [82, 176], [710, 805], [0, 11], [17, 71], [22, 81], [841, 958]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb has turned down a move to Inter Milan in favor of returning to Bundesliga club Stuttgart on loan for the season . Alexander Hleb is presented to the media after completing his loan move to former club Stuttgart . Hleb had been expected to be part of the swap deal that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o switch clubs earlier this week . But the 28-year-old Belarus international has opted against joining Cameroon striker Eto'o at the San Siro due to the limited prospects of regular football under Jose Mourinho , and instead decided to return to Germany . Hleb left Stuttgart four years ago to move to English Premier League side Arsenal , where he spent three seasons -- including reaching the Champions League final in 2006 , which the Gunners lost to Barcelona . Top 20 summer transfer targets . Hleb eventually ended up moving to the Nou Camp last summer , but struggled to claim a place in the side and was omitted from the 18-man squad that beat Manchester United in this year 's Champions League final . Hleb told Stuttgart 's official Web site he had moved to Markus Babbel 's side because of their prospects for the coming season . `` I have opted for Stuttgart because the team has great potential and I am convinced that we can achieve a lot together , '' the 28-year-old said . Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt added : `` We have signed a world class player with Alexander Hleb . He will increase the quality of our squad even further . '' Stuttgart had seen moves for both Real Madrid 's Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Vagner Love of CSKA Moscow break down in recent weeks . | Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb has turned down a switch to Inter Milan . Hleb had been expected to be part of the Ibrahimovic and Eto'o swap transfer . However , he has chosen to rejoin former club Stuttgart in a one-year loan deal . | [[0, 15], [40, 143], [401, 503], [268, 318], [305, 318], [324, 363], [0, 15], [40, 143], [0, 15], [102, 168], [169, 267], [169, 183], [210, 267], [401, 438], [579, 617]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A female marketing executive is suing the chief executive officer of a famous toy manufacturer , accusing him of sexually harassing and assaulting her . Steiff CEO Martin Frechen denies all the allegations . Both the company , known as the makers of the original Teddy bears , and another executive named in the lawsuit also deny the allegations in the lawsuit . The plaintiff , Jane Collins , now 32 , joined Steiff as a temporary receptionist in 2000 . She became Frechen 's executive assistant in 2002 , when he was named CEO of Steiff North America . Collins ' lawsuit , filed Monday in New York state Supreme Court , contends that the harassment began in fall 2004 , shortly before Frechen was to leave for Germany . After Collins rebuffed Frechen 's advances in a hotel room and parking lot , he asked for her assistance in moving his wife 's car to a storage unit , where he raped her , Collins alleges in her court filings . Collins ' attorney , Chris Brennan , said his client was afraid that reporting the assault could jeopardize her job . She did not call police . `` I was a single mom at the time , and I simply could n't afford to lose this job , '' Collins said in a statement issued by her attorney . The suit alleges that Frechen 's unwanted advances continued after the assault , until as recently as February 2009 . `` I had put it out of my mind , because I thought there was nothing I could do , '' she said . Brennan said , `` The company had in place no policies and procedures to inform her otherwise . `` This is a company that makes millions a dollars a year here in North America , and they did n't invest a dollar in training or educating their employees on sexual harassment policy . '' Collins is seeking $ 80 million in damages . In addition to the allegations against Frechen , the suit alleges that the company , Margarete Steiff GmbH , Steiff North America Inc. and the company 's head of U.S. operations , James Pitocco , are culpable for failing to take appropriate measures to stop Frechen 's harassment after Collins reported his behavior . `` Steiff North America is committed to providing a safe and comfortable working environment for all of its employees . It does not comment on pending litigation . However , Steiff North America , Margarete Steiff and James Pitocco resolutely deny the allegations in Ms. Collins ' complaint and will vigorously defend the claims made by her in court , '' David Rosenthal , an attorney for the company , said in a statement . `` They are confident that when all of the facts and circumstances relevant to this case are revealed during this litigation , Ms. Collins ' claims will fail . '' Michael Rosen , attorney for Frechen , issued a similar statement on behalf of his client . `` Mr. Frechen believes the plaintiff 's claims are entirely without merit , '' he said . `` He intends to vigorously defend himself against these claims and believes he ultimately will prevail . '' Founded by German seamstress Margarete Steiff , the Steiff toy company produced its first plush animal , a felt elephant pincushion , in 1880 . In 1902 , Theodore Roosevelt was president when Steiff launched the plush bear that would become the company 's signature . Quickly dubbed `` Teddy 's bear , '' 3,000 Steiff bears -- now collectors items -- were sold worldwide that year . Collins , a mother of two , continues to work for Steiff as an assistant marketing manager . | Female manager sues Steiff CEO , alleging sexual harassment and assault . Lawsuit also claims company did not stop the harassment after she complained . Steiff and CEO Martin Frechen deny all allegations . | [[0, 18], [28, 122], [0, 24], [125, 180], [1246, 1356], [1999, 2069], [181, 235], [236, 252], [309, 326], [353, 390]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While many now recognize the scientific explanation for a solar eclipse , the phenomenon is still marked with tradition and sometimes suspicion in Hindu-majority India . People test the `` sky watching telescope '' at the Gujarat Council of Science City in India . The `` exceptionally long '' eclipse that will cross half the planet Wednesday will be able to be seen by virtually all of the population of China and India . For beggars in India , the occasion means an extra day of receiving alms and food . The panhandler in Sandeep Jaggi 's neighborhood normally visits the block every week on Tuesdays and Saturdays , as well as the days of a new and full moon . And because his patrons mark an eclipse with alms-giving , prayers and bathing , he rarely misses the chance to meet them on this day as well . `` It 's a family tradition and I follow it , '' says 34-year-old Jaggi . He will fill the beggar 's small steel pail with mustard oil and coins and his disheveled sash with lentils . For others in the country , the eclipse is not a reason to celebrate , but a more ominous phenomenon . Send us your photos of the eclipse . Most pregnant women hope to avoid giving birth during an eclipse . `` None of the expectant mothers under my treatment are willing to have deliveries on Wednesday , '' Shivani Sachdev Gour , a gynecologist at New Delhi 's Fortis La Femme hospital , told CNN . In fact , there are critically ill patients who do not want to be in the hospital on the day of the eclipse , she said . Indian astrologers even advise expectant mothers to stay indoors when this celestial event occurs . `` It may not cause any physical harm to the baby , but it may affect the child 's overall personality , '' said R.K. Sharma , who describes himself as a `` remedial astrologer . '' A solar eclipse , he says , weakens the sun god temporarily because of an encounter with dragon Rahu and leaves some cascading results everywhere . `` Bathing in holy rivers and ponds during this time thus helps protect health and develop positivism and greater will power , '' he explained . About 1.5 million people are expected at one such pond -- the Brahmsarovar , or the pool of Hindu god Brahma -- in northern India on Wednesday . `` They offer prayers to the sun god and take holy dips during an eclipse , '' said Ashok Kumar Bansal , the sub-divisional magistrate of Kurukshetra , an ancient Hindu city . But the century 's longest total solar eclipse is not just about the dragon-sun combat , it also means business for some . Travel firms in India have plans in place to cash in on the phenomenon . Cox and Kings India has a planeload of eclipse watchers heading for the eastern state of Bihar , one of the most preferred locations for sighting the event . The plane will hover over Gaya in Bihar and return to New Delhi the same day , company spokesman Thomas C. Thottathil told CNN . Passengers were given two options : to book a `` sunside '' seat facing the eclipse for about $ 1,640 , or reserve an `` earthside '' seat for about $ 610 , Thottathil added . `` And it 's a sold out flight now ! '' he said . | Solar eclipse marked with tradition and often suspicion in Hindu-majority India . Most pregnant women in India hope to avoid giving birth during eclipse . Some critically ill patients do not want to be in hospital on day of eclipse . Astrologer : Eclipse weakens sun god because of encounter with dragon Rahu . | [[111, 134], [142, 170], [111, 125], [129, 206], [1171, 1237], [1441, 1538], [1852, 1859], [1862, 1981], [1834, 1849], [1862, 1968]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They 're paid to watch for suspicious activity , to prevent bloody attacks . But employees at Baghdad 's surveillance center often watch helplessly as death and destruction unfold before their eyes , on camera . Security cameras watch the streets of Baghdad , but the center 's director says it has a long way to go . The center was set up a year and a half ago , with employees on the lookout for trouble , as police officers in a back room listen to the traffic on their radios . But there are not enough cameras to cover all of Baghdad -- only 5 percent of the city is surveilled under the current system . The cameras picked up suspicious activity last Wednesday , but within 20 seconds -- before any action could be taken -- a truck blew up in front of the Foreign Ministry building . By day 's end , bombings had killed nearly 100 people in the city . The fledgling security surveillance operation has a long way to go , its director acknowledges . The center is understaffed and not yet open around the clock . Watch security camera video of attacks '' Though overall attacks have decreased in Iraq , the images on screen serve as undeniable evidence of the ongoing violence the Iraqi government is struggling to prevent . That effort includes 113 security cameras placed mainly around government buildings throughout the city , though not all are functioning at any given time . Each work station at the surveillance center monitors the feeds from 10 cameras . After last week 's bombings -- which made Wednesday the bloodiest day in Iraq since U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities at the end of June -- the center 's managers met with Iraqi security forces in an effort to increase the number of cameras . `` We should all admit responsibility for this major breach of security , '' the director said . `` And we have to fix the system . '' For now , as the carnage fills the screen like a violent movie , employees cringe with guilt . They know that every time there is a blast on screen , it 's because they were not able to prevent it . | Baghdad has 113 security cameras around government buildings . But workers often see attacks occurring that they do n't have time to prevent . Only 5 percent of the Iraqi capital covered by security cameras . Center 's managers want more cameras ; `` We have to fix the system , '' director says . | [[1264, 1367], [115, 206], [2043, 2091], [576, 643], [1712, 1757], [1832, 1854], [1862, 1889]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Melissa Huckaby , the former Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping , raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu , will face additional charges that she tried to poison two people , including another 7-year-old girl . Melissa Huckaby is charged with killing Sandra Cantu and attempted poisoning of second child . A revised complaint against Huckaby , 28 , of Tracy , California , was made public just hours before she was due back in court on Friday . The new charges caused another delay in the murder case , CNN afiliate KRON reported . The complaint charged that Huckaby `` did willfully and unlawfully mingle a harmful substance with food or drink '' with the intent to harm the child , identified only as `` Jane M. Doe . '' Another alleged poisoning victim was identified as Daniel Plowman , but no age or other information was immediately provided . The latest charges also include one count of child abuse endangerment relating to the unidentified child , who was allegedly in Huckaby 's `` care and custody . '' Read the complaint -LRB- PDF -RRB- . Huckaby did not enter a plea in the Cantu slaying in her first two court appearances last month . At an earlier hearing , Judge Linda L. Loftis agreed to keep the autopsy and toxicology reports under seal , citing a `` great danger of public outrage . '' If convicted on the murder , rape and kidnapping charges , Huckaby , could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole , authorities said . CNN 's Alan Duke and Jim Roope contributed to this report . | NEW : Melissa Huckaby charged with attempting to poison `` Jane Doe , '' 7 . Huckaby due in court to face charges in slaying of another 8-year-old . She faces special circumstances including kidnap , rape by instrument . Decision on whether to seek the death penalty will come later . | [[242, 257], [299, 336], [1366, 1393], [1396, 1452]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage has pretty much got this acting thing down . After all , he started acting at the age of 15 and , well , he 's got that Oscar . Nicolas Cage says that Academy Awards are `` not as important as children and making them happy . '' So he does n't really need to deliver another gut-wrenching performance to demonstrate his chops . In fact , he can deviate from a traditional film and venture into animated territory . He 's voiced animated characters in the past , but in Disney 's new 3-D tale `` G-Force , '' Cage lends his voice to a mole . Speckles the star-nosed mole comes to life thanks to the film 's impressive digital animation and Cage 's voice . At first it 's unclear that Cage is the voice behind Speckles , because he changes his sound for the critter , er , character . CNN talked to Cage about playing a mole , animated films and his taking walks in the forest . The following is an edited version of that interview : . CNN : What do you play in this film ? Nicolas Cage : I 'm playing Speckles , the mole , and he 's an outsider . He 's an iconoclast -- he does n't fit in . He does n't get into the fray with the `` G-Force , '' the other guinea pigs . But his IQ is off the charts , and he 's a technological wizard . CNN : So , you 're an Academy Award-winning actor , and you decided to play -LRB- this role -RRB- . How did this come about ? Cage : To me , nothing 's more sacred than the magical world of children , and with everything that 's going on in the world , it gets increasingly more challenging to keep our kids smiling -- people are losing their jobs , families are tense . So anything I can do to give families something to look forward to and to put a smile back on children 's faces -- I 'm gon na do . Disney has a great tradition of enchanting children and giving them something to behold . I mean , you mention Academy Awards -- I mean , that 's not as important as children and making them happy . CNN : Tell me about your voice : Why did you decide to really change it when you read the script ? Cage : Mel Blanc is a hero because of what he could do with his voice for all the Looney Tunes , the Warner Brothers cartoons , to be the voice of Bugs Bunny , Daffy Duck , Elmer Fudd , Porky Pig . To me , he 's a great actor . I mean , one of the great character actors , and I knew that if I was gon na be in this movie , I 'd want to do something like that and transform my voice . CNN : So you 're clearly comfortable playing a mole ? Cage : I 'm comfortable with the mole , yeah . I mean , yeah , he 's different , he 's got issues , you know ? I do n't want a perfect character , I want a character who has , as strange as it sounds , some humanity , some flaws , some needs . But to be fair , I 'm not in a lot of this movie . This is Darwin 's movie , um Sam Rockwell and Penelope Cruz 's movie -- they 're the stars . I 'm only in it at the beginning and the end . CNN : You seem to be a big fan of animated films . Cage : I do enjoy animated movies . I really love anime and movies like `` Spirited Away '' and `` Howl 's Moving Castle . '' I like movies where you feel like you 're going into another world , and no matter how many times you watch it , you 're gon na see something new in that world . That level of detail really inspires me . CNN : Is there less pressure doing an animated film and lending your voice to a character as opposed to a traditional film ? Cage : Well , you do n't have the pressure of the camera . And that 's -- that 's very liberating . And you do n't have the pressure of other actors trying to remember their dialogue or not being in rhythm with you . The challenge though is , these movies take years to make , and I may not be in the same state of mind I was in a year ago or two years ago , and then they tend to pull you out of wherever you are and put you back in a box , and then try to get the voice out of you again , so that 's the rub . CNN : Have you gotten pretty good at honing your skills when it comes to choosing roles , or is it always a risk ? Cage : I mean it is always a gamble . You never know what 's gon na happen with a movie . But I think it 's more of a matter of , am I doing something that I believe in on any level ? Like , am I going to entertain children , or am I going to make a movie that I can stand by because it means well on some level ? That 's becoming more and more a part of the criteria . CNN : How do you think you 've changed as an actor throughout your career ? Cage : I think I 've become more relaxed . I do n't feel the need to jump up and down and make a big noise to get people to pay attention to me . I do n't need to um , you know , do punk rock gestures or eat a cockroach or do something weird to say I exist . I feel like I 'm hearing a different kind of sound now . It 's a much more subtle sound , but it 's still a truthful sound , that I can express myself in , in roles that are much more relaxed and seasoned as opposed to boisterous and rock and roll . CNN : What 's inspiring to you , in every day . Cage : Well , I find children inspiring . The way they look at the world . The magical world they live in , to me , is inspiring . I like -- I mean , I 'm afraid I 'm gon na answer your questions and sound like a complete nature addict here , but uh , I like nature , I enjoy going for walks , I like the ocean , I like the forest . CNN : Is that what you do when you 're not working , that 's important to you in your life ? Cage : Yes . Yes , I like to go for walks in the forest . | Nicolas Cage voices character of Speckles the mole in `` G-Force '' Disney 's `` G-Force '' opens in U.S. theaters on Friday , July 24 . `` I like movies where you feel like you 're going into another world , '' Cage says . | [[528, 548], [567, 602], [3149, 3215]] |
VANCOUVER , British Columbia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Canadian cocaine smuggler Charles Lai was being sentenced in a Seattle federal courtroom last month , the judge sending him to prison for 13 years offered a small item of good news . A suspected gang member in Vancouver is taken out of a bar in handcuffs . At least behind bars , Judge James Robart said , drug smuggler Lai would not become another fatality in Vancouver 's gang wars . Authorities in Vancouver , just 30 miles from the border , are struggling to deal with the boom in the drug trade between the United States and Canada , along with the violence that has come with it . Cocaine from Mexico -- and many of the guns that fuel the violence -- come north via the United States . Canadian smugglers then bring south high-quality marijuana known as `` BC Bud '' and synthetic drugs like methamphetamine . A recent U.N. drug report named Canada as the `` primary '' supplier of Ecstasy to the United States . The gang killings are blamed in part over who will control which areas of this estimated $ 6 billion-a-year narcotics trade . Beyond the string of slayings and shootings that have taken place over the last two years are the new modes in which the violence is carried out . `` It 's the type of murders , the more brazen public shootings , the shootings in front of the grocery store with automatic weapons , '' said superintendent Pat Fogarty of the Royal Mounted Police , who oversees a special multi-jurisdictional unit that is taking on the gangs and larger criminal organizations behind them . `` It 's common now for gangsters to carry body armor and wear it , to have bulletproof cars , '' Fogarty said . `` What that does is when one gang is shooting up another gang , their .40 - calibers are n't able to pierce the body armor of the vehicle or the body armor of the vests . So what we 've seen is an elevation in firepower , which is a scary process . '' Watch how authorities are fighting the gangs '' Some of the incidents have already become legend : the car radio repairman killed while fixing a gangster 's stereo , thugs shooting up the parking garage of a mall with machine guns , the postal worker refusing to deliver mail to a street where a family with well-known gang ties live . The gangs -- police estimate there at least 120 different groups operating in Vancouver and the surrounding area -- have names like the UN , the Red Scorpions , the Big Circle Boys and the Independent Soldiers . They are mostly homegrown operations or recruits from immigrant communities . Some gang members come from middle-class families and join up expecting the Hollywood version of criminal life . `` These guys act like rock stars , '' said Sgt. Kieron McConnell of the British Columbia Integrated Gang Task Force . It 's McConnell 's job to remove what he calls `` the mystique of being a gangster . '' A 20-year police veteran with a looming frame and completely bald head , McConnell and the officers who patrol with him act as a buzzkill to many gang members ' night on the town . The Gang Task Force slowly winds through bars and clubs known for their gangster clientele . Until closing time , the police check for identification and run names . Through an agreement with most of the bars in the city , when police find anyone with a history of violence or drug peddling , they can bounce them from the establishment -- no questions asked . The police 's goal is not to harass the gang members , they say , but to remove a potential target from an area full of bystanders . `` We are encouraging them not to bring violence with them to where they socialize , '' McConnell said . Chris Mohan 's son did not need to go far , however , to become an innocent victim of the gangs . The violence literally came to his doorstep . In October 2007 , Mohan , 22 years old , was walking out of the apartment where he lived with his parents when gang hit men came to murder a neighbor police believe was involved in the drug trade . Mohan was one of six people killed in the shooting . `` They killed Chris , but I got a life sentence , '' Mohan 's mother , Eileen Mohan , said of having to live without her son . Despite what they took from her , Eileen Mohan does not show any fear of the gangs . She has become an advocate for tougher sentencing of violent criminals , attends the hearings for the men accused of her son 's killing and still lives in the apartment where he died . Her mission now is to hurt gangsters . `` They touched my life illegally , I want to touch theirs legally , '' she said . Even though police say they are taking the fight to the gangs like never before , it remains to be seen if authorities can totally dismantle Vancouver 's gangs and the larger criminal organization behind them . Watch how border agents look for smuggled drugs '' Police say they need legislation passed that would enable them to monitor encrypted cell phone conversations and for the legal system to pass down stiffer sentences on gangsters . Tougher sentences may explain why more Canadian drug traffickers like Charles Lai face a courtroom in America , not Canada . Even though Canadian authorities say they are capable of trying their own criminals , crime experts say police are sometimes all too happy if smugglers are captured in the United States , where they face a less bureaucratic justice system and longer stretches in jail . `` In these regional operations , the tendency has been for the offenders to be arrested , charged and processed in the United States , not Canada , '' said Robert Gordon , director of the School of Criminology at the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia . `` That 's an indictment of how we are handling this . '' | Thirty miles from U.S. border , authorities in Vancouver confronting gang warfare . Violence the result of turf wars over increased narcotics trade . Innocent bystanders have fallen victim to gangsters ' heavy firepower . Drug dealers sometimes tried in the U.S. , where sentencing is stiffer . | [[439, 463], [498, 615], [3662, 3713], [3716, 3759], [5019, 5143]] |
-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Sure , you know these five creatures as stinging , biting merchants of death . But is n't it time we put aside our differences and embraced the positive ? A creepy crawler from this guy 's family could save your brain from cancer some day . 1 . Poison dart frogs : The heart-healthy choice . It could kill you : You know an animal is bad news when its sweat was once considered a state-of-the-art military technology . Meet the poison dart frog , which secretes a highly dangerous neurotoxin , called batrachotoxin , through its pores . In fact , various Latin American tribes used to collect the stuff -LRB- carefully -RRB- to poison the tips of their arrows for hunting and warfare . Interestingly , however , the frogs do n't produce their own toxin . They get it from eating insects that most likely pick up the poison from the plants they consume . The same frogs , if raised in a laboratory rather than the rain forest , are n't poisonous at all . But it just might cure you : Before batrachotoxin stops your heart , it speeds it up . Consequently , medical experts believe it might be possible to tweak elements of the frog 's toxin to bring patients out of cardiac arrest and potentially save lives . And because it also deadens nerve endings , batrachotoxin has potential as an ingredient in anesthetics . Watch how gator blood may be become super drug '' Studies into other uses of the toxin are still in the early stages , but the frog 's medical benefits bolster the argument for preserving the rainforest . Most scientists believe we 've only just begun to grasp the pharmaceutical possibilities of some of the world 's rarest and deadliest creatures . 2 . Scorpions : Leading the battle against brain cancer . It could kill you : For the most part , scorpions use their toxins to capture prey , ward off competitors during mating season , and defend themselves against larger predators . Unfortunately , humans count as larger predators . A sting by some species can leave you with any number of potentially deadly conditions , including heart and lung failure . But it just might cure you : Medical researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham -LRB- UAB -RRB- have discovered a new use for scorpion venom -- cancer medication . Each year , some 9,000 Americans are diagnosed with malignant glioma , a form of brain cancer that kills about half its victims within a year of diagnosis . Glioma cells work a lot like cockroach muscle cells . And while that fact is pretty disgusting , it also got UAB researchers thinking about the giant Israeli scorpion , whose venom is harmless to humans but deadly to its cockroach prey . Doctors found that when they injected a drug derived from the venom of giant Israeli scorpions into cancer-infected human brains , the poison destroyed the glioma cells and left surrounding , healthy cells alone . The treatment is still in the early stages of development , but researchers remain optimistic . 3 . Cone shell snails : Little creatures tackling big pain . It could kill you : Thanks to their unique colors and intricate patterns , cone shells look like they 'd make great beach souvenirs . But watch your fingers ; they 're actually home to one of the world 's deadliest creatures . Cone shell snails come equipped with an extendable `` arm '' -- complete with a sharp , venomous tooth -- that they use to immobilize and kill prey . And while the venom certainly helps the slow-moving hunters from going hungry , it can also paralyze , or even kill , victims . The good news : Death by cone shell is completely painless . But it just might cure you : Cone shell venom , called conotoxin , has incredible potential as a painkiller , with one added bonus : Unlike many current anesthetics , conotoxin is n't addictive . In 2005 , Ireland-based Elan Pharmaceuticals became the first company to market a drug made from the venom . Called Prialt , the drug is pumped into the fluid around a patient 's spine to relieve chronic pain and is believed to be up to 1,000 times more powerful than morphine . Meanwhile , at the University of Melbourne , a research team headed by Professor Bruce Livett is currently developing another conotoxin-based painkiller called ACV1 , which was first tested on humans in the summer of 2005 . Unlike Prialt , however , ACV1 does n't affect a patient 's blood pressure and can be injected under the skin , making it a lot less intimidating . Plus , ACV1 is believed to be as much as 10,000 times stronger than morphine . 4 . Vipers : Lowering your blood pressure since 1981 . It could kill you : Most vipers are scary enough as is , but jararaca vipers are venomous to boot . But what 's truly fascinating is the unique way their venom works . Unlike a traditional toxin , viper venom functions by preventing the blood from clotting , meaning the snakes actually kill their victims by causing them to bleed to death . But it just might cure you : Lucky for us , slow-clotting blood is n't always a bad thing . Researchers have found that small doses of viper venom can prevent arteries from hardening , thus stopping the kinds of blood clots that commonly occur in cardiac patients . In fact , jararaca viper venom -LRB- or at least a synthesized version of it -RRB- is a key ingredient in most of today 's ACE inhibitors . Introduced in 1981 , ACE inhibitors work by slowing down the body 's angiotensin converting enzyme -LRB- ACE -RRB- . When left untreated , the enzyme can produce a peptide that causes muscle constriction around blood vessels . That kind of constriction can set off a chain reaction whereby a person 's blood vessels narrow and his or her blood pressure shoots through the roof , leading to greater risk of heart attack and other ailments . Because the ACE inhibitors can stop this domino effect , they 're frequently used to treat millions of men and women with high blood pressure . 5 . Gila monsters : Attacking type 2 diabetes . It could kill you : One of only two species of venomous lizards , the Gila monster is native to southwestern United States and northern Mexico . Unlike other deadly critters , Gila monsters do n't inject venom directly into their victims . Instead , poison oozes from the lizard 's teeth into the open wounds of its prey , usually while the Gila monster is chewing . Because of this , human fatalities from Gila monster bites are rare , but a bite can cause intense pain , nausea , swelling , fatigue , dizziness , and chills -- none of which is particularly fun . But it just might cure you : In addition to causing all those nasty side effects , Gila monster venom stimulates insulin production and slows down glucose production , which is great news for diabetics . Byetta , a drug manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Company to treat Type 2 diabetes , uses a manufactured form of Gila monster venom as its main ingredient . Approved by the FDA in April of 2005 , Byetta is injected before meals to help their bodies produce the right amount of insulin at the right time -- the best part being that it does n't cause the mood swings often associated with traditional insulin regimens . E-mail to a friend . For more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright , Mental Floss LLC . All rights reserved . | Scientists hope deadly creatures can save humans . Gila monster venom stimulates insulin production in humans . Snake venom lead to treatment for millions with high blood pressure . Scorpions may help patients survive brain cancer . | [[6622, 6670], [5839, 5858], [5864, 5925], [5839, 5843], [5848, 5925]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Arizona man caught leaving water bottles in the desert for illegal immigrants has been sentenced to 300 hours of community service and a year of probation , an aid group said . Walt Staton was convicted in June of littering by leaving jugs of water in a wildlife refuge . Walt Staton , a member of the group No More Deaths , left full water bottles in December in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge for the illegal immigrants who routinely pass through the 18,000-acre refuge , according to court documents . A judge sentenced him Tuesday to 300 hours of picking up trash on public property and a year of probation , No More Deaths said in a written statement . He is also banned from the refuge during that time , the group said . Although the case involved only a misdemeanor charge , both sides used the divisive issue of illegal immigration in their arguments ; Staton 's lawyer argued that Staton 's actions were humanitarian , but the government said otherwise . In a sentencing memo , the federal prosecutors wrote that Staton 's `` actions are not about humanitarian efforts , but about protesting the immigration policies of the United States , and aiding those that enter illegally into the United States . '' Noting the phrase scrawled on many of the plastic water jugs -- `` buena suerte , '' or `` good luck '' in Spanish -- the prosecutors said , `` The obvious conclusion is that the defendant and No More Deaths wish to aid illegal aliens in their entry attempt . '' They also said , as did the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , that leaving the full plastic jugs on the refuge is detrimental to the health of the animals that live there . Citing a biologist , the prosecutors said that animals could eat the plastic and that others could get feet or antlers caught on the bottles . Prosecutors had requested a $ 5,000 fine , along with five years of probation , according to court documents . Staton , who No More Deaths says is to begin seminary school at the Claremont School of Theology in Claremont , California , had initially refused to pay a $ 175 fine for littering , said Staton 's lawyer , Bill Walker . After his refusal , the government enhanced the charges against him , arguing that he `` knowingly littered , '' said Walker , who is also a member of No More Deaths . The charge can carry a $ 100,000 fine and a year in jail , Walker said . Charges against three other people who were cited with Staton in December were dropped , he said . A jury convicted Staton in June of littering . Walker said he is appealing . `` We think that Walt did nothing wrong , '' he said . `` We do not think that this conviction will be upheld on appeal . '' He described Staton as `` the kind of guy you 'd want to have as your next door neighbor . '' A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney 's office in Arizona declined comment . Mike Hawkes of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge said Thursday that although he had no issue with groups leaving water out for illegal immigrants , `` there 's ways to do it without leaving plastic jugs out there . '' He said the plastic jugs were strewn throughout the refuge , which is home to hundreds of bird , reptile and mammal species , according to its Web site . `` We have sympathy for what they have to do , '' he said . But `` they have do to do it without putting plastic bottles out there . ... You ca n't go anywhere in the refuge without seeing plastic bottles through the countryside . '' Hawkes said refuge officials and members of No More Deaths had met and were trying to come up with methods that do n't involve plastic bottles . Staton is the second member of No More Deaths to be convicted of littering , according to court documents ; however , the other received a suspended sentence . Walker said that after Staton 's conviction , 13 No More Deaths members were charged with littering on the refuge . With tens of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing through the refuge -- Hawkes said last year 's number was about 54,000 , down from hundreds of thousands years earlier -- the last water-related death there was in June 2008 , he said . | No More Deaths member gets 300 hours of community service , year of probation . He left bottles of water in Arizona wildlife refuge for people crossing border . Prosecutors : `` Good luck '' written on bottles indicated intent to aid illegal immigration . Fish and Wildlife Service said leaving bottles is detrimental to animals . | [[0, 15], [81, 176], [534, 639], [19, 76], [199, 293], [199, 210], [236, 293], [1017, 1020], [1183, 1241], [1245, 1305], [1363, 1383], [1386, 1504], [1508, 1512], [1518, 1522], [1525, 1566], [1574, 1661]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced cautious optimism regarding the situation in Iraq Wednesday , noting greater stability and decreased violence as U.S. troops continue to cede control to their Iraqi counterparts . President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki talk Wednesday at the White House . `` I have no doubt that there will be some tough days ahead , '' Obama said during a joint appearance of the leaders at the White House . `` There are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict . ... But make no mistake , those efforts will fail , '' he added . The president said he is committed to moving forward with a pledge to remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010 , as well as all U.S. troops by the end of 2011 . Al-Maliki promised the Iraqi government would step up its efforts to prevent a return of widespread sectarian violence . `` Those who thought that the Iraqi forces -LSB- would -RSB- be incapable of imposing peace and security -LSB- have been -RSB- proved to be wrong , '' he said . Watch al-Maliki speak about `` strategic friendship '' with U.S. '' In addition to meeting with Obama , al-Maliki is scheduled to sit down with Vice President Joe Biden . He will also meet with the secretaries of State , Defense and Treasury , and with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . Some foreign policy experts have expressed concern that as the United States pivots from Iraq to Afghanistan , Iraq and its problems will be ignored . Responding to that criticism , one senior administration official said this week , `` Our goal is , in fact as we formalize the relationship , to concentrate on other areas , '' but he suggested that Iraq would remain a U.S. priority . Hours before the two leaders met , at least five Iranian pilgrims were killed and dozens more wounded earlier Wednesday in an attack northeast of Baghdad . The violence came a day after a spate of bombings left at least 22 Iraqis dead and about 150 wounded . CNN 's Jomana Karadsheh and Dan Lothian contributed to this report . | President Obama restates goal of removing all U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011 . Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki : Capable Iraqi forces have proven naysayers wrong . At least five Iranian pilgrims die in attack northeast of Baghdad . | [[950, 955], [960, 1092], [1777, 1809], [1812, 1854], [1859, 1932]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With his push for health care reform on the line , the president delivered a message of urgency to the public : . President Bill Clinton , pictured in 1994 , greets members of a crowd following a speech on his health care reform plan . `` Do n't let the fearmongers , do n't let the dividers , do n't let the people who disseminate false information frighten the United States Congress into walking away from the opportunity of a lifetime . Tell the members of Congress you will support them . This is not partisan politics , '' the president said . The date was August 1 , 1994 , and the voice behind the 11th-hour battle cry was then-President Clinton . Within weeks , that battle cry was reduced to a whimper of defeat as Congress tabled plans to vote on his legislation . As President Obama ratchets up the pressure on Congress to pass health care reform this year , he 's following in the footsteps of the 42nd president . From his prime time push to his town hall meetings , Obama is taking the same path as Clinton , but hoping for a different ending . Clinton and Obama faced similar climates . Both made health care their signature issue , even though most people were happy with their coverage and were more concerned with fixing the economy . Clinton presented Congress with a plan , whereas Obama instead presented broad guidelines and asked the lawmakers to come up with a bill . `` Much of the complaint about the Clinton-era attempt at this was how complicated it was , '' said Candy Crowley , CNN 's senior political correspondent . `` That has not been a complaint this time . But in the overview , there was no doubt that the steady drumbeat of criticism started out at a fairly low level and just has come to this deafening roar , and that 's very much like it was in the resistance to the Clinton plan . '' Like Clinton , Obama 's been accused of waffling on his proposals and failing to reach across the aisle . Following weeks of contentious town hall meetings , Obama this weekend appeared more flexible than ever on the idea of a government-sponsored , public health insurance option . Liberal Democrats have demanded a public option , but some conservatives call such a proposal a deal breaker . Obama has voiced his support for the public option but stopped short of calling it a necessity . At a town hall in Colorado this weekend , however , he called it `` just one sliver '' of reform . `` The public option , whether we have it or we do n't have it , is not the entirety of health care reform , '' he said . The White House was quick to insist that the administration 's stance has not changed , and sent talking points to congressional Democrats trying to ease concern about the public option . The administration has been `` boringly consistent '' on the issue , White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday . Watch : Is the White House changing its message ? '' Clinton was accused of backtracking after he seemed to back down from his stated goal of universal coverage at a 1994 National Governors ' Association conference . Democrats protested and the White House insisted that the president 's words were misinterpreted . But those reading the tea leaves knew the effort was losing steam . Some Democrats distanced themselves from the president as the 1994 midterm elections neared . Clinton and other key Democrats tried to compromise with a scaled-down version of the president 's original plan , but the effort unraveled and eventually faded from the agenda . `` It 's the art of dealmaking , and it 's not surprising that they would both face this . In the face of huge outcry , presidents or politicians look for a compromise , '' Crowley said . `` When you see the possibility that it could go down in flames , you look for ways to appease the critics of it , and both Clinton , and now it appears Obama , are trying to do that -- to find some way to pass something . '' When Congress reconvenes after the August recess , lawmakers will return to a different climate on Capitol Hill , kindled by the protests of those who have been questioning Obama 's proposals . Sen. Jim DeMint , R-South Carolina , said last month that if Republicans can stop Obama on health care , `` it will be his Waterloo . '' Clinton 's agenda was bruised following his health care defeat , but it was his party that was dealt the hardest hits . The Democrats lost control of Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years . It took another 12 years to get it back . Mary Matalin , a Republican strategist and CNN contributor , predicted a repeat of history for Obama , should health care fail . `` What is right about conventional wisdom is , he 'll be fine , but the Democrats in Congress wo n't , '' she said on CNN 's `` State of the Union . '' `` And you are already hearing Democrats in Congress saying , ` This is deja vu . This is what happened with Bill Clinton . He makes us walk the plank , then we lose , ' as they did , '' she said . Clinton acknowledged the political importance of a health care win in his speech before the Netroots Nation convention last week . Passing comprehensive health care legislation , he said , `` is not only the morally right thing to do . It is politically imperative for the Democrats to pass a health care bill now , because one thing we know and that I have lived through is that if you get out there and then you do n't prevail , the victors get to rewrite history . '' Democratic strategist and CNN contributor James Carville said that since it 's clear that Senate Democrats do n't have the 60 votes needed to get a full Senate vote , they should instead force Republicans to filibuster the bill . `` Then , you say , ` They 're the people that stopped it . We had a majority of Democrats . We had a good bill . They stopped it , ' '' said Carville , a former adviser to Clinton . Republicans under the Clinton administration threatened to filibuster , but the warnings proved inconsequential , as the bill never got that far . As health care reaches a turning point for Obama , `` timing is everything , '' Crowley said . `` It 's not an election year -- yet . To me , that works on Obama 's side , where it did n't with Clinton because the minute it becomes an election year , it 's just different , because congressmen , senators are looking at what their constituents are saying back home , and their jobs are on the line , '' Crowley said . But that safety net wo n't hold for long , and Obama has only a few more months to show whether history will repeat itself or be rewritten . `` I think the time is critical for President Obama because at the end of the year , Congress goes off and takes a recess ... and so you end up having a pretty narrow time frame , and then when they come back in January -- guess what , it 's an election year , '' Crowley said . | Bill Clinton , Obama both made health care their signature issue . Both accused of backtracking from their original goals . Obama at an advantage because lawmakers are n't facing re-election -- yet . Clinton says it 's `` politically imperative '' for Dems to pass a bill now . | [[1122, 1165], [1861, 1911], [2924, 3087], [2924, 2931], [2944, 3087], [6122, 6159], [4995, 5125], [5264, 5308]] |
-LRB- Entertainment Weekly -RRB- -- Actor Jude Law is expecting his fourth child , his spokesperson said . Actor Jude Law 's publicist confirmed he is expecting his fourth child . In a statement released to Entertainment Weekly and EW.com , the single actor confirmed that he will once again become a father . `` Jude Law can confirm that , following a relationship last year , he has been advised that he is to be the father of a child due in the fall of this year , '' the statement said . `` Mr. Law is no longer in a relationship with the individual concerned but he intends to be a fully supportive part of the child 's life . This is an entirely private matter and no other statements will be made . '' The statement was released exclusively to Entertainment Weekly , whose site broke the story on Wednesday . Law , 36 , has three children with ex-wife Sadie Frost . The handsome British actor known for appearing in movies such as `` Cold Mountain '' and `` The Talented Mr. Ripley '' and headlines a few years ago after an alleged fling with his children 's caregiver and a broken engagement with actress Sienna Miller . He is scheduled to appear in `` Hamlet '' on Broadway in October and will star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the movie `` Sherlock Holmes '' slated to open Christmas Day . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | Jude Law 's spokesperson says he will become a dad again in the fall . Entertainment Weekly broke the news the actor is expecting his fourth child . Law , who is divorced , did not reveal the identity of the mother . | [[83, 106], [107, 179], [180, 194], [241, 309], [310, 465], [0, 32], [36, 80], [107, 179], [145, 179], [751, 771], [785, 815]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The date of the funeral for pop legend Michael Jackson has been changed to September 3 , the singer 's spokesman said Friday . Michael Jackson 's burial will be at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Thursday , September 3 . Jackson was scheduled to be laid to rest August 29 , on what would have been his 51st birthday . The private ceremony will still take place at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale , California , according to a statement from Ken Sunshine . No reason was given for the change in date . The ceremony `` will be limited to family and close friends , '' the statement said . Jackson died June 25 of cardiac arrest . The famed entertainer was 50 . The release date for the movie drawing on Jackson 's rehearsal footage was announced Thursday . `` Michael Jackson : This Is It '' will run in theaters worldwide for two weeks only beginning October 28 , according to Sony Pictures . Tickets for the film go on sale Sunday , September 27 , Sony said in a news release Thursday . `` Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer , dancer , filmmaker , architect , and genius as he creates and perfects his final show , '' Sony said . Kenny Ortega , who was working with Jackson to create the `` This Is It '' concert , is also directing the documentary . | Michael Jackson to be buried Thursday , September 3 , at Forest Lawn . Singer originally scheduled to be buried August 29 ; no reason given for change . Jackson movie drawing on concert footage will open October 28 . | [[0, 11], [14, 40], [83, 130], [171, 254], [271, 321], [521, 565], [724, 754], [795, 819], [890, 925]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Iraqi government says it has banned all organized visits to Saddam Hussein 's grave amid concern over support for the late dictator 's former party . An Iraqi poet , left , gives a recital while children carry pictures of Saddam Hussein over his grave . A Cabinet statement on Monday said it had directed authorities in Salaheddin province and the Education Ministry to `` take all necessary measures '' to prevent such outings . The former dictator , along with his two sons and other relatives , is buried in his hometown of al-Ouja near Tikrit in Salaheddin north of Baghdad . And , Hussein supporters and schoolchildren have made visits there on the late dictator 's birthday and hanging date . There have been videos on sites such as YouTube of people at the site . One video shows schoolchildren at the grave in December ; they carried banners at Hussein 's grave that said `` We wo n't forget you father '' and they read pro-Hussein poetry . The government move was made after a recent visit by schoolchildren to the grave , but no reason was given for the decision . However , the move reflects the concern of Iraq 's government over the presence of the Baath Party in Iraq , Saddam Hussein 's political movement . The party and its symbols have been banned in Iraq . On Saturday , government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters that while there can be government reconciliation with individual Baathists who have not committed crimes such as killing Iraqis , there can never be national reconciliation with the party itself . Salaheddin Gov. Mutasher Hussein Alaiwi , said he had not received any official directives yet , but said he would implement Cabinet orders when he receives them . The governor said that would apply to organized group visits , but they would not stop individual ones . A resident of al-Ouja told CNN the government had no right to stop visitors from going to their former president 's tomb . `` Even if they put police and army outside the door , they will not stop us from visiting our president , our leader and our father , '' said Mohammed al - Nasiri . Hussein was executed in 2006 after an Iraqi court sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity . | Iraqi government bans all organized visits to Saddam Hussein 's grave . Former dictator buried in his hometown of al-Ouja near Tikrit , north of Baghdad . Government move was made after a recent visit by schoolchildren to the grave . Move reflects concern of Iraq 's government over presence of the Baath Party . | [[0, 7], [10, 30], [34, 187], [468, 533], [536, 617], [618, 621], [624, 736], [987, 1067], [0, 7], [10, 30], [34, 187], [1123, 1260]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In a field largely still in its infancy , scientists are making headway toward using stem cells to treat heart ailments . The FDA regulates which adult stem cell techniques are allowed to go into clinical trials . The major focus of stem cell research in cardiology is promoting regeneration of the heart or preventing scar formation , said Jeffrey Karp , who runs a stem cell biology lab at Harvard University . One study reporting successful results in humans involves harvesting patients ' own stem cells , purifying them , and injecting them directly into the heart muscle . The stem cells have a surface marker called CD34 , which means they are capable of growing new blood vessels . The study , sponsored by Baxter Inc. , is the largest adult stem cell study for heart disease in the U.S. , said Dr. Douglas Losordo , cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago , Illinois , who is leading the trial . The researchers will present their one-year findings from Phase II of the trial in September , Losordo said . `` It 's important to point out that this is a use of a patient 's own body 's repair capabilities , '' Losordo said . If everything goes well , it 's conceivable this treatment could be widely available in a little over four years , he said . The target patient population , consisting of end-stage cardiac patients who have tried all other available therapies , is about 300,000 to 900,000 people , he said . So far , researchers have not found side effects from this method , Losordo said . However , because it is an invasive surgical procedure in which stem cells are delivered through a catheter , there is a risk of perforation of about 1 percent , he said . There is also a small risk of blood clotting from the drug , GCSF , which mobilizes stem cells . Injecting stem cells into the heart muscle carries the risk of arrhythmia , said Techung Lee , associate professor of biochemistry at the State University New York at Buffalo . But Losordo said this risk is theoretical in his trial , and is believed to be very low with CD34 cells in general . Lee and colleagues are working on a less-invasive technique . In a study in mice , they injected stem cells from bone marrow into skeletal muscles of limbs . They found that the stem cells produced growth factors that traveled to the heart , in addition to stimulating the muscle itself to make growth factors that also improved cardiac function . The challenge for translating this method to humans would be that , while each mouse needed only a few million stem cells , each human patient would need close to a billion stem cells for the therapy -- which would be far too expensive and logistically difficult . `` This is a problem that 's been experienced by everyone in the field , '' Lee said . He estimates that his method could be available clinically in five years , after researchers find ways to reduce the required number of cells by a factor of 10 or even 100 . Another therapeutic possibility is giving a patient an IV of stem cells , which would come from a stem cell bank or a company . The challenge is that the cells may not have the right homing receptors to land in the heart , Karp said . Karp 's group is working on an approach to chemically modify the surface of cells to enhance their targeting to specific sites . Results from animal models have shown promising results for targeting sites of inflammation , he said . `` Essentially we know the ZIP code of vessels within a certain tissue , we can program the address on the surface of the cell , '' he said . Lee 's and Karp 's teams use adult mesenchymal stem cells , which may develop into connective tissue , lymphatic tissue , and blood vessels . These stem cells are largely interchangeable between patients and do n't require matching , as organ transplants do . However , as more becomes known about the relatively new field of stem cell therapy , a more specific matching system may be required , said Dr. Joon Lee , cardiologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center . Some stem cell therapies for the heart are being tested in human clinical trials . Osiris Therapeutics Inc. is enrolling patients in a phase II trial for Prochymal , which contains mesenchymal stem cells . The company intends to use this drug , which gets injected into the vein , to repair heart damage in patients who have just experienced their first heart attack . More than 90 percent of research on using stem cells to repair the human heart involves adult stem cells , Lee said . That means the controversy about using stem cells derived from human embryos is largely absent from this line of research . For developing treatments that involve transplanting stem cells from adults , there is no ethical concern about the use of embryos , Lee said . Embryonic stem cells are advantageous in research because they can be grown more easily than adult stem cells in a culture , and are pluripotent , meaning they can develop into any of the various cell types of the body , according to the National Institutes of Health . But it is not yet known whether tissues derived from embryonic stem cells would cause transplant rejection , whereas this does not seem to be a problem with adult stem cells . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates which adult stem cell techniques are allowed to go into clinical trials and sets the requirements for more routine use . Whether the FDA will become more or less lenient in these respects is unclear , Lee said . It 's not unfathomable that within the next two to five years , some FDA-approved stem cell treatments will be available for cardiovascular disease , Lee said . Karp has a longer view -- five to 10 years before stem cell treatments become widely available for heart problems , he said . The biology of stem cell treatments for the heart is not well understood , said Dr. Ronald Crystal , chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center . One of the challenges is that once a stem cell gets put into a person 's body , no one can get it out , Crystal said . This is the opposite of other kinds of medications -- for instance , a person may get sick from taking too many aspirin , but eventually the drug leaves the system . Not so with stem cells , he said . Crystal expressed general caution about the future of stem cell research , which is still experimental , for heart patients . `` This is a good idea , but patients and families should not expect immediate results , '' he said . | Most stem cell research targeted at the heart uses adult stem cells . The FDA regulates adult stem cell techniques that are allowed to go into clinical trials . Unlike organ transplants , adult stem cells generally can be given to any patient . Therapies be available in a little over four years , although some say five to 10 . | [[3593, 3650], [4440, 4518], [4440, 4492], [4503, 4544], [4682, 4757], [141, 148], [165, 232], [4071, 4153], [5272, 5440], [5272, 5309], [5353, 5391], [1197, 1283], [5560, 5679]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three Disney monorail workers have been placed on paid leave just days after two monorail trains crashed at the Orlando , Florida , theme park , killing one of the train 's operators , according to a Disney spokeswoman . Train operator Austin Wuennenberg , 21 , was killed in Sunday 's monorail crash . Walt Disney World spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said the action was `` part of an investigative process , not a disciplinary action . '' The three workers were a monorail maintenance shop member , the monorail pilot of one of the trains and a transportation manager . Disney would not name the employees . The National Transportation Safety Board , which is investigating the Sunday morning accident , is expected to be at the park for several days . `` To this point in the investigation , no anomalies or malfunctions have been found with the automatic train stop system or with any mechanical components of the switch or with either trains , '' the NTSB said in a statement . The crash killed operator Austin Wuennenberg , 21 . The operator of the other train was taken to a hospital , where he was treated and released . Additionally , six passengers on Wuennenberg 's train were treated at the scene for minor injuries . Wuennenberg was piloting the `` Purple '' train . The other train , known as the `` Pink '' train , was operated by one of the employees who has since been placed on leave . The Pink train was instructed to go back through a track switch that would take it from the monorail 's Epcot loop to the Magic Kingdom loop . `` For undetermined reasons that are currently under investigation , the switch had not changed position needed to allow the Pink train to be routed to the Magic Kingdom loop , '' putting the Pink and Purple trains on a collision course , the NTSB statement said . NTSB investigators believe that Wuennenberg attempted to put his train into reverse before the collision , attempting to avoid the crash . The Orange County Sheriff 's Office , which is investigating Wuennenberg 's death , would not comment , citing the ongoing investigation . | Action is `` part of an investigative process , '' spokeswoman says . Workers are maintenance shop member , pilot and transportation manager . Sunday morning crash of two trains killed one driver . NTSB is still investigating incident . | [[322, 451], [371, 421], [1965, 2000], [2069, 2103], [455, 512], [240, 273], [276, 278], [281, 321]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- London police have arrested a man in connection with a brazen daylight robbery of a jewelry store last week , they announced Wednesday . Security camera footage shows images of the men wanted by police . The 50-year-old man was arrested on Monday , police revealed . Some $ 65 million in merchandise was stolen in the August 6 robbery . On Tuesday police released surveillance camera photos of two men sought for questioning over the heist as well as images of some of the rings , bracelets , necklaces and watches taken from Graff Jewellers on central London 's New Bond Street . A total of 43 items were taken , with a value of about # 40 million , or about $ 65 million , Scotland Yard said . The heist occurred August 6 , when two men walked into the jewelry store at about 4:40 p.m. and threatened employees with handguns . As the robbers were leaving the store , they brought a female worker outside with them before leaving in a blue BMW , Scotland Yard said . A shot was fired outside the store , but no one was injured . The men abandoned the BMW nearby , firing a second shot into the ground , Scotland Yard said . Police believe they switched to a silver Mercedes , then later to a black vehicle , possibly a Ford or Volkswagen . `` This was a well-planned robbery with a number of vehicles used to help the robbers escape , '' Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace said in the statement . `` These men are extremely dangerous and fired at least two shots in busy London streets as they made their getaway . Watch how robbers rip off London jewelers '' `` Someone knows who these men are , '' she said . `` They would undoubtedly have spoken about -LRB- the robbery -RRB- before or boasted about it afterwards . I would urge anyone who recognizes them , knows the whereabouts of the jewelry or has any other information to contact us . '' The images show the two men dressed in suits and ties . One man is white , about 30 , police said . The second is a black man believed to be in his 30s with short hair . Both men are thought to have spoken with London accents , Scotland Yard said . The robbery is the latest in a spate of daytime thefts at jewelry stores and designer shops in London 's exclusive shopping areas of Bond Street , which includes New Bond Street . Groups of men or teenagers typically stage `` smash and grab '' robberies , in which they break the windows and steal anything they can get their hands on before speeding away in waiting cars or motorbikes . A CNN camera crew filming in March on Oxford Street , near Bond Street , caught a group of thieves speeding away on motorbikes from a jewelry store they had just robbed . The thieves choose to strike during the day when a store 's security system is typically disarmed , even though the store and sidewalk may be crowded with people . | London police arrest man in connection with brazen daylight robbery of jewelry store . 43 items were taken , with a value of about # 40 million , or about $ 65 million . Police released surveillance images of two men wanted for questioning Tuesday . | [[9, 32], [36, 143], [2652, 2690], [303, 372], [617, 647], [690, 700], [711, 731], [173, 220], [213, 239], [373, 437], [373, 390], [400, 550]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Survivors of a deadly earthquake-triggered tsunami which hit the Samoan islands Tuesday have described how they watched the inrushing sea swallow up coastal towns and villages leaving devastation in its wake . iReporter Alden Tagarino captured this image of the damage caused by the tsunami in Pago Pago . At least 111 people are confirmed killed in Samoa , neighboring American Samoa and Tonga . But officials in the Polynesia region have expressed fears the toll will rise as rescue workers struggle to reach outlying villages submerged and flattened by the wave . American Samoa resident Frances Faumatu told CNN she had fled to Aoloau , the highest village on the island , as the earthquake shook her house . `` All of a sudden we heard on the radio everybody had to run for safety , '' she said . `` Right after the quake , the tsunami came . '' Faumatu and others stayed on the mountain for two or three hours until the warning was lifted , watching as the sea swallowed Pago Pago , island 's capital , and then receded . At least 22 people are confirmed dead in the U.S. island territory . Cars , debris , and parts of buildings were randomly strewn over the landscape where the powerful waters dropped them . See iReporter images of the aftermath '' But in some cases , the sea left nothing behind . `` Other villages were taken to the ocean , '' Faumatu said . `` I ca n't even compare the image . It 's one thing to see a photo or footage , but just to be there in person is pretty dramatic , '' Maneafaiga T. Lagafuaina told CNN Wednesday . `` American Samoa itself is experiencing a great loss . '' The 8.0-magnitude quake hit the small cluster of Samoan islands in the South Pacific early Tuesday . In Samoa , the death toll stands at 82 , according to government minister Maulolo Tavita . But he said he feared the number of causalities would continue to rise . Around 220,000 people live on the two main islands which make up the nation of Samoa . The population of American Samoa is about 66,000 . See a map of the affected region '' Salamo Laumoli , director of health services at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center in Pago Pago , said he feared more fatalities would turn up as rescue workers strived to access parts of the island severed by damaged infrastructure . `` I thought it was the end of the world , '' said Laumoli . `` I have never felt an earthquake like that before . '' Patients at the hospital were briefly moved to higher ground , but they were soon brought back and the hospital is operating , the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said . The airport in the capital of Pago Pago was also operational and being used for emergency flights , FEMA said . A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 cargo plane was scheduled to land Wednesday around noon Eastern time , which coincides with sunrise in the Pacific U.S. protectorate , said Craig Fugate , FEMA administrator . A second C-130 was scheduled to land around 5 p.m. ET . `` The wave came onshore and washed out people 's homes , '' said Cinta Brown , an American Samoa homeland security official working at the island 's emergency operations center . The same happened on the hard-hit east and west sides of American Samoa , said Brown , who was standing in a parking lot when her sport utility vehicle began rocking left and right . She said she could hear the rattling of metal of a large chain-link fence around the lot . `` It shakes you because you know something else is coming , '' she said . The British Foreign Office said one of the dead in American Samoa was a British national , but no other details were provided . In Tonga , Lord Tuita , the acting prime minister , said at least seven people had been confirmed dead on the northern island of Niuatoputapu . Three others were missing and four people were being treated for serious injuries , he said . `` The hospital on the island is reported to have suffered major damage ; telephone communications has been cut as a result of damage to equipment and facilities on the island ; homes and government buildings have been destroyed ; the airport runway has been severely damaged making it impossible for any fixed wing aircraft to land , '' a statement from the Tongan prime minister 's office said . Were you there ? Send us your photos and video . A series of aftershocks reverberated through the region Tuesday as reports emerged of entire villages flattened or submerged by the tsunami . The walls of water were so strong that they twisted concrete beams and mangled cars . See an explainer on tsunamis '' Laumoli said people in outlying villages on one end of the main American Samoa island had been cut off because the connecting bridge was washed away . Listen to Laumoli speak about the impact of the quake and tsunami '' American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono , speaking from Hawaii , said Tuesday 's quake ranked `` right up there with some of the worst '' disasters on the island . He said he had spoken to the military about mobilizing reserve forces for assistance . Tulafono was on his way back home from Hawaii on Tuesday night on one of two U.S. Coast Guard transport planes delivering aid . He told reporters Tuesday it had been hard being away from home as the disaster unfolded . It was a time , he said , for families to be together . Watch American Samoa governor discuss tsunami '' President Obama declared American Samoa a major disaster area , ordering federal aid to supplement local efforts . `` We keep the many people who have been touched by this tragedy in our thoughts and in our prayers , '' he said . A U.S. Defense Department official said 75 members of the Hawaii National Guard were ordered to American Samoa to begin assisting with medical relief , search and rescue and providing communications capabilities on the island . The unit will bring enough supplies to sustain themselves for 96 hours and its expected more aid from the military could begin flowing in , the official said . The Coast Guard is transporting more than 20 officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to American Samoa , said John Hamill , external affairs officer for FEMA in Oakland , California . The FEMA team will include a variety of debris experts , housing experts , members of the Corps of Engineers , and other disaster relief specialists , Hamill said . The quake generated three separate tsunami waves , the largest measuring 5.1 feet from sea level height , said Vindell Hsu , a geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . Preliminary data had originally reported a larger tsunami . CNN 's Barbara Starr , Augie Martin , Mariano Castillo , Moni Basu , Tess Eastment , Jim Kavanagh , Mike Ahlers , Hank Bishop and Nick Valencia contributed to this report . | At least 111 dead in Samoan islands and Tonga after Pacific tsunami . Officials fear death toll will rise as rescue workers reach outlying visitors . Magnitude-8 .0 quake strikes near Samoan Islands early Tuesday . Hawaii National Guard troops being sent on relief operation . | [[32, 69], [76, 106], [325, 415], [325, 344], [359, 415], [420, 511], [469, 520], [1826, 1894], [2069, 2083], [2164, 2264], [32, 51], [52, 106], [1630, 1730], [5631, 5818]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- From baby deliveries to unexpected deaths , Mike Bowes , a 911 dispatcher from Quincy , Massachusetts , has handled a wide range of emergency calls . Emergency dispatcher Mike Bowes received a call that his home was in flames Monday night . But Monday night , the 44-year-old received an unexpected call from his neighbor : His own house was on fire . The 911 call came in about 10:45 p.m. Monday , a little more than an hour before Mike Bowes ' shift ended . My neighbor 's house just blew up , the caller said . `` What 's the address ? '' Mike Bowes asked patiently , just as he did with every emergency call for the past 11 years with the Quincy Police Department . The caller frantically relayed the address , Bowes ' home address for 20 years . `` It was shocking , '' Mike Bowes said . `` I thought she was kidding . It 's a long shot . I mean , what 's the chances it will be your house ? '' Out of 90,000 people who reside in Quincy , Massachusetts , a suburb of Boston , Mike Bowes ' was the home in flames , and he had answered the emergency call . Thoughts raced through his mind : Are my parents OK ? Are the neighbors safe ? What about my stuff ? Following procedure , Mike Bowes transferred the call to the fire department . Soon , dozens of calls about the fire from other neighbors began to pour into the control room . Watch Mike Bowes talk about the fire '' One of the callers was his mother , Elizabeth Bowes , 68 . She and her husband , Donald Bowes , 72 , had escaped unharmed . About 10:45 p.m. , Elizabeth Bowes was reading a novel in the kitchen when she heard the explosion and saw flames shoot through the kitchen window . She ran to wake her husband in a first-floor bedroom . There was also a landlord living in upstairs . Firefighters arrived within minutes and helped her to safety . Within five minutes of receiving the call , police escorted Mike Bowes to his home . He could see the fire light up the dark sky from afar . Anxious neighbors gathered in the park nearby . He was relieved to find his parents together on the sidewalk . `` My parents are alive ; my neighbors are alive , '' he said . `` It 's an inconvenience , but we 'll get through it . '' In another coincidence , one of the first firefighters to arrive on scene was Mike Bowes ' cousin , Tom Bowes . Tom Bowes , a firefighter for the past eight years , scrambled into the house to salvage old albums with wedding and baby photos amid the flames . But everything else -- the clothes , electronics and furniture -- were destroyed . No one was injured in the fire , and firefighters have yet to determine what caused the blaze . They say it started in the garage , about 15 feet from the home . Mike Bowes says his job prepared him to deal with the challenging circumstances . Bowes and his family are living in a hotel , and local police officers and firefighters have donated clothes and money . `` A lot of people think dispatchers are strange because I 've been joking about what happened , '' he said . `` I say , ` If I 'm not laughing , I 'll start crying . ' This is what I have to do . '' | Massachusetts dispatcher answered neighbor 's call about burning home . Three other people in home escaped uninjured . He says his dispatch experience with crises helps him cope with losing a home . | [[169, 259], [479, 512], [2713, 2794]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Senate on Wednesday narrowly rejected a controversial measure to allow people to carry concealed weapons from state to state . A Miami , Florida , gun store offers concealed weapons training . The measure would have required each of the 48 states that currently allow concealed firearms to honor permits issued in other states . The vote was 58-39 in favor . The amendment needed 60 votes to pass . The vote split the Democrats , with 20 supporting the measure and 35 opposing it . Two of the Senate 's 40 Republicans -- Richard Lugar of Indiana and George Voinovich of Ohio -- and both independents , Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernard Sanders of Vermont , voted against it . Robert Byrd of West Virginia , Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland , all Democrats , did not vote . A coalition of mayors that fought the law welcomed its defeat . `` Our bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns fought this amendment tooth-and-nail , because we recognize that the laws of one state may not be best for another , '' Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston , Massachusetts , said in a statement . `` We will continue to work with our members to support common-sense policies and oppose dangerous ones , like the Thune Amendment that was defeated today , '' he said , referring to Sen. John Thune , R-South Dakota , who sponsored the proposal . It was the first significant defeat this year for advocates of gun rights , after gun control advocates faced an unexpected setback in May . Map : See which states allow citizens to carry concealed weapons '' Gun rights advocates attached a measure allowing people to carry guns in national parks to credit card legislation . President Obama signed the package into law . The interstate concealed-weapons proposal was an amendment to a larger defense appropriations bill . Supporters of the measure argued it would help deter criminals ; opponents claimed it would , in effect , force most of the country to conform to regulations in states with the loosest gun-ownership standards . Opponents of the amendment mounted a huge campaign to stop it . Mayors Against Illegal Guns -- which says it represent more than 450 mayors in 40 states -- took out an ad in USA Today opposing the measure . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg , a campaign co-chairman , opposed the law on a number of grounds , arguing both that it tramples on states ' rights and that guns are dangerous . `` There 's no evidence that if you have a gun , you 're safer , '' he said on CNN 's `` American Morning '' Wednesday . `` Quite the contrary . If you have a gun at home , -LSB- you are -RSB- something like 20 times more likely to have somebody in your house killed . ... `` We have to protect our policemen , protect our citizens . We ca n't have all these guns , and it 's reasonable to have each state make their own laws , '' he said . `` Wyoming should n't be subject to New York state laws , and we 're going in that direction , '' he said . `` What 's right for the people of Wyoming is n't necessarily right for the people of New York and vice versa . '' Sen. John Barrasso , a Wyoming Republican who was a co-sponsor of the amendment , had argued that gun licenses should apply across state lines , like driver 's licenses . `` People travel , '' he said on `` American Morning . '' `` We have truck drivers on our roads , people traveling for vacation in their vehicles , and if you have a license ... you should be able to use that license in other states . It should apply like a driver 's license , '' he said . He argued that concealed weapons deter crime . `` Carrying a concealed weapon is a sign of self-defense , self-protection , and I think it lowers crime , '' he said . And he said people carrying guns would still have to obey laws wherever they are . `` The law of the state where that person happens to be at the time are the laws that apply in terms of if you 're allowed to carry a gun into a bar or restaurant . ... State rights continue to apply there . '' This is the third time the Senate has considered gun rights this year . In addition to the national parks measure , Senate gun-rights advocates in the spring attached a measure loosening the District of Columbia 's tight gun control laws to a bill giving full voting rights to Washington 's representative in Congress . That amendment was approved 62-36 . House Democratic leaders , unwilling to loosen the restrictions on gun ownership in the District of Columbia , have let the bill languish . CNN 's Alan Silverleib and Evan Glass in Washington contributed to this report . | Senate turns down proposal to make permits valid despite differing laws . Foes said it would force states to honor laws in more gun-permissive states . First significant defeat for the gun lobby . | [[0, 26], [54, 160], [1950, 2016], [1950, 1959], [1991, 2095], [1412, 1485], [1494, 1552]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She 's been a comedian , talk-show host and feared red carpet fashion critic . Now you can add winner of `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' to Joan Rivers ' lengthy resume . Donald Trump and Joan Rivers attend `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' season finale Sunday in New York . After weeks of competition , the 75-year-old dynamo beat out 15 other contestants , including Dennis Rodman , Tom Green and Brian McKnight , to take the top spot in this season 's edition of the reality show hosted by Donald Trump . Rivers went up against poker champion Annie Duke in Sunday night 's finale in which both women were charged with planning a VIP party and silent auction for the last and deciding task . `` They 're both tough , they 're both smart and they both hate each other , '' Trump observed at the beginning of the show . The apparent tension between Rivers and Duke continued in the final boardroom , part of which played out in front of a live audience , with both finalists bickering and interrupting each other repeatedly as Trump looked on . In the end , Duke raised far more money at her event , but Rivers was able to attract more celebrities and provide a better overall experience for the guests at her party , and Trump declared her the winner of the competition . `` Your level of energy has been amazing , '' he told Rivers . The victory means $ 250,000 for Rivers ' charity : God 's Love We Deliver . If the series thrives on conflict , it got plenty of mileage out of Rivers . She blew up at country singer Clint Black , referred to another contestant as a `` stupid blonde '' and smashed a champagne glass out of frustration at one point . But Rivers seemed to be especially infuriated by Duke , calling her a `` despicable human being '' -- the tamest of the insults she hurled in Duke 's direction over the course of the series . Rivers even walked out in a huff after her daughter , and fellow contestant , Melissa was fired from the show . The exit , complete with bleeped obscenities , was turned into a cliffhanger of sorts when it seemed like Rivers might not come back , but she returned to the show for the next task . You might think a show that 's best known for the phrase `` You 're fired '' might not do so well in a bad economy when thousands of people have heard similar words for real at their workplaces , but the series averaged more than 8 million viewers a week , according to Entertainment Weekly . EW : Did the right one win ? Revived formula . `` The Apprentice '' made a splash when it debuted in 2004 , making a reality television star out of Trump and contestants such as Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth . For several seasons , the series took ambitious young mogul wannabes , divided them into teams and had them compete in tasks that ranged from selling lemonade to creating advertising campaigns for major corporations . The contestants vied for the chance to run one of Trump 's companies for a year , and Trump fired someone from the losing team each week until he selected an apprentice . Over the years , ratings for the show gradually declined , but the formula was revived in early 2008 with the first season of `` The Celebrity Apprentice . '' The tasks , pressure-cooker atmosphere and boardroom bickering stayed the same , but the competition now featured contestants with varying degrees of fame and focused on raising money for charity . The first `` Celebrity Apprentice '' top spot went to Piers Morgan , the prickly judge on `` Britain 's Got Talent '' who made news this spring when he invited singing sensation Susan Boyle to dinner after her memorable performance on the show . Morgan also made several appearances on this season 's `` Apprentice , '' sitting in as Trump 's `` eyes and ears '' during one episode and interviewing the final four candidates in another . Morgan 's aggressive questioning seemed to annoy the celebrities , especially Jesse James , who glared icily at Morgan when he kept asking him why he did not turn to his wife , Sandra Bullock , for help in raising money during the various tasks . Perhaps Bullock might be tempted to try competing on the show herself . NBC announced last month it is bringing back `` The Celebrity Apprentice '' for another installment in the spring of 2010 , Entertainment Weekly reported . | Joan Rivers wins this season 's `` Celebrity Apprentice '' Rivers goes up against poker champion Annie Duke in finale . Duke raises more money at her event , but Rivers is able to attract more celebrities . The victory means $ 250,000 for Rivers ' charity . | [[291, 317], [320, 429], [432, 493], [524, 598], [1061, 1071], [1074, 1113], [1120, 1231], [1352, 1400]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- North Korea on Thursday launched a scathing personal attack on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , raising comparisons with previous colorful comments about the West by the communist regime . Bush : `` A chicken soaked in the rain , '' according to a North Korean Cabinet newspaper . At a meeting of southeast Asian nations in Phuket , Thailand , a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman blasted Clinton for what he called a `` spate of vulgar remarks unbecoming for her position everywhere she went since she was sworn in , '' according to the state-run KCNA news agency . The spokesman called Clinton `` by no means intelligent '' and a `` funny lady . '' `` Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping , '' the statement said . In no particular order , here are some of the most outspoken comments of recent years : . In October 2001 , North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun said U.S. President George W. Bush was `` an incompetent and rude president who is senseless and ignorant as he does not know even elementary diplomatic etiquette and lacks diplomatic ability . '' In March 2002 , after Bush bracketed the communist state of Kim Jong-il with Iran and pre-war Iraq as being part of an `` axis of evil , '' the North shot back and called the United States an `` empire of evil , '' KCNA reported . In May 2005 , North Korea described Bush as `` a hooligan bereft of any personality as a human being , to say nothing of stature as president of a country . He is a half-baked man in terms of morality and a philistine whom we can never deal with . '' In December 2008 after an Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at Bush at a news conference in Baghdad the North 's cabinet newspaper said in an article that Bush looked like `` a chicken soaked in the rain , '' according to Reuters.com . In April 2004 , a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman described U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney as a `` mentally deranged person steeped in the inveterate enmity towards the system '' in the North . In May 2003 , the North said Cheney `` is hated as the most cruel monster and blood-thirsty beast as he has drenched various parts of the world in blood . '' In May 2004 , the North branded the Grand National Party of South Party a `` vegetable assembly '' and a `` modern brand Nazi party . '' In November 2003 , after U.S. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld described North Korea as an `` evil country '' and an `` evil regime , '' KCNA shot back , describing him as a `` political dwarf , human scum or hysteric . His hands are stained with the blood shed by so many people . He is , indeed , a human butcher and fascist tyrant who puts an ogre to shame . '' In May 2005 , after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the North as an `` outpost of tyranny , '' a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman described Rice as `` no more than an official of the most tyrannical dictatorial state in the world . Such woman bereft of any political logic is not the one to be dealt with by us . '' In May 2009 , North Korean newspapers said Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso was `` greedy for power '' and `` incompetent in politics . '' According to KCNA , they described him as `` nothing but a political charlatan who does not know where to stand , a mere puppet and a guy with a poor knowledge of history . '' | N. Korea launches personal attack on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Raises comparisons with previous comments about West by communist regime . Paper described U.S. President Bush as `` incompetent and rude president '' Foreign Ministry said Dick Cheney was a `` mentally deranged person '' | [[0, 15], [124, 216], [890, 905], [908, 1020], [987, 989], [1006, 1020], [1025, 1050], [1857, 1870], [1873, 1982], [1960, 2059]] |
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